Tom Quinn

Patriots Finalize Coaching Staff

February 19th, 2024 at 9:23pm CST by Ely Allen

With new head coach Jerod Mayo taking over after over two decades of Bill Belichick at the helm, the Patriots have solidified the entirety of their new coaching staff.

We already knew about the hires of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, running backs coach Taylor Embree, offensive line coach Scott Peters, and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo on the offensive side of the ball and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins, and inside linebackers coach Dont’a Hightower, as well as the retention of cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino and safeties coach Brian Belichick., on the defensive side, but below is the update on the rest of next season’s staff.

We were aware that former Rams assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer had been going through an interview process, interviewing twice for the special teams coordinator position, but now we know that he will be heading special teams going forward in New England, replacing Cameron Achord in that role. He will be backed up by new special teams assistant coach Tom Quinn and special teams assistant and quality control coach Coby Tippett, after former assistant Joe Houston departed for the University of Florida. Quinn, a former long-time coordinator for the Giants, more recently spent last year on the Titans’ staff. Tippett was a coaching assistant in New England’s 2023 training camp and spent last season coaching cornerbacks at Tufts University.

On the defensive side of the ball, a few familiar faces stuck around and a few more were hired or promoted. The only new names here were defensive coaching assistants and quality control coaches Vinny DePalma and Jamael Lett. DePalma just finished his sixth year of playing linebacker for the Eagles at Boston College. He makes an extremely quick jump from playing in college to his first coaching position in the NFL. Lett most recently spent 2023 as a special teams analyst at the University of North Carolina. He has a litany of experience at other schools like South Alabama, Akron, Samford, Ohio, and Tennessee-Martin, but this will be his first NFL opportunity, as well. Last year, V’Angelo Bentley and Keith Jones held similar roles on the defense as fellows, but neither seems to have been retained.

Most of the new faces here are on the offensive staff. First, with former tight ends coach Will Lawing taking the offensive coordinator job at Boston College, former Saints senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell will take his place. Bicknell’s extensive experience coaching the wide receiver, offensive line, and tight end positions sets him up well for his new role, though he hasn’t coached tight ends since 2011. Joining Bicknell in coaching receiving targets will be new wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes and assistant wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood.

Hughes returns to the Patriots after a year as an offensive quality control coach at the University of Washington. Before that he had spent three years as an offensive assistant with New England. Underwood’s first NFL job came as an offensive quality control coach for the Dolphins back in 2019. Since then, he’s been coaching receivers at Rutgers and Pitt. The two replace the last two coaches for the position, Ross Douglas, who will coach the same position at Syracuse, and Troy Brown, who was not retained on the new staff.

Now, we did know that Robert Kugler would be joining the staff in some capacity about ten days ago, but now we have confirmation that he will come into the assistant offensive line coach position, the same one he held with the Panthers last year. This seems to indicate that last year’s assistant offensive line coach, Billy Yates, has not been retained after essentially taking over the position last year. Lastly on offense, the team will add Michael McCarthy to the staff as an offensive coaching assistant and quality control coach. McCarthy used to be an NFL assistant coach with the Browns and Lions but has spent the last five years as offensive line coach at Brown.

Finally, with Mayo’s younger brother, Deron Mayo, being promoted to the head of strength and conditioning, meaning that the former head, Moses Cabrera, will not be returning, the Patriots have hired Brian McDonough to fill his place as assistant strength and conditioning coach. McDonough has been a consultant for the team for over 20 years, but he’ll now accept his first full-time role with New England.

There you have it: the Patriots 2024 coaching staff. The last few years of regression following Tom Brady‘s departure are now the last chapters of a previous book. It will be up to Mayo and company to write the first chapter of a new one in the 2024 NFL season.

Titans Fire ST Coordinator Craig Aukerman; P Ryan Stonehouse Out For Season

December 4th, 2023 at 12:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

After a disastrous day from a special teams standpoint, the Titans will be making a few third phase adjustments. Special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman has been fired, head coach Mike Vrabel announced on Monday.

Tom Quinn will take over for Aukerman, as noted by ESPN’s Turron Davenport. The latter had been in place since 2018, having assumed the coordinator role after serving as an assistant the year prior. This had been Aukerman’s second stint with the Titans, after he first worked with the team as an assistant ST coordinator from 2013-15.

The 47-year-old made his NFL coaching debut in 2010 when he joined the Broncos as a defensive assistant. He held the same title one year later with the Jaguars, and it was in 2012 that he first began working as a special teams staffer. After his first Titans stint, Aukerman spent one year as the Chargers’ special teams coordinator before returning to Nashville.

The Titans rank ninth in the league in special teams DVOA in 2023, but the team’s Week 13 loss included multiple punts being blocked. On the second such occasion, punter Ryan Stonehouse was injured, and the play has proven to be the final one of the year for him. Stonehouse will undergo season-ending surgery, Vrabel said, via Davenport.

The 24-year-old proved to be a valuable addition last season, when he led the league in gross punting yards (4,779) and average (53.1 yards per punt). Stonehouse had matched the latter figure exactly during his 12 games this season, so his loss will be acutely felt for the remainder of the campaign. A new punter (and holder) will be needed to close out the year.

