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O'Brien & His Coaching Staffs

Jim Bernhardt will join Bill O’Brien as his Director of Football Research as part of a new staff of 16 assistant coaches announced Wednesday. O’Brien refers to Bernhardt, his former position coach at Brown University, as his "right-hand man". For the past two years with the Nittany Lions, Bernhardt served as the Director of Player Development.
“He’s a fantastic friend and a great mentor,” O’Brien said January 3 in an exclusive interview with Drew Dougherty. “He helped me get into coaching so I owe him a lot.”
http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...hand-man/19ba698d-d46f-4eeb-a64d-74b66bc23aef
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This Bernhardt got this job because "“he helped me get into coaching so I owe him a lot.” ? Does this sound like Kubiak's rationale for hiring his friends from Denver ?
 
IDEXAN said:
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This Bernhardt got this job because "“he helped me get into coaching so I owe him a lot.” ? Does this sound like Kubiak's rationale for hiring his friends from Denver ?
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Kubiak wasn't the first coach to do it nor will he be the last. It was just that Kubiak's friends didn't cut it while they were here and he didn't fire them quickly enough. Let's just hope O'Brien's friends are better.
 
santo said:
Kubiak wasn't the first coach to do it nor will he be the last. It was just that Kubiak's friends didn't cut it while they were here and he didn't fire them quickly enough. Let's just hope O'Brien's friends are better.
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Correct. As I have said before, Pete Carroll fired his buddy as OC not to long after hiring him. I'm sure it was a tough decision to make, but, he made it. We see how that turned out.

Maybe Kubiak has evolved, but, when he was here, the guy was terrible at making hard decisions.
 
So basically we've got a college coaching staff for the first time coaching an NFL team. Anybody a little nervous about that experiment ?
 
DBCooper said:
Our OC and DC are NFL vets at those very positions.
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The DC is certainly a long-time NFL Vet coach, but the OC is also a rookie NFL HC. Then there's the DLine coach holdover from the Kubiak regime, but who else has NFL coaching experience on the staff ?
 
Who is Jim Leavitt?

Do you know Kris Richard?

How about Tyke Tolbert? Geep Christ? Al Holcomb? Mike Groh?

Does the fact that you have to Google them have any bearing on whether they're good at their job or not?
 
IDEXAN said:
The DC is certainly a long-time NFL Vet coach, but the OC is also a rookie NFL HC. Then there's the DLine coach holdover from the Kubiak regime, but who else has NFL coaching experience on the staff ?
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O-Line Coach
QB Coach
ST Coach
Receivers Coach
RB Coach
Asst. Strength and Conditioning Coach

Throw in the fact that two of the assistants with no NFL coaching experience have NFL playing experience, and add in the three coaches you already mentioned, and hopefully there's enough NFL experience on board for them to find their way.

And echoing an earlier comment that some new (to the NFL) blood could be refreshing, consider that the asst. coach who may have generated the most excitement on this board (Mike Vrabel) has no NFL coaching experience, and the one who appears to have generated the most skepticism - if not out and out dislike - (Paul Dunn) has spent the past six seasons coaching the Atlanta Falcons.
 
I like the way the defensive staff shaped up. I'm interested to see what Vrabel can do with the LB corps. That is, once we have them all. Butler seems to know what he's doing when it comes to secondary. From what I've read on him.

To me, the offensive staff is a huge unknown. I'm not too excited about the Dunn hire, but the rest are mysteries.

I just hope O'Brien's not biting off more than he can chew as an NFL newbie HC.
 
IDEXAN said:
So basically we've got a college coaching staff for the first time coaching an NFL team. Anybody a little nervous about that experiment ?
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Hey you guys wanted a fresh new staff, and I think you got it. Too late to back out now. The way the Texans played last year, I can think of a number of College teams who could have beat them, so things can only get better.

