John Pagano - Pro Football Rumors

Coaching Notes: Raiders, Eagles, Kelly, Shanahan

January 23rd, 2017 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders announced that they have hired former Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano as their assistant head coach-defense. Pagano will be reuniting with head coach Jack Del Rio, as the duo worked together in New Orleans.

The 49-year-old had been coaching in San Diego since the early 2000s. After serving as the Chargers linebackers coach, Pagano was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2012, and he ultimately held that position for five seasons. However, following the hiring of head coach Anthony Lynn, it looked like Pagano’s tenure with the organization was coming to an end. That was made abundantly clear last week after the Chargers hired Gus Bradley as their new defensive coordinator.

Ken Norton Jr. will remain the Raiders’ defensive coordinator, but Pagano will certainly help a unit that struggled at times during the 2016 season. The Raiders ranked 26th in yards allowed, and they finished with the fewest sacks in the NFL.

Lets take a look at some more coaching notes from around the league…

Eagles wide receivers coach Greg Lewis is expected to take the same position with the Chiefs, reports Alex Marvez of Sporting News (via Twitter). The former NFL wideout joined the Eagles coaching staff last offseason after serving as a Saints’ offensive assistant during the 2015 season.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora would be “very, very surprised” if Chip Kelly ultimately replaces Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (Twitter link). This move would have been a bit ironic, as Shanahan is set to replace Kelly as the head coach of the 49ers. Instead of moving to Atlanta, La Canfora suggest Kelly could catch on with the Patriots as a consultant/assistant.
Speaking of Shanahan, Falcons coach Dan Quinn says the coordinator is set to meet with the 49ers on Saturday. “I’m really proud of him because it’s not easy to do when there is a lot of speculation and things going outside of your world to stay dialed in,” Quinn said (via Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “It’s one that should be commended. Being on point and going for it, he totally nailed that.”
The Redskins have promoted Chad Englehart to head strength and conditioning coach, reports Jake Kring-Schreifels of Redskins.com. Englehart has served as the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach over the past seven seasons. The organization hired Kavan Latham to fill Englehart’s previous role.

Redskins Interview John Pagano For DC

January 19th, 2017 at 6:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins today interviewed incumbent Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano for the same role on their staff, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. Pagano hasn’t officially been released from his contract in Los Angeles, but given that the Chargers are not only conducting interviews to replace him, but allowed him to meet with Washington, it’s fair to assume Pagano won’t be coaching in LA next season.

Pagano, 49, has spent his entire NFL coaching career with the Chargers, working his way up from defensive quality control to defensive coordinator, assuming the latter position in 2012. In his first four years on the job, the Chargers didn’t post a better defensive DVOA ranking than 18th, and finished last in the NFL in 2013. The defense turned in its best Pagano-led showing in 2016 (eighth), but that wasn’t enough to persuade new Los Angeles head coach Anthony Lynn to retain Pagano.

The Redskins’ search for a new defensive coordinator has become the most exhaustive hunt for a play-caller in the league, on either side of the ball. Counting Pagano, Washington has now been linked to 10 candidates as it looks for former DC Joe Barry‘s replacement. While former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was at one time viewed as the leading candidate, the Redskins have also expressed interest in three former Rob Ryan disciples (Rex Ryan, Dennis Thurman, and Mike Pettine), 49ers linebackers coach Jason Tarver, and will meet with their own LBs coach, Greg Manusky.

Chargers Likely To Replace John Pagano

January 13th, 2017 at 7:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The beginning of Anthony Lynn‘s tenure as the Chargers’ head coach will likely bring about the end of defensive coordinator John Pagano‘s long run with the organization. The club isn’t expected to retain Pagano, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).

With high-profile defensive coordinator candidate Gus Bradley set to interview for that role with the Chargers, the news of Pagano’s forthcoming exit comes as no surprise. Bradley is reportedly the front-runner to land the job with the newly minted Los Angeles franchise. Further, the idea of Bradley joining a Lynn-fronted staff has come up as a possibility since the latter was the Bills’ interim head coach at the end of the regular season.

To this point, Pagano has spent his entire coaching career with the Chargers, who hired him as a defensive quality control coach in 2002. He eventually climbed to the defensive coordinator position in 2012, though the unit mostly struggled under Pagano. In his first four years on the job, the Chargers didn’t post a better defensive DVOA ranking than 18th, and they finished last in the NFL in 2013. The defense turned in its best Pagano-led showing in 2016 (eighth), but it doesn’t appear that will be enough to save the 49-year-old.

While Pagano is on his way out, some of his assistants will remain in place. Earlier Friday, Sporting News’ Alex Marvez reported that defensive line coach Giff Smith, defensive backs coach Ron Milus and assistant DBs coach Chris Harris will return in 2017. Linebackers coach Bob Babich is gone, though, having taken a job with Lynn’s previous employer – Buffalo.

Chargers To Interview Gus Bradley For DC Job

January 13th, 2017 at 8:45am CST by Ben Levine

The Chargers coaching staff has seen plenty of turnover, and now there’s another name to add to the list of potential additions. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the organization will interview Gus Bradley for the role of defensive coordinator. The former NFL head coach is the “favorite” for the gig.

Bradley has been a relatively popular name since he was fired by the Jaguars in mid-December. The 50-year-old was reportedly atop the Redskins’ list of potential defensive coordinator candidates. Bradley has a natural connection to that organization, as the coach worked under general manager Scot McCloughan when the duo was in Seattle. The Browns also reportedly reached out to Bradley regarding their defensive coordinator vacancy.