Quinn has considerable experience as a ST coordinator at the NFL level. He served in that role with the Giants from 2007-17, then remained in New York through 2021 as an assistant. The 55-year-old was out of coaching last year before joining Tennessee’s staff this past offseason. He will look to avoid a repeat of Sunday’s poor showing as the 4-8 Titans finish a disappointing campaign.

“There’s no real precedent to anything – you try to get a feel for what’s best and what’s needed,” Vrabel said when speaking about the move (video link via team reporter Jim Wyatt). “And whether we’ve done something in the past, there’s times we haven’t run a certain coverage or we haven’t run certain plays. And these decisions are about timing and feel. So, that’s the decision that was made.”

AFC Coaching Updates: Dolphins, Ravens, Titans, Jets, Patriots

March 31st, 2023 at 9:04pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins announced that they had finalized their 2023 coaching staff three weeks ago. We have reported this offseason on most of the major changes, but here are a few included in their announcement that are new.

On the offensive side of the ball, there were some updates to the team’s assistants. Ricardo Allen moved on to coaching shortly after retirement last year, taking a role as the Dolphins special teams assistant. This year, Allen has moved to the offensive assistant position. Another new offensive assistant, Mike Judge returns to a coaching role after spending some time in the personnel department. Miami will also give former NFL wideout Max McCaffrey his first NFL coaching position. McCaffrey will serve as an offensive assistant after time coaching wide receivers at Northern Colorado.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Dolphins hired Steve Donatell. The son of former Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell worked under his father last year and will serve as a defensive assistant with Miami. Lastly, the team has promoted Ryan Slowik, who served as a senior defensive assistant in 2022. In 2023, Slowik will be the Dolphins outside linebackers coach.

Here are a few other coaching updates from around the conference:

With Tee Martin moving to quarterbacks coach, the Ravens hired former Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis to fill the wide receivers coaching position, according to the team’s Twitter account. Lewis coached the position in Kansas City for four seasons before moving to running backs.
Leaving Baltimore will be former safety Anthony Levine, according to ESPN’s Turron Davenport. Levine had reportedly taken up a role with the Ravens as a scouting and coaching assistant after retiring but will now accept a role with the Titans as a special teams assistant. Tennessee will also bring on Tom Quinn as a special teams assistant and Matt Jones as an offensive line assistant.
The Jets have hired Shaq Wilson to fill their assistant defensive line coaching role, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Former assistant defensive line coach Greg Scruggs became the defensive line coach at Wisconsin, so New York went to the college ranks that took him away to find Wilson at South Carolina.
The Patriots have also added a former college staffer in Keith Jones, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. The former Arkansas assistant spent time with New England during the 2022 training camp as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship. Jones, who mostly worked with the Patriots’ defensive line, will be a coaching assistant in New England.

Staff Notes: Redskins, 49ers, Packers, Jets

January 24th, 2019 at 9:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have hired former Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton as their new defensive backs coach, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington is retaining incumbent DC Greg Manusky, but the club has spent the offseason meeting with other defensive minds such as Gregg Williams, Steve Wilks, and Todd Bowles. Horton, unlike those three, doesn’t have prior head coaching experience, but he has been a defensive play-caller for the Cardinals, Titans, and Browns (two stints). Horton, who didn’t coach in the NFL in either of the past two seasons, is replacing Torrian Gray, who was let go earlier this month.

Let’s check in on the latest coaching and front office moves:

The 49ers have promoted Martin Mayhew to vice president of of player personnel, tweets Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Mayhew, whose previous title was “senior personnel executive,” will now share the VP role with Adam Peters. After serving as Detroit’s general manager from 2008-15, Mayhew was the Giants’ director of football operations/special projects in 2016 before he joined San Francisco the following year. He interviewed for the Panthers’ GM gig last February, but lost out to interim Marty Hurney.
Former Giants special teams coordinator Tom Quinn is a candidate for the same position with the Packers, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link), who adds Quinn has spoken with Green Bay. Quinn was New York’s coordinator from 2007-17 before being let go by Pat Shurmur last offseason. However, Quinn re-joined the Giants staff in September 2018 after new ST coordinator Thomas McGaughey began cancer treatments. The Packers were thought to be a serious contender to hire Dolphins’ special teams coach Darren Rizzi, but that union won’t be happening.
Adam Gase is bringing a familiar face to New York, as former Dolphins wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson has taken the same job with the Jets, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Jefferson, 49, started his coaching career in 2006 with the Lions before moving on to Tennessee in 2013 and Miami in 2016. He was reportedly a candidate to become the Packers’ new wide receivers coach, a role which still hasn’t been filled.
The Falcons have hired former Buccaneers tight ends coach Ben Steele as an offensive assistant, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Steele had worked under Dirk Koetter — Atlanta’s new offensive coordinator — in Tampa Bay for the past two years.

