Colts will not retain offensive line coach Hal Hunter, make other staff moves

The Indianapolis Colts today provided an update on their coaching search, officially announcing the hiring of Jim Herrmann as linebackers coach and Darren Krein as strength and conditioning coach.  The team also announced that offensive line coach Hal Hunter will not be retained.

All three moves had previously been reported in some capacity.  Yesterday, FOX Sports' Alex Marvez reported that Herrmann had been hired as the team's linebackers coach, while today ESPN's Adam Caplan reported that the Colts had hired Darren Krein.  Furthermore, reports had indicated that one of the Colts' offensive line coaches had an expiring contract and wouldn't be back, and it turns out that it was indeed Hal Hunter.

Hunter spent the past three seasons with the Colts and in 2015 was promoted to offensive line coach after serving as the assistant offensive line coach for the previous two years.  He worked alongside Joe Gilbert last season (Gilbert's status is still uncertain), but the line didn't see a ton of improvement.  Before coming to the Colts, Hunter spent seven seasons with the San Diego Chargers 2006-2012) and holds over 30 years of coaching experience.  Before his time in San Diego, he worked at a number of college jobs, including as the offensive line coach for North Carolina (2002-2005) and as the offensive coordinator for Indiana (2000-2001).

This now officially confirms what has been reported for the past week: that the Colts are looking for a new offensive line coach.  The team has reportedly been interviewing candidates and, according to FOX Sports' Alex Marvez, the Colts offered the position to Chris Foerster.  Foerster opted to join the Dolphins as their offensive line coach, however, so the Colts are left searching again.  The real question mark right now is whether Joe Gilbert, who has been the team's offensive line coach for the past three seasons, will return next year or whether he will be fired.

The Colts also officially have a new linebackers coach and strength and conditioning coach, filling two mores spots on their coaching staff.  The team still must find a safeties coach, secondary coach, tight ends coach, running backs coach, and offensive line coach to complete their coaching staff.  They already had previously announced the hiring of Ted Monachino as defensive coordinator.

Here's what we previously wrote about linebackers coach Jim Herrmann:

Herrmann recently interviewed with the Colts (according to Marvez) after spending the past seven seasons with the New York Giants.  Tom Coughlin brought him on board in 2009 and he remained with the team through the 2015 season, after which Coughlin stepped down as head coach.  He won a Super Bowl with the Giants following the 2011 season.  Before his arrival in New York, Herrmann was the linebackers coach for the New York Jets for three seasons (2006-2008).  Herrmann was a coach at Michigan for a long time, as he was a coach for the Wolverines for 21 years.  He first started as a player at Michigan and then was an assistant from 1985-1996.  For his last nine seasons at Michigan, Herrman was defensive coordinator (1997-2005).  During those nine seasons, Michigan won five Big Ten championships, led the Big Ten in sacks in three different seasons (including a school record 50 in 2001), had six All-Americans, and a Heisman winner (Charles Woodson).  The defense also held 47 different opponents under 100 yards rushing during Herrmann's tenure as coordinator.  In his first season in that position, 1997, Michigan won the national championship while having the country's best defense in terms of total yards, scoring, and passing efficiency.  Herrmann was the winner of the Broyles Award that year, which goes to the best assistant coach in the country.

Here's what we previously wrote about new strength and conditioning coach Darren Krein:

Krein spent the past five seasons with the Miami Dolphins, joining them in 2011 and being kept on staff when Joe Philbin came on as head coach in 2012.  In 2013, he was named the NFL's Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by his peers, which is the highest honor that a person at the position can attain.  With the coaching changes taking place in Miami, however, Krein will instead head to Indianapolis, leaving Miami.  Before his time with the Dolphins, Krein was a strength and conditioning coach for the Seattle Seahawks for eleven seasons during two different stints with the team (1997-1998, 2001-2009).  While in Seattle, Krein worked with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who overcame some injuries to then start all 16 games and make the Pro Bowl in three different seasons.  Krein played collegiately at the University of Miami as a defensive end for four seasons (1989-19993), overlapping time with current Colts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for a couple of years.  Krein was drafted in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Chargers, but knee injuries derailed his career before it could even take off.