KANSAS CITY
Reggie Ragland Jersey , Mo. (AP) — Emmitt Thomas announced his retirement Tuesday as the defensive backs coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, ending an NFL career
that began as a Hall of Fame player and wound up spanning five decades.Thomas
spent 13 seasons playing for the Chiefs, helping the organization to a pair of
Super Bowl appearances and their only championship in 1970. The two-time All-Pro
retired in 1978 and began coaching at Central Missouri State before moving onto
the pros with the St. Louis Cardinals.He helped the Redskins win a pair of Super
Bowls, and also worked for the Eagles, Packers, Vikings and Falcons, before
returning to Kansas City in 2010. He’s been the Chiefs’ secondary coach ever
since, first under Todd Haley and retained by Romeo Crennel and current coach
Andy Reid.“My journey started in Kansas City, and by the grace of God I am able
to end my NFL career here as well,” said Thomas, who was enshrined in the Pro
Football Hall of Fame in 2008. “It has been a privilege to work alongside the
great coaches that have come through this building. Having the opportunity to
coach so many talented young men in my time as a coach has been one of my
greatest gifts.”Thomas joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of tiny
Bishop College in 1966
Jarvis Jenkins Jersey , just four years after the organization moved from Dallas to Kansas City. He helped the Chiefs reach the first Super Bowl as a rookie,
losing to the Green Bay, before returning three years later.He had nine
interceptions that season, including one in their Super Bowl triumph over
Minnesota.Thomas continued to be a productive player until his retirement, then
became a sought-after coach for defensive backs. He spent four years with the
Cardinals, eight more with the Redskins and three with the Eagles before serving
as defensive coordinator of the Packers.After a stint as defensive coordinator
of the Vikings, he joined the Falcons coaching staff, where he got his only
taste as a head coach. It was Thomas who was appointed interim coach after Bobby
Petrino’s sudden retirement in 2007, and he rallied a broken locker room to a
season-ending win over Seattle.He was retained by new Falcons coach Mike Smith
the following year, then joined the Chiefs in 2010, a move that allowed him to
bookend a playing and coaching career spanning 51 years.“Over the course of a
career that spans two leagues and most of the modern era of the NFL
Daniel Sorensen Jersey , Emmitt was a Hall of Fame player and one of the most respected coaches in the league,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. “Emmitt
will always be a part of our Chiefs family.”The 75-year-old Thomas’ retirement
had been expected after the Chiefs, who lost in overtime to the Patriots in the
AFC championship game, fired longtime defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.Steve
Spagnuolo has been hired to handle the defense and is bringing in many of his
own assistants.“It was an honor to have Emmitt on our coaching staff,” Reid
said. “Having a Pro Football Hall of Famer lead that room and share his
experiences as a player and a coach has been incredible for our guys. Beyond
football, he’s a tremendous person, and I’ve enjoyed working with him and
getting to know him.” Gene Steratore is heading to the Super Bowl for the second
straight season, this time in a very different capacity.Steratore wraps up his
first year as CBS rules analyst at Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta on Feb. 3. He will
be in the booth with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo whenever a replay decision or
officiating call needs interpretation as the Los Angeles Rams face the New
England Patriots.CBS hired Steratore last summer when he retired after a 35-year
career as a football and basketball official. He had been an NFL official since
2003 and was a referee for 12 years. His final assignment was last year’s Super
Bowl between New England and Philadelphia.“I’m maybe a little more nervous about
this game. It’s good, nervous energy because there’s the lack of 35 years of
experience (in television),” Steratore said in a phone interview.Steratore was
in the network’s New York studio on Sundays during the regular season, but he
did work the Chicago-Detroit Thanksgiving game in the booth to get used to
working with Nantz and Romo. He has been part of the crew throughout the
playoffs.He acknowledged he had a learning curve at the beginning of the season
but has gained confidence throughout the year.“He has a lot of natural ability
to articulate what we need in a short window. I’ve been able to carry on a
conversation with him as if we’ve been doing this for years
Harrison Butker Jersey ,” Nantz said. “The way the rules are these days I can’t imagine operating your show without someone.”Viewers of last Sunday’s AFC
championship game between New England and Kansas City didn’t hear much from
Steratore during the first three quarters, but there was a period during the
fourth quarter when Steratore was offering more analysis than Romo.Julian
Edelman’s apparent fumble of a Kansas City punt was reversed because there was
no clear evidence that he touched it. Chiefs receiver Sammy Watkins also had a
reception nullified when replay showed the ball hit the ground when he was
unable to maintain clear possession.A catch by the Patriots’ Chris Hogan was
upheld even though one angle showed he wasn’t able to maintain possession before
it hit the ground. There was also a roughing-the-passer penalty against Kansas
City defensive lineman Chris Jones that Steratore thought was the wrong call.“We
had about a 15-minute period where it was the Gene Steratore show,” CBS producer
Jim Rikhoff said. “He has fit in perfectly with what we have done. He has a
natural chemistry with Jim and Tony, and I am sure he will do a great job next
week.”Steratore is also hoping the Super Bowl won’t have the controversy that
marred the two conference championship games. The non-pass interference against
Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman in the NFC championship game against New
Orleans has continued to resonate.“It’s an egregious mistake in that it is a
foul. We don’t need to dwell more on the fact since coaches, players and
officials all understand the magnitude,” Steratore said of the call. “I know the
officials agree and admit that it was a mistake.“What I hope to always remember
is how hard and fast this game is when you get between the lines. You probably
are never going to work a perfect game.”Steratore has been at the center of
controversial calls over the years. He was the referee in 2010 for the Calvin
Johnson touchdown that was overturned and made “process of the catch” part of
the NFL lexicon.Five years later in the NFC divisional round, Dez Bryant’s catch
was overturned when it was determined he didn’t hold the ball throughout the
process of going to the ground. Last year, the NFL’s competition committee
simplified the catch rules.Steratore thinks the league has done a better job of
defining the catch and making it easier to define possession. When it comes to
other matters, he admits the job of officials continues to get more difficult,
especially at a time when many veteran officials such as Steratore are
retiring.“It was going to be a tall task this year with four referees leaving,
implementing the helmet-to-helmet rule and a couple of other rules that were
points of emphasis
Demarcus Robinson Jersey ,” he said. “The game gets harder every year. We dwell on the major mistakes made year in and year out, but I don’t know if this
year was worse than years past.”The calls from the championship games also
showed why each network has a former referee working games. Steratore was hired
after CBS didn’t have one for two seasons. Rikhoff said with networks going to
commercials during replay reviews, that gives Steratore more time to review the
play, look for the right angles, then be able to form an opinion.Football wasn’t
the only sport CBS hired Steratore for. He will also be a part of the CBS
coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament. Steratore’s hope for the Super Bowl,
though, is that he won’t need to be used that often.“Being in Atlanta for the
week and watching what happens, the excitement is tremendous,” he said. “I think
with all of this not only an official but as a fan of the game, we want the
players and coaches to decide it.”
