Jets Hire Lance Taylor as Offensive Assistant

[flgreen]

Not exactly earth shaking news, and I don't know anything about this guy but.................

Jets Hire Lance Taylor as Offensive Assistant

Posted on May 25th, 2010 by Bassett

The Jets have hired Lancy Taylor, the former App State WR coach to their staff, although I

[Bruce Banner]

Is this bad news for Henry Ellard?

[#27TheDominator]

Is this bad news for Henry Ellard?

Nah. That's a really big jump. He's only had one year experience as a WR coach. He's going to be like an intern. There's no shame in it, that's how Mangini and Belichick started.

http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1087664

It was a chance meeting that was probably inevitable.

Former University of Alabama player Lance Taylor was at the NFL Combine to check on one of his players when he suddenly, and literally, bumped into a former coach, Mike Bloomgren.

They exchanged pleasantries and promised to stay in touch, only Taylor had no idea that in the very near future they would again be talking each and every day.

Roughly three weeks ago, Taylor's phone rang, only it wasn't Bloomgren, the offensive assistant coach of the New York Jets, but offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who had an opening his staff. A couple of days after that he stated his new job, not even bothering to pack up his belongings at Appalachian State, where he had been the wide receivers coach.

"I was pretty excited about that phone call," Taylor said. "I couldn't tell you my title. They could have labeled me assistant whatever and I would have said ok."

Although the Jets and the Crimson Tide will forever be linked due to Joe Namath, more and more connections between the two football teams have been developing lately, which isn't a coincidence. Although the Jets didn't draft an Alabama player even after Coach Rex Ryan attended UA's Pro Day workout, linebacker Cory Reamer signed as a free agent and was followed by guard Marlon Davis.

Bloomgren worked under Mike Dubose as a defensive graduate assistant and under Dennis Franchione as a graduate assistant on the offensive line when the Tide won the SEC championship in 1999. More recently he served as the offensive coordinator at Delta State, where the Statesmen passed for over 7,500 yards in two seasons and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2006.

Taylor, meanwhile, was a fan favorite on the Capstone during his career (2000-3). Although his father James, an Alabama running back on the 1973 national championship team, warned him that trying to walk-on to the Crimson Tide would be the toughest thing he would ever do (and it was), he not only made the team but developed into more than a special-teams fixture.

Taylor was the player who always got two feet down inbounds, even though only one was required, caught a touchdown against Auburn, and blocked a punt and returned another for a touchdown against Oklahoma.

"It seems like 50 years ago," he said. "I always tell my guys that football and sports, like life, is not fair, and for a walk-on it's even tougher. But you have to take advantage of the opportunities when they're there."

Taylor also had the distinction of playing for four different head coaches during his five years on the Capstone.

"There was so much change between coaching staffs you could never get consistency," he said. "Now there's consistency in the organization and consistency of leadership. Now those players know year-to-year what is expected. You're expected to give your best and it's the same thing day in, day out. The offseason is the same."

Consequently, Taylor jumped at the chance to come back to Alabama to serve as a graduate assistant in 2008, not only learn from Nick Saban but to try and have his family name again associated with a national title. He was close, missing it by only one year.

"Really, honestly, it was amazing to watch Alabama and finally say we won the national championship again," he said. "I knew that we were building something special.

"Even though I had moved on, I had felt like I was part of helping build what they did last year. Of course it brings pride back and great memories of the Alabama of old and what people know Alabama as."

With the Jets, Taylor will essentially be a season intern with some added on-field responsibilities for receivers coach Hendy Ellard. He'll help develop the game plans, aid Bloomgren with wildcat packages and do film cutups and breakdowns.

Otherwise, he doesn't know what may be in his future other than eventually getting his stuff from North Carolina. But when Taylor looks around his new surroundings he can't help but like what he sees. Ryan frequently refers to defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who followed him from Baltimore, as "my right-hand man." Assistant coach Bill Callahan led the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl (how impressive does that look now?). Besides having a famous coach, Marty for a father, Schottenheimer was Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel's backup at Florida.

It's the same football formula of success breeds success, and while Taylor's "whirlwind" may be just beginning the same figures to be true with nearly everything related to Alabama football, especially following the 2010 national championship.

"You're coaching guys at the pinnacle of their careers, the highest level of football, the highest level of studying the game, and I made the decision that this would be the best thing for me to learn from," Taylor said. "That's one of the things about this organization and I always want to surround myself with winners, guys who are great at what they do who can be a value to you and make you better as a person and as a coach.

"This organization is a hot name right now."

[bitonti]

Nah. That's a really big jump. He's only had one year experience as a WR coach. He's going to be like an intern. There's no shame in it, that's how Mangini and Belichick started.

http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1087664

offensive quality control assistant is one of those jobs that sounds good on paper but really is a ton of thankless grunt work. the NFL coaching is like a fraternity and that job is getting hazed.

on a side note the career assistants (guys without Assistant Head coach or HC titles) are poised to get very screwed in these lockouts

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81820b5c&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

from what i've gathered... life in the NFL is far less glorious than it seems on TV.. for everyone involved...

[Jbro22]

offensive quality control assistant is one of those jobs that sounds good on paper but really is a ton of thankless grunt work. the NFL coaching is like a fraternity and that job is getting hazed.

on a side note the career assistants (guys without Assistant Head coach or HC titles) are poised to get very screwed in these lockouts

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81820b5c&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

from what i've gathered... life in the NFL is far less glorious than it seems on TV.. for everyone involved...

I heard a crazy stat like 60% of the NFL is unpaid interns.

[Bruce Banner]

I heard a crazy stat like 60% of the NFL is unpaid interns.

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. It should be illegal to have unpaid interns. The only people who can afford to work for free are rich kids supported by their parents. The long term effects of letting rich kids get their foot in the door through internships are not good for the country.

For what its worth, my parents supported me during unpaid internships when I was young, including a summer internship with my local congressman. I can tell you from experience, this phenomenon is not good for the country. Just look at Eric Mangini.