Coaching news

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

Originally Posted by Puck

Now Rivers has withdrawn from the Bills job. It would be so awesome to have him as the OC here. He and SS are on the same page and I think Phil has the balls to tell him when he's wrong on a call


Dianna Russini
@DMRussini
·
7h
Philip Rivers is out of the Bills HC sweepstakes. After interviewing with Buffalo, he’s withdrawing himself from consideration, per sources.

https://x.com/DMRussini/status/2015772018180784202?s=20

Some of the NFL reporters indicated that he interviewed well and that the Bills were strongly considering to offer him the job.

But it sounds like he bowed out due to family reasons. Perhaps he wants to continue coaching his son in HS until he graduates. Or maybe the family wasn't quite ready to move to a different city yet.

[Puck]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyinIndy

Some of the NFL reporters indicated that he interviewed well and that the Bills were strongly considering to offer him the job.

But it sounds like he bowed out due to family reasons. Perhaps he wants to continue coaching his son in HS until he graduates. Or maybe the family wasn't quite ready to move to a different city yet.

I agree. I think he wants to coach his son. They were close last year. Hopefully they win it all this year


I will throw this out there if the discussion ever comes up. Anyone wanting to replace SS with PR will be very disappointed Phil would never do that to his friend. But together. HC and OC. would be a lot of fun to watch

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyinIndy

Some of the NFL reporters indicated that he interviewed well and that the Bills were strongly considering to offer him the job.

But it sounds like he bowed out due to family reasons. Perhaps he wants to continue coaching his son in HS until he graduates. Or maybe the family wasn't quite ready to move to a different city yet.

It could be he and his family took a look at the forecast for this week and decided there was no way they were moving to Buffalo

[Puck]

Not Colts related so yea wrong thread. Thought it was surprising and didn't want to start a new thread

JJ Watt
@JJWatt
·
27m
I can’t be reading this right.

This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something, it can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame.

There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer.



Bill Belichick, the 8-time Super Bowl-winning HC, is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, per @SethWickersham and @DVNJr. Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by Puck

Not Colts related so yea wrong thread. Thought it was surprising and didn't want to start a new thread

JJ Watt
@JJWatt
·
27m
I can’t be reading this right.

This has to be some knock-off Hall of Fame or something, it can’t be the actual NFL Hall of Fame.

There is not a single world whatsoever in which Bill Belichick should not be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer.



Bill Belichick, the 8-time Super Bowl-winning HC, is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, per @SethWickersham and @DVNJr. Belichick fell short of the 40 out of 50 votes needed for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Good. Hope the voters Barry Bonds him.

[Puck]

Looks like Polian had a little to do with it

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
2h
From the ESPN report: Bill Polian was a vocal figure in the Hall of Fame deliberations involving Bill Belichick, with Spygate and Deflategate coming up among voters during discussions.

Per a voter who spoke anonymously, Polian — the former Bills and Colts GM and longtime Patriots rival — told some voters he believed Belichick should “wait a year” as penance for Spygate.

[Mr. Session]

Florio wrote that Polian denied taking part of that, but he doesn't believe him - https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profoo...belichick-snub + https://x.com/MattVerderame/status/2...451282181?s=20

ESPN’s story does not include a comment from Polian; the given explanation was that he did not “immediately respond” to a request for comment. The four-hour old story has not been updated, as of this posting, to include a comment from Polian, a former ESPN employee.

Polian did provide a comment to another outlet. He told Matt Verderame of SI.com, regarding whether Polian influenced the anti-Belichick vote: “That’s totally and categorically untrue. I voted for him.”

And, as a politician once told me, you can only trust the people who say they didn’t vote for you.

My gut tells me Kraft had more influence on this than any of his former rivals.

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

These posts explain the process a little bit:

https://x.com/SandoNFL/status/2016296455305392315

I'm a HOF voter who saw Belichick as slam-dunk. I don't know anything about voting results, but if this is true, and we'll find out officially next week, the question is, how could this happen?


Before I list possibilities, understand this:

Belichick, Kraft, Craig, Anderson & Greenwood are competing for 1-3 spots, separate from the 15 modern-era finalists


50 voters with 3 votes each - pick 3 of the 5

Between 1-3 make it (40+ votes required for anyone besides top vote getter to make it)

So it's a ZERO-SUM game, huge change made in '25: 150 total votes to go around between the five candidates with a high bar for clearance


Now we count the potential ways Belichick might get fewer than 40 votes even when 40+ on committee think he's a HOFer...

• Let's say 4-5 voters who were strong advocates for specific senior players figured Belichick was going to make it regardless, so they funneled votes to their favored competing candidates in hopes of boosting them over the 40-vote threshold;

•Let's say a few voters prioritized senior players on the thinking that Belichick will be back in the room next year, while the players on the ballot this year might disappear into the senior pool forever

•Let's say a few voters found Spygate/cheating disqualifying

•Let's say a few voters protested new rules making coaches eligible one year after retiring instead of five


Whatever the case, I would see this as a repudiation of the new voting rules implemented for 2025, not of Belichick or any candidate not making it.

There will be more changes to the process, I predict

https://x.com/NFLCharean/status/2016310555062022591

People also don't understand the process.

It's not a yes or no vote.

You vote for three of five candidates.

I guarantee some believe players are more important than coaches and will always vote for the three senior players instead of any coach or contributor, even Belichick.

