Before the Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty, there was the New England Patriots. New England won three Super Bowls between 2002 and 2005, and one player who was there for that run was new Washington Commanders special teams coach Larry Izzo.
Izzo was an outside linebacker and made two of his three Pro Bowls as a special teams player for the Patriots. The former linebacker began his career with the Miami Dolphins (1996-1999) before playing for New England from 2001 to 2008. Izzo finished his career with the New York Jets in 2009.
With his eight seasons playing for the Patriots and Bill Belichick, Izzo said the success of the franchise taught him the importance of the unit he now coaches and its impact on the game. Now, he'll try to bring that experience of winning to the Commanders after being the Seattle Seahawks' special teams coordinator for the last three seasons.
“The time I spent in New England was awesome. I've won a lot, and I learned a lot about football and situational football and just all three phases. How important the special teams phase is to a team's success and how we have to serve the team and play good complementary football, control field position, and all of those things that will help you win games. So yeah, my time in New England was definitely something that helped shape me.”
Izzo has also won as a coach, as in his first year as an assistant special teams coach with the New York Giants in 2011, they won the Super Bowl against the Patriots. Izzo held that role from 2011 to 2015 before becoming the Houston Texans' special teams coordinator for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Izzo then became the assistant special teams coordinator in Seattle for three seasons from 2018 to 2020 before being promoted to special teams coordinator in 2021 and leading the unit for the last three years. The Seahawks were third in the NFL in net average (44.1) on punts and fourth in average yards per punt (50).
The Seahawks were eighth in average yards per punt return (10.6) and tied for third in average yards per kick return (26.2). They also had the second-most returns of 20-plus yards (24).
The success of special teams is underrated but can often be the difference between winning and losing games. If Izzo can find the same success he had as a player in New England and as a coach in Seattle with the Commanders, they'll have a chance to be competitive immediately next season.
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