McFeely: Another former Bison gets NFL head coaching gig, though likely for the short term

FARGO — Jerry Rosburg has been an NFL assistant coach for many of the final 21 years, from Cleveland to Atlanta to Baltimore to Denver. He gained a Tremendous Bowl with the Ravens to cap the 2013 season. The previous North Dakota State linebacker hasn’t misplaced contact together with his alma mater, although.

He spoke to the Bison final January in Frisco, Texas, the day earlier than the Soccer Championship Subdivision sport towards Montana State, a contest gained 38-10 by NDSU.

Rosburg has spoken at two latest Bison soccer clinics and, throughout a quick retirement respite from the NFL, attended NDSU’s 2021 fall camp for per week on the invitation of head coach Matt Entz.

Rosburg was inducted into the Bison athletic corridor of fame in September. He was an All-American in 1977 for a Bison group that gained the North Central Convention. Rosburg was a group captain that season and recipient of the Dennis Drews Trophy because the group’s most precious participant.

“Nice man. Ton of nice soccer expertise,” Entz mentioned Monday. “Somebody I’ve leaned on in my first three or 4 years of being a head coach.”

Rosburg would possibly want a number of individuals on whom to lean over the subsequent couple of weeks.

Rosburg, 67, was named the interim head coach of the Denver Broncos on Monday after the group fired first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett within the midst of a disastrous season. It is Rosburg’s first head-coaching gig after greater than 4 a long time as an assistant in highschool, school and the NFL.

The highschool expertise? A few seasons as an assistant at Fargo Shanley again in 1979-80.

After that, Rosburg’s resume contains stops at six school applications (Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Boston School, Notre Dame) earlier than lastly touchdown his first NFL job because the particular groups coordinator for the Browns in 2001. He constructed a professional profession round being a particular groups ace, having been the coordinator in Cleveland, Atlanta and Baltimore.

Rosburg spent 11 seasons with the Ravens underneath head coach John Harbaugh. The 2 coached collectively at Cincinnati.

“Jerry could also be my greatest buddy in teaching. We go means again,” Harbaugh informed reporters lately, in accordance with the Denver Publish. “I’ve realized a lot with him and we’ve been by means of so many battles and so many good moments collectively. He’s a really sensible man, sensible soccer man.”

It is probably Rosburg’s tenure as the highest man with the Broncos will final two video games. That is what is left within the common season for a Broncos group that’s 4-11 and mired in one of many worst seasons in that proud franchise’s historical past. Hackett was fired as the primary fall man as a result of he was unable to mesh with extremely compensated quarterback Russell Wilson, acquired previous to this season from Seattle for a pile of excessive draft picks.

“Our followers deserve a lot better,” Broncos CEO Greg Penner mentioned in a press release Monday.

That Rosburg finds himself on this state of affairs is semi-remarkable. He retired from teaching in March 2019, however was lured to the Broncos early this season to assist Hackett in game-management technique.

Sure, game-managment technique. In case you noticed Denver’s season-opening 17-16 defeat in Seattle, you realize why Hackett wanted assist in that space. The Broncos trailed the Seahawks by a degree with 45 seconds left, going through a fourth and 5. Hackett had all three timeouts remaining, however declined to make use of one earlier than letting the clock drain to 1 second. A 64-yard subject aim try by Brandon McManus was off the mark and Broncos gamers, followers, entrance workplace and media had been left to marvel what Hackett was considering or doing.

Rosburg was employed shortly thereafter.

A number of stories Monday mentioned Rosburg was not the Broncos’ first option to be interim head coach. The group requested defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to take the job, however Evero declined.

It is a mess in Denver.

However Rosburg turns into the third particular person with NDSU ties to develop into an NFL head coach. Former Bison coach Ron Erhardt led the New England Patriots within the late Nineteen Seventies and early ’80s. Former NDSU participant and assistant coach Casey Bradley was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-16.

Rosburg arrived in Denver for Week 3 to assist with sport administration.

“He’s positively helped me fairly a bit by means of so many alternative areas,” Hackett mentioned Nov. 30 earlier than Denver traveled to Baltimore, in accordance with the Denver Publish. “I actually appreciated him right here and he brings it from that tradition and that group.”

The following time Rosburg stops in Fargo, he’ll absolutely have extra tales to swap with the Bison.