When Dan Quinn agreed to become the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons last month, defensive backs coach Kris Richard emerged as the favorite for Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator duties.
The team made it official on Monday, announcing Richard's promotion, along with Michael Barrow and Lofa Tatupu as linebackers coaches.
It's fair to say Richard is being rewarded for a job well done. Given mid-round draft picks, he has churned out All-Pros, Pro Bowlers and solid starters in Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane.
"Kris has done an extraordinary job. He's an excellent secondary coach," coach Pete Carroll said during Super Bowl week. "Everything you can look at to evaluate that jumps out at you, the way these guys have achieved, the camaraderie that they have, the high level of play that they've maintained for a long time, the stats. ... Kris does a fantastic job. We rely on him heavily."
The Seahawks will hope this transition goes as smoothly as the last one, when Quinn replaced Gus Bradley, improving the defense from one of the NFL's best to a historically great unit.
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