HEADLINES

Phil Galiano

Buccaneers Hire Thomas McGaughey As ST Coordinator

February 7th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

After the Giants fired long-time special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey a month ago, the veteran coach became a hot name around the league for different vacancies. After interviewing at a few other spots, McGaughey will reportedly land with the Buccaneers as their new special teams coordinator, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

The Buccaneers spared no effort in their attempts to find Keith Armstrong‘s replacement. On the day the team interviewed McGaughey, the Buccaneers also confirmed an interview with former Titans special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, according to Buccaneers senior writer/editor Scott Smith. Smith also reported that Tampa Bay gave defensive/special teams assistant Keith Tandy an opportunity to interview for the coordinator job, as well. Seahawks special teams coach Larry Izzo also was confirmed to have interviewed, per Smith.

Interview reports continued to roll in over the last two days, with Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports posting that Saints assistant special teams coach Phil Galiano would get to interview for a potential return to Tampa Bay, where he coached back from 2012-13. Jenna Laine of ESPN unveiled the most recent interviewee yesterday to be University of Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods.

McGaughey is a respected special teams veteran who has spent significant time coaching at the college and professional level. After starting as a graduate assistant at the University of Houston, McGaughey first broke into the NFL as a Bill Walsh Minority Fellow for the Chiefs in 2001. He earned the assistant special teams coordinator job the following year but left in 2003 to become the special teams coordinator back at his alma mater in Houston.

After two years back with the Cougars, McGaughey returned to the NFL for assistant special teams coordinator jobs with the Broncos and Giants. Once again, he would depart for a coordinator gig at the collegiate level, this time heading to LSU. After three years in Baton Rouge, McGaughey finally got his first NFL coordinator position with the Jets in 2014. He followed that up with a one-year stint in the same position for the 49ers and a two-year stint with the Panthers.

In 2018, McGaughey returned for his second job with the Giants, this time as the official special teams coordinator. He held the position for six years despite multiple hurdles along the way. The position group he inherited was a mess, he was diagnosed with periampullary cancer in 2020, and injuries decimated his unit this past season, leading to his eventual dismissal.

Despite the poor results at times in New York, many teams were interested as soon as he became available. McGaughey interviewed for the job in New England and was an interviewee in Tennessee, as well, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. In the end, though, he’ll end up replacing Armstrong, who made the move to retire a little over a week ago after five years in Tampa Bay.

The team made two other adjustments to their staff in the last few days. Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that Saints assistant offensive line coach Kevin Carberry would be joining the Buccaneers staff as the team’s new offensive line coach. Additionally, defensive assistant Mike Chiurco, who previously served as assistant to the head coach under Bruce Arians, is no longer with the team, per Greg Auman of The Athletic.

Saints To Be Without 8 Assistants Due To COVID-19 Protocols

September 18th, 2021 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

SATURDAY: The Saints will be down two more coaches due to virus protocols. Defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen and pass rush specialist Brian Young will not coach in Week 2 as well. However, the team announced Nugent will be able to be on the sidelines Sunday. The Saints are still down eight coaches, with two defensive assistants now joining offensive and special teams staffers set to skip the Charlotte trip.

FRIDAY: Following reports earlier this week of several Saints assistants testing positive for COVID-19, the team announced which coaches will miss their Week 2 game due to the NFL’s coronavirus protocols.

Run-game coordinator and tight ends coach Dan Roushar, offensive line coach Brendan Nugent, wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson, running backs coach Joel Thomas, assistant special teams coach Phil Galiano, offensive assistant Declan Doyle and offensive analyst Jim Chaney will not be with the team for its Week 2 game against Carolina.

This group of coaches is fully vaccinated, according to Sean Payton. New Orleans’ recent run of COVID-19 issues also included Michael Thomas, who tested positive earlier this week. Thomas was already on New Orleans’ reserve/PUP list and is out until Week 7. As a result of these positive tests, Saints players will be required to be tested daily — regardless of vaccination status — and wear masks at the team’s facility until the NFL permits the team to exit the heightened protocols, NFL.com’s Kevin Patra notes.

The Saints’ virus issues do not quite match the Browns’ from late last season, when several staffers missed Week 17 and Kevin Stefanski missed the team’s wild-card game. And the Saints staffers’ vaccinations make this development a lesser concern than last season’s virus cases on coaching staffs. But it is certainly notable as the NFL begins its second season since the pandemic began.

NFC Notes: Lions, 49ers, Seahawks, Saints

February 17th, 2019 at 3:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the Lions are in need of a slot receiver, a reunion with Golden Tate isn’t a likely outcome for the club, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Detroit shipped Tate to the Eagles at midseason in exchange for a third-round pick, and now the veteran pass-catcher is scheduled to hit the open market next month. After moving Tate, the Lions deployed T.J. Jones as their slot receiver, but they’re expected to pursue an upgrade either through free agency or the draft. Other free agent options who spend most of their time in the slot include Adam Humphries, Jamison Crowder, and Cole Beasley, but those receivers could be just as expensive as Tate.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • If the 49ers add another running back this offseason, they’ll suddenly be staring at a crowded backfield, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. San Francisco thought it had found its No. 1 back last spring, when it signed Jerick McKinnon to a four-year, $30MM pact that contained nearly $12MM in guaranteed money. McKinnon tore his ACL before the 2018 campaign began, but Matt Breida performed well in his absence. Meanwhile, backup RB and special teams ace Raheem Mostert will be tendered as a restricted free agent and could even earn an extension. For what it’s worth, the 49ers could conceivably release McKinnon, and designating him as a post-June 1 cut would make the move financially palatable.
  • The Seahawks are expected to place the franchise tag on defensive end Frank Clark, but they’ll probably have to target cost-effective veterans rather than other star players as they rebuild their defensive line, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Although Seattle did pursue Ndamukong Suh last year, it’s unlikely the club will go after him again. Instead, cheaper options such as Bennie Logan or Earl Mitchell could make sense for the Seahawks, per Condotta.
  • The Saints have hired former Penn State staffer Phil Galiano as an assistant special teams coach, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Galiano has spent most of his career in the collegiate ranks, but work for the Buccaneers from 2010-12. He’ll now assist Darren Rizzi, who was hired as New Orleans’ special teams coordinator last week.