I think the bigger question is what does the staff look like and coach like in year 2 and 3. Anyone expecting a Super Bowl turn around this year is more than a bit optimistic if not delusional.:gamer:
 
If the Texans are even half-assed next season you're not going to care where the coaching staff came from because it'll be an improvement over last year. Really the eye opening will probably come around this time next year, and if any of the coaching staff is let go because of their unit underperforming. I'm not very thrilled that O'Brien wants to be the OC and HC on his first gig, but having a guy like Crennel on the other side should give him some leeway in that regard.
 
So, how many teams with a staff of NFL experienced coaches miss the playoffs every year? I don't need experience, I need results. I say more power to 'em.
 
Playoffs said:
Mike Vrabel might be, under the tutelage of Romeo Crennel, the long term answer for the DC position in Houston, according to NFL Insiders (ESPN)...

  • "Vrabel was the smartest player I've ever been around in my time in the NFL," Field Yates.

  • "I could say without question that he, [Vrabel], was the smartest defensive football player I ever played with," Tedy Bruschi.

  • He was known for his athleticism and leadership. He played with an edge, yet was perhaps defined by his intelligence. Holley wrote how coaches were continually surprised at the amazing recall Vrabel had of formations and tendencies of opponents.

    “During his Patriots career, there was no player more respected for his football intellect and revered for his leadership by his teammates than Mike,” Belichick said in a statement Monday. “He was elected a team captain by his peers and is a player who I think everyone knew was destined to become a coach after his NFL playing career was over.

    “Mike Vrabel is as well-suited for coaching as any player I have ever coached. He has a tremendous feel for people, players, coaches and what his team needs regardless of the situation. He is outstanding in his knowledge of the game, which contributed to his excellence as a player. I have no doubt Mike will develop tough, intelligent, fundamentally sound winners.”

  • “He is a champion in every sense of the word and I’m confident all of these qualities will make him a great coach,” Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli said Monday. “I cannot overstate my respect for him as a person and a football player. If there were a Hall of Champions, Mike Vrabel would be a first ballot selection. ”
:bowdown:
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Who's in the dawg house???

92bde09e-4761-405a-8575-3ca8d4424442.jpg
 
Yep, no doubt the grouping of Crennel, Kollar and Vrabel is pretty damn exciting.

You'd have to think we will see marked improvement out of the front 7 which should, consequently, make the secondary's life easier.
 
nero THE zero said:
Yep, no doubt the grouping of Crennel, Kollar and Vrabel is pretty damn exciting.

You'd have to think we will see marked improvement out of the front 7 which should, consequently, make the secondary's life easier.
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I'm excited to see what the LB corps is going to look like this season. Can you imagine the beast Cush will be with Vrabel coaching him?? I bet we see a drastic improvement across the board. Especially Reed. I see him moving inside and tearing it up.
 
If Reed does finally make the move for good to inside linebacker, he feels confident under the supervision of Crennel and Mike Vrabel, the former All-Pro linebacker-turned-position coach.

“They are pretty tremendous,” Reed said of Crennel and Vrabel. “They know a lot about the game. Not only that, they are great teachers of the game as well and they just want the players to learn and hold us responsible.”
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http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...g-to-ILB/d6b78ef0-5d14-4f51-a48f-815a60155537
 
Or for [QBs coach George "Goose"] Godsey, who will get to be his own man under O'Brien.

"I think it's important as a leader, as the head football coach, that everybody knows what you want," O'Brien said. "But I'm a firm believer in (hiring) these guys to coach, to let them coach. They each have their own style, their own way of communicating. I had a great experience coaching (Godsey). He'll go down in Georgia Tech history as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play there. It was fun to coach him because he was a really smart guy, and then when he got into coaching, we obviously kept in touch and formed even more of a friendship. He's doing a good job out there."

