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Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3

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Re: Slocum Fired 

Post#41 » by FAH1223 » Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:17 pm

Should have been fired in 2010. Got saved by the Super Bowl win and then the rule changes after the lockout moving kickoffs 5 yards bought him the last 3-4 years.
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Re: Slocum Fired 

Post#42 » by raysbookclub » Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:59 pm

Better late than never.
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Re: Slocum Fired 

Post#43 » by BallinBucks420 » Mon Feb 2, 2015 2:40 am

now promote Ron Zook to special teams coach i think that would be solid
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Re: Slocum Fired 

Post#44 » by Lippo » Mon Feb 2, 2015 3:01 am

Watch safety
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Re: Slocum Fired 

Post#45 » by Buckrageous » Mon Feb 2, 2015 3:08 am

BallinBucks420 wrote:now promote Ron Zook to special teams coach i think that would be solid

I only like promoting from within when you are successful. Promoting the asst to a terrible ST coach to ST coach? No thank you. Unless recruiting replaces the draft I don't think Zooks services will be needed either.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#46 » by MickeyDavis » Tue Feb 3, 2015 11:40 pm

McGinn:

Ron Zook is the frontrunner to become the Green Bay Packers' next special teams coordinator and could be named this week.

A league source said at least one potential candidate has been told that coach Mike McCarthy intends to promote from within and elevate Zook, who served as the Packers' assistant special teams coach last season.

Zook, 60, worked under Shawn Slocum, who was fired Friday after six seasons as coordinator and three seasons before that as Mike Stock's assistant.

There is a strong degree of familiarity between McCarthy and Zook not only because of 2014 but also because of the two seasons (2000-'01) they spent together as coordinators for the New Orleans Saints.

McCarthy had also coached alongside Slocum at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990.

The Packers finished 32nd in overall special teams performance in 2014 based on The Dallas Morning News' annual rankings. In nine seasons under McCarthy, the Packers rank 30th.

"Ron's a dynamic guy," an NFL special teams coach said Tuesday. "Full of p--- and vinegar. He was so ambitious before. He was always looking for that next job. Now he'll probably do a better job coaching special teams."

Zook's 35-year coaching career includes just six years on special teams.

He coached special teams at Florida under coach Steve Spurrier from 1994-'95 and for the Pittsburgh Steelers under coach Bill Cowher from 1996-'98.

At Pittsburgh, Zook's special teams ranked 23rd, 12th and 23rd in the Morning News' breakdowns.

He was a head coach in college at Florida (2002-'04) and Illinois (2005-'11).

"He's a real positive, upbeat guy," another NFL special teams coach said Tuesday. "He was always labeled a great recruiter in college, and you can see why.

"I always think that can reflect in coaching. As a special teams coach you've got to ask guys to do stuff they don't want to do. So, they better be on your side."

Last month, several players described Zook as energetic and intense.

"Brings a lot of passion to everything he does," said safety Chris Banjo. "Not just football. Everything. Really in tune with everything. Real fun being around.

"In everything he does it's to make you a better player. He's always trying to get you to the next level."

Green Bay is the last team with an opening for a coordinator of special teams. Several leading coordinators landed new jobs just a few days after key special-teams breakdowns cost the Packers dearly Jan. 18 in their NFC Championship Game loss at Seattle.

Brad Seely, who was out of a job in San Francisco along with coach Jim Harbaugh, landed as coordinator of the Oakland Raiders Jan. 20.

Bobby April, who had been the coordinator in Oakland, was hired Jan. 23 as the New York Jets' coordinator.

Seely, April and New England's Scott O'Brien, who might decide to retire after the Super Bowl triumph, are the only three coaches to field the No. 1-ranked special teams three times in 25 years of the Morning News' breakdowns.

The other attractive outside candidate was Keith Armstrong, but the Atlanta Falcons retained him from coach Mike Smith's staff.

"The Falcons wouldn't let Armstrong interview anywhere," one NFL coordinator said. "The other two (Seely, April), I don't know where they wanted to go but both should have been available.

"Those two are among the top five, six in the league. You can throw Scott O'Brien in there, too. If someone said they were the top three in the league I wouldn't argue."

