Asst Head Coach/Offensive Line - Joe Pendry
Coach Pendry takes over the unit most Alabama fans will be watching this fall, the offensive line. Unfortunately for us, his last stop was with the NFL's Houston Texans, a team known for it's porous offensive line allowing QB David Carr to spend more time on his back than, well....there's just no way to finish that sentence without being dirty. Anyway, the man has 19 years of coaching experience in the pro ranks, and I trust Saban to know something more about him than any of us do. Here's hoping the poor performance of the Houston o-line had more to do with lack of talent than the man coaching them.
If this were a movie, he'd be played by: Chelcie Ross
Tight Ends/Special Teams - Ron Middleton
Coach Middleton comes to Alabama from a three year stint coaching the TEs and special teams for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played his college ball at Auburn (boo! hiss!), but I suppose we shouldn't hold that against him. Prior to his tenure in the pros, Middleton served on the staffs of SEC division rival Ole Miss and Troy State University.
If this were a movie, he'd be played by: Jerod Mixon
Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator - Curt Cignetti
The final addition to the staff, Coach Cignetti comes to us from NC State, where he coached the TEs, QBs, and was the recruiting coordinator for the past seven seasons. He also held those positions with Pitt, and coached QBs at both Temple and Rice. Though he hasn't previously coached receivers, he'll be most useful as a recruiter, and hopefully he'll be able to translate the blocking skills of a TE to the receivers as well.
If this were a movie, he'd be played by: David Morse