HEADLINES

Rod Marinelli

Cowboys Notes: Garrett, Bryant, Murray

January 11th, 2015 at 5:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

Whether you thought that was a catch or not, the Cowboys’ terrific 2014 season is over. That leads to a lot of questions the team will have to address, from coaches to players. The decisions they make this offseason will be crucial if the Cowboys want to build on a surprise 12-4 season.

  • Head coach Jason Garrett is a free agent this offseason, free to sign with any team if he chooses, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. With five teams currently still with openings at head coach, things could get interesting should they decide to pursue Garrett. Despite his pending free agency, owner Jerry Jones expects Garrett to return in 2015 with a new contract.
  • Field Yates of ESPN agrees that the team needs to bring back Garrett, but adds that the team needs to re-sign Dez Bryant, and make decisions on DeMarco Murray and Rolando McClain (ESPN Insider link).
  • With the season over, teams could be calling to try to steal some Cowboys’ assistants away from the team. Rod Marinelli, Scott Linehan, and Bill Callahan could all be hot commodities this offseason, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com in a chat. George notes that the Cowboys have the money to keep them, but could lose them to promotions with other teams.
  • Especially with the Cowboys’ tight salary cap issues, Rod Marinelli is an important component of the defense, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com in a chat. His scheme allows the team to get production out of sub-par talent, and he will be difficult to replace. George also believes that the team will not target a wide receiver with Terrance Williams continuing to be productive across from Bryant.

Bucs Expected To Hire Rod Marinelli As DC

January 11th, 2015 at 4:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After the Cowboys’ loss to the Packers today, head coach Jason Garrett is now a free agent and is free to sign with any team. If he’s retained as expected, though, he may have to find a new defensive coordinator, as the Buccaneers are expected to hire Rod Marinelli to their DC position, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Marinelli, whose contract also just expired, worked in Tampa Bay from 1996-2005 as a defensive line and assistant head coach.

Assuming he finalizes a deal with Tampa Bay, Marinelli will replace Leslie Frazier, the former Vikings head coach who led the Bucs’ defense in 2014. Despite adding Michael Johnson and Alterraun Verner to defense that already contained stars in Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David, Tampa’s defense finished just 25th in both yards allowed and points allowed; advanced metrics liked the unit a little better, as it finished 18th in DVOA. On the flip side, Dallas’ defense, which was expected by many to be among the worst in the league, was 14th in yards allowed, 15th in points allowed, but 22nd in DVOA.

The 65-year-old Marinelli was the head coach of the Lions from 2006-08, and was with the Bears from 2009-12 in a variety of defensive roles. Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith, of course, was Chicago’s HC during that time, so the two are obviously familiar. The Cowboys, meanwhile, will need to find a replacement for Marinelli — longtime Steelers DC Dick LeBeau recently resigned, but he runs a 3-4 scheme while Dallas has run a 4-3 front under Marinelli. If Jim Schwartz ultimately doesn’t stick around as Rex Ryan’s defensive coordinator in Buffalo, he would be a nice fit with the Cowboys.

East Notes: Jets, Fitzgerald, Phillips

January 4th, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Rory Parks

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that all signs are pointing to Doug Marrone as the next head coach of the Jets. La Canfora notes that many of the candidates that New York is interviewing for its general manager position have strong ties to Marrone, including top candidate Mike Maccagnan. Maccagnan once signed Marrone to quarterback the London Monarchs of the now extinct World League of American Football in 1991, and the two men have developed a close personal relationship since then.

