Native Son Jagodzinski Returns To Lead Packers Offense » Brats & Beer

January 15, 2006
posted under: coaching carousel, Jeff Jagodzinski, Mike McCarthy, Packers

It looks like new head coach Mike McCarthy is set to hire Jeff Jagodzinski as his offensive coordinator. There’s been no official word yet from 1265 Lombardi Ave., but the Journal Sentinel sounds pretty sure of the news and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting it (so it must be true). Jagodzinski was tight ends coach for the Packers from 1999 to 2003, when he was fired by Mike Sherman. Since then he has worked under Jim Mora in Atlanta. He hails from West Allis, WI, and was a fullback at UW-Whitewater. During his brief tenure at Atlanta, Jagodzinski had a chance to apprentice under Alex Gibbs, the architect of Denver’s zone blocking scheme that has been so successful in producing 1,000-yard rushers.

Mr. Critic at NoN posted on this rumor yesterday and didn’t sound too thrilled about the propect of the offenive line having to learn a whole new system, but if in the long run it works as well in Green Bay as it has for the Bronocs and Falcons, I’m all for it. We’ll have to see how quickly Taucher, Flannigan, and Clifton can shift gears (assuming they’ll all be back). Heck, who knows, maybe a new system can make a lineman out of Will Whittacker.

Other hiring rumors swirling around Green Bay right now involve Alex Van Pelt and Pat Ruel. Van Pelt played quarterback for Buffalo after playing at Pitt when McCarthy was coaching there. Ruel is offenive line coach at USC but was also with the Packers as assistant line coach for two seasons in 2001 and 2002 before joining Buffalo in 2003 (Van Pelt’s last season with the Bills). The JS is also reporting that McCarthy is talking to his old boss at Pitt, Paul Hackett, about joining his staff in some role.