Latest news with #NFLAssistantCoachoftheYear
USA Today
04-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former NFL coach seen at Colorado's practice hinting at another big coaching staff hire
Former NFL coach seen at Colorado's practice hinting at another big coaching staff hire Could another former NFL coach join Deion Sanders' coaching staff in Colorado? After Thursday's practice, it sure looks like a possibility. Former Minnesota Vikings head coach and longtime NFL defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was spotted at Colorado's practice, deked out in full CU gear and chopping it up with Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter. Zimmer is no stranger to Boulder, as he was an analyst on Coach Prime's 2023 staff. He was Sanders' defensive backs coach when Sanders was with the Cowboys and the duo won Super Bowl XXX together. The longtime NFL coach returned to the Cowboys' last season as their defensive coordinator but was dismissed after the year when the team moved away from head coach Mike McCarthy. Zimmer's most successful stint in the NFL was as the head coach of the Vikings from 2014 to 2021. In 2017, he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship game, with the "Minneapolis Miracle" being one of the more memorable moments of the season. He ended his run in Minneapolis with a 74-59-1 record. He would add 28 years of NFL coaching experience, a Super Bowl and an NFL Assistant Coach of the Year to Colorado's coaching staff. Zimmer would be the fourth coach with significant NFL ties to join the coaching staff this offseason, following Marshall Faulk, Domata Peko and Byron Leftwich. Although not officially announced by the school, Leftwich's hire generated a ton of buzz as a potential quarterback coach with his NFL offensive coordinator experience. It wouldn't be surprising to see Zimmer back on the staff this season in some role, given his deep ties to Deion Sanders and the fact that he spent a season at Colorado just two seasons ago. Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
Fox Sports
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Lions agree to hire Broncos' John Morton as OC and promote Kelvin Sheppard to DC, AP source says
Associated Press The Detroit Lions have agreed to hire Denver Broncos assistant John Morton as offensive coordinator and promote Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreements had not been announced. Detroit had both coordinators depart to become head coaches. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was hired by the Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left to lead the New York Jets, just days after the top-seeded Lions were stunned by sixth-seeded Washington in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Johnson and Glenn are finalists for The Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award. AP Coach of the Year finalist Dan Campbell said he expected both coordinators to leave even before they were hired. Campbell said quarterback Jared Goff would have some say in who was chosen as offensive coordinator, adding he didn't expect the Pro Bowler to take a step back without Johnson calling plays. 'This thing is set up for Goff to have success with our playmakers,' Campbell said last week. Goff is familiar with Morton because he was a senior offensive assistant for the Lions in 2022. 'I want to keep our terminology in place,' Campbell said before hiring Morton. "I want to make sure that Goff is comfortable because he's playing at a high level.' Detroit's players know Sheppard well. He led the team's linebackers for the past three seasons after coaching outside linebackers during the 2021 season. Sheppard, who is from Stone Mountain, Georgia, was drafted out of LSU by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2011 draft, and the linebacker had 429 tackles in his 107-game career. Campbell gave Sheppard his start in coaching after he was LSU's director of player development in 2020. The Broncos hired Morton away from Detroit in 2023 and he was their passing game coordinator for two seasons. He has more than two decades of coaching experience with Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, the New York Jets, New Orleans and San Francisco. Morton, who is from suburban Detroit, was an All-Mid American Conference wide receiver at Western Michigan. ___ Follow Larry Lage at ___ AP NFL: recommended
Associated Press
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Lions agree to hire Broncos' John Morton as OC and promote Kelvin Sheppard to DC, AP source says
The Detroit Lions have agreed to hire Denver Broncos assistant John Morton as offensive coordinator and promote Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the agreements had not been announced. Detroit had both coordinators depart to become head coaches. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was hired by the Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left to lead the New York Jets, just days after the top-seeded Lions were stunned by sixth-seeded Washington in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Johnson and Glenn are finalists for The Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award. AP Coach of the Year finalist Dan Campbell said he expected both coordinators to leave even before they were hired. Campbell said quarterback Jared Goff would have some say in who was chosen as offensive coordinator, adding he didn't expect the Pro Bowler to take a step back without Johnson calling plays. 'This thing is set up for Goff to have success with our playmakers,' Campbell said last week. Goff is familiar with Morton because he was a senior offensive assistant for the Lions in 2022. 'I want to keep our terminology in place,' Campbell said before hiring Morton. 'I want to make sure that Goff is comfortable because he's playing at a high level.' Detroit's players know Sheppard well. He led the team's linebackers for the past three seasons after coaching outside linebackers during the 2021 season. Sheppard, who is from Stone Mountain, Georgia, was drafted out of LSU by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2011 draft, and the linebacker had 429 tackles in his 107-game career. Campbell gave Sheppard his start in coaching after he was LSU's director of player development in 2020. The Broncos hired Morton away from Detroit in 2023 and he was their passing game coordinator for two seasons. He has more than two decades of coaching experience with Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, the New York Jets, New Orleans and San Francisco. ___