Giants ST Coordinator Thomas McGaughey Undergoing Cancer Treatment

September 6th, 2018 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey revealed Thursday he’s undergoing chemotherapy treatments to address a form of cancer with which he was recently diagnosed.

While undergoing a procedure for a cancerous growth in his bowel duct during the offseason, the 45-year-old McGaughey said doctors discovered cancer in his lymph nodes. He received a periampullary diagnosis, a form of cancer affecting the liver and pancreas.

He’s been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for the past two months and has more scheduled. However, McGaughey remains a member of the Giants’ staff and continues to perform his duties as ST coordinator after his morning chemo sessions.

“I’m not going to let chemotherapy or cancer get in the way of what I do,” McGaughey said, via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. “I’m a father and I’m a football coach. That’s what I do. It’s get up, go to work and earn your paycheck. … (Missing the start of the season) was never a thought in mind. I’m sure it was in my doctors’ mind and my families mind. My wife, I’m sure. In my mind, I never even thought of it that way.”

An assistant special teams coordinator with the Giants from 2007-10, McGaughey is in his first season back with the franchise. He worked with the Panthers under Dave Gettleman previously, while spending seasons in between Giants tenures with other teams as well. Gettleman underwent chemo treatments over the summer for a cancer that is now in remission.

The Giants rehired Tom Quinn, their ST coordinator from 2007-10, to serve as one of two assistants to McGaughey, per Dunleavy, who adds Anthony Blevins is now aboard as the other aid.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Phillips, Eagles

January 5th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is still evaluating his coaching staff, and has yet to make any formal announcements, but a source tells Newsday’s Tom Rock that it appears defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and special teams coordinator Tom Quinn will return to New York for the 2015 season. Fewell, in particular, was considered a candidate to be fired, though Coughlin strongly defended the DC at his end-of-season press conference, suggesting that he felt players responded to Fewell.

According to Rock, there may still be minor changes coming to the rest of the coaching staff, but it seems Fewell and Quinn are safe. Here’s more from around the NFC East:

There’s a “strong sense” in Washington that Wade Phillips is positioned to become the team’s next defensive coordinator, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who tweets that the former Cowboys head coach has “ample support.”
As Chip Kelly looks to hire a new general manager in Philadelphia, one executive who figures to draw interest is Lions vice president of pro personnel Sheldon White, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport indicates that White is expected to interview for the Eagles‘ job.
Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com makes a case for why the Eagles ought to strongly consider extending quarterback Nick Foles this offseason. Foles’ rookie contract is set to expire after the 2015 campaign.

Giants Notes: Coughlin, JPP, Fewell, Eli

December 30th, 2014 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Giants co-owner John Mara, head coach Tom Coughlin, and general manager Jerry Reese all spoke to reporters today in New York, and touched on a few notable topics along the way. Here’s a round-up of some of the highlights from the presser, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (all Twitter links):

John Mara:

Mara stressed that he still believes in Coughlin, Reese, and the rest of the staff, despite disappointing results on the field in the last two seasons.
While Mara said the fates of the coaching assistants will ultimately be Coughlin’s decision, he conceded that “the defense did not play well.”
The Giants typically won’t let a coach head into the final year of his contract without an extension, but Mara hasn’t yet decided whether or not he’ll extend Coughlin’s deal, which expires after the 2015 campaign. Asked if ’15 would be a “win or else” season for Coughlin and others, Mara said he didn’t consider that an unfair stance.
Mara admitted that after the team’s loss to the Jaguars earlier in the season, he wanted to “fire everybody.”
Mara would be “very surprised” if Jason Pierre-Paul isn’t a Giant next season. While he cautioned that the price would have to be right, the Giants co-owner acknowledged that the franchise tag will be an option for retaining JPP.

Tom Coughlin:

Asked about the job security of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, Coughlin said he’s “evaluating everything,” but also strongly defended the embattled DC. Asked if he felt like players responded to Fewell, Coughlin replied, “Yes, I do.”
Vacchiano notes that it doesn’t sound as if Coughlin wants to fire either Fewell or special teams coordinator Tom Quinn — the head coach was “very defensive” of both.
Coughlin was noncommittal about how long he intends to continue coaching, joking that he thinks he has at least another decade left in him.

Jerry Reese:

The GM suggested that he thinks the Giants are heading in the right direction and “could have a really good football team going into next year.”
After spending aggressively in free agency in 2014, Reese said the team doesn’t plan to take the same approach in 2015.
Discussing Coughlin, Reese said, “You can tell quickly if a team’s not going to play for a coach. That never happened.”

Here are a few more Giants-related links from the last 24 hours:

Eli Manning is ready to discuss a contract extension, but isn’t necessarily making it a priority, and will defer to the team, as he tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Giants quarterback coach Danny Langsdorf will leave after one season in New York to accept a job as the offensive coordinator for Nebraska, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
Declining to talk about his contract status, Pierre-Paul indicated that he wasn’t going to make any promises about returning to the Giants as he nears free agency, per George Willis of the New York Post.
Asked about the possibility of the Giants replacing Fewell or other members of the defensive staff, cornerback Prince Amukamara said, “From what I am hearing I could see that happening” (link via Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News).