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Entering his fifth season with the Saints, Aaron Kromer brings 22 years of coaching experience to the coaching staff, the majority of it developing and tutoring offensive linemen. He’s also responsible for the design and blocking schemes of the rushing attack.

After initially tutoring the Saints running backs in 2008, Kromer has tutored the Saints offensive line the past three seasons. The former college offensive lineman has developed the skills of seven Pro Bowl blockers during his time in the NFL, including three in 2011. Known for his teaching skills and attention to detail, five Saints blockers have been selected to the Pro Bowl under Kromer’s tutelage. The line has allowed just 70 sacks over the past three seasons, the third-lowest total in the NFL. In both 2009 and 2011, the New Orleans offensive line has been honored with the Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award, awarded annually to the best offensive line in the NFL.

After tutoring an offensive line in which all five players had started 22 consecutive regular season games, Kromer played a vital role in the development of two first-time starters in T Zach Strief and C Brian de la Puente in 2011. The line allowed just 24 sacks, tied for the second-fewest in the NFL, and played an instrumental role in blocking for an offense that set the league’s single-season yardage record as well as several other NFL marks, with a resurgent run game ranked sixth in the league, grinding out 132.9 yards per game, their most productive season since 1987. The guard tandem of Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks were selected as Pro Bowl starters and voted Associated Press All-Pro, while T Jermon Bushrod was selected to his first Pro Bowl. It marked the second time in three years that three of Kromer’s linemen were selected to the NFL’s All-Star Game.

The offensive line allowed only 26 sacks in 2010, the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Evans and Nicks were selected to the Pro Bowl, marking Nicks’ first appearance.

In his first season in his new position in 2009, a trio of Kromer’s linemen were selected to the Pro Bowl, each for the first time: Evans, C Jonathan Goodwin and T Jon Stinchcomb. Thanks in part to the line’s strong performance, New Orleans was ranked first in the NFL both in total yards per game (403.8) and points scored (510). Churning out 131.6 yards per game on the ground, the New Orleans running game was ranked sixth in the league. The offensive line surrendered only 20 sacks, the NFL’s fourth-lowest total.

Kromer’s achievements in leading the running backs in 2008 were many. RB Pierre Thomas emerged as a top threat over the last half of the season, rushing for 625 yards, hauling in 31 passes and scoring 12 touchdowns. As a unit, the running back corps combined for 2,472 yards from scrimmage and 28 TDs.

Kromer came to New Orleans after a three-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including the final two as senior assistant/offensive line coach. In two of Kromer’s three seasons at Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers captured the NFC South division title. In 2007, he worked with an offensive line that cleared the way for the Buccaneers to rush for 1,872 yards and average nearly 327 yards of offense per game, as G Arron Sears earned All-Rookie honors. In 2006, despite the unit losing a total of 23 starts from injuries, Kromer contributed to the preparation of a pair of rookie starters weekly and Tampa Bay cracked the 1,500-yard rushing milestone.

He was a senior assistant for the Buccaneers in 2005, working primarily with the offensive line. Tampa Bay surpassed the 100-yard rushing plateau in 10 contests, and Kromer helped polish the skills of All-Rookie selection G Dan Buenning. Following the season, he was selected by former Bucs coach Jon Gruden to attend the NFL’s Coaches Career Development Symposium.

Kromer arrived in Tampa Bay after spending four seasons with Oakland as offensive line coach from 2002-04 and assistant offensive line coach in 2001, where he was a part of two AFC West Champion squads. The Raiders’ offensive front was the foundation of a unit that led the NFL in total offense in 2002 – the same season the club advanced to Super Bowl XXXVII.

While in Oakland, Kromer tutored Pro Bowl selections T Lincoln Kennedy (2001-02) and C Barrett Robbins (2002) and also coached 2004 All-Rookie selection T Robert Gallery. Prior to joining the Raiders – his first NFL assignment–he served as offensive line coach at Northwestern from 1999- 2000, with the Wildcats leading the Big Ten in total offense his final season.

He had previously spent nine seasons (1990-98) at Miami University (Ohio), his alma mater, where Kromer gained a wealth of experience and perspective while holding several assignments. He coached the offensive line in 1998, after previously working with the tight ends/H-Backs, defensive line and special teams. Kromer was a graduate assistant at the school from 1990-91.

