Jacksonville Jaguars Bob Babich fired: 4 possible DC replacements
By Luke Sims
2) Dick LeBeau
Past Positions: Tennessee Titans assistant head coach/defense, 2015; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator, 1995-1996, 2004-2014; Buffalo Bills assistant head coach, 2003; Cincinnati Bengals head coach, 2000-2002 (12-33 record); Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator, 1984-1991, 1997-2000
A name that needs no introduction, Dick LeBeau is arguably the best defensive mind in the NFL over the past three or four decades. A former player who has made a name for himself with a couple of organizations, LeBeau is respected across the league.
Somehow the Tennessee Titans lured him away after he stepped down from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He helped lead the hapless Titans to a top-10 passing defense unit under defensive coordinator Ray Horton.
LeBeau’s resume is littered with top-10 defensive performances against the run, pass, and overall. He had a string of top-five overall defenses from 2007-2012 with the Steelers. If he was somehow brought to the Jacksonville Jaguars it would be the biggest upgrade the team has seen at any position (including coaches) in franchise history.
The big question here is whether LeBeau wants to stay in a “less involved” capacity with a team, like he did with the Titans, or if he would be willing to get into the more intimate runnings of a defense at almost 80 years old. It would be tough to convince him that the Jags’ D isn’t a fixer-upper and something he could just come in and run his scheme with. He’d have to really work to overhaul this defense.
Overall, it’d be a major improvement to bring in LeBeau and would be a vast departure from almost no blitzes under Bradley/Babich to all kinds of blitzes under LeBeau.
Next: Bringing a former DC back home