Other GM candidates like Rick Mueller, Bill Kuharich, and Ryan Pace also have ties to Marrone. Jets owner Woody Johnson would like to announce his new GM and head coach no later than the end of this week, and some believe the Jets could be the first team to do so. At the moment, the smart money appears to be on a Maccagnan/Marrone pairing in New York.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News believes that if the Jets end up hiring Marrone, “Jets fans will have every right to believe the thing was fixed fight from the beginning.” The “thing,” of course, is Marrone’s opting out of his contract with the Bills. If he is subsequently hired by New York, it will appear as though he had a back-door agreement with Charley Casserly, who is acting as Johnson’s primary adviser in the hiring process (Twitter link to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who described in a full-length piece how Marrone alienated members of the Bills administration during his two years in Buffalo).
  • After being snubbed by Bill Polian, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that Bills owner Terry Pegula is still interested in hiring a “football czar” as he focuses in the short term on finding a new head coach.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that, even though the Larry Fitzgerald-to-the-Patriots rumors have swirled for the past several seasons, those rumblings might have some legs this offseason.
  • Rich Tandler of CSN Washington.com notes that Wade Phillips‘ age (68) has some wondering if Washington should opt for a younger candidate to fill its vacant defensive coordinator position, but Tandler believes Phillips’ recent pedigree suggests that his age should not be a major consideration.
  • We learned earlier today that the Raiders have requested permission to interview Cowboys‘ passing game coordinator Scott Linehan, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter) that Dallas is also in danger of losing defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. The contracts of both men expire at the end of this season, and Rapoport tweets that Marinelli may be wooed by the Buccaneers if talks with the Cowboys do not progress.
  • Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram adds (via Twitter) that the Cowboys also stand to lose offensive coordinator Bill Callahan, whose contract is also set to expire at season’s end.
  • Mark Eckel of NJ.com provides a list of five candidates the Eagles should consider in filling their GM position.

NFC Links: Cowboys, Cardinals, Redskins

July 12th, 2014 at 7:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Newly appointed Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will certainly have his hands full trying to fix a defense that was historically bad in 2013. As Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News writes, the 73-year-old coach will be looking to improve a squad that allowed four 400-yard passing games and ranked dead last in yards allowed.

The last time Marinelli was this high on the coaching hierarchy, he was the head coach of the 0-16 2008 Lions. That isn’t important to his players, who have embraced their coach’s passion for the game.

“Football is like a religion to him,” Anthony Spencer said. “You can tell in the way he talks about it. He is like a preacher. He believes in it so much. He believes that if you do the right things on the football field you also become a good person off it.”

Meanwhile, defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford respected his coach’s experience.

“He’s Master Splinter,” Crawford said. “Definitely.”

Marinelli elaborated on his love for football…

“I believe in everything about it,” he said. “I believe it really helps men. You help people this way. To come out and see men compete for jobs and try to help them be what they want to be, it’s something that is so important. That ability to compete every second of every day — I don’t know if you can ever live without that.”

Let’s see what else is going on in the NFC…

  • The Cardinals will likely hold on to four tight ends, opines ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, but there’s no guarantee that the final spot will go to Rob Housler. The 26-year-old’s play during training camp will determine whether he makes the roster.
  • In regards to the bottom of the Cardinals‘ depth chart at wide receiver, Weinfuss believes that Ted Ginn and John Brown will be the third and fourth receivers, respectively. Walter Powell seems like the favorite for the fifth spot, but Dan Buckner and Brittan Golden are also in the mix.
  • Redskins coach Jay Gruden is preaching discipline, cornerback DeAngelo Hall said (via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com). “Jay really preaches penalties,” Hall said. “Whether it’s false starts, whether it’s holding on the backend, anything. We have to play mistake-free football. Anytime you can do that in this league, you have a chance to win games.”

Jason Garrett On Cowboys’ Offseason

March 29th, 2014 at 4:39pm CST by Rob DiRe

Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett spoke about his team’s offseason, an unusual one considering the Cowboys are used to being the team that spends big money to acquire high profile free agents. Of course, their dire cap situation made it impossible to spend that money, in fact causing the opposite, as the team was forced to part ways with a few notable contributors, most significantly DeMarcus Ware and Miles Austin.

The team was able to add a few new pieces, with a focus on retooling a defensive line and pass rush that will be without not only Ware, but Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher as well. The Cowboys’ response was to add Terrell McClain, Jeremy Mincey, and Henry Melton. David Moore of DallasNews.com was able to transcribe some of Garrett’s thoughts on the new signings, among other things.

