The New York Jets announced the following additions to their coaching staff:
Mike Jones was named Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach; Ben Kotwica was named Quality Control/Special Teams and Defense; Mike Bloomgren and Brian Smith were named Quality Control/Offense. The moves were announced by Head Coach Eric Mangini.
Jones joins the Jets after a stint as an assistant in Sports Performance at Arizona State University. Jones was a starting safety on the University of Georgia’s 1992 team that won the SEC East and the Citrus Bowl.
Kotwica comes to the Jets after a stint as the Defensive Coordinator at the USMA Preparatory School. He is a decorated officer who spent eight years in the Army after graduating from West Point, where he played linebacker. While in the Army, Kotwica served as a Platoon Leader, an Apache helicopter pilot, a Battalion Executive Officer and a Company Commander. His duties included time spent in Fort Bragg, NC; Bosnia; Korea; Fort Hood, TX; and Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. His awards include: the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star.
Bloomgren joins the Jets after a short stint at Texas A&M prior to a two-year stay at Delta State University in Mississippi (2005-06), where he was the Offensive Coordinator. The Florida State graduate was also the Co-offensive Coordinator at Catawba College (North Carolina) for three years, after spending three seasons as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Alabama.
Smith joins the Jets from the University of Massachusetts (2004-06), where he was an Assistant Coach for three years, the last two years coaching the wide receivers. Smith played cornerback on UMass’s 1998 Division I-AA National Championship team.
Discuss these moves here.