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Tom Moore

NFC Coaching Notes: Martindale, Macdonald, Gruden, Saints, Canales, Bucs, Bears, Eagles

February 1st, 2024 at 2:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers went off the board with their defensive coordinator hire, bringing in Boston College HC Jeff Hafley. Matt LaFleur has looked to the college ranks during each of his DC searches, wanting to hire then-Wisconsin staffer Jim Leonhard in 2021. Hafley’s hire comes after the Packers squeezed in another interview with a seasoned NFL coordinator. Don Martindale met with the Pack about the gig, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein tweets.

Martindale resigned his two-year post as Giants DC after a turbulent second season with Brian Daboll; he has since interviewed with the Jaguars for a job that went to Ryan Nielsen. Martindale has been accused of going rogue at points in New York, with the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz adding another footnote here. Ahead of the Giants’ Christmas game against the Eagles, Martindale is believed to have requested the equipment staff change linebacker Tomon Fox‘s number from 49 to 94 due to the DC’s plans of having him bumped up from the practice squad. That change was made without Daboll or GM Joe Schoen‘s approval.

As the Giants’ DC search continues, here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • The Saints–Jon Gruden connection persists. Although Gruden is not on the radar — at least, as far as we know — for the Saints’ OC job, a GM informed the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora the former Raiders and Buccaneers HC should be expected to have a bigger role with New Orleans in 2024. Gruden worked as a consultant last summer and met with Saints officials recently. The GM suggested the possibility Gruden could eventually replace Dennis Allen, which would be quite the development considering the circumstances surrounding Gruden’s Las Vegas exit. For now, Gruden, who is still suing the NFL, remains without an NFL job.
  • Unsurprisingly, Mike Macdonald confirmed he will start his Seahawks tenure as the team’s defensive play-caller. Though, the new Seattle HC said (via SI.com’s Albert Breer) he is open to that changing at some point. Michigan’s 2021 DC, Macdonald called plays for the Ravens over the past two years and became one of this year’s most popular HC candidates as a result. Although Pete Carroll carried a defensive background, he did not serve as the Seahawks’ defensive play-caller.
  • The Buccaneers have lost much of their offensive staff to Carolina, seeing one-and-done OC Dave Canales take three staffers (receivers coach Brad Idzik, run-game coordinator Harold Goodwin, O-line coach Joe Gilbert). Tom Moore, however, will be staying in Tampa, per Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager. Moore, 85, has been with the Bucs since Bruce Arians‘ 2019 arrival. The former Colts OC, who is now 85, has served as a consultant for the NFC South team. This will be Moore’s 47th NFL season.
  • Baker Mayfield finished last in QBR in 2022, seeing his Panthers stay responsible for that dismal result. Canales helping the inconsistent QB recover from what happened in Carolina represents a key reason for his HC hire, ESPN.com’s David Newton notes. A Canales selling point hinged on the Bucs’ downfield passing, with Newton adding Tampa Bay went from 24th in that area (6.9 air yards per attempt) in Tom Brady‘s final season to third in 2023 (8.4).
  • The Eagles have permitted quarterbacks coach Alex Tanney to explore opportunities elsewhere, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. During the period between Brian Johnson‘s exit and the Kellen Moore OC hire, Tanney asked the team for the opportunity. The Eagles are moving on, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. Tanney received interest from the Colts last year, and McLane points to Indianapolis under ex-Eagles OC Shane Steichen as a potential landing spot.
  • The Bears have hired three more assistants. Chad Morton is signing on as running backs coach, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser, while ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin adds Chris Beatty is coming in as wide receivers coach. Most recently with the Chargers, Beatty coached D.J. Moore at Maryland. A former NFL return man, Morton is following OC Shane Waldron from Seattle. Morton was the Seahawks’ RBs coach from 2017-23. Chicago also hired Jason Houghtaling as assistant O-line coach, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds; Houghtaling was Tennessee’s O-line coach in 2023.

Buccaneers Interviewing Dave Canales For OC Job

February 8th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

After interviewing twice for the Ravens offensive coordinator gig, Dave Canales is getting a look in Tampa Bay. The Seahawks quarterbacks coach is interviewing for the Buccaneers offensive coordinator job, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter).

Canales has been on Pete Carroll’s staff in Seattle since the head coach joined the organization in 2010. Canales had an eight-year stint as wide receivers coach before taking on the roles of quarterbacks coach and, later, passing game coordinator. Following a two-year stint in that latter role, Canales reverted back to his QBs role in 2022.

During his time as receivers coach, Canales helped develop undrafted wideout Doug Baldwin into a 1,000-yard receiver. As QBs coach, Canales had plenty of success with Russell Wilson under center, but he really showed his skills in 2022 when he helped guide veteran Geno Smith to his first-career Pro Bowl nod.

Thanks to his success in Seattle, Canales emerged as a main candidate for Baltimore’s offensive coordinator gig. The 41-year-old was one of several candidates to move on to the second round of interviews, and he’s presumably still in the running for that job. In Tampa Bay, he’ll be joining a growing list of candidates that also includes:

The Buccaneers did make one coaching move today. The team signed 84-year-old Tom Moore to a contract extension, per NFL Network’s Peter Schrager (on Twitter). The four-time Super Bowl champion has served as an offensive consultant in Tampa Bay since 2019. Per Schrager, this was the 47th contract that Moore has signed during his illustrious career.

