Special teams coach Craig Aukerman 3rd Rio era’s holdover at Jacksonville Jaguars – NFL News
A week after unveiling their new head coach, Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they have hired Craig Aukerman as their new assistant coach of special teams.
Aukerman has been signed for the new role as a holdover from the tenure of their former coach, Del Rio, who had been sacked by Jags’ owner, Wayne Weaver, on November 29, 2011, the day on which the former owner announced his intention of selling the franchise
to its present owner, Shahid Khan.
The Illinois-based Pakistan-born American businessman, Mr Khan, bought the club in a $770 million deal, which included $660 million price of the team and $110 million in debt.
Following the takeover of the club by the new owner, formally on January 04, 2012, Khan announced reshuffling at certain positions as part of the rebuilding process of the team, keeping next season in mind.
The hiring-firing has been the focus of the sweeping changes being introduced in the team management.
An inevitable shake-up in the Jaguars' line-up is expected to follow the drive.
As part of the recruitment process, the Jags have hired new fulltime coach, Mike Mularkey, from Atlanta Falcons' offensive department.
The side has taken on board as many as five new assistant staff to the coach since.
This included their former interim coach, Mel Tucker, who after serving the team in place of Rio for about three months has been restored to his defensive coaching duties.
Aukerman, the Jags said on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, has been handed over the assistant coaching duties in the special teams department. He has given a new contract as a holdover of the Rio era.
The new assistant staff is in his first year at Jacksonville, with about ten years experience of coaching on his profile.
Most of his coaching tenure is with college teams, and before taking over the new role with Jags, he served Denver Broncos as an assistant staff in 2010.
With the latest signee, the Jags now have as many as five assistant coaches under the umbrella of their head coach. They include Mel Tucker, the defensive assistant coach and offensive coach, Bob Bratkowski.
Bratkowski has recently been signed by the Jags from the Falcons. He served as an assistant to Mularkey at the Atlanta. He was a quarterbacks coach at the team.
Other coaches under Tucker are Mark Duffner, linebackers coach, and Joe Cullen as defensive line assistant staff. With Aukerman the latest signee, the Jags have retained as many as three coaches from the tenure of their former coach, Del Rio.
The Jaguars finished the 2011 National Football League (NFL) regular season with five wins and eleven losses on the league table.
Their defence, which ranks at the number six spot in the league ranking, was their only spotlight of the season.
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