MIAMI DOLPHINS ANNOUNCE COACHING STAFF UPDATES
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January 25, 2016
MIAMI DOLPHINS ANNOUNCE COACHING STAFF UPDATES
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today announced several updates to the team’s coaching staff.
Additions to the offensive staff include Running Backs Coach Danny Barrett, Assistant Wide Receivers Coach Ben Johnson and Offensive Quality Control Chris Kuper.
On defense, the Dolphins coaching staff additions include Defensive Backs Coach Lou Anarumo, Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams, Assistant Linebackers Coach Charlie Bullen and Defensive Quality Control Rusty McKinney.
The special teams staff consists of Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Darren Rizzi and Assistant Special Teams Marwan Maalouf.
The organization has promoted Dave Puloka to Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and named Jim Arthur and Ted Rath as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coaches.
Additionally, Ken O’Keefe will be the team’s Senior Football Research Analyst and Blue Adams will serve as Football Research Analyst.
They join previously announced hires of Head Coach Adam Gase’s coaching staff that include Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen, Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph, Quarterbacks Coach Bo Hardegree, Wide Receivers Coach Shawn Jefferson, Tight Ends Coach Shane Day, Offensive Line Coach Chris Foerster, Linebackers Coach Matt Burke and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Jeremiah Washburn.
“I am excited about this group of talented and experienced coaches,” said Gase. “I have high regard for their collective experience, knowledge and passion for the game. We will tirelessly work together to build schemes around our players’ strengths and are looking forward to getting to work and preparing for the upcoming offseason program.”
Adams enters his fifth season with the Dolphins after serving as assistant defensive backs coach from 2012-15. He helped mentor two Pro Bowl selections in 2015 (safety Reshad Jones and cornerback Brent Grimes), the first time Miami had at least two defensive backs selected to the Pro Bowl since 2003. Grimes is tied for fourth in the NFL in both interceptions (13) and passes defensed (43) since joining the Dolphins in 2013, working with Adams in all three of his seasons with Miami.
Anarumo returns to the Dolphins for his fifth season as defensive backs coach. He also served as Miami’s defensive coordinator midway through the 2015 season. In his first game as defensive coordinator, the defense registered six sacks, forced four turnovers and allowed just 10 points to the Tennessee Titans (Oct. 18, 2015). He previously spent eight seasons as the defensive backs coach at Purdue (2004-11).
Arthur joins the Dolphins as an assistant strength and conditioning coach after spending the past 11 years with the Chicago Bears where he was the team’s strength and conditioning coach (2008-14) and assistant strength and conditioning coach (2005-07, 2015). During his tenure with Chicago, the Bears won the NFC in 2006 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2010.
Barrett joins the Dolphins after finishing last year as the interim head coach at Central Florida. He also served as the team’s quarterbacks coach (2015) and spent four years as UCF’s running backs coach (2011-14). Barrett coached three all-conference running backs – William Stanbeck, Storm Johnson and Latavius Murray – and two draft picks – Johnson and Murray. Barrett spent seven seasons (2000-06) as the head coach of the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and helped the team reach the playoffs in five straight seasons (2002-06).
Bullen returns for his fifth season with the Dolphins and first as assistant linebackers coach. He spent the past three seasons (2013-15) as the team’s assistant defensive line coach and began his Dolphins tenure as the team’s defensive assistant (2012). In his four years of work with the defensive line, Miami ranked in the top half of the league in sacks (154). Bullen came to Miami from Iowa, where he was a student assistant (2007-08) and graduate assistant (2009-11).
Johnson is in his fifth season with the Dolphins and first as assistant wide receivers coach. He previously served as an assistant quarterbacks coach (2013-15) and offensive assistant (2012). Johnson was appointed tight ends coach for the final 12 games of the 2015 season. He came to Miami from Boston College, where he was a graduate assistant (2009-10) and tight ends coach (2011).
Kuper was a Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos and played in 90 career games (2006-13), making 79 starts. He was picked as one of the team’s co-captains three times from 2010-12 and was selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl.
Maalouf returns to Miami for his fourth season as assistant special teams coach. Working with Rizzi, Maalouf helped the Dolphins set a franchise record with three blocked punts in the 2014 season. The unit also blocked two field goals, giving the team five blocked kicks for the year, the most since 1977. In 2015, rookie punter Matt Darr averaged 47.6 yards per punt, the fourth-best mark in team annals. Maalouf was the special teams coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012.
McKinney enters his first season with the Dolphins after spending the past two seasons (2014-15) on the Cleveland Browns staff, where he served as a coaching intern (2014-15). He joined the Browns from Bentley University, where he was the defensive coordinator (2013) and also oversaw linebackers and strength and conditioning. McKinney played at Towson, where he earned All-Patriot League honors in 2000 and 2001 and was named a team captain and team MVP as a senior.
O’Keefe returns to Miami for his fifth season after spending the past four years as the team’s wide receivers coach (2012-15) and senior offensive assistant (2015). Under his guidance, Jarvis Landry totaled 194 receptions from 2014-15, the most receptions in league history by a player in his first two NFL seasons. O’Keefe previously served as the offensive coordinator for the University of Iowa from 1999-2011.
Puloka has been promoted to head strength and conditioning coach after spending the past eight seasons as the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach. He will oversee players’ weight training and the team’s offseason conditioning plan. Puloka came to Miami from the Atlanta Falcons, where he was the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2007.
Rath comes to Miami from the Detroit Lions, where he served as a strength and conditioning assistant for the past seven seasons (2009-15). In Detroit, Rath worked with Coordinator of Physical Development Jason Arapoff to start the annual Detroit Lions Strength and Conditioning Clinic in 2011. The event is a forum for providing, sharing and exchanging information in the ever-changing world of strength and conditioning.
Rizzi will return for his eighth season and fifth as special teams coordinator. He has developed a Pro Bowler at three specialist positions (long snapper John Denney, punter Brandon Fields and kicker Dan Carpenter) during his tenure. In 2015, rookie punter Matt Darr posted the fourth-best single-season punting average (47.6) in team history. Rizzi came to Miami in 2009 after he spent one season as the head coach at Rhode Island (2008).
Williams returns to Miami for his second season as defensive line coach. In his first year with the Dolphins, his unit helped the team rank second in run stuffs (65) and lead the NFL with 157 rushing yards lost on negative plays. He spent three seasons as the defensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders (2012-14) and helped the Raiders finish eighth in the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed per play (3.97) in 2014.