[Colts And Orioles]

o


Sean Payton shit the bed in the AFC Championship game, then threw is Offensive Coordinator under the bus.



Sean Payton Fires OC Joe Lombardi After AFC Title Game Loss

(By Luca Evans)

https://www.denverpost.com/2026/01/2...-joe-lombardi/




Two days after a grueling loss to the Patriots in the AFC title game, Sean Payton is shaking up his coaching staff, including a major move on the offensive side.

The Broncos fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch on Tuesday, Payton announced via a statement.

The 54-year-old Lombardi is the most substantial move, considering he had served as Payton’s offensive coordinator for three seasons in Denver, originally hired by the Broncos in February 2023.

Colbert had been Denver’s receivers coach the past three seasons and Lynch was promoted to cornerbacks coach for the 2025 season after serving as a defensive quality control coach his first two seasons in Denver.

“I want to thank these coaches for playing an important role in elevating our program over the last three seasons,” Payton said in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate to work with Joe Lombardi for 15 years and am particularly grateful for his many contributions to our success as offensive coordinator.

“We sincerely appreciate Joe, Keary and Addison’s hard work and wish them all the best in the future.”

The Lombardi firing came independent of coaching buzz around 31-year-old passing-game coordinator Davis Webb, a source told The Denver Post. Webb completed a second in-person interview with the Raiders for their head-coaching vacancy Monday, and could very well depart Denver for Las Vegas — or an offensive-coordinator job elsewhere — in any circumstance.

“You want to see guys that come in, work, that are part of your staff — see them have success,” Payton said Tuesday when asked about the possibility of Webb’s departure. “Not the other way around.

“And then, we’ll figure out when and if we lose a coach, what the plan is going to be.”

Denver will now launch a full search for a new offensive coordinator. According to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, adopted in 2003, the Broncos will be required to interview at least two minority candidates for the open OC job.

Lombardi is a longtime Payton associate, serving under Payton as an offensive assistant and later quarterbacks coach from 2007-2013. After a two-year stint as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, Lombardi returned to New Orleans to work with Drew Brees as Payton’s quarterbacks coach again from 2016 to 2020.

After Brees’ retirement, Lombardi served two years as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, before Payton hired him back in Denver in 2023. Lombardi has served an interesting role in the Broncos’ building the last three years since Payton has been Denver’s primary play-caller.

The Broncos finished 2025 ranked 10th in the NFL in total yards and 14th in the NFL in total points, but scuffled through long stretches of offensive inconsistency, particularly early in games. After starting quarterback Bo Nix’s season ended with an ankle injury in a divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills, the Broncos managed just seven points and 181 net yards with backup QB Jarrett Stidham in a 10-7 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

At his end-of-season press conference Tuesday morning, Payton made abundantly clear that he was dissatisfied with several aspects of Denver’s overall offensive output. The head coach dove specifically into coaching technique for wide receivers — noting the “proper way to catch a football” was with thumbs together — when asked about his own comments that the Broncos’ pass-catchers had too many drops this season.

Given Payton also reiterated he believed he had good, talented players who fit the mold in the receiving room, the comments foretold trouble for Colbert, a 43-year-old former pro receiver himself.

Payton said he also had a discussion with offensive line coach Zach Strief on Monday on improving the offense’s run game, which dropped from a top-10 unit to a middle-of-the-road attack leaguewide after running back J.K. Dobbins went down with injury midseason.

“I feel like we’re far enough with the RPOs and some of that. But, when we want to run it under center and control the game, we’ve been able to do it a few times, but not as much as I’d like, I think,” Payton said. “And so, that’ll be an important study, and with urgency.”

Tuesday’s move certainly constitutes some urgency, and could point to Payton wanting to elevate from within. Webb is an option for OC if he doesn’t get the Vegas job, as is Strief, a former Saints offensive lineman under Payton who’s revamped the Broncos’ front over the course of three years in Denver.

Payton also brought former passing-game coordinator Johnny Morton — hired away as the Lions’ OC and then fired at the end of the year—- as a consultant across the team’s playoff run. The Broncos also employ Pete Carmichael as a senior offensive assistant, who served as the Saints’ offensive coordinator from 2009 to 2023 and has a long history with Payton.

Lynch’s firing comes as a bit of a surprise considering Denver promoted him to cornerbacks coach a year ago, a sign that defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and secondary coach Jim Leonhard trusted him with one of the club’s deepest and most talented groups. Even before he was promoted, Lynch often worked with the Broncos’ cornerbacks while Leonhard worked with the safeties, and worked with the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year in CB Pat Surtain II.

“I appreciate Sean for the opportunity,” Lynch told The Denver Post Tuesday night. “I just look forward to going somewhere next year that sees what I’ve done with the group the last two years, and will value what I bring.”

o

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles

o


Sean Payton shit the bed in the AFC Championship game, then threw is Offensive Coordinator under the bus.



Sean Payton Fires OC Joe Lombardi After AFC Title Game Loss

(By Luca Evans)

https://www.denverpost.com/2026/01/2...-joe-lombardi/

o

o


I watched the game with my own lying eyes, and Jarrett Stidham ...... who had not throw a pass in the NFL in 2 years ....... actually played a little bit better than Drake Maye did, especially before it started snowing heavily in the 2nd half.

In my rat's ass of an opinion, the Broncos' Offensive Coordinator ought to at least get some credit for having a career back-up like Stidham prepared for a championship game when he hadn't thrown a pass in a game since December of 2023.

o