Other 2014 coordinators briefly out of work were Denver's Jeff Rodgers, Chicago's Joe DeCamillis, the Jets' Thomas McGaughey and Buffalo's Danny Crossman.

In a bit of musical chairs, Rodgers and DeCamillis switched teams, McGaughey replaced Seely in San Francisco and Crossman re-signed with the Bills.

Joe Marciano, a top-flight coordinator for 28 years with three teams, coordinated at Minnesota for the first two games last season during Mike Priefer's suspension.

According to two sources, Marciano has been trying to land another coordinator's position, including the Packers'.

"If you want to hire a veteran guy that's who you hire," one coach said.

The firing of Slocum was the fourth coach McCarthy has jettisoned from special teams in nine years. Stock was pressured to retire in January 2009 and two assistants, Curtis Fuller (2010) and Chad Morton (2014), were fired.

"It also reflects on the head coach," one coordinator said. "They've done it a long time and haven't been very good. I guess you could lay it all on Shawn but they don't have great special teams personnel.

"Other thing, they've changed the assistants forever there. We used to laugh about that. They fire the assistants. Like, what are they doing that for?"
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#47 » by Profound23 » Wed Feb 4, 2015 1:39 am

Can't pretend to be happy. Zook's special teams at Pittsburgh were just as bad as Slocum's in Green Bay. I don't expect to see a difference next year and it could prove costly again.

I would have liked Seely. Yes he had a bad couple of years, but before that his special teams usually ranked in the top 10, including 3 times in 1st place. I wonder if McCarthy dealing with his brother's death delayed the firing and had us miss out.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#48 » by HKPackFan » Wed Feb 4, 2015 4:00 am

Profound23 wrote:Can't pretend to be happy. Zook's special teams at Pittsburgh were just as bad as Slocum's in Green Bay. I don't expect to see a difference next year and it could prove costly again.

I would have liked Seely. Yes he had a bad couple of years, but before that his special teams usually ranked in the top 10, including 3 times in 1st place. I wonder if McCarthy dealing with his brother's death delayed the firing and had us miss out.


Also not thrilled. Not angry about it, but as others pointed it out, normally you promote from within when things are successful, not when they are sucking.

ST's were bad last year and Zook was brought in to help it out, and it went from bad to worse, so how is a promotion justified?

Last year someone stated Zook being hired as the asst. was being brought in as the eventual replacement, so it seems MM is just following through on that, but I think that's kinda crappy. If there was some unwritten agreement in place, Zook still has to perform and get the ST's playing at their best, not regress and play their worst.

My expectations that ST's are going to be better in 2015 just went out the window. OK, let's say maybe from last place to about 25th is around my expectation...
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#49 » by Iheartfootball » Wed Feb 4, 2015 7:07 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:McGinn:

"Other thing, they've changed the assistants forever there. We used to laugh about that. They fire the assistants. Like, what are they doing that for?"


That's most telling to me. It's more about the type of talent on ST and how serious coaches take it from the top down. I always viewed the Packers as having mostly solid depth under TT's watch. I still think that's true but perhaps that depth just doesn't translate well to ST. Packers have seemed to be more of a finesse team the past decade and it's reflected in the ST. It's a culture thing.

Look at the defense. They don't rely on hard hits and amazing tackling. It's about turnovers. Finesse.

Not saying it's right or wrong but how much can you expect out of those sides of the ball when that's your focus? Higher risk/higher reward.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#50 » by El Duderino » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:37 am

Finally forced myself to read the articles about the Seattle loss. Ends up former assistant Special teams coach Charlie Morton who worked under Slocum and was fired by Green Bay, but later hired in Seattle knew of a certain formation we used when Brad Jones lined up in a certain place to rush and when they saw Jones lined up there, that lead to the call for a fake. Morton knew that when Jones lined up in that spot he always rushed, likely leaving the short side of the field short on defenders and it ended up being so.
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Re: Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#51 » by HKPackFan » Fri Feb 13, 2015 5:59 pm

El Duderino wrote:Finally forced myself to read the articles about the Seattle loss. Ends up former assistant Special teams coach Charlie Morton who worked under Slocum and was fired by Green Bay, but later hired in Seattle knew of a certain formation we used when Brad Jones lined up in a certain place to rush and when they saw Jones lined up there, that lead to the call for a fake. Morton knew that when Jones lined up in that spot he always rushed, likely leaving the short side of the field short on defenders and it ended up being so.


