Category: NFL

Editor’s note, this story originally ran in Feb. 6, 2016 and has been updated to reflect Coryell’s Hall of Fame inclusion.

As the innovator behind the “The Greatest Show on Turf” and the head coach responsible for leading the St. Louis Rams to a win in Super Bowl XXXIV, NFL offensive guru Mike Martz had a front-row seat to the origins of that offense nearly 50 years ago.

During 12 seasons at San Diego State, former San Diego Chargers head coach Don Coryell put together an impressive 104-19-2 record, winning two Division II championships.

The Aztecs had winning streaks of 31 and 21 games, completing undefeated campaigns in 1966 and 1969 during Coryell’s tenure. Coryell helped lead the Aztecs from a Division II to Division I program in 1969.

“How many times does a college team at halftime go to the opponent and say, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going to have a running clock in the second half,’ ” Martz said, ” ‘or this is going to get really ugly.’

“He put so much pressure on people in the passing game, and they’d never seen it before. He started that whole thing where you threw third-down passes on first down. He just attacked you relentlessly, and there was no-holds-barred.

“He had that Midas touch. Wherever he went, they just became explosive, like nothing anybody had ever seen. And it did eventually get the conservatism out of people. And they started to change. They started to embrace the passing game.”

Coryell will be inducted posthumously to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday.

A San Diego native, Martz was a slow-footed tight end at Mesa Junior College when Coryell’s offenses were lighting up the scoreboard at San Diego State.

Martz loved Coryell as a coach and badly wanted to play for him. But Martz didn’t fit Coryell’s system. A half dozen of Martz’s other teammates were recruited to play for the Aztecs while Martz went on to play at Fresno State instead.

Still, Coryell remembered him. Years later as an assistant coach at Arizona State, Martz was in his hometown on a recruiting trip and stopped by San Diego State to visit with a fellow coach.

Of course, Coryell was on the practice field working out a player, and he spotted Martz about 80 yards away.

“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m in trouble now,'” Martz said. “I’m not supposed to be here and he’s going to run me out of here. And he came walking over and said, ‘Hell, Mike Martz. It’s so good to see you, how you doing?’

“I was flabbergasted. How could he know my name? How did he know who I was? But that was Don. He never forgot anybody.

“I wanted to play for him so bad. Everybody that grew up here wanted to play for Don Coryell. That’s what you wanted. I went to Fresno State, which was fine. It was a great career for me and I loved it there, but you grew up wanting to be a part of it. Because you knew they were different from what anybody had ever seen.”

Coryell, who died in July 2010, finished his coaching tenure with the Chargers after a 14-year career in the NFL.

Martz paid homage to his mentor every season during his time with the Rams by bringing Coryell to St. Louis as an invited guest for a Rams preseason home game. Coryell went out for the pregame coin toss and interacted with players throughout the week, plus attended an event hosted by former St. Louis Cardinals players.

Of course, Coryell had a lot of success on his own while serving as head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, winning division championships in 1974 and ’75. Coryell’s Cardinals finished 42-27-1 over five seasons.

“Everybody who played for us at the Rams understood that we do this stuff because of what this guy did,” Martz said. “He created this whole system and philosophy, and we’re just continuing the legacy. So when they finally got to meet him, some of the guys like Isaac [Bruce] were in awe of the guy — and rightly so.”

While Coryell had success as a head coach and is known for his innovation on offense, Martz said what goes overlooked sometimes was the relationships he developed with players, and his ability to motivate and coach.

“Talk to anybody that ever played for him,” Martz said. “I don’t care whether it was at San Diego State in 1968 or with the Chargers in his later years — you just listen to anybody that was a coach or player on his team, and they talk about that coach with love and respect.

“He was just so understated and had absolutely zero ego.”

TAMPA, Fla. — With so much attention on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback battle between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask and some of the early highlights from the wide receivers, the running backs have slid under the radar. But running the ball will play a much bigger role in coordinator Dave Canales’ offense in 2023. There has been a renewed commitment to a more balanced run-pass offense, which should help this group rise from the league’s worst rushing attack.

As far as how many of these players will stick around when it’s time to make final cuts — they’ve kept four running backs on their initial 53-man roster the last two years and in 2020 and 2019, they went with three. In terms of divvying up carries — last year Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White had a 55.1% to 37.8% split on total number of rushes and a 56.6% and 36.2% split on receptions, but that was because White overtook Fournette, who is now gone, for the starting role. This year, White should get roughly 66-70% of the touches as he is currently RB1.

