Colts' 2023 Head Coach Candidate: Bubba Ventrone

The Indianapolis Colts need a new head coach for the 2023 season. Could a familiar face in Bubba Ventrone be the man for the job?

The Indianapolis Colts enter the 2023 NFL offseason in need of a new head coach. Former Head Coach Frank Reich did an admirable job in his 4.5 years with the team, leading the Colts to a 40-33-1 record despite having to work with a new starting quarterback every season.

Ultimately, it came time to move on from Reich as the team stagnated and hit a wall under the him in recent seasons. While the Colts may not be the greatest destination across the league, they should be able to generate a decent amount of interest for one of the 32 most coveted positions in the sport.

In this series, I will dive into a handful of the coaching candidates that the Colts could/should interview during their search and break down their background/qualifications for the job. Next up, is Indianapolis Colts' Special Teams Coach Bubba Ventrone.

Background in the Football

Bubba Ventrone began his football career as a safety at Villanova University. He was an All-Atlantic First Team safety in college that was, allegedly, often barred from making contact during practices to avoid injuring his teammates. Ventrone went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft and signed with the New England Patriots soon after.

In his first stint with the Patriots, Ventrone spent his rookie season on the practice squad. He was officially released from the team in 2007, and he opted to sign with the New York Jets. He struggled to find his footing there as well, as he was released from the team in September.

He returned to the Patriots in 2007 and was part of the team during their undefeated Super Bowl run. In fact, he made his first career tackle in that Super Bowl game against the New York Giants. He returned for the 2008 season and split time in training camp as a safety and as a wide receiver.

This duel position versatility helped him finally land a stable spot on a roster, as he appeared in 15 games for the Patriots during the 2008 season. He was, unfortunately, released prior to final cutdowns in 2009.

Following that release, Ventrone signed a three year deal with the Cleveland Browns in free agency. He was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate in 2010 and was a two-time Special Teams Captain for the Browns.

He made his final career stop with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, where he was named a Special Teams Captain for both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He finished his career with 64 tackles in 10 NFL seasons.

Coaching Qualifications

Ventrone is a fairly young NFL coach, as he got his foot in the door with the New England Patriots back in 2015. He worked under Head Coach Bill Belichick, who always respected the level of passion that Ventrone brought as a player.

Following a three year stint with the Patriots, Ventrone took the special teams coordinator job with the Indianapolis Colts under then-hired coach Josh McDaniels in 2018. Ventrone elected to stay on the staff when McDaniels ultimately backed out of the job, and he worked under Frank Reich for the past five seasons.

Under Ventrone, the Colts have had a top five special teams' unit in four of his five years with the team. He also quickly rose to fame when the Colts were featured on Hard Knocks, as he was shown to be a passionate coach with the tendency for calling big plays before they happened. 

Bubba Ventrone said there'd be punt block potential in the film room.

He was right, and let everyone know on the sideline 😂

Stream #HardKnocks with the @Colts on HBOMax! pic.twitter.com/G8vv2wRkd1

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2021

Potential Staff Connections

Ventrone has been around the NFL since 2005, so he has quite a few more connections compared to other candidates in this series. Still, here are a few that could make sense for him. The * marks coaches that he'd likely look to bring with him as coordinators.

Offensive Coordinator

Bill O'Brien, Alabama Crimson Tide Offensive Coordinator: Offensive assistant with the New England Patriots from 2007-2008. 

Chad O'Shea*, Cleveland Browns Passing Game Coordinator: WR coach for New England Patriots from 2009-2018.

Kevin Patullo*, Philadelphia Eagles Passing Game Coordinator: WR coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-2020.

Tom Manning, Cincinnati Bearcats Offensive Coordinator: TE coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2018.

Defensive Coordinator

Brian Flores*, Pittsburgh Steelers LB Coach: Coaching assistant with the New England Patriots in 2008.

Jerome Henderson, New York Giants DB Coach: DB Coach with the Cleveland Browns from 2009-2011.

Ejiro Evero*, Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator: Offensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013.

Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos Former Head Coach: Defensive coordinator with the San Francisco from 2013-2014.

The Bottom Line

Bubba Ventrone would be an interesting head coach hire, to say the least. He may not be the most experienced coach, or a guru on either side of the ball, but players love him and he has consistently produced results with the Colts' special teams units.

Ventrone isn't the best candidate in this cycle for the Colts, but he is easily the tp internal candidate that the team has.

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