James Bettcher

Last updated

James Bettcher
Indianapolis Colts
Position:Linebackers coach
Personal information
Born: (1978-05-27) May 27, 1978 (age 46)
Lakeville, Indiana, U.S.
Career information
High school:Lakeville (IN) LaVille
College: Saint Francis (IN)
Career history
As a coach:
Coaching profile  at Pro Football Reference

James Bettcher (born May 27, 1978) is an American football coach who is currently the linebackers coach for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.

Contents

Coaching career

College

Bettcher began his coaching career in 2004 as special teams coordinator & defensive line coach for Saint Francis (IN). He then served as a graduate assistant for Bowling Green, before holding positions for North Carolina, Ball State and New Hampshire.

NFL

After coaching at numerous colleges, Bettcher was hired by the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. He coached under Bruce Arians when Arians was interim head coach of the Colts. When Arians was hired by the Cardinals as head coach, Bettcher followed him to Arizona. [1] After defensive coordinator Todd Bowles left to become head coach of the New York Jets, Bettcher was promoted to take his place. [2] As defensive coordinator the Cardinals never finished below 7th in the league in overall defense. After the retirement of head coach Bruce Arians, Bettcher was seen as the most likely successor, even bringing in a plan for a coaching staff that included Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator and Chuck Pagano as defensive coordinator. However, the Cardinals opted to hire former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks, instead.

On January 23, 2018, Bettcher was hired by the New York Giants to serve as defensive coordinator under head coach Pat Shurmur. [3] Betcher was not retained for the 2020 season by new Giants head coach Joe Judge who instead hired Patrick Graham. [4]

In 2021, Bettcher was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive assistant. [5]

In 2022 he was hired as the linebackers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. [6] Bettcher was fired by the Cincinnati Bengals on January 6, 2025. [7]

On January 26, 2025, Bettcher was hired as the linebackers coach for the Indianapolis Colts. [8] [9]

References

  1. ↑ Report: Cardinals add James Bettcher to coaching staff
  2. ↑ Somers, Kent. "Arizona Cardinals 'D' coordinator James Bettcher faces challenges replacing Bowles". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ "James Bettcher will be Giants defensive coordinator under Pat Shurmur, report says". NJ.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Joe Judge names Jason Garrett, Patrick Graham, Thomas McGaughey as coordinators". giants.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Former Cardinals DC James Bettcher joins 49ers staff". Cards Wire. January 23, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ Conway, Kelsey. "Cincinnati Bengals reportedly add 2 new coaches to defensive staff". The Enquirer. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Source: Bengals fire DC Anarumo after 6 seasons". ESPN.com. January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  8. ↑ Erickson, Joel A. "Colts hire linebackers coach with deep ties to Indiana". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Colts Hiring Bengals Assistant to Coaching Staff". Indianapolis Colts On SI. January 26, 2025. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
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