49ers hire Brad Seely as ST Coordinator!

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AdamSchefter: Bad news, Cleveland. RT @FootballEditor: Jim Harbaugh says Brad Seely will be 49ers special teams coach.

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Brad Seely enters his second season with the Browns. Seely was named assistant head coach/special teams coordinator by the Cleveland Browns on January 14, 2009. He added 31 years of coaching experience to the club, including 20 years in the NFL, all tutoring special teams. In fact, since 1990 Seely’s special teams units have ranked in the top nine in the NFL nine times, based on a composite formula devised by the Dallas Morning News. This includes a top five finish five times and a No. 1 ranking once.

Seely earned a degree in economics and physical education while garnering all-conference honors as an offensive guard at South Dakota State. Seely and his wife, Patti, have three daughters, Sarah, Hannah and Brynn.

Coaching Background:
1978 South Dakota State, assistant coach
1979 Colorado State, graduate assistant
1980 Colorado State, offensive line coach
1981 Southern Methodist, offensive line coach
1982 North Carolina State, offensive line coach
1983 Pacific, offensive line coach
1984-88 Oklahoma State, offensive line coach
1989-93 Indianapolis Colts, special teams coach/tight ends coach
1994 New York Jets, special teams coach
1995-98 Carolina Panthers, special teams coach
1999-08 New England Patriots, special teams coach
2009 Cleveland Browns, assistant head coach/special teams coordinator

Prior to joining the Browns, Seely spent 10 seasons with the New England Patriots as special teams coach and was a part of three Super Bowl championship clubs as a member of that staff. During his tenure in New England, Seely’s special teams units consistently contributed to the team’s accomplishments. In fact, combined over the previous 10 years (1999-2008), the Patriots led the NFL in kickoff return average (23.5), were fourth in field goal percentage (83.4%) and placed eighth in punt return average (9.9). In addition, his units registered 11 returns for touchdowns, including eight off kickoffs, a figure that tied for second in the NFL over that 10-year stretch. During Seely’s time in New England, kicker Adam Vinatieri and special teamer Larry Izzo each were regarded among the best at their respective positions as they were selected to two Pro Bowls apiece. Vinatieri led the NFL in 2004 with a franchise-record 93.9 percent field goal accuracy mark. He also topped the league in that category in 2002 with a 90.0 success rate. In addition, kicker Stephen Gostkowski earned Pro Bowl honors following the 2008 season, when he led the NFL with 148 points and 36 field goals. Over Seely's final three years with the Patriots (2006-08), Ellis Hobbs put together a kickoff return average of 28.4, the second-best mark in the NFL over this time. He also brought back three kickoffs for touchdowns, including an NFL record 108-yarder in 2007. Seely also tutored the AFC’s leading kickoff returner on two occasions (Bethel Johnson in 2003, Kevin Faulk in 2002) and leading punt returner (Troy Brown in 2002). Prior to joining the Patriots, Seely worked with the Carolina Panthers, where he helped lead an expansion team to an NFC Championship Game appearance in just its second season. In 1996 and 1997, Panthers kickoff returner Michael Bates became the first player in 35 years to lead the league in kick return average in consecutive seasons. He also earned two consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl for his efforts. In 1996, Seely earned Special Teams Coach of the Year honors with Carolina as he helped produce the NFL's best kick return specialist. He also had the league's best kicker, as John Kasay set a then NFL single-season record with 37 field goals. In addition to the success of Bates and Kasay, Carolina also boasted one of the league's top coverage units as the Panthers led the NFL in opponents average punt return (5.4 avg.) and fifth in opponents average kickoff return (20.1 avg.). Seely got his start in the NFL coaching ranks in 1989, when he tutored Indianapolis’ special teams and tight ends for a five-year stint (1989-93). During his tenure with the club, he assisted in the development of two Pro Bowl special teamers – punter Rohn Stark and return specialist Clarence Verdin. In 1992, the Colts had the NFL’s top specials teams unit based on rankings by the Dallas Morning News. Seely then coached the Jets’ special teams for one year (1994), and in that season, the Jets ranked fifth in the league in kickoff return defense (19.6 avg.) and sixth in punt return defense (6.8 avg.). Seely began his coaching career in 1978 at South Dakota State. The following year, he accepted a graduate assistant position at Colorado State, where he was later hired as the offensive line coach in 1980. In 1981, he was named the assistant offensive line coach on Ron Meyer's staff at Southern Methodist. He helped coach a line that opened holes for SMU's "Pony Express" backfield of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. The next year, he coached at North Carolina State before joining the staff at Pacific in 1983. In 1984, he started a five-year stint as the offensive line coach at Oklahoma State, which helped produce the likes of Thurman Thomas and 1988 Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders.