Rachaad White

White enjoyed a breakout game in Week 10 last season, became a starter, and hasn’t looked back. While he can play in a number of offensive schemes, the move to a wide zone scheme closely mimics what he played in at Arizona State — a scheme that requires cutback ability, patience and vision to identify and explode through the hole.

White rushed for 757 yards on 129 carries, averaging 3.7 yards per rush with a struggling offensive line last year. He can take a step forward there, as well as ball security, as White had two fumbles during the regular season. Skip Peete, the Bucs running backs coach, can help in that department as his Dallas Cowboys running backs had zero fumbles last season.

“He is just so natural,” Canales said of White. “Everything he does, the run game, the pass game, pass protection and routes. He is really a natural with both hands catching the ball. I think he is going to be fantastic. My part, and our part as a staff, is just making sure that we are able to take advantage of all that skill set that he brings.”

The Bucs’ current No. 2 back is more steady than flashy, having run a 4.51 at the NFL combine, and hasn’t gotten a whole lot of opportunities in his first three years playing behind Fournette, White and Ronald Jones. He’s had 79 total rushes in 19 games, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Whoever gets this backup role could get roughly 23-25% of the touches, which is how Canales’ old team, the Seattle Seahawks split things up between Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker III when they were both healthy.

While Vaughn is a one-cut runner that may benefit from the move to the zone scheme, could there be a scenario where a guy like Sean Tucker overtakes him as RB2 with a strong preseason because of his track speed? Chase Edmonds’ receiving ability could also play a factor, although they’re giving Vaughn more opportunities as a receiver than before.

“The cool part about [Vaughn] is that he has enough experience right now where any run type you give him, he really knows what it is designed to do,” Canales said. “He has patience on the ones where he needs to be patient. He hits it fast on the ones where he needs to. He is exciting.”

Chase Edmonds

Edmonds is their third-down running back. Coach Todd Bowles called him a “jack of all trades” in that he can he can run, catch, pass block and play special teams and he said Edmonds “understands the game completely.” He’s got a 78.9% pass block win rate since 2018 and has given up 5.0 total sacks according to ESPN Statistics and Information.

“I coached against him and really just watched him play for a bunch of years while he was there,” Canales said. “He is lightning in a bottle. He is shot out of a cannon. He can do as much as a lot of our slot receivers can too, so he is a really dangerous asset for us.”

Edmonds has bounced around the league since his days at Fordham — including stints with the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos last year — and his production has been modest. He admitted that the two-year, $12 million deal he signed in Miami took some of the edge off of him, but in Tampa, he signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal worth $1.08 million.

Sean Tucker

In three seasons at Syracuse, Tucker rushed for 3,182 yards on 589 carries, averaging 5.4 yards per carry with 27 rushing touchdowns. He also had 622 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns, leading ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper to declare him his “favorite running back” in the 2023 draft class.

Tucker missed rookie camp and mandatory minicamp due to a heart condition that was detected at the NFL combine which caused him to go undrafted. Prior to that, he said he was running the 40-yard dash in the 4.3-4.4 range.

“He has another gear,” Canales said. “He is probably the fastest guy we have in the room. He really has some suddenness to him.”

His college tape shows he has really good vision and a keen understanding of what’s happening at the second level, on top of his ability to make one cut and explode, which makes Canales’ scheme a place he can thrive.

“It gives us options, having more field — especially for me — having more field to run and having space,” Tucker said on the scheme. “That creates opportunities, and for a running back that’s definitely something that you want.”

A former walk-on at Cal, Laird went on to rush for 1,127 yards on 961 carries in two seasons as a starter. He signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent and played in 37 games there from 2019-21 before spending the 2022 season on the Bucs’ practice squad.

Peete was particularly complimentary of Laird’s run skills, balance, pass protection and special teams ability.

“Patrick Laird does everything right,” Canales said. “He is the guy who is tapping me on the shoulder like, ‘Hey, in the spring we had this route on this concept, is that what you want? The drawing was this.’ Like, ‘Yes, that is right.’ So, he is on top of all that.”

Ronnie Brown Jr.

The 6-foot, 190-pound rookie Brown is currently the sixth running back in line, signing with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent out of Shepard. In four seasons with the Division II school, he had 3,041 rushing yards, 1,158 receiving yards and 41 touchdowns in four seasons, leading the Rams to back-to-back division titles.

