Jim Tomsula: The “V8” Engine on the Redskins’ Coaching Staff

Current Redskins Role: Defensive Line Coach (1st year)

Experience as a Player: 1 season (defensive lineman, Middle Tennessee State), 2 seasons (defensive lineman, Catawba College)

Coaching Highlights: Various Coaching Positions (1989, 1997, 1998-2005, Catawba College), Head Coach (2006, NFL Europe NFL Rhein Fire), Defensive Line Coach (2007-2014, San Francisco 49ers), Head Coach (San Francisco 49ers)

What He Brings to the Team:

That’s the kind of person I want coaching up my defensive line: a piston, a spark plug, a V8 engine. Tomsula returned to the NFL this year after taking a season off following his firing from the 49ers, and his passion and expertise for the positions he now oversees are attributes that should pay dividends for the Redskins. The Redskins need it, too. They struggled up front last year, ranking 29th in sacks, for example.

On the practice field, Tomsula’s passion drives him to find somewhat unconventional ways to bring players’ skills up to his standards. During training camp, he garnered plenty of attention for putting his linemen through boxing drills after practice sessions. Tomsula explained that boxing is an aggressive, high speed, cardio-intensive action and he needs his players to demonstrate that during games. Ultimately, the production he gets from players like rookie Jonathan Allen and veterans Phil Taylor, Ziggy Hood, Stacy McGhee, and Terrell Mclain, will matter the most, but fans are justified in their excitement about seeing this well-regarded coach barking instructions at the guys in burgundy and gold uniforms.

Fun Fact: Tomsula walks the walk when it comes to doing what it takes to make things happen. According to Joseph Person at the Charlotte Observer, when Tomsula was early on in his coaching career and working at Charleston Southern University, he took on a number of part time jobs, including delivering newspapers, working as a janitor at night, and cutting firewood, and he also slept in his car.