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Chris Harris is in his 18th NFL season, his 10th season in coaching and his first season with the Titans in 2023. He arrived in Tennessee after spending three seasons (2020-22) as the defensive backs coach for the Washington Commanders.
From 2020 to 2022, Washington ranked eighth in the NFL in passing defense (213.1 yards allowed per game) and fourth in total defense (323.4 yards per game). During that time, cornerback Kendall Fuller totaled 40 passes defensed, which ranked eighth in the NFL among all players.
The Commanders ended the 2022 season in the top 10 in a number of categories, including total defense (third), passing yards allowed (fourth), points allowed (seventh), third-down defense (first) and red-zone defense (eighth).
In 2020, Harris contributed to a defense that allowed 3,068 net passing yards, the organization's best finish since 2004. He helped cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Fuller become the first two Washington teammates to both record 11 or more passes defensed in a season since Josh Norman and Bashaud Breeland both did so in 2016 and assisted Fuller in notching four interceptions, tied for the seventh-best total in 2020.
Harris joined Washington after serving as the Los Angeles Chargers assistant secondary coach from 2016-19. In 2019, the Chargers finished sixth in the league in overall defense, surrendering 313.1 yards per game. The group also ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards per game (200.3).
Harris began his coaching career as a defensive quality control coach with the Chicago Bears in 2013 and 2014, working primarily with the team's safeties.
An eight-year NFL pro, Harris was a sixth-round pick of the Chicago Bears (181st overall) in 2005. He played four seasons with the Bears over two separate stints (2005-06 and 2010-11) and also spent time with the Carolina Panthers (2007-09), Detroit Lions (2011) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2012). In 101 career NFL games (88 starts), he totaled 422 tackles, 16 interceptions, 13 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and 37 passes defensed. In 2005, he was one of the Bears' Brian Piccolo Award winners as a rookie, and in 2010, he was named second team All-Pro by the Associated Press. His eight forced fumbles for the Panthers in 2007 set a franchise record.
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Harris played collegiately at Louisiana-Monroe (2001-04). He started all 45 games he played, totaling 14 interceptions as a safety. As a senior, he registered seven interceptions and was named first-team All-Sun Belt.
Harris graduated from the University of Louisiana-Monroe in 2004 with a degree in general studies.
He and his wife, Kenetria, have four children: sons Jayce, Jaxon and Jett, and daughter Skylar.
Chris Harris' Coaching Timeline:
2023: Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks, Tennessee Titans
2020-22: Defensive Backs, Washington Commanders
2016-19: Assistant Defensive Backs, Los Angeles Chargers
2013-14: Defensive Quality Control, Chicago Bears
Every great coach was better when they were younger.
Palmy - "Very few have the ability to truly excel regardless of system. For many the system is the difference between being just a guy or an NFL starter. Fact is, everyone is talented at this level."
Every great coach was better when they were younger.
That statement seems straightforwardly false. LaFleur is better now than at any previous point. Shanahan also seems to be at his professional peak. Andy Reid has been better as head coach in KC than Philly.
“Most other nations don't allow a terrorist to be their leader.”
“... Yet so many allow their leaders to be terrorists.”—Magneto
Every great coach was better when they were younger.
That statement seems straightforwardly false. LaFleur is better now than at any previous point. Shanahan also seems to be at his professional peak. Andy Reid has been better as head coach in KC than Philly.
And time will ALWAYS win, they will always get worse. Catch em on their upswing!
Palmy - "Very few have the ability to truly excel regardless of system. For many the system is the difference between being just a guy or an NFL starter. Fact is, everyone is talented at this level."
I've just did a deep dive on Anthony Weaver and my god he is so incredibly connected to LaFleur and his coaching circles.
Anthony Weaver was at Houston in his final season as a player when LaFleur, Shanahan, McDaniel and Saleh was on staff. Eventually he coached with Pettine and Hackett at the Bills, and again with Pettine, Shanahan, McDaniel at the Browns.
He already knows Vrable, Rebrovich and Downard on our staff.
He got 3-4 defence knowledge. He got knowledge of the current Baltimore defensive schemes and he has experienced Shanahan offensive schemes in training both as a coach and player.
Woah. Guaranteed he's at the very top of LaFleur's defensive coordinator list (and Miami's I bet)
It's about timing, first Baltimore needs to lose. secondly he needs to fall short of landing the Washington HC job then we have a real shot of getting him.
But if Baltimore loses, Seattle can interview McDonald for HC and if he gets it, that opens up the Ravens DC gig so Weaver will have three teams vying for his services, Baltimore, Miami and Green Bay.
Last edited by Chilli on 26 Jan 2024 21:10, edited 1 time in total.
Every great coach was better when they were younger.
That statement seems straightforwardly false. LaFleur is better now than at any previous point. Shanahan also seems to be at his professional peak. Andy Reid has been better as head coach in KC than Philly.
