Possible O'Brien replacements

http://www.nflfans.com/panthers/article.php?story=20040129195207501

 

Wouldn't hurt my feelings at all to see Kelly Skipper here in some capacity. Although it'll be hard to beat WSU's uniforms, they ROCK! (except for the gray shadow on the number)

 

Hey Mags, can you pull that to TBR, some of us can't read it due to our jobs firewall blocking sports sites.

 

no problem, just looking to get page views for the site



Renowned special teams coach Scotty O'Brien is considering retiring after the year, with the decision likely to hinge upon whether the team wins the Super Bowl. Who might replace him?

"We'll see what happens Sunday", O'Brien said. "If we win this game, I'll evaluate it Monday. I just want to win this."

But who would replace O'Brien?

In house, there are a few candidates. One logical assumtion would be based on O'Brien's assistant, first year Panthers ST assistant Danny Crossman. Crossman coached special teams for ten years in the college ranks after being an All-American safety under John Fox at the University of Pittsburgh, where O'Brien and Sal Sunseri coached as well. Crossman was noted for the power of his coverage teams at the time.

Crossman replaced Darrin Simmons, who had been an assistant special teams coach throughout O'Brien's tenure. Crossman also replaced Sunseri
as LBs/ST coordinator at Michigan State in 2002, when Sunseri left for the NFL.

Sunseri makes for an interesting candidate as well; Depending on how much the Panthers would be willing to shake things up, Sunseri could coordinate special teams and aid the defense and give way to a different defensive line coach.

A third option comes from the college ranks - and a name that's entered the Panthers' decision making process before. Kelly Skipper - former UCLA offensive coordinator and son of RBs coach Jim Skipper - was Washington State's special teams coordinator this season. Skipper's input into draft and personnel issues helped the Panthers draft three key players from UCLA in two years - RB Deshaun Foster, TE Mike Seidman, and CB Ricky Manning.

As an assistant head coach, it's much less easy to determine who would step up. No other special teams coach has such duties. Receivers coach Richard Williamson had the title under George Seifert, and the Panthers may use the title to keep OL coach Mike Maser.

But that might not be the only changes to the coaching staff. Mild rumor or speculation could consider Williamson as a possible candidates to "go out on top" as well. As well, championship teams are simply more likely to lose key pieces to more important jobs.

The Panthers lost coordinator Jack Del Rio last year to Jacksonville, as well as defensive assistant Al Reynolds.

TEs coach Don Breaux retired, though he has resurfaced with the Redskins and reunited with Joe Gibbs, pushing speculation that he had similar personal and professional issues as did Paul Boudreau, former line coach. Boudreau reportedly had numerous heated disagreements with coordinator Dan Henning.


Other special teams coaches experienced in the NFL consist mostly of coaches fired in the offseason:
*Hank Kuhlmann, most recently with the Arizona Cardinals (and former head coach of the Cardinals, 1989);
*Bill Bates, former Jaguars coach and Dallas Cowboys star;
*Bob Casullo, former Raiders coach;

There's also a chance that Fox could take a former Giant defensive assistant such as Tom Olivadotti and try him at the position.

 

Skipper is held in very high regard with this org., supposedly. Not only that, but some of these guys (Manning, for instance) were recruited by him heavily.
Anyway, with him as a little bit more experienced with special teams, he could fit here.

The only thing I didn't note, and I somewhat regret this, is that basically no one I mentioned has anything to do with the kicking techniques, not the way O'Brien is. He's a kicking technician who's straightened out many a good leg.

But no one will be as good anyway, in that regard. The rest, coverage and so on, not rocket science. Just preparation.


Something no one's noticed all this fucking time about the Skippers:
>>Born James Augustine Skipper on January 23, 1949 in Breaux Bridge, La.

 

Beaux Bridge...must be something in the murky water.