Report: Steve Spagnuolo Favored to be Chiefs Next Defensive Coordinator

[den-the-coach]

Steve Spagnuolo is favored to replace Bob Sutton as the Chiefs defensive coordinator, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Spagnuolo is the former St. Louis Rams and New York Giants head coach.

The 59-year-old Spagnuolo worked with Kansas City head coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia during his time with the Eagles from 1999–2006. He became the Giants defensive coordinator from 2007–2008. Spagnuolo served as the Rams head coach in 2009 but was fired in 2011 with a 10–38 record.

Spagnuolo worked with the Saints and Ravens before becoming the Giants defensive coordinator again in 2015. He worked as New York's interim head coach after Ben McAdoo was fired in 2017. He went 1–3 as head coach for the Giants.

The Chiefs finished the regular season at 12–4, losing to the Patriots in the AFC Championship on Sunday. Sutton was fired after the Chiefs failed to make an overtime stop to slow down the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady. Kansas City gave up 524 yards to New England in the loss, including 75 yards in the game-winning overtime drive.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/23/steve-spagnuolo-favored-chiefs-defensive-coordinator-job

 

[-X-]

R.I.P. Chiefs Defense.

 

[den-the-coach]

Here you go and I understand it's about relationships and right fits and Rex Ryan might be too much drama, but if I'm Andy Reid, I'm looking for someone who can build a special defense not just somebody to complement my offense.

@jrry32 was never a fan of Spagnuolo's defense and since leaving the Rams he's had some checkered success, failing in New Orleans, but having a couple of solid units with the Giants, albeit they spent a ton of money. I do think Spags is a good DC and you can't take away what his unit did to the Patriots on two occasions, however, I guess I just believe with his history, if Rex Ryan wanted to be the DC that is who I would hire plus, Spags runs a 4-3 and the Chiefs run a 3-4 so you would have a schematic change as well.

 

[dieterbrock]

R.I.P. Chiefs Defense.

Can it get even worse?

Hello worse....

 

[-X-]

having a couple of solid units with the Giants, albeit they spent a ton of money.

That's the thing. Fundamentally, Spagnuolo can put together a defensive scheme, and fundamentally, Spagnuolo can coach. However, his defenses are HEAVILY reliant on a beast front four and solid press corners. He only needs average talent at linebacker with a slight uptick in premium on safety. He wants to force throws in order to get turnovers, and he'll blitz more than most others in order to achieve that. Especially from cover-2 shells. Because of that, production drops when he doesn't have the personnel. IMO, he's just not very innovative when it comes to adapting to his own weaknesses. But more than all that? He just doesn't have the relatability trait you need to connect with players. He's stuck somewhere between Tom Landry and Greg Williams (personality wise), but without any of their respective charm. Players eat up Williams' extremely brash personality, and players were also drawn to Landry's cool demeanor. Spagnuolo wants to be a tough guy, but he can't pull it off, and he also wants to appear cool and collected, but he's too dry and unrelatable to be considered cool.

Long story short. Everything (personnel-wise) has to be perfect in order for him to have success.

 

[Selassie I]

LOLZ

Good

Spagnoleon

 

[LesBaker]

That's the thing. Fundamentally, Spagnuolo can put together a defensive scheme, and fundamentally, Spagnuolo can coach. However, his defenses are HEAVILY reliant on a beast front four and solid press corners. He only needs average talent at linebacker with a slight uptick in premium on safety. He wants to force throws in order to get turnovers, and he'll blitz more than most others in order to achieve that. Especially from cover-2 shells. Because of that, production drops when he doesn't have the personnel. IMO, he's just not very innovative when it comes to adapting to his own weaknesses. But more than all that? He just doesn't have the relatability trait you need to connect with players. He's stuck somewhere between Tom Landry and Greg Williams (personality wise), but without any of their respective charm. Players eat up Williams' extremely brash personality, and players were also drawn to Landry's cool demeanor. Spagnuolo wants to be a tough guy, but he can't pull it off, and he also wants to appear cool and collected, but he's too dry and unrelatable to be considered cool.

Long story short. Everything (personnel-wise) has to be perfect in order for him to have success.

That was excellent analysis.

This is even more proof that the NFL is nothing but a good old boys network there's no way this guy should be getting any job as a DC let alone a job with a potential Super Bowl team.

 

[jrry32]

Here you go and I understand it's about relationships and right fits and Rex Ryan might be too much drama, but if I'm Andy Reid, I'm looking for someone who can build a special defense not just somebody to complement my offense.

@jrry32 was never a fan of Spagnuolo's defense and since leaving the Rams he's had some checkered success, failing in New Orleans, but having a couple of solid units with the Giants, albeit they spent a ton of money. I do think Spags is a good DC and you can't take away what his unit did to the Patriots on two occasions, however, I guess I just believe with his history, if Rex Ryan wanted to be the DC that is who I would hire plus, Spags runs a 4-3 and the Chiefs run a 3-4 so you would have a schematic change as well.

There are so many better options. It's a baffling hire.

 

[OldSchool]

Hired by an old guard coach for being an old guard DC who used to go against him in division and off a few years of good defenses.

 

[rdw]

 

[TSFH Fan]

Looking at Andy Reid's staffing history, he's the only coach I've seen promote his offensive line coach to be his defensive coordinator. So, in the Reid coaching history, in the Reid-verse, a Spags hiring, relatively speaking, looks pretty good.

No, I don't want Spags anywhere near the Rams, but he seemed like a decent enough human being. Yeah, "decent human being" doesn't qualify someone to be a coach and sure, he was in way, way, way over his head as Rams' HC. But I'll always give him some credit for dropping the And-1 on the Patriots' perfect season.

Scheme-wise, I like the idea of the Jim Johnson-style overload blitzes. Yes, those blitzes are too slow developing and were obsolete a decade ago, but, hey, I like the idea.

Best wishes to Spags except when the Rams need his team to lose.

 

[Loyal]

Welp...Looks like KC will always be a bridesmaid and never the bride....

 

[yrba1]

In Spags's defense (pun intended), he is Belichick kryptonite

 

[Merlin]

Crazy hire. Maybe they've decided they're not going to pay Ford, and given that they need to replace him not to mention a great DL draft looming they figure they can make the change to 4-3.

Sometimes I think Andy Reid is his worst enemy.

 

[Synthetic]

Not a great hire at all.

He's only had 2 really good defenses his entire career. The Giants made the SB in 2011 without him, but he still gets a lot of credit for that unit.

The Chiefs were a strange team this year. Their defense was god awful but they ranked #1 in sacks! How rare is that for a 31st ranked defense to hit #1 in a major category?

 

[RamDino]

The Chiefs were a strange team this year. Their defense was god awful but they ranked #1 in sacks! How rare is that for a 31st ranked defense to hit #1 in a major category?

When the other team is constantly playing from behind (in pass mode), the D tees off against them.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

Even some of his defenses here were not horrible, his weakness was his offense when he was our coach.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Dude couldn't keep a player off IR when he was our coach.

 

[VeteranRamFan]

Dude couldn't keep a player off IR when he was our coach.

Might want to check with Reggie about that.

 

[Loyal]

OMG...Listening to KC sports talk, they are all hot and bothered about Spags....Until Bill Moss mentioned the obvious that Spags is a 4-3 guy, being handed 3-4 personnel and they are not interchangeable. It will take a couple of years until he has his guys, which eats up most of Mahomes rookie contract years....It was sadly reminiscent of our response to Spags after the Giants Super Bowl win...