Departing Saints assistant Terry Malone says his family has ‘loved making New Orleans our home’
Terry Malone won’t make it to a 10th year as tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints parted ways with him, and he does not have another job lined up, he said Friday.
However, offered the chance via text message to say anything he wanted in the form of a farewell, Malone focused strictly on the positives: the fact his four children graduated from local high schools; that two of his kids got degrees from LSU; and that he helped the Saints win their first and so far only Super Bowl in his fourth season with the organization.
“My family and I have loved making New Orleans our home for (the) past nine years,” said Malone, who joined the Saints in 2006, when coach Sean Payton took over the franchise months after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city. “We have always felt like part of the family with the Saints, in the community, in the schools and in our Catholic Church.
“The Malones are truly blessed! Now, we start our next chapter but will always consider (New Orleans) home. God Bless us all.”
It was under Malone’s tutelage that star Saints tight end Jimmy Graham had what for now is his lone Associated Press First Team All-Pro season in 2013. Graham led the NFL in touchdown catches (16) and the Saints in receiving yards (1,215) as the Saints won 12 of 18 games to reach the divisional round of the playoffs last season.
However, as he played through a lingering shoulder injury this season, Graham’s touchdown grabs and receiving yards fell to 10 and 889, respectively. That was after the Saints gave Graham a four-year contract extension paying him $10 million a season, or the highest annual salary ever for a tight end.
The Saints’ offense also had the fifth-most giveaways in the NFL during the season (30), which largely nullified the success a unit that gained the most yards in the league could’ve had. Simultaneously fielding a defense that surrendered the second-most yards in the NFL, the Saints finished 2014 with a lackluster 7-9 record and missed the playoffs.
Payton vowed to evaluate both the roster and coaching staff to make any necessary changes the day after the final game of the season. Those switches began Friday, when the NFL Network reported that the Saints opted to part ways with a few assistants, including Malone, who was the most veteran out of the group named.
Malone’s departure will likely hit the St. Tammany Parish community of Covington close to home. He and his family volunteered at the Covington Food Bank and have been active parishioners at Most Holy Trinity Church, according to his biography on the Saints’ website. He’s served as an operations chair for capital campaigns at Most Holy Trinity and St. Scholastica Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in Covington. And he was known to give faith-based motivational talks to local folks.
Before joining the Saints, Malone was the offensive line coach (1997-2001) and offensive coordinator (2002-2005) at the University of Michigan. Asked on Friday if there was any opportunity he’d return to work for the Wolverines, who recently hired former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh as their new coach for 2015 and beyond, Malone — a native of Redford, Michigan — responded in a manner that showed his love for both the maize and blue as well as the New Orleans area.
He texted: “Geaux Blue!”
And here is what I wrote last night on my personal Facebook page:
Despite being a tough Saints fan, and I know I'm tough, I am extremely saddened to learn of the decision to part ways with one of their coaches, Terry Malone. He is a class act and thanks to my church family at MHT, I got to know him as a devoted Catholic, a pillar of the Church, a devoted, and I mean devoted, husband and father. Terry Malone and his wife Ann and his wonderful children are the picture of a beautiful family who places Jesus first! I will miss them, if indeed they move on. I know the entire MHT family will too. I am so sorry if my criticism after a tough loss was ever hurtful. I apologize The New Orleans area just lost a great man, a great coach and a great witness to Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church. Thanks for showing us Coach what a Catholic gentleman should be. I am truly saddened:(
However, offered the chance via text message to say anything he wanted in the form of a farewell, Malone focused strictly on the positives: the fact his four children graduated from local high schools; that two of his kids got degrees from LSU; and that he helped the Saints win their first and so far only Super Bowl in his fourth season with the organization.
In this handout image provided by the NFL circa 2011, Terry Malone of the New Orleans Saints poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Metairie, Louisiana.
“The Malones are truly blessed! Now, we start our next chapter but will always consider (New Orleans) home. God Bless us all.”
It was under Malone’s tutelage that star Saints tight end Jimmy Graham had what for now is his lone Associated Press First Team All-Pro season in 2013. Graham led the NFL in touchdown catches (16) and the Saints in receiving yards (1,215) as the Saints won 12 of 18 games to reach the divisional round of the playoffs last season.
However, as he played through a lingering shoulder injury this season, Graham’s touchdown grabs and receiving yards fell to 10 and 889, respectively. That was after the Saints gave Graham a four-year contract extension paying him $10 million a season, or the highest annual salary ever for a tight end.
The Saints’ offense also had the fifth-most giveaways in the NFL during the season (30), which largely nullified the success a unit that gained the most yards in the league could’ve had. Simultaneously fielding a defense that surrendered the second-most yards in the NFL, the Saints finished 2014 with a lackluster 7-9 record and missed the playoffs.
Payton vowed to evaluate both the roster and coaching staff to make any necessary changes the day after the final game of the season. Those switches began Friday, when the NFL Network reported that the Saints opted to part ways with a few assistants, including Malone, who was the most veteran out of the group named.
Malone’s departure will likely hit the St. Tammany Parish community of Covington close to home. He and his family volunteered at the Covington Food Bank and have been active parishioners at Most Holy Trinity Church, according to his biography on the Saints’ website. He’s served as an operations chair for capital campaigns at Most Holy Trinity and St. Scholastica Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in Covington. And he was known to give faith-based motivational talks to local folks.
Before joining the Saints, Malone was the offensive line coach (1997-2001) and offensive coordinator (2002-2005) at the University of Michigan. Asked on Friday if there was any opportunity he’d return to work for the Wolverines, who recently hired former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh as their new coach for 2015 and beyond, Malone — a native of Redford, Michigan — responded in a manner that showed his love for both the maize and blue as well as the New Orleans area.
He texted: “Geaux Blue!”
And here is what I wrote last night on my personal Facebook page:
Despite being a tough Saints fan, and I know I'm tough, I am extremely saddened to learn of the decision to part ways with one of their coaches, Terry Malone. He is a class act and thanks to my church family at MHT, I got to know him as a devoted Catholic, a pillar of the Church, a devoted, and I mean devoted, husband and father. Terry Malone and his wife Ann and his wonderful children are the picture of a beautiful family who places Jesus first! I will miss them, if indeed they move on. I know the entire MHT family will too. I am so sorry if my criticism after a tough loss was ever hurtful. I apologize The New Orleans area just lost a great man, a great coach and a great witness to Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church. Thanks for showing us Coach what a Catholic gentleman should be. I am truly saddened:(
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