From The Times: Special-Teams Coach Will Be Missed on Field By KAREN CROUSE Published: September 7, 2007 HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Sept. 6 ? Four times in their past 19 games the Jets have played the New England Patriots, so the sight of them on the opposing sideline again Sunday will seem eerily familiar. The Jets? own sideline is another matter. It is going to be missing one of its more animated fixtures. Mike Westhoff, the special-teams coordinator whose passion for the game is visible from the cheap seats, will call plays from the Giants Stadium press box, the first time in his 22-year N.F.L. coaching career that he will not grace the sideline on a game day. The move is a precautionary measure being taken for the foreseeable future as part of Westhoff?s recovery from a five-and-a-half-hour operation in February to repair a fracture of his left leg. It was the eighth major operation Westhoff has had on the limb since an egg-sized malignant tumor was discovered on his femur in 1988. He did not miss any practice time, but he went back to using his metal cane full time, and during training camp he grudgingly took frequent breaks, sitting down to take pressure off the leg. It is a delicate balance that Westhoff, 59, is trying to strike between strengthening his leg and not snapping it. ?The rehabilitation has been slow,? he said in a recent interview. ?That?s been tough for me because there?s not a lot of time to do that. It?s a gradual thing, and that?s what I have to work on.? This week, Westhoff returned to using the crutches he had discarded a couple of months ago. He was out on the practice field Thursday during special-teams drills, pacing in the middle of the action while barking commands, using his right crutch to direct traffic. When he?s in that huddle, he gets you ready to play,? said Brad Smith, who returns kicks and also recorded 11 tackles on special teams last season as a rookie. ?You can tell he believes in what he?s saying. He believes in the guys out there that they?re going to do the job.? With Westhoff perched in the press box, the two special-teams captains: linebacker Brad Kassell and kicker Mike Nugent, will stand in for him on the field. ?It?s hard to replace that guy,? Kassell said. ?This group?s very easy to look over because they do most of the patrolling themselves.? Justin Miller, who made the Pro Bowl team as a kick returner last season, said, ?As individuals we all understand the goal ahead and what we have to get accomplished, and he?ll still be very much involved.? He laughed. ?We?ll probably all have headsets on by the end of the game, and he?ll be talking to us.? Sunday?s game will feature two of the best special-teams units in the league. Under Brad Seely?s tutelage, the Patriots? Laurence Maroney finished second in the N.F.L. last season with a 28-yard kickoff-return average. The previous season, the Patriots averaged 44.6 yards a punt to rank fourth in the league. For the Jets last season, Miller averaged 28.3 yards a return with two touchdowns, Nugent converted his final 18 field-goal attempts, and the punt-coverage unit did not allow a return of more than 18 yards. In the first regular-season meeting between the teams in 2006, the Jets? Bryan Thomas blocked a 29-yard field-goal attempt in the final minutes to give the offense one final chance to send the game into overtime or win it outright. The possession ended when Chad Pennington threw an interception to seal the Patriots? 24-17 victory. ?Mike Westhoff does a great job with them,? New England Coach Bill Belichick said. ?They do a good job in every phase of the game. Their field-goal rush is one of the best in the league. We have a lot of respect for each and every play in the kicking game that we go against because they are dangerous on every single one of them.? Westhoff has spent this week the way he normally does, standing in the thick of things, cajoling and emphatically correcting his players so that on Sunday, no matter where he is, they will all be in the right place.
The underrated and vauable Westhoff. To me this man is a legend. I wonder how we would have fared as an NFL HC?
I think having Westhoff upstairs with two-way communications is an excellent move and there may be more to this than just rehab on his leg. His overall football knowledge can really be a huge help to Mangini on the sidelines. Having Westhoff upstairs? Brilliant!
That's a very good point actually. It would be good having someone up there, does it ever happen that a coach is in the booth?
All teams have some of their coaches in booths. If you are asking about head coaches, I believe Marvin Lewis coached a preseason game from a booth a couple weeks ago. Joe Paterno will coach from a booth, too. Closer to the bathroom. Dan Reeves, at the end of a season with the Falcons, flirted with coaching from the booth following surgery. I don't recall if he did or not. Too tired and too many White Russians.
Lewis was quoted as saying that he would consider going back up their for games , such was the impact it made on him. Other HCs in other sports do it , so I don't see why not. Thing with Westhoff is hes been around forever and is not one of the usual crows nest mob that normally get the job , I like this move alot. Bill Belichick respects Westhoff too and won't welcome this idea at all :beer:
