Pep Hamilton - Pro Football Rumors

Browns AHC Pep Hamilton Considering Michigan Gig?

January 8th, 2017 at 11:44am CST by Ben Levine

SUNDAY, 11:44am: Rapoport tweets that Harbaugh has been telling recruits for several days that Hamilton will be joining his staff at Michigan, but Browns head coach Hue Jackson stated earlier today that he believes Hamilton is staying in Cleveland (Twitter link via Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald).

SATURDAY, 08:49am: A day after the organization fired defensive coordinator Ray Horton, the Browns may be seeing some additional changes to their coaching staff. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), associate head coach (and de facto quarterbacks coach) Pep Hamilton may also be on his way out. The long-time coach is considering taking a gig on Jim Harbaugh‘s staff at Michigan. Rapoport is clear that Hamilton wouldn’t be fired, as the Browns are more than willing to keep him on in his current role.

Hamilton joined the Browns last offseason following a three-year stint with the Colts. Despite the presence of talented quarterback Andrew Luck, the Colts offense only finished in the top-10 for points once during his tenure in Indy. Hamilton’s offense predictably struggled during his first season in Cleveland, as the team was forced to rely on five different quarterbacks.

Prior to his Colts gig, Hamilton served as Harbaugh’s wide receivers coach while the duo was at Stanford. As Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com writes, the Michigan coaching staff now has an opening after passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch left to become UCLA’s offensive coordinator. This would presumably be the role that Hamilton would fill. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com notes that Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown recently earned a five-year contract worth $1.4MM annually. Considering the instability of the Browns organization, Hamilton would surely be enticed by the money and job security.

Browns Hire Ray Horton, Other Coaches

January 22nd, 2016 at 8:49am CST by Connor J. Byrne

FRIDAY, 8:49am: The Browns have officially confirmed the hiring of Horton as the team’s defensive coordinator, along with the other moves noted below and a few more. Here’s the full list of coaches and titles announced today by the team:

Ray Horton, defensive coordinator
Pep Hamilton, associate head coach/offense
Al Saunders, offensive assistant/wide receivers
Kirby Wilson, running backs/run game coordinator
Hal Hunter, offensive line
Mark Hudson, assistant offensive line
Greg Seamon, tight ends
Bob Saunders, offensive quality control
Shawn Mennenga, special teams assistant
Stan Watson, special teams quality control

WEDNESDAY, 7:32pm: In addition to naming Saunders, Hamilton and Wilson to his offensive staff, Jackson has hired Hal Hunter as his O-line coach, Breer tweets. Hunter had been the Colts’ assistant O-line coach since 2013. He was at the helm of the Chargers’ line from 2006-12.

5:08pm: The Browns’ Hue Jackson-led coaching staff is rounding into form. Jackson has hired Ray Horton as his defensive coordinator, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

Additionally, the Browns have addressed their offensive staff by hiring Al Saunders as a senior assistant, according to Cabot (Twitter link), Pep Hamilton as assistant head coach/offense and Kirby Wilson as their running game coordinator (Twitter links via ESPN’s Josina Anderson).

The last few days have been a whirlwind for Horton, who appeared likely to join the Browns before a report came out that he was negotiating a contract extension with the Titans – whose defensive he coordinated over the last two seasons. However, the extension didn’t come to fruition and Horton interviewed with the Browns to become their new D-coordinator on Tuesday. Horton is familiar with Cleveland, having coordinated its defense to a top 10 ranking in 2013. Before that, he worked in the same capacity in Arizona from 2011-12. Horton’s defense in Tennessee finished 12th overall in 2015-16, but the team seemingly marginalized his role in the offseason when it hired Dick LeBeau as an assistant head coach. LeBeau was given “complete control” of the defense, and Horton had to report to him during the season as a result. Horton has already put in requests to bring some of the Titans’ defensive coaches to Cleveland, according to Cabot (Twitter link), as he tries to improve a Browns ‘D’ that finished 27th in the league in 2015-16.

Jackson and Saunders have a working relationship that dates back to the 2009 season, when both were with the Ravens. Saunders was also on Jackson’s staff when Jackson was the Raiders’ head coach in 2011. This is the fourth decade in which Saunders has worked as an offensive assistant at the NFL level. The 68-year-old spent this season on the Dolphins’ staff and has been an offensive coordinator with four different teams. While the Browns will value Saunders’ input, Jackson will call the plays.

Hamilton was the Colts’ O-coordinator from 2013 until this past November, when they fired him after their third-ranked attack in 2014 regressed significantly. Part of his duties in Cleveland will entail working with quarterbacks, tweets Albert Breer of NFL.com. Cabot reports (via Twitter) that he’ll be the Browns’ passing game coordinator. The 41-year-old has plenty of experience in that realm, having coached QBs with the Jets (2004), 49ers (2006) and Bears (2007-09) at the pro level.

Prior to joining the Browns, Wilson worked with running backs for six different NFL organizations since 1997, having spent the last three years in Minnesota. The Vikings attempted to keep Wilson, according to ESPN’s Ben Goessling, but the expiration of his contract enabled him to land a promotion with the Browns.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Negotiating With Pep Hamilton

January 16th, 2016 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

A day after we heard Hue Jackson wasn’t planning to hire an offensive coordinator to start his Browns regime, the Browns are negotiating with former Colts OC Pep Hamilton, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).

Hamilton is in talks to become the Browns’ assistant head coach/offense, basically becoming the top offensive assistant to Jackson in the event these negotiations progress toward Hamilton joining the Browns’ staff.

Jackson, per Cabot will be the Browns’ play-caller this season, just as he was with the Bengals the past two years and with the Raiders, when he coached in Oakland in 2011.

Hamilton, who called plays in Indianapolis before being fired after the Colts started 3-5 this season, met with Jackson on Friday to initially discuss a potential role in Cleveland.

The Browns today informed 2015 offensive coordinator John DeFilippo he would not be back next season. DeFilippo has two years remaining on his contract, which the team will be required to pay out.

Andrew Luck‘s offensive coordinator at Stanford before moving to Indianapolis, Hamilton carried a reputation as a conservative play-caller with the Colts. Hamilton reportedly wasn’t receptive to internal calls to speed up the Colts’ offense this season. An injured Luck helped the Colts regress from third in total offense in Hamilton’s final full season in Indianapolis to 28th this season.

Hamilton previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Jets, 49ers and Bears from 2004-2009 before spending three seasons in Palo Alto.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Browns To Go Without Offensive Coordinator?

January 15th, 2016 at 7:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

During a radio interview Friday, Hue Jackson mentioned he does not plan to hire an offensive coordinator after being brought on as the Browns’ head coach, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Jackson will almost certainly call plays in Cleveland this season after doing so in Cincinnati the past two seasons and in Oakland in 2011, when he served as the Raiders’ head coach.

The newly hired Browns HC didn’t rule out the possibility of someone else calling plays but seems intent on doing so himself, and this could well mean the Browns going without an offensive coordinator this season.

“Right now in my mind, I don’t really plan on having an offensive coordinator ‘cause I want to reserve that right to call plays,” Jackson said on a Sirius XM Radio appearance.

“I think that’s something that’s gotten me this job. So if it’s something that you’re an expert at, I think you want to continue to work at that and keep that in your pocket so you can use it to help your team. Now if I get somebody I really trust who has that [expertise], then obviously I’m very willing to kind of give that away as we go, but it’s got to be somebody I really trust and admire.”

This move would basically make Jackson the head coach/offensive coordinator. Jackson worked with an offensive coordinator in Oakland, Al Saunders, in his 8-8 slate in the Bay Area.

Jackson interviewed ex-Colts OC Pep Hamilton on Friday, per Ulrich, and seeks to bring Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson aboard as a running-game coordinator. Wilbert Montgomery‘s served as Cleveland’s running backs coach the past two seasons.

The Vikings would have to grant the 54-year-old Wilson permission to interview for this job. Wilson has been the coach of six different franchises’ backfields, the longest stint coming with the Steelers from 2007-13. Prior to catching on in Pittsburgh once Mike Tomlin took over in 2007, Wilson coached with the Patriots, Washington, the Buccaneers and Cardinals from 1997-2006, with a one-year stint mixed in as USC’s wide receivers coach.

The Browns ranked 25th this season under first-time OC John DeFilippo.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Coach Rumors: Browns, Pep, Ravens, Bucs

January 15th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Luke Adams

New Browns head coach Hue Jackson confirmed earlier today that he’ll be retaining special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, but there have been announcements yet on Cleveland’s other coordinators. While Ray Horton and Leslie Frazier are among the names that have been linked to the Browns’ defensive coordinator job, one possible candidate worth keeping an eye on is former Dolphins DC Kevin Coyle, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links).

Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reported on Wednesday that Coyle was expected to replace Vance Joseph as the Bengals‘ defensive backs coach, but there are hints he may join Jackson in Cleveland instead. Marvez tweets today that Cincinnati is interviewing 49ers defensive backs coach Tim Lewis for the same position, and Albert Breer of NFL Network tweets that the Bengals are looking at Michigan secondary coach Greg Jackson for that job, so it certainly doesn’t seem like there’s a deal in place between the Bengals and Coyle.

