The Green Bay Packers are going to promote from within, elevating assistant special teams coach Ron Zook to replace the recently departed Shawn Slocum as special teams coach.
The announcement is expected to come this week, according to Bob McGinn.
This move should come as no surprise. When coach Mike McCarthy fired then special teams coach Mike Stock after the 2008 season, he promoted his assistant, which happened to be Slocum.
Interestingly, during the six years Slocum had the job, McCarthy fired two of Slocum’s assistants — Curtis Fuller and Chad Morton. With the special teams units not performing — the Packers are ranked 30th in the NFL since McCarthy took over as head coach — McCarthy decided to cut off an arm rather than head. It’s easy to assume the reason for is because McCarthy and Slocum are known to be very good friends.
Zook may also fall into that category. He and McCarthy coached together in New Orleans in 2000 and 2001. That being said, we’re much more excited to have Ron Zook in this role than we were Shawn Slocum.
Zook coached special teams at Florida from 1994-95 and for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1996-98. While that’s not a great special teams resume, it’s the rest of Zook’s resume that is exciting.
He was the head coach at both Florida (2002-04) and Illinois (2005-11).
None of those teams were great, but if Zook can organize 120 college kids, then he should be able to improve one special teams unit. That experience could also be beneficial in the regard that special teams units are typically made up of younger players.
I like in-house promotions. This is positive
This would be a very good for the team. The thing I like about Zook is his fire, we haven’t had a coach with that kind of fire since Greene retired
Good sign. They are just stalling for time, until they get a good opportunity to fire MM and clean house. Just that the right coach for GB has not been made available yet.
stalling for time in the form of renewing MM’s contract? you, sir, are fucking retarded
“He was the head coach at both Florida (2002-04) and Illinois (2005-11)” That’s huge
Lots of gaps in his employment history and he’s never stuck anywhere for very long. To me that says he’s an average coach. Also of all his coaching years only a few are on special teams.
This is the best we can do?
Perfect. Another McCarthy crony added to the list of Stock and Slocum. He needs to go outside for this hire.
I hate in house promotions when the promotion is the result of your immediate supervisor being fired. So were the hell was Zook when shit was going bad. This should have been from outside the current special team staff!
Terrible move. So pretend your no longer playing favorites by firing your buddy Slocum but then turn around and hire another friend of yours and a part of the same failing crew…Christ this is why people hate Meathead.
What you do is go find the best assistant STC in football who is coaching for one of the top 3 ST teams in the league and you make him an offer to become the main man as STC. What is so hard about that? Fucking Mccarthy.
Probably because those coaches are under contract, fucking duh.