Report: Tennessee Titans Hire Lou Spanos for Linebacker Coach
#Titans hire Lou Spanos as linebackers coach http://t.co/bfnjvuGoar
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) January 18, 2014
One of guys Spanos coached last 2 yrs at UCLA is All-American OLB Anthony Barr, who some are forecasting #Titans to take in 1st round.
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) January 18, 2014
Over last 2 yrs, w Spanos as his DC, Barr piled up 23.5 sacks and 43.5 tackles for loss. He is 6-3, 248 lbs. and definite 1st-rder. #Titans
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) January 18, 2014
Sep 15, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) throws under pressure from Tennessee Titans linebacker Zach Brown (55) in the third quarter at Reliant Stadium. The Houston Texans beat the Tennessee Titans 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Lou Spanos joins the Tennessee Titans after serving the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Spanos will become the linebackers coach.
Spanos has 17 years of NFL coaching experience. He spent most of his time (1995 to 2009) with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a member of both Super Bowl-winning Steelers teams from the 2000s.
Now compare that brief tidbit of resume to Chet Parlavecchio, the former Titans linebackers coach who was ousted after just one season. Before joining the Titans as an assistant special teams coach (2011), Parlavecchio had spent most of a 2.5-decade span as a high school football coach. He did have two years of experience as a linebackers coach for Temple University.
It’s funny to compare the types of hiring that Ken Whisenhunt as made as opposed to what Mike Munchak had to settle for when he took over during the 2011-12 season. Even after Munchak had some time to bring in more established coaches, he promoted Parvalecchio from assistant special teams coach to linebackers coach. With so many former Steelers assistant coaches joining Whisenhunt on his new journey, fans can expect some elements of that type of football.
I’m interested to see that Spanos basically accepted a positional demotion to join Tennessee. He’s going from defensive coordinator to linebackers coach. Of course, if Ray Horton decides to take a head-coaching job within the next year or two, Spanos appears like a frontrunner candidate to take over as a defensive coordinator.
It’s worth noting that Spanos coached one of college’s football most prestigious linebacker pairings with Anthony Barr and Myles Jack. Most mock draft experts expect Barr will get drafted within the early-to-mid first round. While the Titans desperately need an outside pass-rush specialist in a new 3-4 scheme, there’s a good chance that Barr won’t last until No. 11. Since the Titans already traded a third-round pick from this season’s draft, trading up will prove difficult and very costly.
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SOURCE: Tennessean