Packers Coaching Staff Profiles, Offense

Offensive CoordinatorJoe Philbin is in his seventh year in the NFL, all with Green Bay; 2009 will be his third season as offensive coordinator. He originally joined the Packers as assistant offensive line coach in 2003, then spent 2004 and '05 as tight ends/assistant offensive line coach before being promoted to offensive line coach for 2006. The Packers offense has ranked in the top quarter of the NFL in total yards and the top five in total points both years, the only team in the NFL to accomplish that feat. Green Bay's 854 points over the past two seasons is second in the league behind New England's 999; those two teams are also the only ones to have two different back-to-back 4,000-yard passers in this decade. In 2008, the Packers offense produced a 4000-yard passer, a 1200-yard rusher, and two 1,000-yard receivers for the first time in the team's storied history. While McCarthy generally calls the plays, Philbin's input is critical both during the week and on game day. He receives a B+ for his 2008 efforts, reducing turnovers and maintaining high yardage with a first-year starting quarterback; the high number of sacks and inconsistent running game was understandable given the injured offensive line. QuarterbacksTom Clements is entering his 13th NFL season coaching and his fourth year as Green Bay's quarterbacks coach. Clements also served as quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2001-'03), Kansas City Chiefs (2000) and New Orleans Saints (1997-'99). In his first two seasons with Green Bay, Clements oversaw a resurgence in Brett Favre's career. In 2006, Favre reduced his interceptions from a career-high 29 the year before to just 18. Then Favre had an MVP-runner-up season in 2007, with over 4,000 yards passing, a career-best completion percentage of 66.5, and a passer rating of 95.7. Clements deserves a lot of credit for the success of Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2008, both fourth in the league. Rodgers limited his interceptions to 13 and accounted for two touchdowns per turnover when one includes his four rushing scores and three fumbles. He was just the second quarterback in league history, following Kurt Warner, to throw for more than 4,000 yards in the same season in which he made his first start. As if having a first-year starter is not enough, those numbers came with a beat-up offensive line, an inconsistent running game, and an injury to third wide receiver James Jones. Thus, clearly Clemens deserves an A+ for his coaching in 2008: He achieved great results despite major obstacles.Wide ReceiversJimmy Robinson begins his fourth season as the Green Bay Packers' receivers coach, with 16 prior years of NFL coaching experience. Robinson's dedication to the fundamentals and details has helped the Packers to have one of the most productive corps in the league over the past three years. Donald Driver followed up two Pro Bowl campaigns with his franchise-record fifth straight 1,000-yard season in 2008. Young players like Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson have been instant producers in their first seasons; Jennings made the Pro Bowl in 2008 with 80 catches, 1292 yards, and nine scores, in just his third season. The Packers had statistically the third-best corps in the NFL in 2008, with two 1000-yard receivers (along with New England and Arizona). No team had more wide receivers catching a touchdown pass. The Packers are consistently among the best teams in the league in yards after the catch. All of that can be contributed to Robinson, who deserves credit for getting the most out of a corps that features no first-round picks, so he gets an A+ for 2009 for getting so much out of originally unheralded players. Running BacksEdgar Bennett begins his fifth NFL coaching season in 2009, all in Green Bay as a running backs coach. He shows the same kind of attention to detail that he had as a running back who was more heady than gifted. In his first season as a full-time coach in 2005, Bennett saw the team start five halfbacks after season-ending injuries claimed Pro Bowler Ahman Green and backup Najeh Davenport; reserve back Tony Fisher even missed a couple games. The next season, Bennett was instrumental in the re-emergence of Green, who tallied his sixth 1,000-yard season, a franchise record. In 2007, he was widely credited with the meteoric rise of Ryan Grant, who rushed for nearly 1,000 yards despite starting only the final nine games. (He rushed for more yards in that span than any back other than LaDainian Tomlinson). He also set a Green Bay postseason record with 203 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over Seattle. In 2008, Grant overcame hamstring injuries to become just the fourth running back in team history to eclipse 1,200 yards in one year. Bennett also helped develop Brandon Jackson and even got a 100-yard game out of DeShawn Wynn. It is largely because of Bennett that the Packers have good depth in the backfield, and he cannot be blamed for the inconsistency of the running game in light of the injuries to the feature back and the offensive line. Thus, I am giving him a B for 2008. Offensive LineJames Campen begins his sixth campaign as a Packers coach in 2009, and has been the offensive line coach since 2007. Prior to that, Campen filled the role of assistant offensive line/quality control coach for two seasons. Campen has worked on the development of three linemen now entering their fourth seasons: Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, and Tony Moll. Despite just nine years of combined experience, that trio has started a combined 103 games and is emerging as a "veteran" contingent of the unit. Josh Sitton also cracked the starting lineup as a rookie. During Campen's five seasons working with the line, the Packers have allowed just 118 sacks, third-fewest in the NFL behind Indianapolis (86) and Denver (113). Campen helped teach the zone-blocking scheme to the youngsters and the veterans, who all relate well to him as a former player; that experience helped prepare him to coach, as he had to work hard to play in the league as an undrafted free agent. Unfortunately, injuries made the line less effective last season--it yielded 34 sacks compared to 19 in 2007, and average yards per carry dropped, as well. However, he had to rely on three players who had not started a full season at their positions at times in 2008, so I would still give him a B- for the season. Assistant Offensive LineIn 2009, Jerry Fontenot begins his fourth season coaching, all with the Packers. Promoted to assistant offensive line coach in 2007, he began as a coaching intern and was then retained as an offensive assistant. Over the past three seasons, Fontenot has assisted in the development of the Packers' linemen Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz, and Tony Moll. Fontenot has carried his player qualities of leadership, intelligence, and the respect he commanded in the locker room, into coaching. While Campen gets most of the credit for the development of the line, Fontenot's participation earns him a B- for 2008. Tight EndsBen McAdoo begins his fourth season with the Packers as tight ends coach and his sixth season overall in the NFL. In 2006, he taught Green Bay's tight ends new blocking responsibilities that helped a young offensive line with three rookie starters at one time in the season allow just 24 sacks. Over the past two years, McAdoo has overseen the emergence of undrafted free agent Donald Lee as the team's top tight end. 2007 was Lee's first as a starter, and he had 48 catches for 575 yards with six touchdowns. However, his production fell in 2008 to just 39 receptions for 303 yards and five scores. He was the first Packers tight end since Jackie Harris (1992-93) to post back-to-back seasons of 39-or-more receptions, but over two dozen tight ends had better seasons. Part of that was due to the deep receiving corps, but Lee failed to be an impact player and is a pedestrian run-blocker. McAdoo's newest project is Jermichael Finley, a third-round draft choice in 2008. Finley spent his rookie season learning the pro game, and he showed only flashes of his lauded potential. Over the final two games of the season, he posted three receptions for 64 yards and his first NFL touchdown. McAdoo receives a C- for his work in 2008 because even though he did not get much production out of the unit, he was not working with touted talent. Offensive Quality ControlJohn Rushing joins the Packers in 2009 as offensive quality control coach, his first in the NFL after 13 years in college coaching. His prominence is remote enough that no picture exists for him on Flickr. Rushing was with the Packers through the NFL's Minority Coaching Internship Program in 2008, and spent the past six seasons coaching defensive backs at Utah State. He has experience coaching special teams, and was a defensive back as a player. Why he is coaching on the offensive side of the ball, I cannot say--I found no background on offense for Rushing.