In January, the NFL announced that the 97th East-West Shrine Bowl, featuring some of college football’s best prospects, will kick-off on Thursday, February 3, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The game will air at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on the NFL Network.
“The East-West Shrine Bowl provides current NFL coaches the opportunity for development, evaluation, and exposure,” said Troy Vincent, executive vice president of NFL Football Operations.
“The venue affords coaches experience in roles that are beyond their current coaching responsibilities. We look forward to two talented coaches in our pipeline, Coach Marcus Brady and Coach D’Anton Lynn, stepping into head coaching roles for the game and developing and displaying their leadership skills during the week.”
According to the NFL, some of football’s greatest players and coaches have contributed to the tradition of the East-West Shrine Bowl, the nation’s first college all-star football game for over 90 years.
In addition to the game’s tradition, the group also announced their head coaches for the Bowl, coach D’Anton Lynn of the Baltimore Ravens and coach Marcus Brady of the Indianapolis Colts.
“D’Anton Lynn is one of the best young coaches in the NFL, and we’re excited to allow him the chance to use his eight years of NFL coaching experience and mentorship from the great coaches he’s worked with in his career to be a head coach,” said East-West Shrine Bowl Director of Football Operations, Player Personnel, Eric Galko.
“His ability to work with and help develop star players like Stephon Gilmore, Tyran Mathieu and Marlon Humphrey and his approach to managing information of all kinds into his coaching style is what will make him a successful head coach at the 2022 Shrine Bowl and potentially a head coach in the NFL someday soon.”
Lynn, an eight-year coaching veteran, will serve as the head coach of the East team, after completing his first season as defensive backs coach of the Ravens. He spent the prior three seasons with the Houston Texans, serving as the team’s secondary coach (2020) and assistant secondary coach (2018-19).
During Lynn’s tenure as Houston’s assistant secondary coach, the team won two consecutive AFC South titles. As an assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017, Lynn served under his father, Anthony, working primarily with the linebackers group. He also coached with his father as a defensive assistant with Buffalo (2015-16) and as a seasonal coaching intern with the New York Jets (2014). Prior to his NFL coaching career, Lynn was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2012 before joining the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League in 2013.
The East coaching staff will also include offensive coordinator Travelle Wharton (Washington Asst. OL coach), defensive coordinator Drew Wilkins (Baltimore OLB coach), special teams coach Ed Foley (Carolina Asst. special teams coach), and QB coach Kerry Joseph (Seattle Asst. WR coach).
Other coaching staff members will be RB coach Ryan Cordell (Cleveland offensive assistant/RB coach), WR coach Alonso Escalante (Carolina coaching assistant/RB coach), TE coach Brad Idzik (Seattle offensive QC/QB coach), and OL coach Andrew Dees (Indianapolis Asst. OL coach/Fellowship).
Also coaching will be DL coach Lanier Goethie (Atlanta defensive assistant), LB coach Zach Orr (Jacksonville OLB coach), DB coach James Rowe (Indianapolis CB coach), and strength and conditioning coaches A.J. Neibel (Las Vegas head strength and conditioning coach) and Deuce Gruden (Las Vegas strength and conditioning assistant).
Brady, who will coach the West team, just completed his fourth season with the Colts and first as their offensive coordinator. He previously served as QB coach (2019-20) and Asst. QB coach (2018). Brady has helped Indianapolis reach the playoffs in two of the last four seasons (2018 and 2020).
In 2020, Brady was part of a Colts offense that ranked in the top-10 in the league in points per game (28.2, ninth), rushes of 10-plus yards (64, sixth), and first downs per game (22.8, tied-10th). He worked with quarterback Philip Rivers, who completed 369-of-543 passes for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a 97.0 passer rating).
“Marcus Brady is a rising star as an offensive coach after being a part and in 2021 being the offensive coordinator for a top-10 offense in the NFL in Indianapolis,” Galko continued. “Marcus coached as an offensive coordinator in the 2020 Shrine Bowl, and we’re excited to welcome him back in an even elevated role as the West team head coach. He’s worked with some of the best QBs and skill players in the NFL in his coaching career, as well as played at a high level himself, and we’re thankful to give Marcus his first chance to be a head coach.”
The West coaching staff will also include offensive coordinator Klayton Adams (Indianapolis TE coach), defensive coordinator Jeff Howard (Cleveland defensive pass game coordinator), special teams coach Ben Jacobs (Washington Asst. special teams coach), and QB coach Jerrod Johnson (Indianapolis offensive QC).
Coaching for the West as well will be RB coach Jennifer King (Washington Asst. RB coach), WR coach Ashton Grant (Cleveland offensive QC/WR coach), TE coach Todd Washington (Jacksonville Asst. OL coach), and OL coach Scott Peters (Cleveland Asst. OL coach).
DL coach Jeff Zgonina (Washington Asst. DL coach), LB coach Anthony Blevins (New York Giants Asst. LB/SPT Asst. coach), DB coach Nick Perry (Atlanta Asst. DB coach), and strength and conditioning coach D’Anthony Batiste (Las Vegas strength and conditioning assistant coach) round out the West coaching staff.
Additionally, this year’s game will include Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellows and HBCU Development group.
Coaches nominated by NFL clubs must be active assistant coaches who display extraordinary teaching and communication skills, and are recognized for their integrity and commitment to excellence in the coaching profession. The coaches must be accomplished at developing and preparing players to compete in the NFL.
The NFL will also provide game officials for the contest.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
