Diner Morning News: Assistant Coaches

FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:

14 MAY 2009

QUOTE:  “The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence.” -- John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963) 

FROM MIKE CHAPPELL OF THE INDY STAR... Line coach Howard Mudd's formal retirement announcement could come as soon as today, and coordinator Tom Moore is in line to follow. Each is concerned with a recent change in the NFL's pension plan.  Neither Mudd, 67, nor Moore, 70, could be reached for comment, but Larry Kennan, executive director of the NFL Coaches Association, said he expects Mudd to file his retirement papers today. Team president Bill Polian declined an interview request from The Star to discuss the situation but told USA Today, "I anticipate that they will retire."

Coaches make a huge difference in the NFL. Being able to develop, motivate, evaluate and stimulate players requires talent, but coaching on game day requires quick thinking, which comes from years of experience. That’s one area where the loss of coaches like Howard Mudd and Tom Moore will affect the Colts. 

I thought I’d look at some of the assistant coaches who can make a difference this year for their teams. 

ROD MARINELLI                      CHICAGO BEARS         DEFENSIVE LINE

Rest assured, “The Peter Principle” exists in the NFL. It happens all the time. There’s a level of competence in each coach, and just because a coach is effective as a position coach doesn’t always mean he’ll be a successful head coach. Clearly, Rod Marinelli’s skill level as a coach didn’t make him suited to serve as a head coach in the NFL.  Even as the head coach of the Lions, he wanted to spend most of his time in the defensive line meetings making sure the defensive linemen were coached and taught in the style he loved. But now that his sole responsibility is the defensive line, he can focus on his strengths as a coach and improve the Bears’ defensive line (as Bears' GM Jerry Angelo told our Matt Bowen). Their season depends on Marinelli making his mark. 

I love the Jay Cutler move for the Bears, and I love that they were proactive and finally signed a few players to help their offensive line. I know the Orlando Pace signing is risky based on his injury history, but the Bears tell us that Pace passed their physical with flying colors and they’re not worried about his shoulder. If that holds true, they’ve helped themselves greatly. 

The Bears must -- and I mean must -- find a way to improve in all areas of their defense.  When I study them on tape, it’s obvious they struggle to play with consistency on every level or phase.  However, their defensive line fell well short of their talent level, creating problems for their linebackers, who had to deal with linemen coming to the second level freely.  They could not control the line of scrimmage with their defensive line; they had a hard time getting off the field, ranking 28th in the league in allowing opponents to control the ball (almost 32 minutes a game). For a defensive team that supposedly relies on speed and quickness to be successful, they failed to make the plays to get off the field. 

Marinelli must get Tommie Harris to play his best – that’s a given. However, more than Harris, Marinelli has to find a way to get edge pressure from his defensive ends. Pass rush pressure is the only solution to help their pass defense, which struggled last year, finishing 30th in the NFL.  For the Bears to become a good defensive team, Marinelli must develop Marcus Harrison into a powerful inside player. He must also get production from rookie Jarron Gilbert as either an edge rusher or a long, linear inside player who can create problems with his length and quickness.  His work must make an immediate impact; with the Packers and Steelers first on their schedule, the Bears’ defense needs to play well from the start.   

More than the players mentioned above, the significance of the Marinelli hiring for the Bears might lie in his ability to develop some unidentified young player who can make an impact this season. 

TURK SCHONERT                    BUFFALO BILLS                      OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

I wonder if Turk has called down to Dallas and asked Jason Garrett what life is like coaching Terrell Owens. I hope he made the call, took meticulous notes and formulated a game plan because he’s approaching the most critical season in his coaching career. The Bills have to make the playoffs or there might be changes coming to Buffalo. Ralph Wilson, the owner of the Bills, wanted some changes to the staff this offseason, but because of head coach Dick Jauron’s insistence on continuity, no changes were made. 

The staff may not have changed, but the team is going to be very different in 2009. How these changes will be incorporated into the Bills’ base offense will be critical. Schonert must find a way to bring consistency to the offense. The Bills rarely make mistakes (which would indicate that they’re consistent, but they’re not) and were one of the least penalized offensive teams in the NFL, yet they cannot control the ball and finish drives. They fail to convert third downs in the red zone and finished 26th in this area, which obviously stalls drives and forces field goals instead of touchdowns. When teams took away the big play from wide receiver Lee Evans, the Bills’ offense did not have the ability to manufacture scoring drives. 

The Bills’ front office and coaching staff talked after the draft about becoming more physical in their offensive line, along with being more physical as an offensive football team. They felt the ‘08 team lacked toughness to finish plays. This claim is supported by the fact that the Bills were one of the worst teams in the NFL in converting third and one, ranking 27th. Converting short yardage is one area that separates good teams from bad ones. 

Schonert has some of the best skill players in the league in running back Marshawn Lynch and wide receivers Evans and Owens. But as we all know, having skill players does not translate into points if the offensive line is not playing well. Getting Trent Edwards to become quicker with his decisions will help the line. Finding an edge blocker at tight end will help both tackles in pass protection and might allow the Bills to have a strongside run game, something that was not always consistent in 2008. 

If I worked for the Bills (or if I were Schonert), I would attempt to pry tight end Daniel Graham away from the Broncos (Side note here: The Broncos drafted a young blocking tight end, Richard Quinn, in the second round, possibly making Graham expendable). Graham’s skills as a blocker would make this offense a significant factor in 2009. He would enhance the running game and allow them time to develop two new tackles (Langston Walker now at left and Kirk Chambers at right). 

The Bills have a lot riding on this season, and it will take the best of every player, coach and front office member to reach the playoffs. My good friend Eric Musselman, the former Golden State Warriors coach, always talked to his team about each player improving 10 percent, each coach improving 10 percent and each executive improving 10 percent. That would make the team 30 percent stronger than the previous year -- and likely resulting in a playoff appearance. 

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