Asked if he would have stayed in Green Bay, Campen replied, “Not with the offer that I had (from Cleveland).” Of course, because Campen was under contract for the 2019 season, he wouldn’t have gotten that offer from new Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens if the Packers had not told him he wasn’t being retained. “The chance to advance (as an associate head coach) would have been very difficult to turn down, and I would not have done that,” Campen said. “Now, you don’t know those things until someone’s allowed you to go out and seek another (job) or get an interview or what have you. … And I really connected with Freddie Kitchens, big-time.” Campen said he spent four hours with LaFleur last week before departing for Cleveland, though, and came away impressed with him “Matt LaFleur, the way he’s handling himself over there and trying to do things the right way with being a first-year guy, he’s doing a really good job,” Campen said. “He’s been up-front and honest, he communicates very well with all the shuffling around and people coming in and out. I’m very impressed with his demeanor.<doc-sep>“I knew Doug had thought about it,” Hackett said. “I guess the football gods had it out for me. We started off hot, had so many injuries, we were a completely different team. Guys busted their butts, but you can only do so much. I wish I could’ve figured something out.” Extra points The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported LaFleur will interview Miami’s Darren Rizzi for the special teams coordinator position that came open when the Packers fired veteran coach Ron Zook. Rizzi is being allowed to interview with other teams even though the Dolphins would like to keep him because Miami is set to hire New England Patriots defensive play-caller Brian Flores as head coach. The Dolphins can’t make that move official — and cannot officially hire assistants — until the Patriots are eliminated from the playoffs or after they win the Super Bowl. … Packers inside linebackers coach/defensive run-game coordinator Patrick Graham is considered the leading candidate to be the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator under Flores, according to a league source. Graham and Flores worked together with the Patriots before Graham joined the Packers’ staff under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine before last season. … ESPN.com reported two assistant coaches who were hired by McCarthy will remain with the Packers: defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery and tight ends coach Brian Angelichio.<doc-sep>GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It took Matt LaFleur only a week to make two of his most important hires as the Packers' new head coach. The first one he made upon taking the job, when he retained defensive coordinator Mike Pettine from the previous Green Bay staff. The second one came Monday, when he wrapped up a deal with former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to hold the same position with the Packers. A source confirmed that Hackett and LaFleur had reached agreement, as NFL Network first reported. The only major coordinator position that remains open is special teams. LaFleur did not retain Ron Zook, who ran that unit under former head coach Mike McCarthy for the last four seasons. Multiple reports have tied the Packers to Dolphins special-teams coach Darren Rizzi, who is in limbo while Miami waits to introduce New England Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores as its new coach. Hackett has deep ties to the West Coast offense. He's the son of former University of Pittsburgh coach Paul Hackett, who gave McCarthy his start in coaching. The elder Hackett has ties to the early days of Bill Walsh's offense in San Francisco. LaFleur comes from the Mike Shanahan branch of the West Coast system. One source described the younger Hackett as "an outgoing personality who will complement LaFleur and work well with [quarterback Aaron] Rodgers." LaFleur said in his introductory press conference last Tuesday that he will call the offensive plays. McCarthy also called plays but relied heavily on his offensive coordinator to work closely with Rodgers. Hackett, like LaFleur, is 39 years old and has experience both in the NFL and college. Hackett is perhaps best known for getting the most out of the Jaguars' offense during their 2017 playoff run. They ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring with Blake Bortles at quarterback and had the NFL's top-ranked rushing offense on their way to the AFC Championship Game. But Hackett was fired in November by his longtime boss, head coach Doug Marrone (who also employed Hackett both with the Buffalo Bills and at Syracuse University), after the Jaguars' offense struggled to 21st in the NFL and 28th in points at the time of the move. Hackett was one of two offensive coordinator candidates LaFleur had eyed. The other was former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who interviewed for the Packers' head-coaching job. Monken was hired over the weekend as the Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator. LaFleur was unable to get permission to interview his younger brother, Mike, or fellow 49ers assistant coach Mike McDaniel for the job. Mike LaFleur serves as head coach Kyle Shanahan's passing game coordinator, while McDaniel is in charge of San Francisco's run game. In addition to Pettine, LaFleur also will retain defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery and tight ends coach Brian Angelichio from McCarthy's staff. It's unclear exactly what their titles will be. Zook isn't the only former Packers assistant who already is out. Receivers coach David Raih left for the same position with the Arizona Cardinals. The team also parted ways with defensive passing-game coordinator Joe Whitt. Longtime offensive line coach/run-game coordinator James Campen also was allowed to leave for the Browns, where he became associate head coach and will run the offensive line for new head coach Freddie Kitchens. No assistant coach in Packers history had more time with the team than Campen's 15 seasons, dating to 2004. Packers defensive run-game coordinator/linebackers coach Patrick Graham also might not return. A source said the Packers will allow him to join Flores' staff in Miami, potentially as the defensive coordinator. Meanwhile, former Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, who served as the interim head coach for the final four games this past season, has interviewed with at least three teams -- the Bills, Browns and Minnesota Vikings -- according to multiple league sources.<doc-sep>
The Green Bay Packers could be closing in on a new special teams coordinator. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, new coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers are meeting Tuesday with Miami Dolphins special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi in Green Bay, setting the stage for LaFleur to fill another important spot on his first coaching staff. The Packers have already retained Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator and hired Nathaniel Hackett to be the new offensive coordinator under LaFleur. Silverstein reports Rizzi has interest from six or more teams around the NFL but will visit LaFleur and the Packers first. A former head coach at New Haven and Rhode Island, Rizzi has been the Dolphins’ special teams coordinator since 2010. He was originally hired by Tony Sparano in 2009 and retained by both Joe Philbin and Adam Gase, a testament to his deeply respected ability to coach special teams. In 2017, Gase promoted Rizzi to associate head coach. The Dolphins interviewed Rizzi for the team’s head coach opening after firing Gase earlier this month but are expected to go with New England Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Under Rizzi’s command, the Dolphins have sent three special teams players to the Pro Bowl and have consistently ranked in the top half (or better) of Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings. Also, since 2011, the Dolphins are second in the NFL in blocked kicks with 20. This past season, Jakeem Grant returned a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown, kicker Jason Saunders missed only three kicks (two field goals, one extra point) and punter Matt Haack put 35 punts inside the 20-yard line. In 2017 alone, the Dolphins blocked three kicks, converted 91.3 percent of field goals, recovered four onside kicks and led the NFL in kickoff return coverage. The Packers were embarrassing for much of the season on special teams under Ron Zook, who was let go after LaFleur was hired. The team committed penalties and made game-changing errors and mistakes just about every week. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said this past year that the Dolphins’ special teams are “good at everything” and “do a good job” every week, according to Antwan Stanley of Dolphins Wire. Getting a coach with a long track record of coordinating top special teams group would be a major win for LaFleur, who needs to improve all three phases of the Packers’ operation in his first season on the job.