And time will ALWAYS win, they will always get worse. Catch em on their upswing!
Andy Reid was just so much better with the eagles amirite
That statement seems straightforwardly false. LaFleur is better now than at any previous point. Shanahan also seems to be at his professional peak. Andy Reid has been better as head coach in KC than Philly.
And time will ALWAYS win, they will always get worse. Catch em on their upswing!
Andy Reid was just so much better with the eagles amirite
Ya, as always the point alludes you. Why get a DC passed up for HC jobs because they are mediocre, but experienced and miss out on the up and comers?
Palmy - "Very few have the ability to truly excel regardless of system. For many the system is the difference between being just a guy or an NFL starter. Fact is, everyone is talented at this level."
You guys, progress isn't linear, nor uniform across the population.
You will miss out on good candidates and find success using either or both strategy. You will not win an argument that the world operates according to one certain universal theorem of the "right approach to hiring based on age and career arc"
You guys, progress isn't linear, nor uniform across the population.
You will miss out on good candidates and find success using either or both strategy. You will not win an argument that the world operates according to one certain universal theorem of the "right approach to hiring based on age and career arc"
What a weird debate
That's pretty much my point. Experience at DC does not mean success. At the same time, it does not proclude it. However, it is very hard to find a successful DC from another NFL team. An experienced DC at some point does not mean they are automatically better than an assistant with no DC experience.
Palmy - "Very few have the ability to truly excel regardless of system. For many the system is the difference between being just a guy or an NFL starter. Fact is, everyone is talented at this level."
Every great coach was better when they were younger.
That statement seems straightforwardly false. LaFleur is better now than at any previous point. Shanahan also seems to be at his professional peak. Andy Reid has been better as head coach in KC than Philly.
And time will ALWAYS win, they will always get worse. Catch em on their upswing!
Again, I am not calling for older coaches. I want guys who, if not already established (as good) DCoords/D-minded HCs, have been in a "stepping stone" position e.g. pass-game coordinator, run-game coordinator, or just play-calling.
People are like "that's like turning down McDonald or hiring Barry over Evero!" No it isn't lol, pay attention. McDonald was D-Coord at a huge college football program; Evero was passing-defense coordinator at LA while Barry should have been seen as un-hirable.
Hiring a guy with just a few years of position coach experience, to make the jump to D-Coord, for a team that needs to make a run over the next 3 years... does not seem like a good idea to me.
If we want a guy to learn on the job, we should have hired them last year with the "youth movement," not now.
“Most other nations don't allow a terrorist to be their leader.”
“... Yet so many allow their leaders to be terrorists.”—Magneto
Andy Reid was just so much better with the eagles amirite
Ya, as always the point alludes you. Why get a DC passed up for HC jobs because they are mediocre, but experienced and miss out on the up and comers?
I’m just gonna go ahead and be honest with you…I don’t think your post made your potential “point” very clear at all.
Most coaches improve over time until they peak and get old. But that’s usually a decade or more into their career.
As I said alluded.
Palmy - "Very few have the ability to truly excel regardless of system. For many the system is the difference between being just a guy or an NFL starter. Fact is, everyone is talented at this level."
What works in the NFL is a combination of 2 things:
First is to be respected (not necessarily liked) by the players. You don't get that respect by trading a good player at a position of need for less than he is worth. Much less for cutting him. You don't get that respect by keeping backups that can never play at starter level and starting players that are less than the backup. And mostly you don't get that respect if you can't understand how the players think and if you force players onto a role they are not physically good at.
Second is to coach in a fundamentally sound but new way. Decades ago D's switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and it worked great because it was new and fundamentally sound. Now we see a lot of 2-4 and this is new but it is not fundamentally sound against any team that can run the ball up the middle.
Decades ago the West Coast offense was new and fundamentally sound and worked great until most teams started using it and defenses were built to stop it.
With regard to a new DC, a man who is 2 or more generations older than the players has a tough time relating to today's players or remembering himself 25 years ago. A DC who never played in the NFL has a tougher time too. A guy who never played after high school has a really tough time - not impossible but very tough to relate.
With regard to a DC from a particular "school" or lineage, or someone who has been "around the block" - that is not where you will find the best candidate. The best candidate will create his own school and lineage. Hiring a coach in the established club aka Good Old Boys club may result in a modest upgrade over Barry but it is NEVER going to result in hiring the best candidate. The best candidate is someone who does something new because he IS new.
So how does this fit with the packers roster. The Packers have an abundance of good Dlinemen and pass rushers. They have only 1 competent ILB and a maybe (McDuffie). They have a maybe in Savage and that is all at safety. They have only Alexander and Valentine who should be starting at CB and need an upgrade in the slot and a backup at outside CB. They need a DC that uses a very aggressive front 7 because that is where all the talent except Alexander is. Someone who never ever uses prevent, not because it never works, but because it demoralizes the front 7 that want sacks and tackles for a loss. Someone who uses stunts and blitzes extensively and disguises them effectively and someone who has the personality of a junkyard dog rather than a border collie.