Whats pathetic is MM insists there was no Fg block call it was a safe protection call. House either wasnt listening or just being half assed lazy. He gave the angle to jon Ryan. If does exactly what j. Bush does on the opposite side the play is dead.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#52 » by MickeyDavis » Mon Feb 23, 2015 1:05 pm

McGinn's analysis
As Mike McCarthy flew back from the NFC Championship Game in Seattle the night of Jan. 18, advances in digital technology allowed him to break down the overtime defeat against the Seahawks.

Even before watching that tape, the coach of the Green Bay Packers undoubtedly knew he was going to fire Shawn Slocum.

As ruthless as it might have seemed, McCarthy should have delivered the news to Slocum upon deplaning at Austin Straubel International or no later than the next morning. It's likely Slocum would have appreciated it, too, because he would have had another 12 days to find a job. His pink slip arrived Jan. 30.

McCarthy's next action should have been to get phone numbers for Brad Seely or Bobby April from administrative coordinator Matt Klein or another team staffer and call the two special-teams coordinators before the day was out.

At the same time, McCarthy should have been reaching out to Carolina coach Ron Rivera to determine if Bruce DeHaven, the Panthers' special-teams assistant, would be permitted to interview.

Just to be safe, McCarthy should have been in contact with Joe Marciano as well.

Instead, McCarthy busied himself Monday and Tuesday conducting exit interviews with players.

Tragically, his brother, Joe, died suddenly Wednesday morning. McCarthy left immediately to be with his family in Pittsburgh for the better part of the next week.

Seely, 58, and April, 61, have been so good for so long that a formal interview really wasn't necessary. Talk on the phone Monday or Tuesday, settle on money and the Achilles' heel of McCarthy's coaching tenure probably would have gone away. If it didn't, at least the Packers tried by hiring the best man available.

But, no, McCarthy had a better idea.

He didn't interview anyone. General manager Ted Thompson said the coach was committed to Slocum's assistant, Ron Zook, and that's the way it went down.

Zook might be the answer to special teams that have ranked an overall 30th during McCarthy's nine-year tenure based on the annual breakdowns provided by The Dallas Morning News.

Yet, Zook coordinated special teams for just NFL three seasons, most recently 1998 with the Steelers, before returning in 2014 after two years out of coaching to help the Packers.

His special teams were average in Pittsburgh, and last year the Packers' ranked as the worst in the NFL.

Zook didn't want to remain coaching special teams back then, and he didn't. Leaving Pittsburgh in January 2009, he became defensive coordinator in New Orleans alongside McCarthy for two seasons before serving as coach at Florida and Illinois from 2002-'11.

Having worn the head-coaching hat for a decade, Zook probably could really help McCarthy as a legitimate assistant head coach and game-day alert.

Because of the uncertainly with Jim Harbaugh's outgoing staff in San Francisco, Seely was available until Thursday, Jan. 21, when he accepted the coordinator's job under Jack Del Rio in Oakland.

A league source said April asked out of his contract in Oakland, where he coached the past two years. He then landed with Todd Bowles, the New York Jets' new coach, on Jan. 23.

DeHaven, 66, assisted Richard Rodgers, the father of the Packers' tight end, in 2013-'14. Earlier this month, Rivera reassigned Rodgers and promoted DeHaven to the No. 1 post.

If I've heard this once, I've heard it 10 times. The mere presence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a franchise player at the most important position, would lead many an assistant to Green Bay.

My strong belief is that Seely, April and, if permitted, DeHaven all would have gone with the Packers in a heartbeat.

The more I've talked to special teams coaches over the years, the more convinced I've become that success in this area hinges on the ability of the coordinator.

Some head coaches and GMs seem to think almost anyone can coordinate special teams, whereas it takes special talent to coordinate offense or defense.

