Name: Texans coaching candidate Brandon Staley a master of disguises
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Texans coaching candidate Brandon Staley a master of disguises

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The final seconds of the play clock tick down before the football is snapped, with a chess match in progress as defensive players energetically move around the field.While a quarterback stands in the pocket barking out cadences before running the play, the architect of the NFL’s top-ranked defense is creating organized chaos.A lot of what Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley believes about football goes back to his roots as a quarterback at Dayton and Mercyhurst. When Staley talks to his players, the former John Carroll University defensive coordinator preaches the elements of disguise.Staley carries out his vision for disguising intentions, pressure packages and coverage schemes before the snap. It's a well-plotted strategy that applies heat and increases confusion for quarterbacks.Under Staley, the Rams deploy an aggressive pass rush headlined by defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and a secondary led by shutdown cornerback Jalen Ramsey. L.A.’s opportunistic defense has a trademark of split safeties playing with a lot of depth, multiple variations of zone and man defense, and hybrid personnel groupings to make it unclear where a player is lining up and what assignment he’s responsible for.The latest candidate the Texans have asked to interview for their head coaching vacancy, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly, Staley, 38, is regarded as a coach on the rise. He also has interviewed with the Chargers and Jets.“It’s chess, not checkers,” said Akron coach Tom Arth, a former backup to Peyton Manning who hired Staley at John Carroll. “When we coached together, we challenged our players to give us versatility to match up against any type of offense. Brandon was a successful quarterback, and he sees the game with that perspective. To have a defensive coordinator who understands the quarterback position and knows what affects the quarterback, it gives you a great chance to be successful.“He has a special way of making it hard on the quarterback by giving him different looks, creating uncertainty, making him hold the ball longer. It’s such an important part of his defensive philosophy.”Staley launched his path toward the NFL at John Carroll, a Division III Catholic school outside Cleveland that produced multiple NFL luminaries, including Texans general manager Nick Caserio, Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, retired Pro Bowl linebacker London Fletcher, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, New England executive Dave Ziegler, and Ravens offensive coordinator Chris Roman.“Brandon loves football, has a great, positive energy, and you knew he was a special coach with the John Carroll defense and how he did exceptional things with developing players,” John Carroll coach Rick Finotti said. “It’s fun to watch his defense. We’re huge fans of Brandon Staley and Nick Caserio and Tom Telesco, all the John Carroll guys. Alabama sends three-techniques and running backs to the NFL, and Ohio State sends defensive linemen and quarterbacks. We’re producing intellect and leadership to the NFL to manage these franchises.More Texans News“Brandon and I met one morning at a local diner when we were supposed to be Christmas shopping. We wound up not going shopping and went to the office to watch more film. He can’t study enough film. He has a passion for the game.”The Rams, who are preparing to face the Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a divisional round playoff game, relentlessly harassed Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with five sacks and 10 quarterback hits in a wild-card victory last weekend. During the regular season — Staley’s first year as a defensive coordinator after coaching outside linebackers for the Bears and Broncos — the Rams surrendered a league-low 281.9 yards of total offense per game and 18.5 points per game.“Even though the Rams would get worse, that’s what it’s about,” Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters of potentially losing Staley to another team. “And if that’s something that he wants to do and he gets an opportunity to compete for the job, there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll do a great job.”Over the final seven games, the Rams had 28 sacks and allowed 87.8 rushing yards per game with a 76.5 quarterback rating as Donald recorded 13½ sacks. The defense finished with 53 sacks and 22 takeaways.Outside linebacker Leonard Floyd has 10½ sacks, while Troy Hill has three defensive touchdowns and Darious Williams has four interceptions for a secondary that includes defensive signal caller and safety John Johnson III.“People can say, ‘Well, he’s got Ramsey and Donald,’ but those are two guys,” Finotti said. “What about the other nine? Because everybody has at least two difference makers on defense. He happens to be doing more with what he has.”Several of Staley’s former players have gone into the coaching profession. Marty Gibbons, 27, was a safety at John Carroll who coached his alma mater, Lake Catholic, to the state championship game in Ohio.Staley used to show his John Carroll players tape of Broncos coach Vic Fangio’s defense when he was with the 49ers and how he deployed hard-hitting safety Donte Whitner.“I was a slow Division III safety, and Brandon absolutely made us better players,” Gibbons said. “A big element of what he teaches is disguise, and it’s incredible. He would tell us, ‘This is what the quarterback is going to see,’ because he sees it from a quarterback’s perspective. He was ahead of the game.”When Gibbons first met Staley, his new defensive coordinator had done his homework with knowledge about games his father had coached and an advanced scouting report on his skills as a player.“During our conversation, we connected immediately because he has a vision for you as a person and what you can accomplish as a player,” Gibbons said. “We had never met, but he knew everything about my dad and me as a player. I found that to be profound. He’s definitely relentless. He’s a football guy. What you’re seeing in the NFL, it’s a very family-oriented league.“He’s able to talk to people and build relationships. That’s a real leader. That’s very high-level emotional intelligence. I was a fiery, competitive player at that point in my life and Brandon was good at navigating our personalities.”Staley, who reached the national semifinals in 2016 at John Carroll, has an ability to read the room and is known for his sense of humor. When he left John Carroll to go briefly to Tennessee-Chattanooga with Arth before being hired by the Bears two months later, he told former John Carroll All-America linebacker Mason McKenrick his dream was set on one destination: the NFL.“Brandon has a lot of personality,” Arth said. “He brought a whole new language to our program at John Carroll. He referred to people as ‘war daddies.’ He had a great way about him to bring out the best in people. Brandon was really hard on Mason, challenging him every single day and rep, but it brought out the best in Mason, and he had one of the great careers in John Carroll history.“Brandon has got a high level of emotional intelligence. He earns their trust and lets them know he cares about them as more than just football players. He’s invested and gets that immediate buy-in. He gives and gets the utmost respect.”Before a 2013 rivalry game against Heidelberg, the Lorde song, ‘Royals,’ played during a team meeting and Staley began to dance. Staley told the players: 'Let's be smooth like chocolate milk.’Before the state championship game, Gibbons borrowed that line to fire up his players. It felt too good for him to pass up.“I was just copying, but how Brandon did it he’s so true to himself,” Gibbons said. “He’s able to drive a good experience and keep it loose enough. He’s awesome. Whichever team hires him will be very fortunate. He’s a game-changer.”

The final seconds of the play clock tick down before the football is snapped, with a chess match in progress as defensive players energetically move around the field.While a quarterback stands in the pocket barking out cadences before running the play, the architect of the NFL’s top-ranked defense is creating organized chaos.A lot of what Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley believes about football goes back to his roots as a quarterback at Dayton and Mercyhurst. When Staley talks to his players, the former John Carroll University defensive coordinator preaches the elements...

Texans coaching candidate Brandon Staley a master of disguises

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