Jets announce coaching changes
Head coach Rex Ryan, right, bumps outside linebacker coach Jeff Weeks while having some fun during Jets training camp in Cortland, N.Y. (Aug. 4, 2010) Credit: AP
The Jets 2013-2014 coaching staff is almost set.
The team officially announced the firing of offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo in a Tuesday release. DeGuglielmo will be replaced by former tight ends/assistant line coach Mike Devlin.
In addition, the Jets hired Louie Aguiar as their assistant special teams coach, Steve Hagen as their tight ends coach, Ron Heller as their new assistant offensive line coach, Pierre Ngo as their assistant strength and conditioning coach and Jeff Weeks as their assistant defensive line/linebackers coach.
Former assistant tight ends coach Lance Taylor accepted a position with the Carolina Panthers as their assistant wide receivers coach.
The Jets still need to hire a new linebackers coach.
Here's a look at the Jets current coaching staff:
Rex Ryan (head coach)
Ben Kotwica (special teams coordinator)
Marty Morhinweg (offensive coordinator)
Dennis Thurman (defensive coordinator)
Louie Aguiar (assistant special teams)
Mike Devlin (offensive line)
Karl Dunbar (defensive line)
Justus Galac (head strength and conditioning)
Steve Hagen (tight ends)
Ron Heller (assistant offensive line)
Sanjay Lal (wide receivers)
David Lee (quarterbacks)
Anthony Lynn (running backs)
Tim McDonald (defensive backs)
Pierre Ngo (assistant strength and conditioning)
Paul Ricci (assistant strength and conditioning)
Brian Smith (assistant defensive backs)
Jeff Weeks (assistant defensive line/linebackers)
Below are full bios of the new hires:
Aguiar (Utah State/Livermore, CA) begins his NFL coaching career after previously overseeing the Aguiar Kicking Academy that holds a pro/free agent camp for draft eligible and free agent athletes every spring. Entering the NFL in 1991, Aguiar spent time with the Jets (1991-93), Kansas City (1994-98), Green Bay (1999) and Chicago (2000). He played in 152 games and recorded a gross average of 41.2 yards on 758 punts. He was named a second-team all-pro in 1995.
Devlin (Iowa/Blacksburg, VA) moves over to coach the offensive line, after spending the previous five seasons as the tight ends/assistant offensive line coach. He initially joined the team in 2006. Prior to joining the Jets, Devlin served four seasons with Arizona, first as offensive quality control (2000) and then as the assistant offensive line coach. A former fifth-round selection by Buffalo in the 1993 NFL Draft, he played in 101 games over seven seasons, contributing to the Bills (1993-95) and the Cardinals (1996-99).
Hagen (Cal-Lutheran/Forest City, IA) joins the Jets after spending the previous four seasons as the tight ends coach for Cleveland. He also coached tight ends for the Browns from 2001-03 before moving to quarterbacks coach in 2004. Coaching primarily on the college level since 1984, Hagen’s stops have included North Carolina (2007-08), Fresno State (2006), California (1999-2000), San Jose State (1997-98), Wartburg (1996), UNLV (1990, 1994-95), Nevada (1992-93), Kent State (1991), Notre Dame (1989-90), Northern Arizona (1987-88), Kansas (1985-86) and Illinois (1984). A wide receiver at Cal-Lutheran University, Hagen earned NAIA All-America honors as a senior.
Heller (Penn State/Miami, FL) joins the Jets after spending the previous season as the offensive line coach for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL. A Farmingdale High School graduate, Heller won Newsday's Thorp Award in 1979 as the best player in Nassau County. Beginning his coaching career in 2004, Heller has coached in NFL Europe (Amsterdam Admirals), the CFL (Toronto Argonauts), the NFL (Jacksonville Jaguars) and the UFL (Omaha). Initially a fourth-round pick of the Buccaneers in 1984, he played 12 seasons in the NFL with Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Miami.
Weeks (SW Oklahoma State/Bartlesville, OK) returns to the Jets after spending three seasons with the team’s defensive staff as a defensive assistant (2009), the outside linebackers coach (2010) and the assistant defensive line coach (2011). Prior to joining the Jets staff, Weeks has coached on both the college and NFL level since 1987. Weeks graduated from SW Oklahoma State (1985) after spending four years at NW Oklahoma State (1981-84), where he played wide receiver and received All-Oklahoma honors in 1982.