Having most previously worked together on Bill Belichick's staff at New England in 2011 - O'Brien was the quarterbacks coach and Godsey an offensive assistant - they first got to know each other well after Godsey became Tech's starting quarterback in 2001 with O'Brien serving as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. It proved a productive partnership. Over two seasons, Godsey won 17 of 25 starts, leading the team to back-to-back bowls, and threw for 41 touchdowns, achievements that gained him a place in Tech's sports hall of fame.

Further, O'Brien inspired an interest in coaching for him. Godsey calls his boss "a role model." The way he interacts with Savage on the Texans' practice field probably looks much like the way O'Brien interacted with him back in the day in Atlanta.

"When Billy was coaching me, he was very demanding," Godsey said. "And he's demanding of me as a coach. He knows what he wants, and he's straightforward about it. Neither of us is going to sugarcoat anything. We're going to be straightforward with the players and let them know what they need to be doing."
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http://www.houstonchronicle.com/spo...ruction-benefits-Texans-rookie-QB-5488137.php
 
Didn't OTAs start today? Why the radio silence from Kirby??
Do I have the dates wrong?
 
I hope Mike Vrabel's a great coach.

On a side note:

Anybody else reminded of John Madden's pronunciation of his name "Mike Grabel?"

Madden mispronounced his name all the time on the game telecasts.
 
I know it's early and premature.... but I really do love this coaching staff already. Seems like total anti-kubiak/wade
 
VTexan said:
I know it's early and premature.... but I really do love this coaching staff already. Seems like total anti-kubiak/wade
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Agree. A lot of teams tend to take on the personality of the head coach. That's what I'm looking forward to the most: a no-nonsense team that's all about collecting W's.
 
VTexan said:
I know it's early and premature.... but I really do love this coaching staff already. Seems like total anti-kubiak/wade
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houstonspartan said:
Agree. A lot of teams tend to take on the personality of the head coach. That's what I'm looking forward to the most: a no-nonsense team that's all about collecting W's.
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color me still worried...
disciples of Belichick, over all, have not faired well.
ESPN took a look at their history a while back...

How has the Belichick tree done?

ESPN Stats & Information did a study this past week, and the conclusion is this: "They have struggled."

Basically three coaches have gone on to become NFL head coaches after working under Belichick: Crennel, Mangini and Josh McDaniels, whom the Browns are interviewing Saturday.

Crennel had one winning season in five as head coach (four with Cleveland, one with Kansas City). Mangini had also had one winning season in five. McDaniels started 6-0 in Denver but finished 2-8 for an 8-8 mark. He was 3-9 the next season before he was fired.

That is 12 full seasons as head coach for Belichick guys, with one 13-game season. There were two winning seasons, one at .500 and nine losing seasons.

Crennel had a .325 won-lost percentage in his five seasons as coach. He went 26-54 (plus 2-1 as an interim).

Mangini was 33-47. McDaniels finished 11-17.

Combined, they were 72-119, a won-lost percentage of .378.

Charlie Weis, of course, was the third guy in that end-of-Super Bowl hug with Crennel and Belichick in 2005. Crennel went to the Browns and Weis to Notre Dame, where he went 19-6 his first two seasons to garner a lucrative contract extension.

But his final three seasons with the Irish he was 16-21.

In 2012 and 2013 he coached Kansas to 1-11 and 3-9 records. His total won-lost as a head coach: 39-47.

The only member of the Belichick tree to go on and have a winning record was Bill O'Brien, who recently left Penn State for the Houston Texans.

In two years with the Nittany Lions, O'Brien was 15-9.

Add all the records as head coach, including Weis' and O'Brien's in college, and the members of the Belichick tree have gone 126-175 (.419).
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Not trying to be a
images


but this data causes me to temper my enthusiasm. While O'Brien hasn't coached a single game in the NFL, at least he left the college ranks as a winner. So there's that...
 