In truth, it might be even more difficult to coordinate special teams because there's less time to do it and twice as many players involved.

Last month, one special teams coach said Seely, April and New England's Scott O'Brien, who retired from coaching after the Super Bowl, ranked as the top three in the industry.

It's no coincidence they're the only three coaches who have coordinated teams to the No. 1 ranking three times in the 25 years of The Morning News' rankings.

DeHaven ranked No. 1 with Buffalo in 1996.

Slocum grew in his profession, ranking tied for 13th, 12th and 19th in his third, fourth and fifth seasons as coordinator. But two of his coaching colleagues faulted Slocum for trying to get too cute with schemes last season, and then the seven blocked kicks in 2014 became a game-ender.

The way to special-teams coaching success is experience, organization, passion, motivational skill and a steady-as-she-goes, fundamental approach.

Seely has coordinated for six teams over the last 26 years, including 10 years (and three Super Bowl rings) with New England. April has done it 23 of the last 24 years. DeHaven's 26-year career as a coordinator began with 11 under kicking-game maven Marv Levy in Buffalo.

As a head coach specializing in offense and with an awful history on special teams, it's unclear if McCarthy has the time or interest to keep up on the kicking game.

Meanwhile, 61-year-old Marciano, a friend of Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers dating to their coaching days together in the USFL 30 years ago, tried obtaining an interview but was told that the job was Zook's.

Marciano, who led New Orleans to the No. 1 ranking in 1993, was hired Feb. 7 by the Detroit Lions. The Lions acted almost immediately after coordinator John Bonamego got the head-coaching job at Central Michigan.

Two special teams coaches said that by the time the Packers got around to announcing Zook, Marciano easily was the best veteran option.

The 60-year-old Zook, of course, isn't the first friend McCarthy has hired to coach special teams.

In 2006, McCarthy hired Mike Stock, a workmanlike veteran familiar to him during their four seasons coaching together in Kansas City.

After pressuring Stock to retire, McCarthy in 2009 interviewed Mike Priefer, Larry Mac Duff and Slocum. He coached with Mac Duff in San Francisco and with Slocum at the University of Pittsburgh.

Priefer, an unknown to McCarthy, seemed like the perfect choice. He was 42, the son of longtime, successful NFL coordinator Chuck Priefer and already nine years into an NFL special-teams career that included five seasons as a No. 1.

After two years in Denver, Priefer is embarking on his fifth season in Minnesota.

Another candidate under consideration at the time was Brian Schneider, then 37, a former coordinator in Oakland. Schneider spent 2009 at Southern California before beginning an exceptional stint in Seattle that is going on six years.

McCarthy thought long and hard about giving Slocum a job on Capers' defensive staff before handing him the coordinator job.

And now out of the blue last year came Zook, McCarthy's buddy from New Orleans who had to be worried football people had forgotten about him after a two-year hiatus.

Slocum joins Curtis Fuller and Chad Morton as special teams assistants fired by McCarthy. Jason Simmons, a 10-year NFL special teams performer with the intellect and commitment to excel, is Zook's No. 2.

The third man in the kicking game room is McCarthy, who said, "That culture's going to change in there, I promise you that."

Special teams, like football, isn't rocket science. Over the years, McCarthy spent extensive time with Stock and Slocum. He's a pure football man. Knowledge transfers, and he pledged not only to attend but participate in every meeting.

"They're automatically better," one special teams coach. "There will be more accountability. 'So, he thinks it's important, you better think it's important.'"

But it's also true that McCarthy has never coached special teams.

"Well, start with the huddle," one special teams coach said. "Wow. I don't know Mike's history. He's been coaching offense a long time. I know I'm not going down to the offensive guys and asking them for help."

Zook's advantage is knowledge of the Packers' players, schemes and practice patterns. How much schematic change he enacts will be one of the main stories between now and September.

"This reflects on the head coach," one special teams coach said. "They've done it a long time and they haven't been very good.

"It comes back to the same thing. They don't have great special-teams personnel. They've got to cover with fullbacks, tight ends because he's an offensive coach and he needs those types of guys on offense. A lot of times that hurts your teams."