If we all agree that the Barry defense schematically and in execution was not good, then how can we confidently say our ILBs and Safeties are lacking in skills and need to be upgraded. Maybe they were put in situations to fail.
I'm all for bringing in competition but I'm not ready to say Nixon isn't good enough at slot DB or Owens and Savage aren't good enough at Safety. I'll let the new DC decide which players fit his scheme best.
If we all agree that the Barry defense schematically and in execution was not good, then how can we confidently say our ILBs and Safeties are lacking in skills and need to be upgraded. Maybe they were put in situations to fail.
I'm all for bringing in competition but I'm not ready to say Nixon isn't good enough at slot DB or Owens and Savage aren't good enough at Safety. I'll let the new DC decide which players fit his scheme best.
Don’t think it’s terribly complicated. Individually so they make good plays. Are they fast enough, strong enough, smart enough. Can they tackle, will they try to tackle, can they fight off a block.
Actually probably they thing Barry could do best is get no names to play passably. Campbell, Rasul, Nixon, Owens, Ford, Ballentine. All guys just no one else wanted above like vet min.
That said, all the guys you listed, Nixon, Owens and Savage are all FAs. Resigning them is very different than not resigning them. But yes, I’m sure a large portion of the decisions will come from the DC and after he gets a solid month or so of film review and meetings.
What works in the NFL is a combination of 2 things:
First is to be respected (not necessarily liked) by the players. You don't get that respect by trading a good player at a position of need for less than he is worth. Much less for cutting him. You don't get that respect by keeping backups that can never play at starter level and starting players that are less than the backup. And mostly you don't get that respect if you can't understand how the players think and if you force players onto a role they are not physically good at.
Second is to coach in a fundamentally sound but new way. Decades ago D's switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and it worked great because it was new and fundamentally sound. Now we see a lot of 2-4 and this is new but it is not fundamentally sound against any team that can run the ball up the middle.
Decades ago the West Coast offense was new and fundamentally sound and worked great until most teams started using it and defenses were built to stop it.
With regard to a new DC, a man who is 2 or more generations older than the players has a tough time relating to today's players or remembering himself 25 years ago. A DC who never played in the NFL has a tougher time too. A guy who never played after high school has a really tough time - not impossible but very tough to relate.
With regard to a DC from a particular "school" or lineage, or someone who has been "around the block" - that is not where you will find the best candidate. The best candidate will create his own school and lineage. Hiring a coach in the established club aka Good Old Boys club may result in a modest upgrade over Barry but it is NEVER going to result in hiring the best candidate. The best candidate is someone who does something new because he IS new.
So how does this fit with the packers roster. The Packers have an abundance of good Dlinemen and pass rushers. They have only 1 competent ILB and a maybe (McDuffie). They have a maybe in Savage and that is all at safety. They have only Alexander and Valentine who should be starting at CB and need an upgrade in the slot and a backup at outside CB. They need a DC that uses a very aggressive front 7 because that is where all the talent except Alexander is. Someone who never ever uses prevent, not because it never works, but because it demoralizes the front 7 that want sacks and tackles for a loss. Someone who uses stunts and blitzes extensively and disguises them effectively and someone who has the personality of a junkyard dog rather than a border collie.
That a lot of definitive knowledge you just shared.
So essentially one guy nobody wants and other guys most of us didn’t have on our DC radar. I sure hope we’re thus far only seeing the leading edge of a wide net.
If we all agree that the Barry defense schematically and in execution was not good, then how can we confidently say our ILBs and Safeties are lacking in skills and need to be upgraded. Maybe they were put in situations to fail.
I'm all for bringing in competition but I'm not ready to say Nixon isn't good enough at slot DB or Owens and Savage aren't good enough at Safety. I'll let the new DC decide which players fit his scheme best.
Don’t think it’s terribly complicated. Individually so they make good plays. Are they fast enough, strong enough, smart enough. Can they tackle, will they try to tackle, can they fight off a block.
Actually probably they thing Barry could do best is get no names to play passably. Campbell, Rasul, Nixon, Owens, Ford, Ballentine. All guys just no one else wanted above like vet min.
That said, all the guys you listed, Nixon, Owens and Savage are all FAs. Resigning them is very different than not resigning them. But yes, I’m sure a large portion of the decisions will come from the DC and after he gets a solid month or so of film review and meetings.
I think some people here are quick to discount some actual realities, players do rededicate themselves and actually do improve going from this team to that team, it is a factual certainty we see often right here on our team, or with some players we let go, true some of that can simply be better scheme fit, imo though most of it is just players improving on stuff they did poorly prior.
I think Campbell and Rasul are very good examples of that, we know Campbell played busted and bruised most of the season, we may let him go do to dollar demands, but he's better then his play showed this season.