Kromer lettered at Miami at offensive tackle from 1987-89 and served as a captain his last two seasons – one of only four players in the history of the program to serve as a two-time captain. He was a recipient of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award and graduated with a degree in education. Kromer earned his master’s degree in education administration in 1991.

Kromer and his wife, Dawn, have a son, Zachary, and a daughter, Brooke.

PLAYING CAREER: Miami (Ohio), 1986-89.
COACHING CAREER: Miami (Ohio), 1990-98; Northwestern
1999-2000; Oakland Raiders 2001-04; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2005-07;
New Orleans Saints 2008-.

From what I've read, Meyers was the acting Offensive Coordinator at CSU, being ranked in the top 10 in NCAA in recruiting to non BCS schools... He was hired as the Allouettes Offensive Coordinator on December 12. I think this is quietly another great hire, suspect him to be the RB coach.

BR0D1E86 wrote:Happy to see the Tice era end. I'd had enough of it.

I wonder who will be calling the plays. To the best of my knowledge Kromer has never done it.

Magilla_Gorilla wrote:

BR0D1E86 wrote:Happy to see the Tice era end. I'd had enough of it.

I wonder who will be calling the plays. To the best of my knowledge Kromer has never done it.

Kevin Seifert reported that the Kromer hire means Trestman wil be calling the plays.

Which is good - Steve Young said that Trestmans in-game play calling was as good or better than anyones - and that includes Holmgren and Shanahan.

BIGGIEsmalls 23 wrote:I hope that he's good at adjusting during halftime, which is what the great ones do. Too many times during the Lovie era, other teams made their move after halftime against us. Lovie's halftime adjustments & time-out/clock management were his most glaring weaknesses, IMHO.

micromonkey wrote:

BIGGIEsmalls 23 wrote:I hope that he's good at adjusting during halftime, which is what the great ones do. Too many times during the Lovie era, other teams made their move after halftime against us. Lovie's halftime adjustments & time-out/clock management were his most glaring weaknesses, IMHO.

HEAR HEAR--AYE AYE--lets hope so--I am so with you on this. GD am I with you.
GD I hope we start adjusting. Not just to the game at half but to the year--2000 and mutha f-ing 13. We are playing Madden 96 on SNES offense and the other guys got the 2014 version on beta xbox 720 hardware with a boatload of cheat codes and developer notes.

But I think the bolded is a misnomer--there is no such thing as a lovie halftime adjustment --we just need to play our system and execute better.

I'll add play challenges too--we got to be low IQ on that on that too. Not really on Lovie personally but after some of the advice he got he should have run up the stands into the booth--punched the window; grabbed the guys saying "Challenge" and shoved the red flag in their mouth and thrown the guys out to the crowd to have beer poured on them in sub-zero weather.

To quote Taylor Swift they never (ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ) adjusted on either side of the ball. I still remember Steve Smith absolutely torching us, firebombing us that playoff game (my TV still is smoking) and I see red just thinking about it. I think we potentially put the guy in Canton and started carving his statue that day.

2nd half same crap--no bracketing/doubling--no we just need to play our system --sure we did a little better but he still had a bomb TD and 70-80 yards in the 2nd half--which I'm sure they thought was good considering he got 200+ on us. (BTW if I remember Seattle just jammed and clamped down on him and made them win with the RB and Del-homey--which they didn't). Basically a weak year we missed a shot at the SB purely out of stubbornness

On offense there were actually 2 systems run at times: Schooposity and Sheeposity--ZERO creativity on O.
Martz brought excitement but an inflexibility to work with what was actually there--so it didn't work. He ran a variant of the Chargers/Air Coryell and could not figure out how to work in a pass catching TE. You know Coryell had a darn good TE for a few years--[And Winslow was his name-o!]....but he was inflexible just like Lovie. And it's ok to even trade Olsen if we even got something in return.

My favorite play of all was the FB screen to McKie--that isn't on Martz it was some other clown who ran that. Pass the ball short to the slowest and most un-athletic player on the team--fumbling to a tackle would have been a better play--fun and exciting at least. I was begging for a screen even to Wolfe I was so desperate to see someone who could at least move--even if he was 150 lbs.