He has more of an upright running style, but also a nice vision and is very elusive. Of course, the jump in competition will be the big question he’ll have to answer at the next level. It’s unlikely he’ll be making as many defenders miss as he did in his college highlight reel, which caught Canales’ eye. Expect to see a lot of him in the preseason.

“He had a lot of carries at Shepard. … He has personality too. He brings a lot of good juice to the room,” Canales said.

PHILADELPHIA — If your Dawg has a dog that needs a sitter, defensive tackle Jordan Davis has the hook-up.

Want a restaurant recommendation? A place to get new threads? Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean have you covered.

If it’s a hype man you’re in the market for, look no further than linebacker Nolan Smith.

All of this and more can be found on the Philly Dawgs group chat, an ever-active text chain made up of former University of Georgia standouts-turned-Philadelphia Eagles that includes second-year players Dean and Davis, rookies Smith, Jalen Carter and Kelee Ringo, as well as former Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift. It’s part of a support system that has eased the acclimation process for the newcomers while helping embolden Dean and Davis to take the next step in their careers.

“It’s like having a group of your best friends,” Davis said.

“We do everything together. If we’re not together we’re always talking to each other, making sure everybody is straight, making sure everybody is home safe. It’s that little security. At the end of the day, football is football but we care about [each other] on a deeper level. That’s my bros.”

The Eagles made history by becoming the first team in the common draft era to select five defensive players from the same school over a two-year span, pulling top players from one of the most dominant defenses in NCAA history.

Davis and Dean came first after being selected by the Eagles in the first and third rounds of the 2022 draft and are passing on the knowledge they’ve gained over the last year-plus to the rest of the group.

“We know a little bit more how to work, how to move around in the city, in the facility and things like that. Any questions they have,” Dean said. “And of course we’re friends, everybody cool and we Dawgs so we be on there all day shooting texts back and forth.”

Just this week, Davis was shopping for clothes in Delaware and hit up the text chain to let them know he had found a good spot. They go to each other’s places to watch games or UFC fights or if they just need a change of scenery. They go out to eat together. And with Davis, Carter and Smith all being dog owners — no, none of them own Bulldogs — Davis has passed along his dog-sitter connection.

Smith said Dean was his best friend in college and is leaning on him in the meeting room as he learns the ropes. One of the reasons the Eagles felt comfortable using their first-round pick on Carter, who dropped in April’s draft due to off-field concerns, is because they had a unique locker room that included a number of established veterans as well as former Georgia teammates.

It’s not just the rookies who are benefitting. Longtime defensive end Brandon Graham noted that he’s seen a jump in Davis’ comfort level following the additions of Carter, Smith and Ringo, which is positively impacting his play. Davis (aka J.D.) has generated buzz early in camp. He reported in better shape by all accounts and has been working with the first team at defensive tackle alongside Fletcher Cox.

“The only time I really dance in my life is when I’m around J.D.,” said Smith, who serves as a motivator and energy source for the group. “Just because I know it gets the guys’ juices flowing, and when you get guys’ guard down, they’ll go harder for you. With J.D., his battery could be on ‘E’ and I know he’ll give me that extra notch if I go up to him and go, ‘Come on J.D. baby, we need you.’”

“It’s a good thing for me,” said Davis, who noted he was heading in to get extra work in with Carter following his session with the media, “because I don’t want to be a weak link in our group. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. We want to see each other excel.”

Dean is stepping into the starting Mike linebacker role after playing almost exclusively on special teams last season. While there are questions on the outside about what the defense will look like with Dean as the conductor, such doubt does not exist within the Georgia fraternity.

“He was the signal caller [at Georgia] for three years in a row. I know how hard Coach [Kirby] Smart was on him and I know what he expects from himself … And he’s an engineering major, so if you think his brain is worried about something like this, it ain’t,” Smith said. “When you’re a high-standard person and hold yourself to a high standard, people will follow behind you every day, and that’s what Nakobe is for me.”

There was significant turnover on the defensive side of the ball for the Eagles this offseason, with five starters from the 2022 squad departing in free agency. Dean and Davis are projected starters and Smith and Carter are expected to jump into the pass-rush rotation immediately. Ringo will begin as a backup in a cornerback room featuring Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Swift, meanwhile, is in contention for the lead running back role following the departure of Miles Sanders.

It’s yet to be seen how they will handle those roles, but the presence of their fellow Bulldogs has them in a good frame of mind at the onset of the season.

“They’re all motivating each other,” Graham said.