As we keep an eye on that situation, let’s check in on some other coaching updates from around the NFL….

On the other side of the ball for the Browns, a former Colts offensive coordinator may be a candidate for the job in Cleveland. As first reported by Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com (Twitter link), Pep Hamilton met today with Hue Jackson.
Last week, a report suggested that the Buccaneers had turned down a Chargers interview request for defensive line coach Joe Cullen. However, after hiring Mike Smith as their new defensive coordinator, the Bucs are willing to let Cullen go. Cullen will join the Ravens as their defensive line coach, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
To replace Cullen, the Buccaneers are hiring Jay Hayes from the Bengals, per Marvez (all Twitter links). Tampa Bay is also hiring Titans special teams coach Nate Kaczor and former Dolphins linebackers coach Mark Duffner for those same positions.
Since the Titans are the last team without a head coach, they should take their time to make a decision, perhaps interviewing potential candidates from eliminated playoff teams after this weekend’s games, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
Former Giants wide receivers coach Sean Ryan will head to Houston to become the Texans‘ WRs coach, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Colts Fire OC Pep Hamilton

November 3rd, 2015 at 5:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have fired offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Coach Rob Chudzinski will be promoted in his place, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets.

This season has not gone as planned for the Colts, who are the defacto No. 1 team in the AFC South. Locked at 3-5 with the Texans for first place, the Colts are looking to shake things up and save their season. Chudzinski, who previously held the title of associate head coach in Indianapolis, drew interest from multiple teams with offensive coordinator vacancies over the offseason. The Colts did not allow him to pursue those jobs and that was probably because they viewed him as a safety net for Hamilton.

Hamilton has garnered some head coaching buzz in the past but the Colts’ offensive performance this season hasn’t done him any favors in that regard. Of course, Hamilton has built up a strong reputation as an offensive mind over the years and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get back into the OC mix this spring.

La Canfora’s Latest: Colts, Texans, Trades

November 1st, 2015 at 9:02am CST by Sam Robinson

With 2015 shaping up to be Chuck Pagano‘s last in Indianapolis, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes, the Miami Hurricanes job could be in play for the fourth-year coach.

The rest of the Colts‘ staffers are set for an uncertain future, with Jim Irsay considering changes after the thus-far-underwhelming team’s Week 10 bye.

Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton‘s job is on the line. Pagano, per La Canfora, wanted associate head coach Rob Chudzinski to run the offense, and longtime organizational staffer Clyde Christensen also looms as an OC candidate in the event Pagano’s preferences are no longer relevant.

Pagano’s Miami connection stems from being the Hurricanes’ secondary coach from 1995-2000.

Irsay hopes to lure a top head-coaching candidate to Indianapolis next year, and that would mean GM Ryan Grigson would almost certainly be shown the door, the CBS reporter notes.

Here are some additional notes from La Canfora on Week 8 Sunday.

The schism that formed in Houston recently between Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith regarding now-ex-Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett will lead to a change in the organization’s power structure, La Canfora reports. The ninth-year GM could see a reassignment if O’Brien is to assume more control, as he’s used to the head coach having from his years with the Patriots. The present setup involves both O’Brien and Smith reporting to owner Bob McNair separately, and McNair doesn’t see that as a sustainable model in light of the Mallett incident. It’s caused a divide within the organization, sources told La Canfora. “It’s gone from a slow drip to a waterfall,” a team source told the CBS scribe, describing the rift that’s become off-putting for McNair.
Matt Forte and Brian Cushing are available for trades, La Canfora notes, mentioning the Bears, Texans and 49ers as the teams most likely to operate as sellers in advance of the Nov. 3 trade deadline. The 49ers have also entertained teams’ interest on offensive lineman Alex Boone and have fielded calls on Vernon Davis. The Seahawks are a team that is willing to trade a depth piece to acquire an offensive lineman to help fix their biggest issue, La Canfora reports. The Ravens and Chargers, despite carrying 11 losses between them, are viewed as being more hesitant to sell off veterans.

Coaching Rumors: Dolphins, Pagano, Texans

October 27th, 2015 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

A report this weekend indicated that Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley is expected to receive consideration in the offseason for the Dolphins‘ head coaching job. However, asked if there’s any truth to those Haley rumors, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) replied, “None.”

It isn’t the first time that Salguero has shot down a Dolphins-related report from La Canfora — during the 2014 offseason, La Canfora reported that the club was exploring trades involving players like Mike Wallace and Dion Jordan, which Salguero’s sources emphatically denied. It’s not entirely clear if the team was indeed considering deals back then, but the Dolphins ultimately traded Wallace a year later, and probably wish they had moved Jordan as well.

