Joe Lombardi enters his seventh season with the Saints and fifth as quarterbacks coach after serving as an offensive assistant the first two years.
Joe Lombardi enters his seventh season with the Saints and fifth as quarterbacks coach after serving as an offensive assistant the first two years.
Drew Brees has thrived under Lombardi’s tutelage the last four seasons, completing 1,701-of-2,499 passes (68.1%) for 19,661 yards with 156 touchdown passes and a 101.4 passer rating. The signal-caller has led the league in completions, yardage and scoring throws over this period, while being selected to the Pro Bowl each season.
Under Lombardi’s guidance in 2011 and 2012, Brees has enjoyed two of the most prolific seasons by a quarterback in NFL history. In 2011, he completed 468-of-657 passes (71.2%) for 5,476 yards with 46 touchdowns and a 110.6 passer rating. Brees broke the NFL’s single-season passing yardage record that stood for 27 years. He also set the NFL mark for completions, 300-yard passing games (13) and exceeded the record for completion percentage that he originally set in 2009. In 2012, he completed 422-of-670 passes for 5,177 yards with 43 touchdowns and a 96.3 passer rating, leading the league in yardage and scoring passes. During Lombardi’s tenure as position coach, Brees also carried an NFL-record 54 game streak with at least one touchdown pass from 2009-12.
In his previous position, he was heavily involved in the preparation of the quarterbacks and passing attack as well, having worked closely with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Lombardi also stepped in for a brief stint as the running backs coach near the end of 2008.
He arrived in New Orleans with extensive coaching experience on both sides of the ball, most recently serving as defensive assistant for the Atlanta Falcons in 2006. While in that role, Lombardi worked with a defensive line that combined for 25.5 sacks.
Bringing game-planning and play-calling experience to his position, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2002-05 at Mercyhurst College, while also serving as recruiting coordinator.
In 2001, Lombardi coached tight ends and running backs for the XFL’s New York/New Jersey Hitmen. In 2000, he tutored the defensive line and served as strength & conditioning coordinator at Bucknell University.
He coached both the tight ends and tackles at the Virginia Military Institute in 1999 after opening his coaching career at the University of Dayton, where he was responsible for the defensive line from 1996-98. The Flyers won 20-straight games during his tenure.
Lombardi – the grandson of legendary coach Vince Lombardi – is a 1994 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned three letters as a tight end and one in lacrosse. Lombardi and his wife, Molly, have six children: sons Joseph, Thomas and Dominic and daughters Maria, Bernadette and Clare.
PLAYING CAREER: Air Force, 1991-93.
COACHING CAREER: Dayton, 1996-98; Virginia Military
Institute, 1999; Bucknell University, 2000; New York/New Jersey Hitmen
(XFL), 2001; Mercyhurst College, 2002-05; Atlanta Falcons, 2006; New Orleans Saints, 2007-.
