Mike DeBord
Last Role: Chicago Bears tight ends coach (2012)
The connection: DeBord, who was in town over the weekend, was the head coach at Central Michigan from 2000-2003 and retained Jones from the prior staff at CMU. Jones worked as a position coach and offensive coordinator under him. Jones mentioned him by name in his introductory press conference as an influence: “Obviously, there are a number of individuals who have really kind of helped define some of my principles. I’ve been very fortunate to work for a lot of very successful coaches – not just head coaches – but many assistant coaches who are now in the National Football League. I take a little bit from Rich Rodriguez. I take a little bit from Brian Kelly. I take a little bit from Mike DeBord, who was the head coach at Central Michigan and is now the tight ends coach with the Chicago Bears.”
Pros: There’s obviously a ton of respect and familiarity between DeBord and Jones with their extensive connections. DeBord has a plethora of coaching experience on almost all levels, including experience in the NFL, as a college head coach, a college coordinator and almost everything in between, and has been in charge of some offenses that have put up huge numbers, particularly on the ground.
Cons: He’s been out of the game since 2012, now works as a sports administrator at Michigan and hasn’t been a coordinator since 2007. Much of his background is in the more traditional pro-style world of football, somewhat of an extension of what Lloyd Carr did at Michigan. And while there certainly are pro-style elements to Jones’ offense, there also is a heavy spread/zone-read component. He’s older (58) and doesn’t have many ties to the South, but seeing the job that somebody like Steve Stripling has done, no assumptions should be made in that area.
