MIAMI DOLPHINS ADD THREE ASSISTANTS TO COACHING STAFF
Download PDF version
January 20, 2016
MIAMI DOLPHINS ADD THREE ASSISTANTS TO COACHING STAFF
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today announced that Clyde Christensen has been named offensive coordinator, Bo Hardegree quarterbacks coach and Jeremiah Washburn assistant offensive line coach.
Christensen has been an offensive coach for more than 35 years, including 20 in the NFL, and brings three seasons of NFL offensive coordinator experience to the Dolphins. He spent the past 14 seasons (2002-15) with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was the offensive coordinator for two years (2010-11) and, most recently, the quarterbacks coach (2012-15).
At Indianapolis, Christensen worked closely with quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. In his four seasons as quarterbacks coach, the Colts went 41-23 (.641), advanced to the playoffs three times and won the AFC South twice. From 2012-14, Luck recorded the most passing yards (12,957), the second-most passing touchdowns (86) and tied for the second-most regular season victories (33) by any NFL quarterback in his first three seasons.
As offensive coordinator for the Colts (2010-11), Christensen helped Manning set an NFL record with 450 completions in 2010. Manning posted his 13th consecutive 25-plus touchdown season and 11th 4,000-plus yards passing season in 2010 and set then-career highs for completions (450), attempts (679) and yards (4,700). Those numbers were also single-season franchise records.
Christensen worked with the Colts’ wide receivers from 2002-09 and added assistant head coach responsibilities in 2008. The Colts had at least one wide out selected for the Pro Bowl in all eight seasons he worked with the unit. Wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne played the majority of their NFL careers with Christensen as their position coach and currently rank first and second in team history in nearly every career receiving category, including receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and 100-yard receiving games. Christensen also helped Indianapolis win Super Bowl XLI in February 2007.
Prior to Indianapolis, Christensen spent six seasons (1996-2001) on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff (1996-2001). He served as tight ends coach (1996-98), quarterbacks coach (1999-2000) and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2001, where he helped the Buccaneers reach the NFC playoffs after a 9-7 regular-season finish. Under Christensen in 2001, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson set the franchise record with 106 receptions and quarterback Brad Johnson set the club single-season mark with 340 completions.
Hardegree brings eight years of coaching experience to Miami and spent the 2015 season as an offensive assistant with the Chicago Bears, where he worked under current Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase, who was then the Bears’ offensive coordinator. In Hardegree’s lone season in Chicago, he helped the Bears’ rushing attack improve from No. 27 to No. 11 in the NFL as the unit averaged 25.6 more rushing yards per game. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler finished the 2015 season with the highest passer rating (92.3) of his career and threw seven fewer interceptions than the prior year. He also posted the best interception rate (2.3) of his career in a season where he played at least 12 games. Running back Jeremy Langford rushed for 537 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. His 537 rushing yards ranked seventh among NFL rookies and his six touchdowns were tied for fourth amongst rookie rushers.
In 2014, Hardegree was an offensive quality control coach for the Denver Broncos, also working with Gase. Hardegree helped the Broncos finish 12-4, earn an AFC West title and first-round bye in the playoffs. Denver ranked second in the NFL in scoring, averaging 30.1 points per contest. Quarterback Peyton Manning completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,727 yards and 39 touchdowns and set the NFL’s career passing touchdown record on Oct. 19, 2014 against San Francisco. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas recorded 1,619 receiving yards, breaking the team record for most receiving yards in a season. Thomas’ 111 receptions were a career high and ranked second in the NFL. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders also set career highs in both receptions (101) and receiving yards (1,404) and ranked fifth in the NFL in both categories. Running back C.J. Anderson, who entered the 2014 season with just seven career carries, rushed for 648 yards on 140 carries (4.6 avg.) and eight touchdowns over the final seven games of the regular season, helping the Broncos win five of their final seven contests. Anderson was the first Denver running back since 2004 to rush for 150 yards in back-to-back games.
Prior to Denver, Hardegree spent three years (2011-13) as an intern at Louisiana State, working with the offense in 2012-13 and the defense in 2011. During his three seasons, LSU went 33-7 overall, winning the SEC in 2011 and advancing to the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. In 2013, LSU ranked 23rd out of 124 FBS teams in scoring, averaging 35.8 points per game. Current Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry was the team’s leading receiver, hauling in 77 receptions for 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns. At LSU, Hardegree also coached New York Giants wide out Odell Beckham, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2014 Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Cincinnati Bengals’ RB Jeremy Hill, who rushed for 1,124 yards as a rookie in 2014.
Washburn spent the past seven years (2009-15) working with the offensive line for the Detroit Lions. He joined the Lions staff in 2009 as an assistant offensive line coach and was promoted to offensive line coach in 2013.
The 2014 Detroit Lions won 11 games, the most in a single season for the franchise since 1991. Washburn’s offensive line helped protect quarterback Matthew Stafford, who earned Pro Bowl honors by directing the No. 12 passing offense in the NFL (251.9 yards per game). The offensive line was forced to use seven different starting lineup combinations due to injuries and Washburn helped two rookie offensive linemen, tackle Cornelius Lucas and guard Travis Swanson, develop. Swanson started four games and was voted the team’s Rookie of the Year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.
In 2013, Washburn’s first year as the Lions’ offensive line coach, he helped a unit that returned just two starters rank second in the league in fewest sacks allowed (23). Detroit also finished second in sacks per pass play (3.5 percent) and tied for first in percentage of negative offensive plays (6.9 percent). The unit allowed zero or one sacks in 11 games and allowed two or fewer sacks in 14 games. On Nov. 28, 2013, the Lions rushed for 241 yards against Green Bay, the club’s most in a single game since Oct. 12, 1997.
Prior to Detroit, Washburn worked six seasons (2003-08) with the Baltimore Ravens in personnel and scouting. He spent two years as a player personnel assistant (2003-04) and four as an area scout (2005-08), where he was responsible for scouting the southwest area. As a player personnel assistant, he assisted in pro scouting, including some advance scouting of opponents, unrestricted free agents, NFL Europe and other free agents. He also assisted the college scouting director in preparation for the NFL draft.