At the same time, neither Stock nor Slocum had the benefits of working for a GM that saw the need for a so-called special teams dynamo. Thompson doesn't want someone who doesn't possess starting ability at his position.

"Let's be real," McCarthy said last month. "We don't draft special teams players."

More than anything, special teams comes down to the coordinator in charge. Two proven veterans without ties to McCarthy — Brad Seely and Bobby April — probably were a phone call away. Maybe Bruce DeHaven was, too.

The percentage play was for McCarthy to make that call. He never did.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#53 » by Buckrageous » Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:27 pm

^ That sounds like a lot of excuses at the end. They don't draft special teams players? How many teams are using draft picks for special teams only? Very few. The don't keep special teams players unless they have the ability to start? Jarrett Bush is an NFL starter at CB and Banjo is a starter quality S? No, they are there for ST. AJ Hawk is the one that broke on the runner and left the Receiver free on the fake FG. If he's not a starter quality LB then why have they kept paying and starting him so much?

I don't hardly ever use "out coached" but when a former member of the staff recognizes exactly what you are going to do an exploits it because either you never noticed the tendency yourself or because you never thought anyone else would figure it out then you got out coached.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#54 » by ReasonablySober » Mon Feb 23, 2015 5:18 pm

Don’t blame Slocum: If you want to blame former Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum for the botched onside kick recovery in the NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks, you should know this: According to a person familiar with Slocum’s instructions on the sideline, one of the last things he told his hands team before the play was this: "If your name isn't Jordy Nelson or Micah Hyde, don't try to field the ball." Of course, we all know that Brandon Bostick, who was released earlier this week, tried to catch it and failed, allowing the Seahawks to recover. Two weeks later Slocum, whose special teams units were problematic all season and allowed the Seahawks to run a fake field goal for a touchdown, was fired.

Zimmer on Bostick: After the Minnesota Vikings claimed Bostick off waivers, coach Mike Zimmer told reporters who cover his team that Bostick will add depth and competition at the tight end position. And then Zimmer joked, "We'll try not to put him on the onside kick team."

Meet the linebackers: A day after coach Mike McCarthy more or less said inside linebacker is the Packers' greatest need this offseason, two of the top inside linebackers in the draft -- Missississppi State's Benardrick McKinney and Miami's Denzel Perryman -- both confirmed they have formal interviews scheduled with the Packers during the combine. The Packers began their overhaul at the position by releasing veteran Brad Jones on Friday.

Big things for Janis: For those fans who wondered why receiver Jeff Janis couldn't get on the field much last year as a rookie, know this: McCarthy still has high hopes for the former seventh-round pick who spent most of last season on the inactive list. Janis was active for only three games and played just 15 snaps on offense. He caught two passes for 16 yards. "I thought probably after Thanksgiving, I thought Jeff really picked it up," McCarthy said. "He was more comfortable, and so I look for him to take a step. He's got to play with extension. That's the one thing he has to do a better job of, but you can see it on the scout team, and at the end of the year he was running some really good routes. Really good routes."


That said, the source could be Slocum's agent.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#55 » by Profound23 » Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:04 pm

If that is true that Slocum said that it just pisses me off more.

I mean he should have been fired years ago so that shouldn't save his job, however Bostick was specifically told this and still screwed it up? WOW!
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#56 » by Buckrageous » Mon Feb 23, 2015 9:17 pm

I will say from Slocums reaction he didn't want Bostick touching that ball and from Bostics reaction to getting yelled at he knew he shouldn't have touched that ball. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he did in fact deliver that message before the kick. This is why do all the plays at the end of the game this is the one that sticks out the most to me (and a lot of other people. It wasn't that he just dropped the ball, it was that he wasn't even supposed to touch it. He **** up twice on the same play. A total mental error to not block compounded by the physical error of not catching it.

All that said from blocked kicks to fake FG TDs Slocum earned his firing.
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Re: Slocum Fired - Zook Taking Over - Pg 3 

Post#57 » by HKPackFan » Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:52 am

MickeyDavis wrote:McGinn's analysis
As Mike McCarthy flew back from the NFC Championship Game in Seattle the night of Jan. 18, advances in digital technology allowed him to break down the overtime defeat against the Seahawks.

