11 Best young coaches in the NFL
By Robert Judin
6. Darrell Bevel – Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator (45-years-old)
Surprise! Another Seattle Seahawks related name cracked the list. Although, this time we’re not focusing on the defensive impact the Seahawks have made.
Darrell Bevel got his start in the NFL coaching business in 2000 with the Green Bay Packers as an offensive assistant, and he had the added benefit of working with a guy named Brett Favre and some pretty decent offensive weapons.
Surely, Bevel couldn’t have been the brains behind that operation.
Well, then Bevel moved on from Green Bay and joined divisional rival Minnesota as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2006. It was a rough year for Bevel dealing with Brad Johnson at quarterback instead of Daunte Culpepper, but in the following season Bevel had the Vikings’ offense in the top half of the league in both yards and points – with Tavaris Jackson at quarterback.
However, Bevel had Adrian Peterson to work with, so he can’t be that good, right?
Well, let’s skip ahead to Bevel’s current stomping grounds in Seattle. In his second season with the Seahawks, Bevel catapulted the team to No. 9 in points per game with 25.8.
The key here, though, has been the development of Russell Wilson. Bevel was able to relate to Wilson and communicate with him as a former Wisconsin quarterback himself. The Seahawks “reached” on Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft – not much of a reach now – but at the time Wilson didn’t project as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Of course, as always, Bevel hasn’t gotten the credit. But if you think Wilson would have exploded onto the scene in the same fashion he did under Bevel’s tutelage, you’re living in a fantasy world. With the NFC West having three other deadly defensive units, how else could a young quarterback survive without someone like Bevel in Wilson’s corner?
Bevel definitely played a big role in the process and could possibly be coaching against Wilson some day soon.
Next: 6. Josh McDaniels