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Leon Washington

Browns To Hire Bubba Ventrone As Special Teams Coordinator

February 23rd, 2023 at 9:26am CST by Sam Robinson

Bubba Ventrone spent the past five seasons in Indianapolis and interviewed for the franchise’s head coaching job last month, but he will be moving soon. The Browns are hiring him as special teams coordinator, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets.

For Ventrone, this will be a return trip. His longest stint as a player came in Cleveland, where he played from 2009-12. The former special-teamer will now head up the Browns’ ST operation. Ventrone will also be an assistant head coach in Cleveland, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who notes that bump helped convince the well-regarded staffer to sign on with the Browns (Twitter link).

The Browns interviewed Ventrone, 40, this week for the position. They also met with Giants assistant special teams coach Anthony Blevins and former return ace Leon Washington, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Washington has spent the past two seasons as the Jets’ assistant special teams coach.

Amid one of the most disappointing seasons in Colts history, they still charted as the eighth-best special teams unit on veteran NFL reporter Rick Gosselin’s annual list. (The Browns ranked 18th here in 2022.) The Colts were a top-five unit on Gosselin’s 2020 and 2021 lists. George Odum and Ashton Dulin earned All-Pro acclaim during that span, as did long snapper Luke Rhodes.

The Colts firing Frank Reich midway through this past season opened the door for most of his assistants to leave. Ventrone will return to the organization that signed him in 2009 and gave him a three-year extension in 2010. Ventrone had attended Shane Steichen‘s introductory press conference, and Mike Chappell of CBS4 notes the Colts attempted to convince him to stay; he was still under contract with the team. But they eventually permitted the Browns interview. Several players wanted Ventrone to be the interim HC, Zak Keefer of The Athletic tweets, but Jim Irsay of course gave that position to Jeff Saturday.

Cleveland dismissed Mike Priefer as its ST coordinator earlier this week. A veteran ST coordinator, Priefer had spent the past four seasons in this position. The Browns kept the Cleveland native on from Freddie Kitchens‘ staff, though Priefer had worked extensively with Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota during the 2010s. Still, Stefanski will now go with Ventrone; the two have not previously worked together. A 10-year NFL veteran, Ventrone began his coaching foray as the Patriots’ assistant special teams coach from 2015-17.

Coaching Notes: Colts, Jets, Giants, Texans

February 10th, 2021 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former East Carolina head coach Scottie Montgomery will return to the NFL as a running backs coach with the Colts. Montgomery, an NFL wideout in the early 2000s, was the Steelers’ wide receivers coach from 2010-12 — during which the receiver-developing franchise unearthed Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace — and East Carolina’s HC from 2016-18. Montgomery, 42, spent the past two years as Maryland’s offensive coordinator. The Colts also hired David Overstreet as assistant defensive backs coach.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • The Jets are bringing Leon Washington back into the fold. The former first-team All-Pro Jet return man will be back in New York as an assistant special teams coach under Robert Saleh. Washington, who operated as a Jets return man and running back from 2006-09, spent the past two seasons with the Lions.
  • A Packers assistant from 2004-18, James Campen will move to his fourth team in four seasons. The Texans are hiring Campen as their offensive line coach, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Campen spent the 2020 season with the Chargers and ’19 slate with the Browns, seeing both teams move in different directions after making HC changes. The Texans hired David Culley recently and are giving Campen a three-year deal.
  • The Giants intend to hire Rob Sale to be their next offensive line coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Sale spent the past three seasons as Louisiana’s offensive coordinator. He has a history with Joe Judge. The two coached at Alabama together from 2009-11.
  • Sale will replace Dave DeGuglielmo, who will head to Louisiana himself. After 17 seasons in the NFL, DeGuglielmo agreed to become the offensive line coach at Louisiana Tech, Cory Diaz of the Monroe (La.) News-Star notes. DeGuglielmo, who collected a Super Bowl ring with the 2014 Patriots, was an emergency replacement for the Dolphins in 2019 and Giants in 2020. The Giants opted not to bring him back on a full-time basis.
  • Urban Meyer is adding veteran NFL running backs coach Bernie Parmalee to his Jaguars staff, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). The former NFL running back has coached a few different areas in his relatively short coaching career, having helmed running backs, tight ends and special teams units. Parmalee spent the past three seasons in Atlanta and served as the Falcons’ ST coordinator in 2020.
  • The Vikings will add an assistant from the top college football program, hiring ex-Alabama cornerbacks coach Karl Allen to be their defensive backs coach, Pete Thamel of Yahoo.com tweets. Coaching a number of NFL-bound prospects, as Alabama staffers generally do, Allen spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Ken Whisenhunt Talks Titans’ Preseason

August 16th, 2014 at 2:59pm CST by Rob DiRe

Titans’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt had a lot to say about his team’s performance Friday night, remaining optimistic despite the 31-24 loss to the Saints. Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reported many of Whisenhunt’s best statements and responses in a series of tweets.

