ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In a deal that was ready on the Tremendous Bowl and among the contract machinations that include a job change, the Denver Broncos on Friday introduced the hiring of Darren Rizzi as particular groups coordinator/assistant head coach.
Rizzi has been the New Orleans Saints’ particular groups coordinator for the previous six seasons after a 10-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. Rizzi, who additionally served because the Saints’ interim head coach this previous season after Dennis Allen was fired, was on Broncos coach Sean Payton’s employees in New Orleans for 3 seasons.
The particular groups coordinator job is one among a number of openings on the Broncos’ employees that Payton has labored to fill in latest weeks. Payton was in New Orleans final week within the days earlier than the Tremendous Bowl.
Payton fired particular groups coordinator Ben Kotwica every week after the Broncos’ loss to the Buffalo Payments within the wild-card spherical, and assistant head coach Mike Westhoff retired through the season as a result of well being causes. The Broncos’ different particular groups assistant coach, Chris Banjo, was not promoted by Payton after Kotwica’s firing and was employed because the New York Jets’ particular groups coordinator.
Rizzi, who had formally interviewed for the Saints head teaching job in mid-January, and among the different New Orleans assistant coaches, in keeping with a number of league sources, had been in a holding sample till Kellen Moore was named the staff’s head coach this week. The assistants needed to wait to know if they might be retained on Moore’s employees or allowed to hunt different jobs.
Moore was the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator this previous season, and the Eagles gained Tremendous Bowl LIX on Sunday.
The Broncos (10-8) led the league in yards per punt return this season at 15.7. Marvin Mims Jr. was named an All-Professional as a returner, and kicker Wil Lutz tied Jason Elam for the franchise’s single-season discipline aim document with 31.
Nevertheless, two high-profile miscues — each in key AFC West losses — loomed over the Broncos’ particular groups items.
The primary was a blocked discipline aim as time expired Nov. 10 that preserved Kansas Metropolis’s 16-14 win over the Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs found a weak spot within the Broncos’ entrance on a earlier kick within the recreation and overloaded the left aspect of the road.
A number of Kansas Metropolis defenders then pushed Alex Forsyth over, and linebacker Leo Chenal blocked Lutz’s 35-yard try to finish the sport. The Broncos flipped Forsyth and reserve deal with Matt Peart within the formation for the rest of the season, and Lutz made 41 of 42 discipline aim and further level makes an attempt the remainder of the best way.
Lutz missed a 50-yarder within the wild-card loss to the Payments.
The second high-profile particular groups mistake got here earlier than halftime of the Broncos’ Dec. 19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Cornerback Tremon Smith was referred to as for fair-catch interference when he bumped Chargers punt returner Derius Davis as the primary half was about to finish. The Chargers elected, by rule, to take a free kick because of the penalty, and Los Angeles kicker Cameron Dicker then made a 57-yard discipline aim to finish the half.
The play reduce the Broncos’ result in 21-13 and gave the Chargers, who went on to a 34-27 win, wanted momentum.
