Getty Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan
The New York Giants have garnered headlines for their recent interview with former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett about the potential of him filling their offensive coordinator vacancy. Per Pro Football Network’s Benjamin Albright, “the interview went well and the situation is trending in an upward direction.” However, that hasn’t slowed down the G-Men from being precise on the hunt of filling out their coach staff.
New York is looking into adding a former head coach with a Super Bowl appearance under his belt, and yet another former head coach who most recently worked under Garrett in Dallas.
Bill Callahan Trending Towards Becoming Giants O-Line Coach
Per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, the Giants have continuously been linked with a coach who, just a season ago, was roaming the sidelines of their vaunted rivals, the Washington Redskins. Bill Callahan, who had served as the ‘Skins’ offensive line coach since 2015, and most recently as their interim head coach, is a “name that is increasingly mentioned in connection” with Big Blue.
Callahan would be a home run hire for the Giants, who have mended together one of the league’s worst offensive line groups in all of football in recent years. In fact, Pro Football Focus graded New York’s o-line as a whole worse in 2019 than years prior, despite the additions of Mike Remmers and Kevin Zeitler.
With that said, there are enough promising pieces up front for the Giants for a man of Callahan’s expertise to develop into prominent starters, most notably guard Will Hernandez.
Callahan’s Coaching Resume is Stellar
Callahan’s most notable season in the NFL came back in 2002 when he was elevated from the Oakland Raiders‘ offensive coordinator to the team’s head coach, replacing his former boss Jon Gruden.
Callahan led the team to an AFC title and a Super Bowl XXXVII berth. However, he would go on to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his predecessor Gruden in humiliating fashion, 48–21.
Callahan has not served as a full-time head coach in the NFL since his tenure in Oakland. He has, however, become one of the league’s most prominent offensive line coaches. From 2008-2011 he served as the New York Jets’ o-line coach, helping Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and Alan Faneca all reach multiple Pro Bowls. In 2009, under Callahan’s guidance, the Jets led the entire NFL in rushing yards per carry with 4.5 yards per attempt.
From there, Callahan would move on to work under Jason Garrett as the Dallas Cowboys‘ offensive line coach. With the help of Callahan, Dallas’ offensive line would quickly develop into the prominent unit we now know it to be, with Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Travis Frederick leading the way for arguably the best o-line in football.
Most recently, Callahan took his talents to Washington D.C., and after an 0-5 start to the 2019 season, Jay Gruden was fired as the team’s head coach and Callahan was elevated to the interim job. The ‘Skins rushed for 69 yards or fewer in four of their five games under Gruden this past season. With Callahan at the helm for the next 11 games, they would see their team’s rushing yards per game average jump to a respectable 112.6.
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