NFL Tickets - Two Teams Add Defensive Coordinators
By : Julie Cudney    29 or more times read

Even before the 2009 Super Bowl has kicked off, many teams are scrambling to solidify their coaching staffs. Teams around the league have changed everything from assistants to head coaches, with expected dismissals as well as shocking firings. The Indianapolis Colts anticipated that well-respected head coach Tony Dungy may not return for the 2009 season, and Dungy decided just that early in the offseason. The Colts may not have been expecting the departure of their defensive coordinator Ron Meeks, who resigned after Dungy announced his retirement. Meeks has not been hired as the next defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. The Baltimore Ravens were also left without a defensive coordinator this offseason when Rex Ryan became the next head coach for the New York Jets. They chose to promote from within, naming Greg Mattison as their next defensive coordinator. Fans can be there to support the new coaching staffs with NFL tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/nfl-tickets.

The Panthers are inevitably looking to bolster their season as they finished 18th in total defense, 16th in passing defense and 20th in rushing defense. Meeks brings a wealth of experience to the Panthers. HE started coaching at Arkansas State in 1984 before moving to the University of Miami for two seasons in 1986. He finished his college coaching career with positions with New Mexico State and Fresno State. He joined the NFL as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive assistant in 1991. He was hired by the Cincinnati Bengals to be their secondary coach in 1992, a position he stayed in until 1996. He held the same position with the Atlanta Falcons from 1997 to 1999. He spent a season each with the Washington Redskins and the St. Louis Rams before being hired by Dungy as the Colts defensive coordinator in 2002. During his tenure with the Colts, Meeks had Indianapolis routinely ranked in the top 10 in points allowed. He also helped the team to a Super Bowl championship in 2006.

Unlike the Panthers, the Ravens are looking to maintain their defensive position rather than pull themselves from the lower rankings. The Ravens ranked number two in overall defense with the same ranking in passing defense and a ranking of number three in rushing defense. Mattison first started coaching at high schools in Wisconsin before becoming a graduate assistant at the University of Illinois, where Mattison had gotten his master’s degree. The next year, he became the defensive line coach at Cornell before having the same position with Northwestern from 1978 to 1980. He moved to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Western Michigan in 1981. He stayed until 1986, moving to the defensive line coach for the Navy in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he became the defensive line coach at Texas A&M, where he stayed until `99`. During that time, the Aggies had an impressive defense. He was the defensive line coach at Michigan from 1992-1994 before being promoted to Michigan’s defensive coordinator/defensive line coach in 1995. He held a similar position with Notre Dame from 1997-2001. In 2002, he became their defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator. In 2005, he took the co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at the University of Florida, leading the top program. He entered the NFL in 2008 as the Ravens’ linebackers coach before his promotion. This article was written by Julie Cudney and is sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells tickets to sporting events, http://www.stubhub.com/nfl-tickets/, concerts and theater productions.
This article was written by Julie Cudney and is sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells tickets to sporting events, http://www.stubhub.com/nfl-tickets/, concerts and theater productions.

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Submitted on: 2009-08-31