Tice got better and only telegraphed the plays to the point where I felt in critical situations we were obvious only about 60-75% of the time. We always got smoked by the pats since they didn't even have to tape our practices--a 15 page comic book was our playbook.

I think a lot of the pundits got it right in a league where the game seems rigged for offense you can't be bottom of the barrel year in and out.

Probably ride Rod Marinelli another year or two before you gut rehab that.

Special teams we lost a good guy but special teams will be FG kicks and punts only. The kickoff is dead nowadays unless a guy gets a 15 yard penalty on the TD or point after play any reasonably good kicker can put it out of the endzone 95% of the time.

I'm so ready for the post-Tice era I don't even care who calls what or what we call--it's got to be better than what we have been doing.

fleet wrote:I get the idea that a Shanahan Kromer kind of blocker has a high IQ. We can talk about blocking schemes all day, while the Bears o-line collective IQ appeared inordinately feeble. New tests are likely going to be administered when the Bears look at the o-line.

Marshall to train with Jeffery in offseason:

Although Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall remains on crutches following arthroscopic hip surgery, he said he plans to mentor second-year wideout Alshon Jeffery this offseason and will begin training with him on Monday in South Florida.

"I'm excited because this kid has the potential to be an All-Pro one year," Marshall said of Jeffery Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "If he just changes some little things, the way he approaches the game as far as physically and mentally, he's going to be a beast. Because he has that dog in him, he has that in him, that you want in a receiver ... a guy who is going to make plays for you.

"For me, I always started training the week after the Super Bowl, and he's going into his second year so it shouldn't be a problem for him. As I'm getting a little older, I have to change the way I attack it. Starting off, our routines will be a little different, but just getting him with the right people, nutritionists, trainer, chiropractors and all that stuff. (It's about) showing him the other side of the business, showing him it's not just about coming to work and going on the field. There is so much more to the game that will allow you to be successful if you just do it. I'm excited to have this position."

Kromer sizing up Bears' offensive assets

New Chicago Bears offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer said Thursday it’s essential that he find a way to tailor his schemes to the strengths of the team's players.

Kromer met the media for the first time at Halas Hall, a little more than two weeks after the majority of Marc Trestman’s staff assembled to get to work. The coaching staff is working to install the offense and a playbook, starting from the basics of what they will call formations, movements, plays and every aspect of the system.

It’s a tedious process but enjoyable for them, and it has prevented them from fully completing an evaluation of the present roster. Kromer, who comes from the high-powered New Orleans Saints, worked with Trestman previously with the Oakland Raiders and envisions the offense being a hybrid of several systems.

“We had a lot of success there and obviously the New Orleans offense has been very successful lately,” Kromer said. “It will be a combination of a lot of things and you don’t want an offense to get stagnant so you are constantly researching and finding new things that you can add to your offense to make it better and more versatile.”

The key will be determining what the Bears have before deciding specifically what Kromer hopes to accomplish.

“It’s very important that you do do it," Kromer said. "Sometimes ... you just have to do it. You don’t have a choice.”

It’s likely the Bears will introduce some new faces to the offensive line. There will be multiple options via free agency and then the draft, players Kromer can add to the mix.

“I think that we’re going to need a good offensive line and that comes from a lot of different ways of getting them, whether it is drafting them or whether it’s the guys you have,” he said. “When you start talking about an offensive line, you need a solid unit that plays well together and then you use their strengths to have the most success you can have.”

The Saints flourished up front as multiple linemen who were mid- to late-round draft picks became Pro Bowl performers. Having Drew Brees at quarterback, of course, doesn’t hurt. But the Saints became known for grooming young linemen.

“We’ve had a good history of finding guys that were not first- and second-round draft picks that had a lot of success,” Kromer said. “But like I said, when you’re talking about an offensive line, you really try to play to their strengths. What do they do well? What kind of run blocking is best for them? What kind of pass protection schemes are best for them and just know what they can do and use it to your advantage.”

When it comes to run blocking, the Saints used an inside zone scheme but also incorporated power elements. Kromer says the Bears will have multiple looks.

“If you watched us, we’re an inside zone; if you watched the Saints and what we did there and what was best for their personnel was an inside zone, and some outside zone,” he said. “It’s a lot of gap scheme. There was such a variety you couldn’t say you are one thing. We’re going to find what’s best for us and best for our linemen and our running backs and utilize that.