January 6, 2009
Nolan likely choice for defensive coordinator, sources say
By Pete Dougherty
pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com
Mike Nolan has emerged as the clear front-runner to become the Green Bay Packers’ next defensive coordinator.
Two NFL sources said Tuesday that coach Mike McCarthy appears likely to bring in Nolan to replace Bob Sanders, whose firing was announced Monday. One source said word at the Cactus Bowl, the all-star game for Division II seniors in Kingsville, Texas, is the move is all but done. Another said there appeared to be at least a 90 percent chance Nolan will join the Packers.
Nolan, who was fired as San Francisco’s head coach seven games into this season, has 11 years of experience as a defensive coordinator in the NFL with Baltimore (2002-04), the New York Jets (2000), Washington (1997-99) and the New York Giants (1993-96). As a head coach, Nolan had some problems with players on the offensive side of the ball, but as a defensive coordinator, he has a reputation for being a high-energy, optimistic leader whom players like.
“I think he’s a good coach,” said a scout familiar with Nolan. “Sometimes he was a little strong and butted heads with those guys (on San Francisco’s offense), but as a smart guy and likable and all that, he’s all that.”
Nolan, 49, looked like a strong candidate for the job from the start because of his ties to McCarthy. When Nolan became San Francisco’s head coach in 2005, he hired McCarthy as offensive coordinator, and the two by all accounts worked well their one season together before McCarthy became the Packers’ head coach in 2006.
Nolan’s 11 years as NFL defensive coordinator is a major selling point if McCarthy is reluctant to bring in a first-time defensive coordinator now that his program with the Packers is entering its fourth season. Nolan is a known quantity in the job, whereas another of McCarthy’s possible candidates, Winston Moss, never has been a defensive coordinator. Moss, who is McCarthy’s assistant head coach and linebackers coach, was the only defensive position coach McCarthy retained Monday when he fired Sanders and four other defensive assistants Monday. Moss also has interviewed for the St. Louis Rams’ head-coaching vacancy.
Nolan is one of several respected defensive coordinators available this offseason, along with Gregg Williams, who wasn’t retained by Jacksonville because of philosophical differences with coach Jack Del Rio; Romeo Crennel, who was fired as Cleveland’s coach last week; Jim Haslett, who finished this season as St. Louis’ interim coach; and Eric Mangini, who was fired as the New York Jets’ coach last week, though he appears to be the top candidate to become Cleveland’s next head coach.
There also are some up-and-coming NFL assistants who could be candidates for their first job as a defensive coordinator, though again McCarthy appears to think he’s too far into his tenure to take such a risk. Among the top prospects are Sean McDermott, Philadelphia’s secondary coach; Keith Butler, Pittsburgh’s linebackers coach; Pepper Johnson, New England’s defensive line coach; and Bill Sheridan, the New York Giants’ linebackers coach.
Nolan also has appeal because though he prefers to run a 3-4 defense, he’s also worked in the 4-3 and mixed that in extensively as coach of the 49ers. In his first season with San Francisco, the 49ers ran mostly a 4-3 and gradually evolved into primarily a 3-4 defense over his three-plus seasons with the team. McCarthy also might prefer a slower transition to the 3-4, because the Packers’ roster is built to play a 4-3, and switching to primarily a 3-4 in one offseason could be difficult and require major changes in personnel.
“He’s good now. He’s smart,” said the scout who’s familiar with Nolan. “He can run 3-4, 4-3, he knows it all. It depends on what personnel you have. He’ll do whatever, morph to whatever. He’ll use your players to their strengths. He’s smart that way.”
Nolan has had some ups and downs as a defensive coordinator in the NFL but became the 49ers’ head coach largely on the strength of his performance as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2004. In his first season, he took over a Ravens defense gutted by a roster purge, and it finished only No. 22 in yards allowed and No. 19 in points allowed. But his defense finished No. 3 in yards and No. 6 in points in ’03, and Nos. 6 in both in ’04.
Before that, Nolan had the difficult job of replacing Bill Belichick as the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator in 2000. He essentially ran Belichick’s version of the 3-4 and improved the Jets ranking in yards allowed from the previous season (No. 21 in ’99 to No. 11 in 2000) and dropped slightly in points allowed (from No. 9 in ’99 to No. 13 in ’00). That offseason, though, Jets coach Al Groh left to become head coach at Virginia, and new coach Herm Edwards fired Nolan and most of the rest of the coaching staff.
Nolan’s most controversial stint as defensive coordinator, though, came with Washington from 1997 through 1999, after four generally successful seasons as the Giants’ defensive coordinator pegged him as a future head coach. Nolan’s first two seasons with Washington produced a solid performance in ’97, when his defense ranked No. 16 in yards allowed and No. 8 in points, and a bad year in ’98, when it ranked Nos. 24 and 28 respectively.
Then in 1999, brash neophyte Daniel Snyder purchased the team, and when Nolan’s defense struggled — it finished the season ranked No. 30 in yards and No. 24 in points — Snyder went after his defensive coordinator. The first-year NFL owner considered Nolan’s defenses vanilla, twice had ice cream delivered to Nolan’s office to hammer home the point, and after the 10-6 season, fired Nolan.
Nolan caught on as Baltimore’s receivers coach in ’01 — the only season he’s coached offense — then became defensive coordinator in 2002. The Ravens had won the Super Bowl in the 2000 season with one of the best defenses in NFL history, finished 10-6 in 2001, then had a roster makeover because salary-cap and age issues. Among the players the Ravens lost going into 2002 were defensive tackle duo Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa, linebacker Jamie Sharper, safety Rod Woodson, defensive end Rob Burnett and cornerback Duane Starks. Nolan’s defense finished that season No. 22 in yards allowed and No. 19 in points allowed, before finishing in the top six in both categories the next two years.
Doesn't exactly have ringing endorsements across the board, but it is definitely something different.
