Three more coached join the ranks, including someone with a last name that seems all too familiar....
The Denver Broncos on Wednesday announced the hiring of three assistant coaches, including Don Martindale as linebackers coach. The club also announced the hiring of Ben McDaniels and Jay Rodgers as coaching assistants.
Martindale, 45, joins the Broncos as their linebackers coach after five seasons in the same role with the Oakland Raiders (2004-08). Under Martindale's tutelage, the Raiders placed 10th against the pass in 2008. In 2007, the Raiders' top two interceptors were linebackers Thomas Howard (6) and Kirk Morrison (4). Befre his position in Oakland, Martindale coached inside linebackers and special teams coordinator at Western Kentucky University (2001-03). He also served as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Western Illinois (1999-2000) after tutoring linebackers and special teams at the University of Cincinnati (1996-98). He helped the University of Notre Dame reach the 1995 Fiesta Bowl and the 1996 Orange Bowl as a defensive assistant.
McDaniels, 28, enters his first season coaching in the NFL after coaching quarterbacks in 2008 at Massillon Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio. He held a position as quarterbacks coach at Canton McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio (2006-07), after serving as a graduate assistant under Glen Mason at the University of Minnesota (2004-05). With the Gophers, McDaniels assisted in coaching wide receivers in 2004 before working with the team's secondary in 2005. McDaniels, who is Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels' younger brother, played quarterback at Kent State University (1999-01) and Canton McKinley High School. He led Canton McKinley to two state titles and USA Today's mythical National Championship in 1997 on a team that included Broncos defensive lineman Kenny Peterson.
Rodgers, 32, enters his first NFL season after spending nine seasons coaching at the collegiate level. He was Iowa State University's wide receivers coach (2007-08) after spending two seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Stephen F. Austin University (2005-06). In 2004, Rodgers tutored quarterbacks at Missouri State University after a season as the passing game coordinator/quarterbacks/wide receiver coach at Dodge City Community College. He was a graduate assistant for Head Coach Nick Saban at Louisiana State University (2001-02) after interning at Ohio State University.