Special-teams guru likely to land with 49ers
Browns assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Brad Seely, a highly regarded assistant with 22 years of NFL experience, has reportedly left Cleveland, presumably to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff in San Francisco.
On Thursday afternoon, ESPN reported Seely was in discussions with the Niners. That was followed by a report from the Cleveland Plain Dealer stating Seely had left the Browns, apparently because he was headed to San Francisco.
If so, the 49ers have landed an assistant who earned a reputation for overseeing stellar special teams units during stints with the Colts (1989-93), Jets (1994), Panthers (1995-98), Patriots (1999-2008) and Browns, where he was hired in 2009. It is not known what Seely’s title would be in San Francisco.
During his tenure in New England, the Patriots led the NFL in kickoff-return average (23.5) and ranked eighth in punt-return average (9.9). New England also ranked second with 11 returns for touchdowns, including eight on kickoffs. Under Seely’s guidance, the Browns are one of four NFL teams to not allow a kickoff or punt return for a touchdown over the past two seasons. They also lead the NFL in kickoff-return coverage and rank fourth in punt-return coverage since 2009.
Seely, 54, the NFL’s Special Teams Coach of the Year in 1996, has coached eight Pro Bowl players, a list that includes return specialists Joshua Cribbs and Michael Bates and kickers Adam Vinatieri and John Kasay.
Seely has a history with several 49ers assistants. He coached with offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio from 1995-98 in Carolina. He also coached with secondary coach Ed Donatell at Pacific in 1983.
Kurt Schottenheimer was the Niners’ special teams coordinator this past season after spending the previous three seasons as Green Bay’s secondary coach. Schottenheimer’s status with the team has been uncertain since Harbaugh’s hiring.
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