Al Holcomb

Last updated

Al Holcomb
Al Holcomb with the Panthers in 2015 (cropped).jpg
Holcomb with the Panthers in 2015
Buffalo Bills
Position:Linebackers coach
Personal information
Born: (1970-10-22) October 22, 1970 (age 54)
New York, New York, U.S.
Career information
College: West Virginia
Career history
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Record  at Pro Football Reference

Al Holcomb (born October 22, 1970) is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the interim defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers and as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.

Contents

Early career

Holcomb started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Temple from 1995–96, helping with linebackers. [1] He worked as linebackers coach, assistant track coach and physical education instructor at Colby College in 1997.

He spent six years from 1998–2003 at Bloomsburg University as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. From 2004–05, Holcomb coached at Kutztown University, where he was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in addition to being the interim head coach in the winter of 2005. [2]

He oversaw the defensive line at Lafayette from 2006–08. [3] Under Holcomb's tutelage, five different defensive linemen claimed All-Patriot League honors. During his final season in 2008, the Leopards led the conference in several defensive categories, including total defense and scoring defense. In his first season in 2006, Holcomb contributed to a unit that finished first in the Football Championship Subdivision in total defense, fourth in rushing defense and eighth in scoring defense. [4]

Professional coaching career

New York Giants

In 2009, Holcomb joined the New York Giants as the defensive quality control coach. [5] In 2011, he was promoted to defensive assistant to Perry Fewell. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. [6]

Carolina Panthers

On January 26, 2013, Holcomb was hired as the linebackers coach for the Carolina Panthers. [7] He was Pro Football Focus's first runner-up to their Linebackers Coach of the Year award. [8]

In the 2015 season, Holcomb and the Panthers reached Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. The Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10. [9]

Arizona Cardinals

On January 26, 2018, Holcomb was hired as defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. [10] He was fired on December 31, 2018, along with head coach Steve Wilks. [11]

Cleveland Browns

On January 16, 2019, Holcomb was hired as linebackers coach and run game coordinator by the Cleveland Browns. [12]

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On January 19, 2020, Holcomb returned to the Carolina Panthers and was hired as their defensive run game coordinator. [13]

The Panthers were selected to coach in the 2021 Senior Bowl, but linebackers coach Mike Siravo missed the game due to COVID-19 protocols, so Holcomb took over his duties in the game. [14]

Buffalo Bills

On February 8, 2023, the Buffalo Bills hired Holcomb as a senior defensive assistant. [15] On February 2, 2024, he was appointed as linebackers coach. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wade Phillips</span> American football coach (born 1947)

Harold Wade Phillips is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL). He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Roughnecks. He has also served as interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans. Additionally, Phillips has long been considered to be among the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. In his long career, he has served as defensive coordinator in eight separate stints with seven different franchises. Multiple players under Phillips' system have won Defensive Player of the Year: Reggie White, Bryce Paup, Bruce Smith, J. J. Watt and Aaron Donald. Others under Phillips have won Defensive Rookie of the Year: Mike Croel and Shawne Merriman. In Phillips' lone Super Bowl victory, a defensive player would be named Super Bowl MVP: Von Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Ryan</span> American football coach (born 1962)

Robert Allen Ryan is an American football coach who is currently the senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Ryan has served as a defensive coordinator or assistant coach for nine different NFL teams. He was the linebackers coach for the New England Patriots when they won both Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXVIII. Ryan is the son of Buddy Ryan and the twin brother of Rex Ryan.

Perry Fewell is an American football coach. He currently serves as the senior vice president of officiating administration for the National Football League (NFL)'s officiating department. Previously, he served as the defensive backs coach or defensive coordinator for eight NFL teams between 1998 and 2019. He also served as the interim head coach for the Buffalo Bills in 2009 and for the Carolina Panthers in 2019. Fewell won Super Bowl XLVI as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, a position he held for five seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Cox</span> American football player and coach (born 1968)

Bryan Keith Cox Sr. is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the assistant defensive line coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a linebacker in the NFL. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Miami Dolphins, and was a member of the New England Patriots team that won Super Bowl XXXVI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepper Johnson</span> American football player and coach (born 1964)

Thomas "Pepper" Johnson is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, the first seven of which were for the New York Giants. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants before playing for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and New York Jets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Davis (American football coach)</span> American football player and coach (born 1965)

Bill Davis is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Spagnuolo</span> American football coach (born 1959)

Stephen Christopher Spagnuolo is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He rejoined Andy Reid in 2019 after being a defensive assistant with him from 1999 to 2006 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Nicknamed "Spags", he has coached four top-ten defenses as a defensive coordinator in terms of yardage and has won four Super Bowls as defensive coordinator, one with the New York Giants and three with the Kansas City Chiefs, making him the only coordinator in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises. Some historic defenses that Spagnuolo has coached throughout his career include the 2007 New York Giants defense and the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs defense.

