Mike Westhoff
| Position: | Special Teams |
| Jets Seasons: | 8 |
| NFL Coaching seasons: | 26 |
| Age: | 60 |
Joined the Jets in 2001. ... Westhoff's special teams unit was tied for third in the NFL in TD scored from 2001-04, including the playoffs, with nine (two blocked punts returned for TD, four KOR and three PR) ... Westhoff's 2004 punt coverage unit was tied for fourth in the NFL in yards allowed per return allowing opponents 6.5 yards per return while his kickoff coverage team ranked seventh in the AFC allowing 21.6 yards per return ... he will welcome two new weapons to his unit in 2005 in second round selections K Mike Nugent and CB/KR Justin Miller ... in 2003, Mike Westhoff again fielded a dangerous highly respected unit that finished second in the NFL in KOR average (24.4) and fourth in average start (31.6) and gross punting average (36.9)... during coach Westhoff's first two seasons (2001-02) the Jets' KO coverage and KOR units have combined to rank first in the NFL... in 2002, the Jets, under the highly-respected Westhoff, fielded one of the most feared and respected special teams units in the NFL... Westhoff's KOR team average starting yard line was the 31.7 (the best in the NFL) while his KO coverage team ranked sixth in the AFC at the 28.1-yard line... the Jets' return teams scored four TDs (two KOR and two PR) and placed fifth in KOR average (23.8) and first in PR average (16.0) in the NFL... Westhoff's PR unit was the only unit in the NFL to have 10 PR over 20 yards, while his punt coverage team was the only in the NFL not to allow a PR of 20 yards or more in 2002... in 2001, the Jets' special teams units gave the Jets' offense and defense a combined starting field position ranked number one, in the NFL (KO coverage ranked fifth with an average start at the opponents 26.6-yardline, KOR ranked second with an average start of the 31.2-yardline)... Westhoff tutored K John Hall, helping him finish with his highest FG percentage since 1999 (77%), including a game-winning 53-yard FG at OAK that propelled the Jets into the postseason for the first time since 1998... the Jets' special teams also blocked two punts and returned them both for TD in 2001... in 2002, Westhoff's unit added three-time Pro Bowl punter Matt Turk and had the team's 2001 number one draft choice, WR/KR Santana Moss, back as their punt returner... Mike Westhoff joined the Jets as special teams coach on 1/24/01 after having worked the previous 15 years in a similar capacity with division-rival MIA... was cited in a vote by his peers as the "NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year" for his work during the 2000 season... was also cited by The Dallas Morning News for having the top special teams units in a statistical breakdown... forged the reputation as one of the finest special teams coaches in the NFL, annually producing fast and physical coverage units and dangerous return groups built around dependable kicking and punting games... in 2000, K Orlindo Mare had the fourth-most points (117) of any AFC kicker... connected on 117-of-140 FGA for a franchise-best .836 conversion percentage and ranks second best in the NFL's all-time FG accuracy, behind only GB K Ryan Longwell (.847)... the Dolphins tied Denver for first in the avg. opp. drive starting position (26.1-yard line avg.) and tied for third best in the NFL... the Dolphins placed three players in the top eight in KOR averages (Kevin Williams-25.6, Autry Denson-24.8, and Brock Marion-23.3)... his special teams unit was led by S Trent Gamble & LB Larry Izzo, the AFC's special teams Pro Bowl representative... from 1996-1999, Westhoff produced the top-ranked punt and KO coverage units over the four-year span... in 1999, the Dolphins' PR and KOR teams each placed a player in the NFL’s top 10 in each respective category (Nate Jacquet-12.6 PR avg. and Marion-24.6 KO return avg.) and Mare was the AFC's kicker in the Pro Bowl... during his career, Westhoff has worked with some of the NFL's premier kickers and punters, including Rohn Stark (Colts, 1982-84), Reggie Roby (Dolphins, 1986-92), Raul Allegre (Colts, 1983-84), Dean Biasucci (Colts, 1984), Fuad Reveiz (Dolphins, 1986-88), Pete Stoyanovich (Dolphins, 1989-95), John Kidd (1994-97), Joe Nedney (1996) and Mare (1997-2000)... prior to joining the Dolphins, he spent a year (1985) as OL coach for the USFL's Arizona Outlaws and prior to that, served three seasons with the Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts as OL, TE and special teams coach from 1982-84... began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Indiana, where he also earned his Master's degree in Educational Psychology in 1974 and then was the freshman coach at Indiana University in 1975 before moving on to coach the OL at Dayton in 1976... was both the DL and LB coach at Indiana State in 1977 followed by stints at Northwestern and TCU before entering the professional coaching ranks... began his collegiate playing career at Wyoming in 1965, where he was a starting OLB as a freshman for the Cowboys prior to transferring to Wichita State, where he went on to start for three years at both C and LB... current Cowboys' Head Coach and former Jets' Head Coach Bill Parcells was the defensive coordinator during the same period in which Westhoff played for Wichita State... was voted the team MVP as a junior and served as team captain as a senior before graduating in 1970 with a history degree... in 1989, the Dolphins’ players honored Westhoff’s dedication and courage by awarding him special recognition with the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award as he battled bone cancer, and despite the grueling treatments he endured, he continued to coach full-time... was inducted into the western chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2000... son, John Thomas, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 and was a member of the Penn football squad, which won two Ivy League Championships ... his son currently lives and works in New York City with the NYC Life Board of Campaign Finance ... born Jan. 10, 1948 in Pittsburgh.