Even before watching that tape, the coach of the Green Bay Packers undoubtedly knew he was going to fire Shawn Slocum.

As ruthless as it might have seemed, McCarthy should have delivered the news to Slocum upon deplaning at Austin Straubel International or no later than the next morning. It's likely Slocum would have appreciated it, too, because he would have had another 12 days to find a job. His pink slip arrived Jan. 30.

McCarthy's next action should have been to get phone numbers for Brad Seely or Bobby April from administrative coordinator Matt Klein or another team staffer and call the two special-teams coordinators before the day was out.

At the same time, McCarthy should have been reaching out to Carolina coach Ron Rivera to determine if Bruce DeHaven, the Panthers' special-teams assistant, would be permitted to interview.

Just to be safe, McCarthy should have been in contact with Joe Marciano as well.

Instead, McCarthy busied himself Monday and Tuesday conducting exit interviews with players.

Tragically, his brother, Joe, died suddenly Wednesday morning. McCarthy left immediately to be with his family in Pittsburgh for the better part of the next week.

Seely, 58, and April, 61, have been so good for so long that a formal interview really wasn't necessary. Talk on the phone Monday or Tuesday, settle on money and the Achilles' heel of McCarthy's coaching tenure probably would have gone away. If it didn't, at least the Packers tried by hiring the best man available.

But, no, McCarthy had a better idea.

He didn't interview anyone. General manager Ted Thompson said the coach was committed to Slocum's assistant, Ron Zook, and that's the way it went down.

Zook might be the answer to special teams that have ranked an overall 30th during McCarthy's nine-year tenure based on the annual breakdowns provided by The Dallas Morning News.

Yet, Zook coordinated special teams for just NFL three seasons, most recently 1998 with the Steelers, before returning in 2014 after two years out of coaching to help the Packers.

His special teams were average in Pittsburgh, and last year the Packers' ranked as the worst in the NFL.

Zook didn't want to remain coaching special teams back then, and he didn't. Leaving Pittsburgh in January 2009, he became defensive coordinator in New Orleans alongside McCarthy for two seasons before serving as coach at Florida and Illinois from 2002-'11.

Having worn the head-coaching hat for a decade, Zook probably could really help McCarthy as a legitimate assistant head coach and game-day alert.

Because of the uncertainly with Jim Harbaugh's outgoing staff in San Francisco, Seely was available until Thursday, Jan. 21, when he accepted the coordinator's job under Jack Del Rio in Oakland.

A league source said April asked out of his contract in Oakland, where he coached the past two years. He then landed with Todd Bowles, the New York Jets' new coach, on Jan. 23.

DeHaven, 66, assisted Richard Rodgers, the father of the Packers' tight end, in 2013-'14. Earlier this month, Rivera reassigned Rodgers and promoted DeHaven to the No. 1 post.

If I've heard this once, I've heard it 10 times. The mere presence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a franchise player at the most important position, would lead many an assistant to Green Bay.

My strong belief is that Seely, April and, if permitted, DeHaven all would have gone with the Packers in a heartbeat.

The more I've talked to special teams coaches over the years, the more convinced I've become that success in this area hinges on the ability of the coordinator.

Some head coaches and GMs seem to think almost anyone can coordinate special teams, whereas it takes special talent to coordinate offense or defense.

In truth, it might be even more difficult to coordinate special teams because there's less time to do it and twice as many players involved.

Last month, one special teams coach said Seely, April and New England's Scott O'Brien, who retired from coaching after the Super Bowl, ranked as the top three in the industry.

It's no coincidence they're the only three coaches who have coordinated teams to the No. 1 ranking three times in the 25 years of The Morning News' rankings.

DeHaven ranked No. 1 with Buffalo in 1996.

Slocum grew in his profession, ranking tied for 13th, 12th and 19th in his third, fourth and fifth seasons as coordinator. But two of his coaching colleagues faulted Slocum for trying to get too cute with schemes last season, and then the seven blocked kicks in 2014 became a game-ender.

The way to special-teams coaching success is experience, organization, passion, motivational skill and a steady-as-she-goes, fundamental approach.