Garrett referred to McClain as “an interior player who can have an impact on our team”, and calls Mincey “a really solid football player.” The head coach believes that McClain brings versatility that can be utilized at nose tackle or at a three-technique, and that Mincey could potentially fill a void at defensive end. Garrett lauded Melton’s physical ability, referencing his past as a high school running back.

“You see some of those running back traits in terms of quickness, explosiveness, change of direction,’’ says Garrett. “He was hurt last year and only played in three games. He’s coming off an ACL, but he played very well for Rod Marinelli a couple of years ago and I feel like we can get him to that place.’’

Garrett, the former quarterback, also spoke about picking up Brandon Weeden as a backup to Tony Romo. “We want to develop a guy, and we feel like Brandon Weeden is a guy we can develop,’’ Garrett said of the 30-year-old quarterback. “We feel like he’s got a lot of upside, and we want to get him in an environment where we can help him grow and develop.’’

Garrett also addressed new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who has been given play-calling duties despite Bill Callahan calling the plays last season and still being on staff.

“He and I have very similar philosophies about offensive football and how we do things. There are some terminology things that are common to both of our offensive systems and certainly they are philosophically similarly in foundation,” said the head coach. “You always want to evolve your offense from year to year and continue to grow with your system. There is a foundation that we have in place, a philosophy that’s very similar, and we’re excited about the different things that he’s going to bring.’’

While it is unusual for play-calling responsibilities to change hands without letting go of the coach, an equally peculiar move happened on the other side of the ball, where Monte Kiffin relinquished his role as defensive coordinator, a role now filled by Rod Marinelli. Kiffin will still remain on staff as a defensive assistant.

NFC East Links: Eagles, Cowboys, Marinelli

February 21st, 2014 at 7:25pm CST by Ben Levine

A few notes from the NFC East…

  • Don’t expect to see the Eagles add a big-name safety, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. In the article, Frank speaks to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who has appeared to have learned from the failed 2011 Dream Team. While the team may not go after T.J. Ward or Jairus Byrd, Frank says the team knows it needs to upgrade at the position.
  • The Eagles have made re-signing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin a priority over fellow free agent Riley Cooper, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. McLane says the team’s ideal plan is to keep Maclin and then sign a starting-caliber receiver in free agency.
  • Newly appointed Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will have much more freedom now that he doesn’t have to defer to Monte Kiffin on decisions, writes Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram.
  • The Cowboys have informed agent Jordan Woy that they’d like to re-sign defensive linemen Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer, according to Hill (Twitter link). Hill adds that the club will let the market dictate the offer, which suggests Dallas will wait until after March 11 to try to reach agreements.

Cowboys Promote Rod Marinelli To DC

January 28th, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys announced that they have promoted Rod Marinelli from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator. Former DC Monte Kiffin, meanwhile, has been shifted over to an assistant coaching role on defense. The newly-hired Scott Linehan will serve as the Cowboys’ passing game coordinator and play caller.

Dallas’ announcement also infers that Bill Callahan will remain with the staff in 2014 as offensive coordinator. Callahan was rumored to be in the mix for the Browns’ OC vacancy and even though the Cowboys said he wouldn’t be available, speculation persisted following the hiring of Linehan. However, with Linehan at passing game coordinator, it would seem that there will still be room on board for Callahan.

Marinelli has 17 years of NFL coaching on his resume and is best known for a difficult three year run as the Lions’ head coach. Detroit went 10-38 during Marinelli’s time on the sidelines including their infamous 0-16 season in 2008. He served as the Bears’ D-Line coach in 2009 and got bumped up to DC in 2010. After a three-year stretch, he left Chicago even though incoming coach Marc Trestman said he wanted to keep him.

Kiffin, 74 in February, is one of the most highly-regarded defensive coordinators in NFL history. Unfortunately, his Dallas defense was pitiful in 2013, allowing a league worst 415.3 yards per game.