Giants lose assistant coach to Chiefs
Last Updated: 8:58 AM, February 15, 2012
Posted: 12:17 AM, February 15, 2012
As the Giants were moving deeper through the playoffs, teams were firing coaches, hiring new ones and assembling coaching staffs.
“A lot of the jobs had been filled up by the time we were done,” said Jack Bicknell Jr., who spent the past three years as Giants assistant offensive line coach.
Bicknell figured he would return for a fourth season with the Giants, but as it turns out he has become the second member of Tom Coughlin’s coaching staff to move on following the 21-17 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
Bicknell spent the past three years working directly with line coach Pat Flaherty, but Bicknell now has an offensive line to call his own. He has been hired by Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel to run the offensive line in Kansas City. Crennel and Coughlin were assistants together with the Giants under Bill Parcells, and no doubt Coughlin gave Crennel a strong recommendation.
COMPLETE GIANTS SUPER BOWL COVERAGE
“Just an absolutely amazing run and it’s something I’ll always remember and always cherish,’’ Bicknell said of his time with the Giants. “I’ll have a huge part in my heart for this place. It’s tough to leave. If I didn’t have an opportunity to go from an assistant to a head O-line guy, trust me, I wouldn’t be leaving, obviously. But it does give me an opportunity to be the head guy and I’m excited about that.”
Getting his marching orders from the highly respected Flaherty, Bicknell — the former head coach at Louisiana Tech — said he learned a great deal about dealing with professional players.
“Flats has been unbelievable to me,” Bicknell said. “He’s been patient. He’s been just a fantastic person.
“Coach Coughlin and [offensive coordinator] Kevin Gilbride, it’s honestly like working on your doctorate. They all are just so smart and there’s so much to learn. But specifically Flats, just seeing how he handles the players, how he handles the drills, that was invaluable to me.”
Last week, quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan left Coughlin’s staff to accept a promotion as the new offensive coordinator for Greg Schiano with the Buccaneers.