Tag: Freddie Kitchens

Nov 3, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens looks on from the sidelines in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

UNC hires Freddie Kitchens as run game coordinator

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens joined North Carolina’s staff as the run game coordinator and tight ends coach on Tuesday.

Kitchens has 24 years of coaching experience, 16 of which came in the NFL. He was at the helm in Cleveland in 2019, producing a 6-10 record.

He has also held various roles with the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants in addition to serving as the Browns’ associate head coach, running backs coach and offensive coordinator prior to taking over as head coach.

“Freddie brings a wealth of experience as a head coach, a coordinator and a position coach,” Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown said in a statement. “We were really impressed with his resume and believe he will mesh nicely with the other members of the staff. Freddie has a great offensive mind and his experience will be invaluable both in the meeting rooms and on the field.

“We’re looking forward to getting (him) to Chapel Hill and can’t wait to see him work with our talented tight ends group.”

Kitchens will replace John Lilly, who joined the Carolina Panthers on Thursday as the team’s tight ends coach.

Kitchens, 48, most recently served as a senior football analyst at South Carolina during the 2022 season.

After one season (1999) as running backs coach and tight ends coach at Division II Glenville State, Kitchens was a graduate assistant for LSU in 2000 before spending three seasons as running backs coach at North Texas (2001-03). He then went to Mississippi State, where he was the tight ends coach in 2004 before reverting back to a running backs coach in 2005.

During his time as the tight ends coach with the Cardinals, Arizona went to Super Bowl XLIII, where it lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

–Field Level Media

New York Giants offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens in the first half. The Giants defeat the Eagles, 13-7, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in East Rutherford. Nyg Vs Phi

Reports: UNC hires Freddie Kitchens as TE coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens is joining North Carolina as tight ends coach, multiple outlets reported Monday.

He worked as a senior football analyst for South Carolina in the 2022 season, and he’ll be able to give Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown some insight about the Gamecocks. The two teams are set to open their 2023 seasons on Sept. 2 in Charlotte.

Kitchens spent 15 seasons in the NFL, beginning as tight ends coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. He coached tight ends for the Cardinals for the next six seasons, then spent five more seasons with Arizona in other coaching roles before joining the Browns in 2018, being elevated to offensive coordinator that season.

The Browns named him head coach in 2019 and fired him at the end of a 6-10 season.

He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the New York Giants.

At North Carolina, Kitchens will replace John Lilly, who was named the tight ends coach with the Carolina Panthers.

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett on the sidelines during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Giants fire offensive coordinator Jason Garrett

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The New York Giants on Tuesday fired Jason Garrett midway through his second season as the team’s offensive coordinator.

The move comes one day after the Giants (3-7) struggled on offense during their 30-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Giants are expected to turn the play-calling responsibilities to Freddie Kitchens, the team’s senior offensive assistant and the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

New York’s 18.9 points per game this season rank 25th in the NFL, while its 322.8 total yards per game are 23rd in the league.

The Giants have also seen quarterback Daniel Jones fail to progress in his development since he was selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones, 24, has thrown for 2,226 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games this season.

Giants coach Joe Judge was asked about the team’s ailing offense after Monday’s loss to the Buccaneers.

“We have got to do a better job scoring points — I know that sounds pretty obvious and to the point with it, but I’m going to keep it very blunt on that right there,” Judge said. “We have to do a better job of putting our players in a position to make plays. We have too many good players and we have to put them in a better position to capitalize, that’s it. We have to make sure we sit down as a coaching staff and understand how we have to play this game and give our players a chance to make plays.”

When asked if he had faith in Garrett on Monday, Judge offered the following:

“I have faith in all the people on our team: players, coaches, everything. But look, we’ll assess everything as a team and make any move we need to going forward.”

Garrett, 55, joined the Giants in 2020 after nine-plus seasons as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Garrett went 85-67 in the regular season with the Cowboys, but the squad reached the playoffs just three times. Dallas was 2-3 in those postseason games.

After an 8-8 campaign in 2019, the Cowboys moved on from Garrett, and he was replaced by former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy.

–Field Level Media