In this case, the performance of the Dolphins and interim coach Dan Campbell down the stretch will play a significant role in what candidates Miami considers after the season — if the club continues to look as good as it has in Campbell’s first two games, it’s hard not to imagine the team hiring him on a full-time basis.

Here are a few more coaching notes and rumors from around the NFL:

While Chuck Pagano‘s job in Indianapolis isn’t totally safe, it’s highly unlikely that the Colts will make a change this week, tweets Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star is skeptical that firing Pagano is the answer to turning things around for the Colts.
If the Colts do decide to make an in-season change, that move is most likely to happen during the club’s Week 10 bye, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole identifies offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski, and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen as the four in-house candidates to replace Pagano.
In the wake of Monday’s report that head coach Bill O’Brien and general manager Rick Smith disagreed on whether Ryan Mallett should be cut, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk examines the Texans‘ organizational structure, suggesting that it will likely continue to cause problems. In Smith’s view, it may be time for either the head coach or GM – or both – to go. For what it’s worth, following Mallett’s release today, Tania Ganguil of ESPN.com tweeted that Rick Smith was always on board with the decision, but disagreed about the timing of the move, which would’ve left the team with just one active veteran quarterback.
The Lions‘ firing of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi should officially put head coach Jim Caldwell on notice, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
The Eagles are almost certainly giving DeMarco Murray more playing time than Ryan Mathews because of the difference between the two players’ contracts and guaranteed money, and that’s just one example of how Chip Kelly‘s moves as a GM are hampering him as a head coach, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Michael Reghi, Bud Shaw, Dan Labbe, and Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group debate whether Browns head coach Mike Pettine should be on the hot seat in Cleveland.

South Notes: Pagano, Titans, Mathis, Panthers

August 21st, 2015 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Expectations are high in Indianapolis this season, with Colts owner Jim Irsay suggesting that he’d like to see his team win “at least two world championships” while Andrew Luck is the quarterback. Those high expectations, combined with the fact that Chuck Pagano is entering the final year of his contract, could mean it’s a “Super Bowl or bust” season for the Colts’ head coach, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

La Canfora hears that there’s “consistent chatter” around the Colts about possible tension between Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson, who haven’t always seen eye to eye on staff decisions — per La Canfora, Grigson strongly supported Pep Hamilton as offensive coordinator, while Pagano was more inclined to go with Rob Chudzinski.

I’m skeptical that Irsay and the Colts are drawing a hard “Super Bowl or bust” line with Pagano, but it’s somewhat surprising that the two sides haven’t been able to work out a new deal yet. As we wait to see what this season brings for Pagano and his team, let’s round up a few more Friday notes from around the NFL’s two South divisions….

The Titans are monitoring Evan Mathis‘ situation, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who suggests Tennessee’s interest in the veteran guard could intensify if the team’s offensive line play doesn’t improve in this weekend’s preseason game vs. the Rams.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Field Yates examines the Panthers‘ options for replacing Kelvin Benjamin, wondering if the Colts might be a logical trade partner — players like Donte Moncrief and Duron Carter may find themselves pushed far down on Indianapolis’ depth chart, with T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, and Phillip Dorsett expected to be the club’s top three wideouts. For what it’s worth, Carolina was one of the teams interested in Carter before he signed with the Colts.
Jim Woodcock, spokesman for Jaguars owner Shad Kahn, denied an international report claiming that the Jaguars have extended their deal with London’s Wembley Stadium through the 2030 season, per Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. However, Woodcock added that discussions for the team to continue its London series “have been frequent and promising.”

AFC South Notes: Colts, Chudzinski, Jaguars

January 27th, 2015 at 6:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Wisconsin-based American Family Insurance added a pair of big names as endorsers this week, hiring NBA star Kevin Durant and Texans star J.J. Watt, as Darren Rovell of ESPN.com writes. Watt, who had 20.5 sacks and five touchdowns this season, is known for his humanitarian endeavors and the endorsement deal will have a tie-in with his personal charity. More from the AFC South..

The new deal that Rob Chudzinski signed to remain with the Colts is only for one year, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Still, Chudzinski, who was named associate head coach, is the probable heir apparent to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton if Hamilton leaves next year, says Rapoport.
Devin McCourty is the sort of impact free agent who would be an ideal fit for the Jaguars, but Jacksonville may not get a chance to make a play for the Pats safety, who is a franchise tag candidate, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Earlier this afternoon, I took a look at McCourty and other AFC East players who could be tagged this offseason.
After interviewing him earlier today, the Jaguars have hired Kelly Skipper as their new running backs coach, parting ways with Terry Richardson, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.