While we should never cheer for a person losing their job, in the realm of sports it’s natural to feel uplifted when the team you root for has a chance to get better. In the wake of Danny Crossman being relieved of his duties as the special teams coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, fans have an opportunity to root for improvement.
As we’ve been up to this week, we examine a few avenues the Bills could pursue to find a new coach. In-house candidates seem sparse, but could include Matthew Smiley who was Crossman’s assistant the last two years. Smiley has been a special teams assistant in the NFL since 2013. That gives him an edge over just a few other candidates, but that doesn’t mean he should be ruled out.
The rest of the list are folks in the NFL who may be looking for work following a staff overhaul.
Special Teams Coaching Candidates
| Candidate | Team | Position | Connections | Experience/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Team | Position | Connections | Experience/Notes |
| Jeff Rodgers | Arizona | ST Coordinator | None | STs coach since 2003. Coordinator since 2010 (Panthers, Broncos, Bears, Cardinals) |
| Randall McCray | Arizona | ST Assistant | None | College coach since 1991, mostly with defense. Some college STs work, but most of exp is one year with Cardinals |
| Keith Armstrong | Atlanta | ST Coordinator | None | Coaching since 1988. STs since 1997, all in NFL |
| Mayur Chaudhari | Atlanta | ST Assistant | None | 20 years exp, one season in NFL with Falcons |
| Darrin Simmons | Cincinnati | ST Coordinator | None | College punter. Sixteen years on ST with Bengals, six as coordinator |
| Brayden Coombs | Cincinnati | ST Assistant | None | Seven years with Bengals, six assisting Simmons on STs |
| Amos Jones | Cleveland | ST Coordinator | None | Coaching since MTV debuted (1981), some defense but mostly STs. Worked in NFL since 2007. Coordinator with Cardinals for four years before Browns |
| Sam Shade | Cleveland | ST Assistant | None | Defensive oriented college coach. One year exp in NFL assisting Jones |
| Tom McMahon | Denver | ST Coordinator | Worked with Daboll in KC, 2012 | Twenty-six years experience. Twelve in the NFL. STs coordinator for Rams, Chiefs, Colts and Broncos |
| Chris Gould | Denver | ST Assistant | None | Coached with Syracuse on STs for three years, four years with Broncos. Former punter and kicker with University of Virginia |
| Ron Zook | Green Bay | ST Coordinator | None | Coaching since the 70s, mostly in college. Former head coach (Florida, Illinois). NFL experience with STs (Steelers, Packers) |
| Maurice Drayton | Green Bay | ST Assistant | None | Fourteen years college exp, two years with Colts, one with Packers |
| Darren Rizzi | Miami | ST Coordinator/Associate HC | With Daboll in 2011 | HC at collegiate level. With Dolphins since 2010. Eight years as coordinator, two as associate HC |
| Marwan Maalouf | Miami | ST Assistant | None | Extraordinaly experienced for an assistant. Coaching since 2002. QC for Browns for three years, STs assistant with Ravens for four years, ST Coordinator one year with Colts in addition to Miami since 2013 |
| Brant Boyer | New York Jets | ST Coordinator | None | LB and STs playing exp. Ten years with Dolphins, Jaguars and Browns. Captain for Jaguars and Browns. Four year assistant for Colts, three year coordinator with Jets. |
| Jeff Hammershmidt | New York Jets | ST Assistant | None | College exp, three years with Jets on STs. Along with Boyer, had fewest STs penalties in league from 2016-2017 |
| Nate Kaczor | Tampa Bay | ST Coordinator | None | Extensive college experience with offense. NFL from 2008, mostly STs work. Three years coordinator for Titans, three for Buccaneers |
| Carlos Polk | Tampa Bay | ST Assistant | None | Linebacker and STs player for Chargers and Cowboys (eight years total). STs assistant with Chargers for three years, five with Buccaneers |
| Joe Pannunzio | Alabama | RBs | With Daboll in 2017 in Alabama | Extensive college STs experience. Since 1991, coached STs in all but six seasons across mutliple colleges |
| Scott O'Brien | New England | Area Scout | With Daboll in NE in 2013-2014 | STs coach in NFL from 1987-2015. Scout since 2015, might not be interested in coaching |
| Derius Swinton II | N/A | N/A | With Daboll in KC, 2012 | STs coaching experience from 2009-2017. ST coordinator for 49ers in 2016 |
| Tracy Smith | Houston | ST Assistant | With Daboll in Cleveland in 2010 | Might not be looking to move on from Texans (no major coaching shakeups). Assistant in the league since 2010, could be looking for a promotion |
| Kevin O'Dea | New Orleans | ST Assistant | With Daboll in NY, 2008 | Former coordinator for Buccaneers, STs exp since 1994. Stable coaching situation but could be looking for promotion |
| Russ Purnell | N/A | N/A | With McDermott in Carolina, 2015 | ST exp since 1982. Jaguars coordinator from 2009-2011. Out of league since 2016 season, likely retired |
| Richard Rodgers | Carolina | Secondary | With McDermott in Carolina, 2012-2016 | STs coordinator for Carolina for over two years. Extensive college exp, seems to prefer defense |
| Ted Daisher | N/A | N/A | Eagles with McDermott '04, '05 and '09 | Out of football in 2018. Extensive exp including college and several stops as ST coordinator |
| Rory Segrest | Arkansas | Defensive line | Eagles with McDermott, 2006-2010 | Former coordinator for Eagles. More exp on defense. Eagles only NFL stop as QC then coordinator then defensive line. Kind of looks like McDermott |
| John Harbaugh | Baltimore | HC | Eagles with McDermott, 1999-2007 | STs coordinator for Eagles. Has to be fired or walk away from the Ravens first. Might not settle for ST coordinator position |
As usual, many of the names above are under contract with their respective teams but could be available if strongly coveted. Sound off on your favorites, least favorites or anyone we missed in the comments.