Buffalo Bills’ new head coach Sean McDermott seems set on naming Phil McGeoghan as the team’s wide receivers coach.
The announcement has yet to be officially announced and the rumor started with a tweet sent out by ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Needless to say, it looks like the Buffalo Bills‘ new wide receivers coach will be Phil McGeoghan.
McGeoghan spent last season with East Carolina (college) in the same position.
#Bills are planning on hiring East Carolina WRs coach Phil McGeoghan as their new WRs coach, sources said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) January 31, 2017
Caplan sent out a series of tweets discussing the WR coaching position, which he coined the hardest position to fill. In this tweet, he outlined what makes a good WR coach:
Key for WR coaches: Command of WRs (being able to manage people), teaching technique (hand placement, proper footwork, route running).
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) January 31, 2017
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The Buffalo Bills parted ways with their former WR coach Sanjay Lal when he took on the same position with the Indianapolis Colts. With only Sammy Watkins, Marcus Easley, Walter Powell and Kolby Listenbee under contract next season, the Bills could potentially have an entirely new wide receiver corps in 2017.
One player in particular, Sammy Watkins, was vocal in his support over the Buffalo Bills keeping Sanjay Lal. Because of that, Phil McGeoghan will have to earn Watkins’ trust rather quickly.
McGeoghan started his coaching career with his alma matter, Maine, in 2007 when he joined as the team’s WR/TE coach. From there, he became the offensive coordinator at the Naval Academy Prep School in 2008. He then moved to the University of South Florida in 2009, where he would stay as the WR coach until 2011.
In 2012, McGeoghan got his first call as a coach in the NFL. He would spent the next few seasons with the Miami Dolphins as the team’s Assistant WR coach and would later be promoted to the primary WR coach in 2015. Last season, he was the WR coach for the East Carolina Panthers, making a return to college football.
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In addition to coaching, Phil McGeoghan spent time as a wide receiver in college and even made it up to the NFL for a few years. He played for Maine from 1998-2000, catching 151 passes for 2,343 yards. His 151 catches ranked 5th all-time in school history, while his 2,343 yards ranked 4th. He would sign as an undrafted free agent in 2001 with the New York Jets, although he wouldn’t see any action.
He would also spend time with the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints in the NFL, as well as the Berlin Thunder in Europe. He would appear in two games in his career and record no statistics.
Last season with the East Carolina Pirates, McGeoghan helped Isaiah Jones (WR) break two records — All-Time NCAA Record for Receptions (399) and also the Single-Season Receptions record with 158 this season. Jones is set to enter the NFL Draft this year and with an impressive outing in the Senior Bowl, he will definitely find a team this summer.
Could McGeoghan help bring him to Buffalo? Let’s save that discussion for another day.
For now, Sammy Watkins has a new coach and we hope that McGeoghan can bring out the best in Watkins. He sure brought out the best in Jarvis Landry during his time with the Miami Dolphins, helping him set a single-season franchise record in 2015 with 110 catches.
If Sammy Watkins is going to start breaking records, it’s going to be with Phil McGeoghan.
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