Michael Mark Pettine (born September 25, 1966) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
coach who currently is an assistant head coach for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
. He was the head coach of the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...
from
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
to
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, and has also served as the defensive coordinator for the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
,
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...
, and
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
.
Playing career
Pettine earned all-state honors as a
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
and defensive back at
Central Bucks High School West
Central Bucks High School - West, often shortened to CB West, is a public high school housing students in grades ten through twelve. It is located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and is part of the Central Bucks School District.
During the 2020-202 ...
. The head coach was his father, Mike Pettine Sr., who is renowned in Pennsylvania for compiling a record of 326–42–4 in 33 seasons and winning four state championships.
[Caldwell, Dave. "Coach Inhabits Ryan's Shadow on Defense," ''The New York Times'', Wednesday, January 19, 2011.](_blank)
/ref>
Pettine played free safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their du ...
at the University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
graduating in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in economics.
Coaching career
High school
Pettine coached high school football in Pennsylvania at North Penn and William Tennent
William Tennent (1673 – May 6, 1746) was an early Scottish American Presbyterian minister and educator in British North America.
Early life
Tennent was born in Mid Calder, Linlithgowshire, Scotland, in 1673. He graduated from the Uni ...
high schools after working as a graduate assistant at the University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
(1993–1994). He also spent four years as an assistant coach under his father at Central Bucks West High School. In 1999, a New York Times TV crew documented the North Penn football season for ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
in a film titled '' The Season''. The TV show consisted of two separate hours and followed the team behind the scenes during the 1999 season and highlighted the rivalry between North Penn and Central Bucks West.
National Football League
Baltimore Ravens
Pettine joined the Ravens in 2001 and was promoted to OLB's coach in 2005 when Rex Ryan
Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching position ...
became defensive coordinator.
New York Jets
Pettine, as Rex Ryan's "right-hand man", reportedly received a three-year deal to lead the Jets defense. Pettine has been credited with contributing strongly to the Jets number one defense in the NFL in 2009. His tenure with the Jets ended after the 2012 season, with the expiration of his contract.
Buffalo Bills
Pettine was hired to be the defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills on January 9, 2013.
Cleveland Browns
Pettine was hired to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...
on January 23, 2014. Pettine started 7–4 in the 2014 season, but the Browns lost their final 5 games to finish at 7–9. The Browns were 3–13 the following season. On January 3, 2015, the same day the Browns lost their last game of the season to finish 3–13, Pettine was fired, along with general manager Ray Farmer. Pettine went 10–22 in his two seasons as Cleveland's head coach, losing 18 of his final 21 games.
Seattle Seahawks
In 2017, Pettine worked as a consultant for the Seattle Seahawks.
Green Bay Packers
On January 10, 2018, Pettine was hired as defensive coordinator by the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
by head coach Mike McCarthy. On December 2, 2018, the Packers fired McCarthy after a 20–17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home, and he was replaced by interim head coach Joe Philbin
Joseph Anthony Philbin (born July 2, 1961) is an American football coach who, until recently, served as the offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, a position he h ...
. On January 7, 2019, the Packers hired Matt LaFleur
Matthew Patrick LaFleur ( ; born November 3, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has served as the quarterback coach of the Washington Redskins, Notre Dame ...
as their new head coach, who announced he would retain Pettine as defensive coordinator through the 2019 season.
During his time with the Packers, Pettine improved the Packers defense from the league's 29th ranked unit in 2018 to the 15th ranked unit in 2019 and 17th ranked in 2020. However, he was widely criticized for his calls in the playoffs, particularly in the Packers' losses in back-to-back NFC Championship games. In the 2019 NFC Championship Game, Pettine's defense gave up 285 rushing yards to the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, on their way to a 37–20 loss. In the 2020 NFC Championship Game, the Packers defense picked off quarterback Tom Brady three times, but also gave up a late first-half touchdown when Pettine called for cornerback Kevin King to cover receiver Scotty Miller
Scott Thomas Miller (born July 31, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bowling Green and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the sixth round ...
one-on-one. Pettine's call was widely criticized by many, including his own head coach.
On January 29, 2021, Pettine was let go by the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
as the defensive coordinator; his contract had expired and the Packers reportedly did not move to extend it.
Chicago Bears
On February 10, 2021, Pettine was hired by the Chicago Bears as a senior defensive assistant under head coach Matt Nagy
Matthew Nagy ( or ; born April 24, 1978) is an American football coach, and former arena football quarterback, who is the senior assistant and quarterbacks coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head ...
. Pettine would not be retained under new head coach Matt Eberflus
Matthew Charles Eberflus (born May 17, 1970) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 201 ...
.
Minnesota Vikings
Pettine joined the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
on February 13, 2022, as the senior defensive assistant under head coach Kevin O'Connell.
Head coaching record
Personal life
Pettine has 3 children-Megan, Ryan and Katie Pettine. His wife- Megan, also has 3 children- Paige, Max and McKenna Cuevas.
References
External links
Cleveland Browns bio
Buffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pettine, Mike
1966 births
Living people
American football safeties
American people of Italian descent
Buffalo Bills coaches
Baltimore Ravens coaches
Cleveland Browns head coaches
Green Bay Packers coaches
National Football League defensive coordinators
New York Jets coaches
Pittsburgh Panthers football coaches
Virginia Cavaliers football players
High school football coaches in Pennsylvania
People from Doylestown, Pennsylvania
People from Strongsville, Ohio
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
Chicago Bears coaches
Minnesota Vikings coaches