Nice

Eric_Branch: Brad Seely was New England's special teams coach from 1999-2008.

Cool. Now just need a Returner... lol

He won NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year Award in 1996

Originally posted by fakers23:
Cool. Now just need a Returner... lol

Ted Ginn is pretty good. Actually, he was awesome last year.

Great . . . another white coach . . .

j/k of course. This would be an outstanding hire if it pans out. From what I've read in the Cleveland blogs he may have an out in his contract due to Mangini being fired.

Championship.

Well, if they get him, it looks like a very good hire to me.

But would the Browns grant permission (or are they willing to get rid of him) and would he be willing to join the Niners staff? It is merely a vertical move, after all, which might not be as enticing to him and if the Browns wanted to keep him, they could simply deny the request, as it would not be head coaching job and it would not even be bad form, as it would not entail a promotion (as far as I know, teams can block interview requests if it is not for a head coaching job, but the usual "accepted" agreement is to grant interviews if it would include a promotion. For example, teams usually grant a position coach interviews for coordinator jobs etc.)

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Eric_Branch: One more Brad Seely fun fact? OK. Seely coached for four seasons in Carolina (1995-98) with Niners OC Greg Roman.

Originally posted by NoOffseason:
Well, if they get him, it looks like a very good hire to me.

But would the Browns grant permission (or are they willing to get rid of him) and would he be willing to join the Niners staff? It is merely a vertical move, after all, which might not be as enticing to him and if the Browns wanted to keep him, they could simply deny the request, as it would not be head coaching job and it would not even be bad form, as it would not entail a promotion (as far as I know, teams can block interview requests if it is not for a head coaching job, but the usual "accepted" agreement is to grant interviews if it would include a promotion. For example, teams usually grant a position coach interviews for coordinator jobs etc.)

Adam S clearly states that the 9ers are already talking to him.

Couldn't the Browns decline us an interview since it's a lateral move? Actually, it would be a demotion because he wouldn't be the assistant HC as well as ST coach.

Edit: If we are already talking to him I assume the Browns gave us permission. Not too often does a team decline an interview even if it is a lateral move. It looks bad to the rest of the league and obviously that coach could end up angry if he wanted to coach elsewhere.

Originally posted by NoOffseason:
Well, if they get him, it looks like a very good hire to me.

But would the Browns grant permission (or are they willing to get rid of him) and would he be willing to join the Niners staff? It is merely a vertical move, after all, which might not be as enticing to him and if the Browns wanted to keep him, they could simply deny the request, as it would not be head coaching job and it would not even be bad form, as it would not entail a promotion (as far as I know, teams can block interview requests if it is not for a head coaching job, but the usual "accepted" agreement is to grant interviews if it would include a promotion. For example, teams usually grant a position coach interviews for coordinator jobs etc.)

I was poking around some of the beat writer blogs from Cleveland and one of the guys speculated that since Mangini brought Seeley in, there may be an out in his contract since Mangini was fired.

Originally posted by Gore_21:
Couldn't the Browns decline us an interview since it's a lateral move? Actually, it would be a demotion because he wouldn't be the assistant HC as well as ST coach.

I'm not sure how it works, since the Browns fired their old coach, Shurmur might be letting the old staff go, just like they let Ryan go.