Todd Robert Bowles is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously was the head coach of the New York Jets from 2015 to 2018. Bowles has also been the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals and Buccaneers and the secondary coach for the Jets, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles. He played eight seasons in the NFL as a safety, primarily with the Washington Redskins, and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XXII.

Isaiah "Mike" Caldwell, Jr. is an American football coach who is the linebackers coach & run game coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2022 to 2023. After the entire Jacksonville defensive staff was fired in early 2024, he joined the Las Vegas Raiders as their linebackers coach and run game coordinator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Wilks</span> American football player and coach (born 1969)

Steven Bernard Wilks is an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). A defensive assistant for most of his career, he was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for the Carolina Panthers when they reached Super Bowl 50 and the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers when they reached Super Bowl LVIII. Wilks was also the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and the interim head coach of the Panthers in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyke Tolbert</span> American football player and coach (born 1967)

Tyke Tolbert is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). Tolbert previously served as wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants.

Brian Francisco Flores is an American professional football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career with the New England Patriots, where he served as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2018. Flores was New England's defensive playcaller during his final season coaching for the team, which concluded with a victory in Super Bowl LIII. Following the victory, he served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean McDermott</span> American football coach (born 1974)

Sean Michael McDermott is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, serving as defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2010, and was later the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers from 2011 to 2016. Following his six seasons with the Panthers, which included an appearance in Super Bowl 50, he was hired in 2017 as the Bills head coach.

Teryl Austin is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2014 to 2017 and the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018.

Ken Flajole is a retired American football coach. He was the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2009 to 2011. He won Super Bowl LII as the linebackers coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 as well as Super Bowl LVII in 2022 and Super Bowl LVIII in 2023 as the outside linebackers coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Graham (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Patrick Graham is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins as well as an inside linebackers coach for the Green Bay Packers and assistant coach for the New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Fangio</span> American football coach

Victor Mick Fangio is an American football coach who serves as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Fangio also recently served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. A 41-year coaching veteran with 33 seasons of NFL experience, Fangio was a defensive coordinator for 20 of the last 24 seasons at the NFL or college level before becoming the Broncos' head coach. He served as the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator after leading the defenses for the San Francisco 49ers, Stanford University, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Martindale</span> American football coach (born 1963)

Don "Wink" Martindale is an American football coach. He is the defensive coordinator for the University of Michigan, a position he has held since 2024. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens from 2018 to 2023.

Bobby Babich is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison and previously served as a coach with the Kent State Golden Flashes, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and FIU Panthers.

John Egorugwu is an American football inside linebackers coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Egorugwu most recently served as the Linebackers coach at Vanderbilt in 2021. He has spent time coaching with other National Football League teams including the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.

References

  1. ↑ Somers, Kent (July 31, 2018). "Cardinals defensive coordinator Al Holcomb is anonymous, for now". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ "An even higher education ** Lafayette assistant football coach Al Holcomb spends four days in NY Jets camp". The Morning Call . August 21, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Heffner Moves On to Big Ten at Northwestern University; Holcomb Accepts Job With N.Y. Giants". Lafayette College Athletics. February 9, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Al Holcomb". Panthers.com . Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  5. ↑ Garafolo, Mike (February 9, 2009). "New York Giants fill out coaching staff with new defensive assistant". NJ.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  6. ↑ Garafolo, Mike (February 4, 2012). "Super Bowl: Giants assistant Al Holcomb and his family have sacrificed to chase a dream". NJ.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  7. ↑ Vrentas, Jenny (January 26, 2013). "Panthers hire Giants assistant Al Holcomb as linebackers coach". NJ.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  8. ↑ Hornsby, Neil (January 20, 2016). "Pro Football Focus' 2015 NFL Positional Coaches of the Year". PFF. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Super Bowl 50 – Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers – February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Cardinals hire McCoy as offensive coordinator, Holcomb as DC". USA TODAY. January 26, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  11. ↑ Dajani, Jordan (December 31, 2018). "Cardinals fire offensive and defensive coordinators". 247Sports. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  12. ↑ Cabot, Mary Kay (January 16, 2019). "Browns hire Al Holcomb as LB coach/defensive run game coordinator". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Panthers announce 2020 coaching hires". Panthers.com. January 31, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Panthers add two to coaching staff, part ways with D-Line coach". Panthers.com. January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ Marrero, Nathaniel (February 9, 2023). "Bills Hire Coach Al Holcomb as Senior Defensive Assistant". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  16. ↑ White, Alec (February 2, 2024). "Bills name Al Holcomb as linebackers coach, Marcus West as defensive line coach". BuffaloBills.com . Retrieved September 16, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.