APNot only is Lions coach Jim Schwartz adamant about sticking with his Wide 9 alignment, he’s bringing in one of its main proponents to help him.
According to Mike Garafolo of USA Today, former Eagles assistant Jim Washburn will join the Lions as a defensive assistant, bringing his pass-rush expertise to a team that needs it. The Lions were 20th in the league in sacks (34), after finishing 10th in the league (41) the year before.
Washburn and Schwartz worked together in Tennessee, and Jim’s son Jeremiah was just promoted to offensive line coach in Detroit.
That at least makes it less likely he’ll call that particular co-worker insulting names.
According to Justin Rogers of MLive.com, Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek was still with the team, coaching defensive linemen at the Senior Bowl.
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They might not lead the division in wins, but they’re early favourites to lead in a-hole coaches.
Well as long as there aren’t any minorities on the coaching staff to piss of Washburn, this should work out well.
The wide 9 is an awful system. Maybe Washburn can get wide nine HOF Jason Babin to come to Detroit, because once he has no sacks in Jacksonville, he’ll be cut again.
I’m glad to see it’s done in Philly, that was a huge part of the problem there the last few years.
*sigh* Gotta love the Good Old Boys network that is the NFL ~ guy failed miserably in Philadelphia and is awarded a new job. This stuff does not happen to a regular Joe Schmo in the workforce.
Good for Babin…when Gus won’t put up with him then he will have a place to go.
Sounds a lot like the Eagle’s sack numbers from the last two seasons. The league has figured out the wide nine.
I sure hope he starts calling Jim Schwartz “Susan”.
For those of you who are criticizing this move, you obviously have no knowledge of Washburn’s history other than the fact that the Eagles recently fired him. Joining the Lions’ coaching staff makes sense for multiple reasons. First of all, when Washburn was coaching the Titans’ defense with Schwartz , the Titans’ defense ranked 6th in the NFL in sacks and set the team record for sacks twice during that span (1999-2010). Schwartz and Washburn being together again should ignite Detroit’s D-line and improve an incredibly promising group of guys. Secondly, from Washburn’s perspective, what D-line coach would decline coaching guys like Suh, Vanden Bosch (again), Fairley, Avril (maybe), Willie Young, Lawrence Jackson, Sammie Hill, etc. This is a great opportunity for him, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t return to his successful form that was witnessed in Tennessee. It’s pretty obvious that the Eagles did not have the right schemes/players in place for Washburn’s talents.
He’ll fit right in with that group of jerks.
This guy looks too old to get any sacks. The Lions would be better off with “Old Man” Vanden Bosch.