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| Posted on Saturday, January 10 @ 00:00:49 PST |
These North Jersey natives emerge as NFL head coaching candidates
Art Stapleton
Have you heard the one about the three Jersey boys who jump into the NFL head coaching cycle together?
New Jersey natives Darren Rizzi, Jeff Hafley and Anthony Campanile have emerged as candidates across the league, and they also have something in common: all three Bergen County coaches are with teams that enter the NFL playoffs with dreams of winning a Super Bowl.
Rizzi is the special teams coordinator of the Denver Broncos, the top seed in the AFC. His team has a bye and will begin its chase for a spot in Super Bowl 60 the following weekend at home.
Hafley is the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, who open their pursuit on Saturday night on the road against the rival Chicago Bears. The two NFC North rivals split their regular season series.
And Campanile is the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will play host to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
Here is a look at their profiles and potential candidacies:
Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi
Rizzi, 55, will interview for the Giants head coaching vacancy Saturday, and itll be a virtual session due to NFL restrictions placed upon coaches whose current teams are still in the postseason.
The Hillsdale native was inducted into the Bergen Catholic Hall of Fame in 2013. He finished his high school career with the Crusaders with 69 receptions, establishing a school record that stood for 22 years.
Rizzi worked with Giants general manager Joe Schoen for eight years when the two were with the Dolphins in Miami. He has been an interim head coach for the Dolphins and the Saints, and wound up following Sean Payton to Denver last season.
Its about time someone recognizes how good Darren Rizzi is, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor said when Rizzi was interviewed for the Dolphins head coaching job in 2019. Taylor played under Rizzi with the Dolphins. Glad to see hes getting a look. Played for him and have known him for years. Great coach, leader, pro and teacher. Demands accountability and respect.
Rizzi joined the Dolphins with four years of experience as a college head coach, including the 2008 season at the University of Rhode Island. Prior to taking over the program at URI, Rizzi was a top assistant on Greg Schianos staff at Rutgers for the previous six seasons (2002-07).
Before his stint at Rutgers, Rizzi was the head coach at the University of New Haven, where he guided the Chargers to a three-year record of 15-14 from 1999-2001.
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley
Hafley, 46, had been prominently mentioned for months as one of those to watch as the Giants coaching search unfolded. The franchise has strong ties to Boston College, where Hafley served as head coach from 2020-23, and his coaching resume includes stops in college (WPI, Albany, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Ohio State and Boston College) and the NFL (Buccaneers, 49ers, Browns and Packers) where he worked with some of the brightest and best minds in the game.
With the Packers playing their playoff opener Saturday night and Hafley unable to interview until Tuesday at the earliest, the Giants have not put in an interview request as of yet. That could come this weekend, although given John Harbaughs presence and anticipated interview next week, the plan remains uncertain.
In an interesting turn of events, the Dolphins hired Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan as their GM, and its believed that Hafley will be in strong consideration in Miami.
With the Cleveland Browns, Hafley worked with Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDaniel, Aaron Glenn and Kevin O’Connell. With the 49ers, he worked under Shanahan and with Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans. All have become head coaches in the NFL, with Shanahan and OConnell among the most respected.
Hafleys defense in Green Bay has been praised for its discipline, sound tackling and ability to find the football. The Montvale native has matched wits with some of the leagues best offensive minds - the Bears Ben Johnson and the Broncos Sean Payton, most notably - and hell go head-to-head with Johnson again.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile
Campanile, 43, is thriving as DC in Jacksonville with head coach Liam Coen, whose gamble on the coach and not necessarily the resume stacked with experience has paid off. His time working with Brian Flores and Vic Fangio in Miami with the Dolphins, Greg Schiano at Rutgers and Jim Harbaugh at Michigan has provided valuable intel from respected coaches at the college and pro levels. He has built a defense in Jacksonville that is a blend of Flores and Fangio - two aggressive styles. Theres no questioning Campaniles distinct in-your-face personality that screams North Jersey, where he was born and raised in Fair Lawn.
Campaniles football life played out on the fields of Bergen County as part of what stands as one of the states most decorated high school gridiron legacies. His father, Mike, was the iconic coach of Paramus Catholic, while his four sons have followed in his footsteps.
Anthony coached at Rutgers, where he played, before working at Don Bosco prior to stops at Boston College and Michigan with Jim Harbaugh.
His brother, Nunzio, coached with Anthony at Don Bosco and led Bergen Catholic to a State title; hes now the offensive coordinator at UConn. Vito, his older brother, is the head coach of State champion Bergen Catholic, which won four straight titles under his leadership. Youngest brother Nick won a State championship as the coach of DePaul.
Campanile has spent the past six seasons as an NFL assistant coach, first with the Miami Dolphins as linebackers coach (2020-23) and then with the Packers as the linebackers coach and running game coordinator for Hafleys defense before jumping to the Jaguars as a coordinator for the first time.
The Jaguars are one of the best stories in the NFL playoffs due to a surprising resurgence under Coen with Campanile by his side. The Jaguars led the league in run defense (85.6 yards per game) and were only third team since 2000 to not allow an opposing rusher to reach 75 yards in a single game.
Like Hafley, Campanile appears on track to get an interview with the Dolphins. He has familiarity with their new GM from his one season in Green Bay, and others should be coming, especially if the Jaguars defense plays well against Josh Allen and the Bills on Sunday.
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