The Detroit Lions' coaching staff had a lot of changes this offseason, rooted in the departures of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn and coaches they took with them to their head coaching jobs. On the offensive side, the hiring of John Morton as the new offensive coordinator was followed by the notable hire of former Stanford head coach David Shaw as the new passing game coordinator.
Before his long run at the college level, working under Jim Harbaugh then replacing him as the head coach at Stanford, Shaw worked as an assistant in the NFL for nine seasons (1997-2005). When the Cardinal were winning a lot of games during the peak of his tenure there, rumors attaching him to NFL head coaching jobs were never too far away.
Shaw overlapped with Morton under Jon Gruden with the Oakland Raiders when they were offensive assistants for four seasons (1998-20011). They also worked together last year with the Denver Broncos, with Shaw as a senior personnel executive assistant and Morton as the passing game coordinator under head coach Sean Payton.
Shaw also has some history with Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose brother Osiris played for Shaw at Stanford.
Dan Campbell perfectly explains why David Shaw was hired
Before the general availability he had with reporters on Tuesday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell talked to Dan Miller of FOX2 at the NFL Owner's Meetings in Florida on Monday night. Miller brought up the coaching staff changes, noting a previous conversation he had with Morton where Morton noted the addition of Shaw.
"Listen, that was a big one too, for us. Was fortunate to be able to get coach Shaw", Campbell said. "Look, he and Johnny go way back now, way back. They both really cut their teeth under Jon Gruden years ago. I don’t know if everybody quite knows, coach Shaw’s got a wealth of experience. You think of Stanford first, because that’s where he spent a ton of time, successful coach. He's going to bring things to Johnny, like his blind spots. He's going to cover his blind spots. That's what he's going to be looking for."
Campbell of course noted Shaw's aforementioned years of experience in the NFL. Shaw has coached quarterbacks and wide receivers at the NFL level, and he also called plays at the college level. That unique blend of experience is a great asset, and what makes Shaw such a notable addition to the Lions' staff.
Campbell suggesting Morton has or will have blind spots should not be taken a diss to the Lions' new offensive coordinator. Campbell would tell you he has blind spots too, so saying what he said is an acknowledgement of what Shaw brings to the table and the input he'll be empowered to have.