Here are some of the highlights, as reported by McCormick (all links via Twitter).

  • On Jake Locker‘s performance: “For his first chance of really operating the offense, did a nice job in reads and handling the environment.”
  • On Zach Mettenberger’s performance: “Great experience for him, and he made some plays. Had some turnovers, but needs to learn from them.” Whisenhunt also noted that although he fumbled again this week, it was much closer to being an incomplete pass.
  • On Bishop Sankey’s fumbling problems: “He’s a rookie and he’s going to have to work through that.”
  • On the kicker competition: “Travis Coons‘ field goal very impressive and Maikon Bonani did well on kickoffs.” He wouldn’t say who has the edge at this time.
  • On the kick returner competition: Marc Mariani has done well on returns, but the team will allow Leon Washington and Dexter McCluster to get opportunities later in preseason. Both have a great body of work, and Whisenhunt knows what they can do.

Titans Re-Sign Leon Washington

March 11th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Peter Sowards

Running back and return specialist Leon Washington will return to the Titans on a one-year deal, reports Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (via Twitter).

The eight-year veteran played two games in 2013 for the Patriots, then was released in November. The Titans quickly picked him up, and he played in their final five regular season contests. Washington confirmed his return to The Music City with a tweet earlier this afternoon.

AFC Rumors: Tate, McFadden, Mitchell, Dansby

March 11th, 2014 at 9:29am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent receiver Golden Tate, who tweeted last night that things are “heating up” for him, could be a target for the Jaguars, says Peter King of TheMMQB.com. The former Seahawks notable is coming off of his most productive season ever in which he hauled in 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns. More out of the AFC..

  • While many free agent running backs aren’t getting much play yet, Darren McFadden is one that has drawn “significant interest,” tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) hears from a league source that the Raiders have a one-year offer on the table for McFadden. The 26-year-old has missed 19 games over the last three seasons.
  • The Dolphins are in the mix for defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. The 26-year-old is getting a lot of attention for his versatility, athletic ability, and his high motor.
  • The Browns are likely to pursue Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby in free agency, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio News Group. Dansby, 32, would replace D’Qwell Jackson, who signed a four-year deal with the Colts last week. The Browns were also unsatisfied with the play of inside ‘backer Craig Robertson as the 2013 season went along.
  • The Browns are aggressively pursuing slot receivers with Davone Bess out of the picture, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Julian Edelman is a possibility as is poaching Andrew Hawkins from the Bengals.
  • Re-signing defensive tackle Antonio Johnson is a priority for the Titans, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The club also has interest in holding on to Leon Washington, Marc Mariani, Damian Williams, and Chris Spencer.
  • Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) asked a Jets source for the best way to describe the organization’s free agency plan and he was told that the club will be “aggressive.”
  • The Broncos have discussed the likes of pursuing safety T.J. Ward and defensive end Jared Allen but they’re certainly not in the lead as some have implied, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
  • The Jets and Patriots will each pick up nearly an extra $2MM in cap room due to various bookkeeping technicalities, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com explains in a series of tweets.

Titans Rumors: Verner, Free Agents, Britt

February 21st, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

There’s some concern that free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner may be out of the Titans’ price range, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. The club has spoken to Verner’s agent and hasn’t ruled out using its franchise tag, but indications are that Tennessee won’t franchise its standout cornerback, who figures to attract several big-money suitors on the open market, says Wyatt. Here’s more on the Titans from the Tennessean scribe:

  • Within the same piece, Wyatt suggests that locking up Verner may require a deal similar to the one the Titans gave Jason McCourty, who is averaging $8.6MM per year.
  • GM Ruston Webster on Verner, and free agents in general: “You have to look at where he is going to fit in your puzzle with the salary cap, with the value, whatever you set his value at. You want to get good players on your team. We try and get as many of those as we can everywhere, but obviously you have to spread it out some, so you have to be careful that way.”
  • There are indications that the Titans have spoken to – or plan to speak to – the agents for several prospective free agents, writes Wyatt, listing running back Jackie Battle, wide receivers Damian Williams and Marc Mariani, return specialist Leon Washington and offensive lineman Chris Spencer.
  • One free agent with whom the team appears ready to part ways? Wide receiver Kenny Britt. Unsurprisingly, Wyatt tweets that Tennessee has no plans to re-sign Britt.