Buccaneers Not Looking To Make Any Moves Before Trade Deadline

October 30th, 2022 at 7:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Despite being in the midst of a three-game skid, and losing five of their last six games, the Buccaneers are not expected to make any big moves to acquire players before the trade deadline, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. General manager Jason Licht has been known to be willing to make moves that could improve the team’s standing for a playoff run, but, right now, the team seems to be fine with where they’re at.

The Buccaneers don’t seem to have a ton of holes in their roster. They haven’t been very successful running the ball, ranking 31st in the NFL for rushing yards. They likely don’t feel the need to trade for a big name running back. Despite veteran pass-catching back Giovani Bernard spending the last six games on injured reserve, Tampa Bay still has Leonard Fournette. The team has also spent two third-round picks in the last three drafts on Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Rachaad White.

A more likely reason for their rushing struggles is the offensive line losses they’ve dealt with this year. The retirement of last year’s starting guard Ali Marpet, the loss of their other starting guard, Alex Cappa, to free agency, and the long-term injury suffered by starting center Ryan Jensen have forced the Buccaneers to piece together a new configuration. Last year’s Buccaneers weren’t one of the league’s better rushing offenses and, with these setbacks, they’ve turned into one of the league’s worst.

Fans may also be looking for the team to make a move on defense, where the team ranks last in the league in rushing yards allowed. The Buccaneers don’t necessarily think a change in personnel is in order from an outside source, as they have several players who have missed time due to injury set to make comebacks soon. Tampa Bay hopes to get defensive lineman Akiem Hicks back soon, which should be a huge help. They’re also looking for cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting to make returns soon. Unfortunately, the loss of outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett hurts the defense’s chances for improvement a bit.

If any changes were to be made, it’s looking more and more likely that it will come on the coaching end and not on the players’ end, according to Armando Salguero of OutKick.com. With an offense that has been deemed as “under-performing” there is speculation that the team could have retired head coach and current consultant Bruce Arians or offensive consultant Tom Moore pair up with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to bring the offense back up to par.

Currently, head coach Todd Bowles says the coaching staff and their duties will remain intact, but, if the team continues to flail in what could easily be the last season for quarterback Tom Brady, look for the team to get creative with their use of the coaching staff.

Extra Points: Hogan, Buccaneers, Steelers

February 14th, 2021 at 9:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Veteran NFL receiver Chris Hogan is getting tweeted about by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, but not because he just signed with a new team. In a twist of news we didn’t see coming, Hogan has filed for the Premier Lacrosse League draft in March. Hogan mostly played lacrosse in college, as you’re probably aware if you watched any broadcast of a game he played in during his heyday with the Patriots. Hogan was an incredible story, as he only played one season of college football at Monmouth after transferring from Penn State where he played lacrosse.

He latched on with the Bills after a couple years of practice squad shuffling, and became a well-known name during his run with New England from 2016-18. In those three years he was often Tom Brady‘s top deep threat, and he was a large part of two Super Bowl winning teams. He signed with the Panthers in 2019, but injuries limited him to eight catches in seven games. He was with the Jets for the first five games of their disastrous 2020 season, catching 14 balls for 118 yards before landing on injured reserve and later getting cut. Now he’s attempting to get back to his first sport at the age of 33. It’s unclear if he’ll actually be drafted or not, but all of us here at PFR wish him the best.

Here’s more from the football universe:

  • We’ve already heard that 68-year-old Bruce Arians won’t be riding off into the sunset after the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win, so why would his 82-year-old offensive consultant Tom Moore? Moore apparently isn’t planning on calling it quits anytime soon, as he told Guy Limbeck of the Rochester Post Bulletin that “I want to coach until physically or mentally I can’t or until I die. He added “because there is absolutely nothing about working that turns me off. So I want to coach as long as I can, I want to coach as long as someone will hire me and that I can do the job that I’m supposed to do.” Moore never made it to head coach but had multiple runs as an OC in the NFL, most recently coordinating the Colts’ offense from 1998-2008. He was Arians’ assistant head coach with the Cardinals from 2013-17.
  • The Steelers recently had two players retire, long-time Center Maurkice Pouncey and tight end Vance McDonald. Although both walked away from the game without Pittsburgh cutting them, the Steelers are still taking a financial hit. Those two retirements will result in $9MM in dead cap for Pittsburgh, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. The Steelers aren’t in the best cap situation, which helps explain why Ben Roethlisberger is going to have to restructure his contract if he wants to return for another season.

Tom Moore To Stay On Buccaneers’ Staff For 2019 Season

August 12th, 2019 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers will have another key voice on offense this season. Bruce Arians brought in Tom Moore as an offseason consultant for his first Bucs squad, but Greg Auman of The Athletic notes (on Twitter) the veteran assistant will stay on Tampa Bay’s staff all season.

Moore and Arians have worked together for decades, their tenures overlapping with the Colts from 1998-2000 and on Arians’ Cardinals staffs. Now 80, Moore has worked as a consultant for a few teams this decade — including the Jets and Titans — but is most known to this generation of NFL fans as Peyton Manning‘s OC in Indianapolis.

Previously serving as OC for the Steelers and Lions in the 1980s and ’90s, Moore has been in coaching since the early 1960s. His first NFL job came as wide receivers coach for the bulk of Pittsburgh’s John Stallworth–Lynn Swann tenure. Moore oversaw Arians’ work in Indianapolis, with the current Bucs HC working as the Colts’ QBs coach for three seasons.

Moore presided over 13 top-10 scoring offenses, at least two at each OC stop. Arians, Moore and OC Byron Leftwich will be tasked with helping Jameis Winston revitalize his career in a contract year.