The Indianapolis Colts added to their coaching staff Thursday morning, and among the hires included Howard Mudd, who is far from an unknown name to fans in Indy.
Mudd has a long history of coaching in the NFL to go along with an immense amount of success throughout the decades he’s been coaching offensive lines in the league.
Though Colts fans likely know a good bit about Mudd, here are four things to know:
Previous tenure with the Colts
Mudd is a household name in Indy as the legendary offensive line coach served the role for the Colts for 12 years from 1998-2009. During that time, he coached and mentored a consistently dominant offensive line.
Mudd worked with Peyton Manning for the first half of the latter’s career while serving under the staffs of Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell. His time with the Colts also overlapped a bit with current head coach Frank Reich.
The Colts offensive line had an incredible turnaround in 2018 and with the unit still intact for the upcoming campaign, the expectation is Mudd can truly make this group elite.
Role with the Colts
While the Colts already hired their offensive line coach in Chris Strausser, bringing in Mudd will help the unit greatly. His official role is listed as a senior offensive assistant.
This means he can likely work with various groups, but his expertise is with the offensive line. While Strausser is likely to be working on developing technique and fundamentals across the young offensive line, Mudd should be able to motivate the unit and help them maximize their weekly output.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Mudd also worked with the tight end group in terms of their run blocking, especially with how much Reich likes to use 12 and 13 personnel.
Full coaching history
Mudd has been coaching in the NFL for a really long time. He got his first stint in 1974 with the San Diego Chargers and went steady through the 2009 season. The only job he’s held has been as an offensive line coach.
Buckle in, because its a long list. But here’s his full coaching history, per Pro Football History:
- San Diego Chargers (1974-76)
- San Francisco 49ers (1977)
- Seattle Seahawks (1978-82)
- Cleveland Browns (1983-88)
- Kansas City Chiefs (1989-92)
- Seattle Seahawks (1993-97)
- Indianapolis Colts (1998-2009)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2011-12)
Success is expected with Mudd
Though he won’t have full reign over the offensive line, Mudd has had immense success working with the front five. Simply look at his time with the Colts, and it shows he knows how to protect a quarterback.
Some even believe Mudd will be able to make such an impact that the Colts will have the best all-around unit in the NFL.
