Any Chance John Hufnagel Returns ?

[BelichickFan]

He was our QB coach before McDaniels. Left to be the Giants' OC and is now gone. We have no QB coach, McDaniels is the OC/QB coach. I would be happy to get a full time QB coach back.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

He left after a brief stint and I don't think he was particularly missed, like not a particularly great fit. So I really doubt there is any interest on either side.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I don't think he was particularly missed, like not a particularly great fit.

Do you have any evidence for this?

I thought it sounded like an interesting idea. BB, as we now know, is very conservative when it comes to recruiting coaches from outside the existing ladder (Dean Pees is the only significant recent example that comes to mind) but the Patriots have one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL. Unless there was some problem with Hufnagel, why not? -- even when Charlie was OC we also had a quarterbacks coach.

 

[BelichickFan]

I don't see why he was a bad fit, he got a promotion to OC with a new team that doens't mean they weren't happy with him. With such a young OC plus a developmental backup QB in Cassel it's a little mysterious to me why they don't separate the OC/QB positions again.

 

[DaBruinz]

Do you have any evidence for this?

I thought it sounded like an interesting idea. BB, as we now know, is very conservative when it comes to recruiting coaches from outside the existing ladder (Dean Pees is the only significant recent example that comes to mind) but the Patriots have one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL. Unless there was some problem with Hufnagel, why not? -- even when Charlie was OC we also had a quarterbacks coach.

Actually, You are forgetting Pete Manguarian, the Tight Ends coach who replaced Jeff Davidson when he left.

I have to agree that I'd like to see a QB coach for Brady. I think that having a QB coach in lieu of someone like Vinny T would be a good thing. Also, I wouldn't mind the Pats bringing Brady's mechanics coach on full time. His mechanics were out of whack again after 1 game. Which seemed surprising.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Think it was Holley at one point and others as I vaguely recall saying Hufnagel never really found his niche on this staff. His history as a QB guru is pretty sketchy - Couch in Cleveland was handed to him out of the #1 draft slot, not that everything that went wrong there can be tied to poor development solely on the part of the QB coach, then after getting axed he did a year with Peyton although he was already established and in his 4th season and at the end of the year Mora got canned (playoffs???!!!..., then he coached Brunnel for two years with the JAGS under Coughlin who didn't take him to NY initially so he did a year here before undertaking his first and possibly last OC position on a team looking to groom another #1 who is basically floundering which led to his getting axed by Coughlin in an effort to save his own job. Not exactly an impressive resume. 30 years in football, but most of it in the CFL.

I think we can do better if BB decides that they even need a dedicated QB coach who is not the OC. Since **** Rehbein passed we have basically relied on BB and the OC other that Hufnagel's brief stint. Tom's mechanics are usually fine when he isn't constantly shaking and baking to avoid pressure and he knows where his receivers are going to be.

 

[BelichickFan]

Think it was Holley at one point and others as I vaguely recall saying Hufnagel never really found his niche on this staff. His history as a QB guru is pretty sketchy - Couch in Cleveland was handed to him out of the #1 draft slot, not that everything that went wrong there can be tied to poor development solely on the part of the QB coach, then after getting axed he did a year with Peyton although he was already established and in his 4th season and at the end of the year Mora got canned (playoffs???!!!..., then he coached Brunnel for two years with the JAGS under Coughlin

I think all this is the career of Chris Palmer, not John Hufnagel