Browns retain Chris Tabor to run Special Teams, announce other hires

The Cleveland Browns officially announced the moves announced by Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone earlier in the day, but also disclosed that Mike Pettine has retained Chris Tabor to be the special teams coach along with a few other hires.

Oct 14, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator Chris Tabor during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Browns beat the Bengals 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Jim O’Neil will be the defensive coordinator, which was expected, Jeff Hafley will be the secondary coach, Chuck Driesbach will be the linebackers coach and Brian Fleury will be the assistant linebackers coach.  Those are the coaches they got from the Bills, though Driesbach had actually been fired early this month by the Bills.  Hafley actually coached for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past season but was hired by Pettine to coach for the Bills before he took the job with the Browns, so he brought him.  As a result, Hafley was with the Bills for a grand total of 11 days.

Information on Jim O’Neil, Jeff Hafley, and Brian Fleury from earlier.

Information on Chuck Driesbach from earlier

Also from the Bucs and part of the Browns staff will be Brian Angelichio, who will be the tight ends coach.  Angelichio, 42 coached tight ends for Greg Schiano with the Bucs as well as with Rutgers.  Before that, he was an assistant with Pittsburgh and spent 10 years at Ithaca College in various positions.  Just coaching tight ends, Angelichio has focused on that position for the past 7 years.

The Browns retained Chris Tabor to run the special teams.  For a coach who is preaching toughness, Tabor is the style of coach that probably fits in with Pettine.  Tabor has been described as fiery and bombastic at times, but the special teams this past unit certainly had some ugly spots.  He has been with the team the past three seasons.

His assistant special teams coach, Shawn Mennenga was also retained.  Mennenga has been with Tabor since he arrived in Cleveland.  Tabor came over from the Chicago Bears where he was the assistant special teams coach while Mennenga came from South Dakota where he served two years as a linebackers coach and presumably helped with their special teams.

Bobby Babich has been retained as assistant special teams coach.  The son of Bob Babich, currently the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bobby was a graduate assistant from Kent State before spending time as the Eastern Illinois secondary coach.  He was then part of the staff in Carolina and came over with Rob Chudzinski last year.

In all, Pettine has hired three assistants from the Bills, two from the Buccaneers and three have been kept on from Chud’s staff.