January 11th, 2011, 8:01 pm · Post a Comment · posted by sreed
San Diego tight ends/assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski is the leading candidate to become the Carolina Panthers next offensive coordinator, according to a source close to the situation.
If they hire Chudzinski you can bet the Panthers will be looking to upgrade at tight end with an Antonio Gates-type of player. His background is working with great tight ends like Gates at San Diego and Jeremy Shockey and Bubba Franks at the University of Miami.
Chudzinski, 42, was a three-year starter at Miami and helped the Hurricanes win the 1987 and ’89 national championships. He returned to coach in 1994 and spent 10 years there. At first he was the tight ends coach working alongside Franks, Shockey and Kellen Winslow II. He later was promoted to offensive coordinator from 2001-03 helping the Hurricanes win another national title.
He jumped to the NFL in 2004, coaching the Browns’ tight ends. After one year he moved to San Diego, where he helped develop Gates into the league’s top tight end. He was named the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2007, and that year the Browns finishe eighth overall in points scored and went 10-6.
However, the Browns fell to 30th in points and 31st in yards in 2008, and Chudzinski and the rest of the Browns’ coaching staff was fired. He took a step back, returning to San Diego the past two seasons to coach the Chargers’ tight ends.
Chudzinski’s contract with the Chargers is up after the completion of the NFL season.
He is reportedly interviewing for the same job in Miami.
Indianapolis Colts wide receivers coach Ron Turner could be a fallback option for the Panthers as offensive coordinator, but Chudzinski clearly is the leading candidate at this point.
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