Bradley had plenty of success as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator, a position he held from 2009 through 2012. However, things didn’t go nearly as well during his head coaching tenure in Jacksonville. In his three-plus seasons with the organization, Bradley compiled a 14-48 record. His .226 winning percent is the second-lowest mark in league history.

The Chargers don’t necessarily have an opening at the position, as defensive coordinator John Pagano is still under contract. However, there seems to be a belief that recently-hired head coach Anthony Lynn will want to hire his own personnel. Bradley and Lynn have been connected throughout the hiring process, and our own Sam Robinson noted that “a Lynn-Bradley ticket was previously thought to be the way the Bills would go.”

For what it’s worth, it appears that the Chargers will be retaining offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.

Mike McCoy To Coach Chargers In 2016

January 4th, 2016 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers have informed head coach Mike McCoy that he’ll be retained for the 2016 season, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. After a disappointing 4-12 season, the Chargers are expected to make “substantial changes” to their coaching staff as early as Monday, but McCoy will be safe.

In a statement confirming the decision, Chargers president of football operations John Spanos admitted that he’s disappointed with the club’s results in 2015. However, he expressed confidence in San Diego’s decision-making group going forward.

“I have the utmost confidence in our leadership. Tom Telesco, Mike McCoy, and I have already begun evaluating every aspect of the team to take the essential steps to put a winning product back on the field. We will waste no time in making the necessary changes,” Spanos said. “Throughout a trying season, our players never wavered in their dedication or commitment to the team. I firmly believe the decisions made today and moving forward will get us back on track in 2016.”

One report last week suggested that the Chargers were leaning toward letting go of McCoy, but leading up to the team’s regular-season finale on Sunday, multiple reports indicated that the head coach was expected to keep his job after all. McCoy led the Chargers to consecutive 9-7 seasons in 2013 and 2014, earning a playoff victory in ’13, before taking a step back this year.

Albert Breer of the NFL Network noted earlier today (via Twitter) that he has heard from both Rams and Chargers people that it would be hard to run a proper coaching search with the Los Angeles situation looming, so perhaps that was a factor San Diego’s ownership considered when making the decision on McCoy, who has one year left on his contract (Twitter link).

As for the changes to the coaching staff, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears that defensive coordinator John Pagano is “particularly at risk.”

Coaching Notes: Chargers, Caldwell, Fox, Del Rio

October 31st, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Ben Levine

As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com writes, it hasn’t been a great three weeks for the Chargers defense. In that span, the unit has allowed 30 first-half points to the Raiders, 548 yards to the Packers, and a game-winning touchdown to the Michael Vick-led Steelers.

Defensive coordinator John Pagano understands that he may be on the hot seat if his squad doesn’t turn it around.

“It starts with: we’re all accountable, No. 1; myself,” Pagano said (via Tom Krasovic of The San Diego Union-Tribune). “We’ve got to do a better job. We didn’t play good. We didn’t coach good.”

“This might be adverse times for us as a football unit, but it’s not adversity that will overcome us. There’s bigger things out there in life that we or guys will go through. This is something that we’ve got to grow from right now, and learn from as a team. Sometimes, it’s not an easy path.”

Let’s check out some more coaching notes from around the NFL…

Smith also believes that Lions coach Jim Caldwell shouldn’t be comfortable with his job security, noting that any decision would be made by owner Martha Ford. Caldwell fired three assistants earlier this week, and Smith wonders if the decision may have come from ownership. Facing a potential 1-7 start to the season, the writer says the coaching moves could be Caldwell’s final opportunity to “reinvigorate” his offense.
Bears head coach John Fox understands that it can be difficult for players to adapt to a new leader, and he likes what he’s seen despite his team’s 2-4 start. “We’re battling, and there are a lot of changes,” said told Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. “You’ve got players learning new systems in all three phases, players getting used to the coaches, coaches getting used to the players.”
There have been rumblings that USC could pursue Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, a USC alum, as a replacement for Steve Sarkisian. However, general manager Reggie McKenzie shut down those rumors. “We talked when we first came together–he wants to be the coach of the Oakland Raiders,” McKenzie told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. “His mind is not looking anywhere else… He’s sincere and I’m sincere with this. We don’t see that as an opportunity for him. He wants to be here. He’s going to do well here in Oakland, believe that.”

AFC Notes: Johnson, McFadden, Butler

February 1st, 2014 at 11:06am CST by Matt Feminis

The Bengals used the franchise tag on defensive end Michael Johnson a year ago, but the 27-year-old repaid the team with just 3.5 sacks in 2013, making a second tag unlikely. Consequently, he’s expected to hit the open market, but the presence of Carlos Dunlap and Wallace Gilberry could soften the blow, according to ESPN.com’s Cole Harvey.

Other AFC news and notes:

Harvey also mentions Raiders free agent running back Darren McFadden as a realistic acquisition given Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson’s not-so-secret appreciation for the 26-year-old, 2008 first-rounder.
Chargers inside linebacker Donald Butler, whose rookie deal is expiring, has missed 23 of 66 career games, but the Bolts value what he brings when healthy, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Tom Krasovic. In fact, the team drafted Manti Te’o with the intention of pairing him with Butler inside defensive coordinator John Pagano’s 3-4 front. Butler and the team discussed a contract extension last summer, and all indications suggest both sides are interested in a new deal.
The Ravens are expected to be awarded the league-maximum four compensatory picks, according to ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley.