Buffalo Bills Add 5 Coaches to Sean McDermott’s 2017 Staff
By Ryan Brennan
The Buffalo Bills announced on Thursday that the team has added 5 coaches to Sean McDermott’s staff.
Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills are currently engaged in a three-stage process as they attempt to change the culture not just inside the organization, but outside as well. Those three stages include fixing the coaching staff, fixing the roster and last but not least — winning.
On Thursday, the team announced five coaches that will join Sean McDermott’s staff this season — including the new wide receivers coach. The announcement can only mean that stage one is almost complete.
Let’s take a quick look at the five new coaches that were hired on Thursday.
Phil McGeoghan – Wide Receivers Coach
Starting his coaching career in college football, Phil McGeoghan would get his first shot at coaching in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. He would stay with Miami for two years as the team’s assistant wide receivers coach before being promoted to WR coach in 2015. In that year, he helped Jarvis Landry set a single-season franchise record with 110 catches.
McGeoghan spent the 2016 season with the East Carolina Pirates as the team’s wide receivers coach. He would help Isaiah Jones (WR) break two records — All-Time NCAA Record for Receptions (399) and also the Single-Season Receptions record with 158 this season.
He will be replacing Sanjay Lal in Buffalo, who took a job with the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. Lal received a lot of praise from Sammy Watkins, so we’ll see if that carries over to McGeoghan.
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John Egorugwu – Defensive Quality Control
John Egorugwu first got an opportunity to coach in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015 after coaching the receivers at Missouri State. In Baltimore, he was the team’s defensive assistant for two years before signing with the Buffalo Bills as the defensive quality control coach.
Egorugwu has experience coaching with some of the other new names the Bills brought in this season. Last season in Baltimore, Egorugwu worked with Leslie Frazier (Ravens’ Secondary Coach) and Juan Castillo (Ravens’ OL Coach).
Egorugwu has a lot of experience working with linebackers.
Marc Lubick – Offensive Quality Control/Assistant QB Coach
Marc Lubick will certainly bring a lot of hope to the Buffalo Bills‘ passing game. A former college safety, Lubick began his coaching career in 2002 as an Academic Graduate Assistant. He would then move to the NFL in 2003 with the St. Louis Rams as a Scouting Assistant.
After a stint at Colorado State, Lubick was hired as an Offensive Assistant for the Houston Texans in 2010 and promoted to Assistant WR coach in 2012. In 2014, he was Vanderbilt’s WR coach before being hired by the Denver Broncos in 2015 as the Assistant WR coach, where he won a Super Bowl in 2016.
Welcome to Buffalo, Marc Lubick.
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Matt Smiley – Assistant Special Teams Coach
Matt Smiley began his coaching career in college, where he had stints with Dartmouth, Eureka College, Eastern Illinois and Charleston Southern. He then moved up to the NFL and has spent the past four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In Jacksonville, Smiley was the team’s assistant special teams coach — the same position he will hold with the Buffalo Bills.
Bill Teerlinck – Assistant Defensive Line Coach
Bill Teerlink is re-joining the NFL after a four-year stint with the Nevada Wolf Pack, serving as the team’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. He helped make Nevada’s defensive line the team’s strength.
Before his job at Nevada, Teerlinck was hired by the Indianapolis Colts to serve as a defensive assistant and also help on special teams. He held that position for four years. He will make his return to the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and will help bring in a new era with the team’s defensive line.
Teerlinck’s father — John Teerlinck — also has NFL coaching experience, including Super Bowl rings with Dener and Indianapolis.
Up to this point, the Buffalo Bills have parted ways with 14 coaches from last season, in addition to losing three more to other teams. With that being said, the Bills will be sporting a completely new coaching staff this year — with the exemption of Danny Crossman, who was the only coach retained from last year.
Let’s take a look at how the coaching staff is looking right now:
- Rick Dennison – Offensive Coordinator
- Leslie Frazier – Defensive Coordinator
- Danny Crossman – Special Teams Coordinator
- Juan Castillo – Offensive Line, Run-Game Coordinator
- Andrew Dees – Assistant Offensive Line
- Rob Boras – Tight Ends
- Bob Babich – Linebackers
- Mike Waufle – Defensive Line
- David Culley – Quarterbacks
- Kelly Skipper – Running Backs
- Phil McGeoghan – Wide Receivers
- John Egorugwu – Defensive Quality Control
- Marc Lubick – Offensive Quality Control/Assistant Quarterbacks
- Matt Smiley – Assistant Special Teams
- Bill Teerlinck – Assistant Defensive Line
Sean McDermott has pinned the coaches with the most experience at the top, with great up-and-coming coaches working beneath them. I like what I see.
With the 5 coaches that were announced today, there is really only one more position that needs to be filled — defensive backs coach.
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What do you think of the 5 new coaches that were announced? Leave your comments below!