Seely has coordinated for six teams over the last 26 years, including 10 years (and three Super Bowl rings) with New England. April has done it 23 of the last 24 years. DeHaven's 26-year career as a coordinator began with 11 under kicking-game maven Marv Levy in Buffalo.

As a head coach specializing in offense and with an awful history on special teams, it's unclear if McCarthy has the time or interest to keep up on the kicking game.

Meanwhile, 61-year-old Marciano, a friend of Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers dating to their coaching days together in the USFL 30 years ago, tried obtaining an interview but was told that the job was Zook's.

Marciano, who led New Orleans to the No. 1 ranking in 1993, was hired Feb. 7 by the Detroit Lions. The Lions acted almost immediately after coordinator John Bonamego got the head-coaching job at Central Michigan.

Two special teams coaches said that by the time the Packers got around to announcing Zook, Marciano easily was the best veteran option.

The 60-year-old Zook, of course, isn't the first friend McCarthy has hired to coach special teams.

In 2006, McCarthy hired Mike Stock, a workmanlike veteran familiar to him during their four seasons coaching together in Kansas City.

After pressuring Stock to retire, McCarthy in 2009 interviewed Mike Priefer, Larry Mac Duff and Slocum. He coached with Mac Duff in San Francisco and with Slocum at the University of Pittsburgh.

Priefer, an unknown to McCarthy, seemed like the perfect choice. He was 42, the son of longtime, successful NFL coordinator Chuck Priefer and already nine years into an NFL special-teams career that included five seasons as a No. 1.

After two years in Denver, Priefer is embarking on his fifth season in Minnesota.

Another candidate under consideration at the time was Brian Schneider, then 37, a former coordinator in Oakland. Schneider spent 2009 at Southern California before beginning an exceptional stint in Seattle that is going on six years.

McCarthy thought long and hard about giving Slocum a job on Capers' defensive staff before handing him the coordinator job.

And now out of the blue last year came Zook, McCarthy's buddy from New Orleans who had to be worried football people had forgotten about him after a two-year hiatus.

Slocum joins Curtis Fuller and Chad Morton as special teams assistants fired by McCarthy. Jason Simmons, a 10-year NFL special teams performer with the intellect and commitment to excel, is Zook's No. 2.

The third man in the kicking game room is McCarthy, who said, "That culture's going to change in there, I promise you that."

Special teams, like football, isn't rocket science. Over the years, McCarthy spent extensive time with Stock and Slocum. He's a pure football man. Knowledge transfers, and he pledged not only to attend but participate in every meeting.

"They're automatically better," one special teams coach. "There will be more accountability. 'So, he thinks it's important, you better think it's important.'"

But it's also true that McCarthy has never coached special teams.

"Well, start with the huddle," one special teams coach said. "Wow. I don't know Mike's history. He's been coaching offense a long time. I know I'm not going down to the offensive guys and asking them for help."

Zook's advantage is knowledge of the Packers' players, schemes and practice patterns. How much schematic change he enacts will be one of the main stories between now and September.

"This reflects on the head coach," one special teams coach said. "They've done it a long time and they haven't been very good.

"It comes back to the same thing. They don't have great special-teams personnel. They've got to cover with fullbacks, tight ends because he's an offensive coach and he needs those types of guys on offense. A lot of times that hurts your teams."

At the same time, neither Stock nor Slocum had the benefits of working for a GM that saw the need for a so-called special teams dynamo. Thompson doesn't want someone who doesn't possess starting ability at his position.

"Let's be real," McCarthy said last month. "We don't draft special teams players."

More than anything, special teams comes down to the coordinator in charge. Two proven veterans without ties to McCarthy — Brad Seely and Bobby April — probably were a phone call away. Maybe Bruce DeHaven was, too.

The percentage play was for McCarthy to make that call. He never did.



This makes me feel like the improvement on ST will be minimal...No blocked kicks and maybe a mid to late 20's rank in ST's instead of the bottom.

I'm not real confident in a guy that was already on the staff of the worst STs in history and couldn't do anything about it. This just seem like MM going to his "good ole boys club."
#FreeChuckDiesel

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