ObsiWan said:
color me still worried...
disciples of Belichick, over all, have not faired well.

but this data causes me to temper my enthusiasm. While O'Brien hasn't coached a single game in the NFL, at least he left the college ranks as a winner. So there's that...
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I look at that the same way I look at the, "He's Schaub 2.0" analysis. There may be a dozen reasons why this guy would remind you of that guy. But there is no reason to believe his career is going to turn out like whoever.

Right now, Savage may look like Schaub 2.0, but he also looks like Marino 2.0

Belichick's tree doesn't look so great right now. Crennel, Weis, McDaniels... that's three lessons for OB to learn from.
 
Don't you just have a hunch with this guy? With how he responds to questions? He's impatient with stupid questions from the media, but you can see that he's quick enough to know that he needn't be an ass. His old boss is an ass to the media.

OB seems to "get it" on a basic, human, intellectual level.

Many of you guys know football coaches in your personal life. I'm sure you've noted that several of them are not all together bright. There seem to be many in that profession. It's not that uncommon.

But then there are those guys who seem to apply things like reason and logic at all times and so their words that come out of their mouths are a direct reflection of the order and process that exists inside of their own consciousness.

So the words that come out of OB's mouth would seem to represent that he possesses this same capacity. That gives me reason to believe that he might be pretty good at this.

I'm excited to see how it works out.
 
I don`t care about the Belichick tree. Just because others didn`t work out has nothing to do with O`Brien working out. It´s not like Belichick is poisoning them or something like that - they are all their own man, and there are several reasons why one or the other didn`t work out.

A new QB is always a gamble. I think a guy like Lovie Smith would`ve been a safer bet, but a guy like O`Brien is the more exciting pick. He has proven he can work in a pretty bad situation in Penn State, he has proven he can be a good college head coach. Does that mean anything now? Not much, but certainly a lot more than other Belichick guys failing so far.

So let`s see where this goes. I am cautiously optimistic (but I´m also always an optimist).
 
[IMGwidthsize=400]http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/30/07/42/6322324/3/784x2048.jpg[/IMG]

(on quarterbacks coach George Godsey’s ability to teach Tom Savage) “George is an excellent football coach. He’s a very, very bright guy. He’s a quick-minded guy. He’s a competitive guy and he loves to coach quarterbacks. So he’s with these guys all the time and I meet with them sometimes but he meets with them most of the time and he does a really good job of understanding that each one of those guys is at a different stage in their career. One guy is a rookie, one guy is in his second year, one guy is in his tenth year. So he’s able to reach all three of them in different ways and I think they’ve enjoyed being coached by him and they like our system. So George and I really love our offensive system so we enjoy coaching that and teaching that and George has done a really good job with all of those guys.”

(on his history with George Godsey) “Well, I coached him and when I coached him he was a really bright guy. He was the type of guy that you could signal in a play to him and half way through the signal he already knew the play, he knew the rest of the play because he had memorized the gameplan. He knew what was so he could turn into the huddle and call the play. He was just a really bright guy and then when he was done he played in the arena league for, I think a couple seasons, and then he played in the Arena D-League or B-League or some other Arena League and he called me one time and said, ‘What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Well, I think you need to run from the Arena League and decide what you want to do,’ and he wanted to coach and eventually he got hooked up with George O’Leary at Central Florida who he had played for and I had worked for at Georgia Tech and I was able to recommend him to Bill Belichick in New England in 2011. You know, going into that season he came up and was a quality control guy for us there, did a really good job for us the year we went to the Super Bowl and I tried to get him to Penn State but we couldn’t get him to Penn State but that’s a story for another time and then I was able to get him here to Houston, so it was good.”


(on his opinion of George Godsey when he played at Georgia Tech under O’Brien) “You could tell the way he played, the way he thought the game, the way he loved the game, you could tell that he would eventually end up coaching, no doubt about it.”
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http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...n-Sunday/95fa11e0-3d5a-4148-99c4-761adaa795b1
 
Charlie Weis fired from Kansas. Could he be the offensive coordinator or does he not have the same style as O'Brien?
 
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