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Just when we thought things were dying down from the news that the Green Bay Packers were hiring Ron Zook to be the assistant special teams coach, the fires got stoked again. The vacant running backs coaching job is apparently no longer vacant, as the Packers have reportedly selected Alex Van Pelt's replacement:
Source sale that #Packers will add RBs coach Sam Gash, formerly of the Detroit #Lions. They are in the process of hiring ST asst coach also.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) February 7, 2014
If you vaguely remember the name Sam Gash, that's for good reason. Gash was a fullback in the NFL for 12 seasons, going to the Pro Bowl in 1998 and 99 as a member of the Buffalo Bills. He was also the top fullback on the 1996 New England Patriots team that lost to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, won a ring with the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV, and played with new colleague Van Pelt in Buffalo.
Gash transitioned quickly from playing to coaching, as he retired before the 2004 season and was hired by the Jets as an assistant running backs coach in 2005. He coached the Detroit Lions' running backs from 2008 through 2012.
With the Packers missing out on Wisconsin's Thomas Hammock, Gash was evidently their second choice. The team now has two coaching vacancies left, but which jobs are open depend on what duties Zook ends up holding.
