Put me in (as) Coach

Players aren’t the only ones moving on to the NFL—with both leagues now focused on the offseason (nearly enough for the NFL, with 30 of 32 teams done for the time being), coaching transactions have been hitting the wires for weeks now, with some faces being put up on the Billboard of Success, and others adorning the metaphorical Milk Carton of Obscurity. The Colonials themselves have lost some coaches over the past few weeks and now have some holes to fill. In no particular order…

Tony Sparano Jr: Junior moves from the position of assistant defensive line coach with the Colonials to something called the “offensive quality control coach.” It’s a move that’s understandable in some ways, but looks a little peculiar in others. We’ve no way of knowing what the paycheck difference might be like, but the lure of an NFL salary is a powerful force, as is that of a family bond. Presumably both of these were part of the equation.

Sparano Sr. says,  "I once coached a team this big!"

It is a little strange to see a coach flip sides of the ball, from defense to offense in this case, but Sparano Jr. is young and has some time to develop. The worst part of this is the room for heartbreak; Sparano the elder looked to be on the chopping block after disappointing back-to-back season in Miami, and could still be on the hot seat if the Dolphins come out of the gate cold, or if he can’t net them a playoff spot, which either means leaving Tony Jr. employed for the organization that fired his father (very awkward, from personal experience), or out of a job.

Osia Lewis: Lewis was the Colonials’ defensive coordinator in 2010, and prior to that was a defensive line coach, and then linebackers coach, for the University of New Mexico’s Lobos. I’m not an avid watcher of college ball and can’t really comment on his coaching career at that level. For the Colonials? It’s hard to say. Hartford’s passing defense was modestly successful, but the running D was second to last in the league in term of yards given up. You can’t even argue that teams were running to wind down the clock; Hartford frequently went into the half with a lead, and most games were fairly close. Furthermore, the stats show that the Colonials defense was the only one giving up at least 4 yards per carry.

But even worse is that Hartford was dead last in stopping opponents in the red zone. Goal line operations are heavily dependant on the defensive line, which frequently failed to stop runners or get any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Colonials had the fewest sacks of any team in the league. Poor showings at the goal line and a noticeable lack of pressure are not good signs for a coordinator has significant experience with the front seven. These things should be strengths.

It’s hard to gauge a coach after only a single season, but I don’t feel that the team is at any great disadvantage for having lost Lewis.

Kevin O’Dea: O’Dea. Ooooo’Dea. O’Dea come then he want to go home (to the Bears, where he was ST coordinator between ’06 and ’07). O’Dea has plenty of pro experience and its not surprising that the NFL would come calling again. His tenures with the Jets and Bears put up average to above average numbers in the return games, both for and against. Hartford was last in yards per punt return, but I’d place that more on unreliable return man Syndric Steptoe then on O’Dea’s ST units. Kev did a respectable job in Hartford without much to work with, and while Hartford’s poor yards per return (against) average was a bit high, much of that was Aaron Woods’ TD return, and returns are fluky business. Hopefully a good replacement can be found.

The Colonials have their work cut out for them finding suitable candidates for these positions. Lewis and Sparano didn’t make any waves with the defense, and if there’s a bright spot in any of this it’s that their replacements aren’t likely to do any worse.