The coaching staffs of the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars will lead the North and South squads in this year's Senior Bowl, it was announced Thursday. It is the third time that the Falcons have been selected to coach in the game and the second time for the Jaguars. Both teams finished with 4-12 records this season.
Senior Bowl 2014: Falcons, Jaguars selected to coach game
Mike Smith and Gus Bradley will be coaching the Senior Bowl squads on Jan. 25 in Mobile.
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
The Jaguars staff is led by first-year head coach Gus Bradley, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch and defensive coordinator Bob Babich. Bradley had spent the previous four seasons as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks and helped Jacksonville improve by two wins over its 2012 record. The Jags improved as the season wore on, going 4-4 in the second half of the year.
It was a more disappointing season for Mike Smith and the Falcons. After nearly reaching the Super Bowl last season, Atlanta lost nine more games in 2013 than it had the year before. Smith had reached the playoffs in four of his first five seasons with the Falcons, and this was his first losing season as a head coach. The team gave defensive coordinator Mike Nolan a contract extension, despite finishing 27th in total defense. The offensive coordinator is Dirk Koetter.
Smith was the defensive coordinator for Jacksonville from 2003 to 2007.
The 2014 Reese's Senior Bowl takes place on Jan. 25 in Mobile, Ala., and will be televised on the NFL Network at 4 p.m. ET.
Bradley coached at the Senior Bowl in 2006 as an assistant to Jon Gruden in Tampa, while Smith has never been a coach at the game in any capacity during his 15 years in the NFL.
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