OTHER POSITION COACHES: LB Coach, DL Coach, SAF Coach
As our own Rashaad Mcginnis reported, the Colts have hired Gus Bradley as the new Defensive Coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. With many Colts fans excited about the prospects of hiring Gus Bradley, I figured it would be a good idea to talk about who could hop on the Gus Bus with Gus Bradley! Will he bring anybody with him from Las Vegas? Is there anyone he will add from past stops like Seattle, Dallas, or Los Angeles? What kind of coaches should Gus Bradley look bring with him? Who would make the most sense for Gus Bradley to take with him? These are all questions that Colts fans have, and I will attempt to answer these questions in this article. With that being said, I would like to examine the next position coach in this series: DB Coach.
DB Coach Plan A: Kris Richard
Recently, Kris Richard was the Defensive Backs coach for the New Orleans Saints, but I think with Sean Payton’s retirement, and given the Colts situation with bringing in Gus Bradley, I think the Colts may have a chance to grab Kris Richard from the New Orleans Saints. As you may recall, Kris Richard also interviewed for the Defensive Coordinator position in Indianapolis this year and was interviewed for the Head Coaching position after Chuck Pagano got let go. He also has a history with Gus Bradley as he coached the Defensive Backs under Gus Bradley and Pete Caroll when the famous “Legion of Boom” secondary took the league by storm. The Colts and Gus Bradley may have to sweeten the deal to bring him on and make him passing game coordinator, but Kris Richard would be right at home with Gus Bradley. He would also have an extremely talented Colts Defense to work with compared to a Saints team that lacks a clear direction right now.
DB Coach Plan B: Ron Milus
Coach Ron Milus has been around football for 21 years as a coach. Ron was with the Las Vegas Raiders last year as a Defensive Backs Coach under Colts Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley. In his 21 years, Ron Milus started as a Defensive Backs Coach at his Alma Matter Washington University, not as a Defensive Quality Control assistant but as a Defensive Backs Coach, and he’s done it for 21 years at the highest levels in football. Think about that. How many coaches can say they started as a position coach and have been able to do it for 20+ years? Not very many. In his time with the Chargers, the pass defense was consistently ranked high. The Raiders secondary turned it on the last half of the year, and I think Gus’s scheme and Ron’s coaching would be even more effective here. He has been responsible for the development of many players including, Derwin James, and getting the most out of veteran players like Casey Hayward (who happens to be a free agent). He has the experience, the respect of players, and develops talent. If Kris Richard is unavailable, Ron would be my first guy to bring on as DB Coach.
DB Coach Plan C: Dino Vasso
Dino Vasso was with the Houston Texans last year as their Cornerbacks Coach and is well regarded around the NFL as a young, ascending secondary coach. He also coached in Philadelphia under Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz as an assistant secondary coach and defensive quality control assistant, where he won a Super Bowl. He is only 34 years old and would bring youth and energy into the Colts secondary. He started his NFL coaching career with the Kansas City Chiefs when Chris Ballard was there, so there is some familiarity. Frank Reich should also know some about him since he coached with Dino in Philadelphia. Since it does look like Gus Bradley is bringing in his own staff, I don’t know how likely it is, but there are some current organizational connections to Dino. Maybe Dino is convinced to be an assistant secondary coach under Kris Richard or Ron Milus. That would be an incredible opportunity for a young coach like Dino, and I think it would be hard to pass up being a DB Coach or Assistant Secondary Coach in Indianapolis.
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