Bob Bratkowski was named offensive coordinator for the Jaguars on January 13, 2012. Bratkowski has 20 years of NFL coaching experience including 14 as an offensive coordinator. He has previously worked with Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey on two coaching staffs, in Atlanta last season and in Pittsburgh from 1999-2000. Now in his 35th year in coaching, Bratkowski coached 14 seasons at the college level before entering the NFL in 1992.
Bob Bratkowski was named offensive coordinator for the Jaguars on January 13, 2012. Bratkowski has 20 years of NFL coaching experience including 14 as an offensive coordinator. He has previously worked with Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey on two coaching staffs, in Atlanta last season and in Pittsburgh from 1999-2000. Now in his 35th year in coaching, Bratkowski coached 14 seasons at the college level before entering the NFL in 1992.
Bratkowski served as quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2011. Under Bratkowski’s tutelage, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan set single-season franchise marks in 2011 for passing yards (4,177) and 300-yard passing games (six) and ranked eighth in the NFL with a 92.2 passer rating. He threw for at least one touchdown in 15 straight games and concluded the regular season with 166 passes without being intercepted and 77 consecutive pass plays without being sacked. The Falcons set a single-season franchise record for yards per game (376.6) and passing yards per game (262.0).
Prior to joining the Falcons, Bratkowski spent 10 seasons (2001-10) with the Cincinnati Bengals as offensive coordinator. During his tenure in Cincinnati, the Bengals averaged 321.2 yards per game and 20.2 points per game. The Bengals ranked in the NFL’s top seven in passing offense and in the top 10 in total offense in three of his final six seasons with the club. Seven players were named to the Pro Bowl during Bratkowski’s stint with the Bengals, including WR Chad Ochocinco, OT Willie Anderson, RB Corey Dillon, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, RB Rudi Johnson, FB Lorenzo Neal and QB Carson Palmer.
Under Bratkowski’s direction, Palmer ranked fifth in the NFL in his first four seasons (2004-07) as a starter in passing yards (14,899), fourth in touchdown passes (104), sixth in completions of 25-plus yards (101) and eighth in passer rating (90.1). Two of the four seasons were highlighted by back-to-back 4,000-yard passing campaigns (2006, 4,035; 2007, 4,131). In Bratkowski’s final season with the Bengals in 2010, Palmer ranked fourth in the NFL in attempts (586) and completions (362), sixth in passing yards (3,970) and ninth in touchdown passes (26).
In 2009 under the guidance of Bratkowski, the Bengals won the AFC North Division behind a strong running game. Three different rushers combined for a franchise-record eight 100-yard rushing games, only the second time in team history that three rushers had a 100-yard game in the same season. Running back Cedric Benson set a franchise record with six 100-yard rushing games as he finished eighth in the NFL with 1,251 yards despite missing two games with a hip injury. In Benson’s absence, rookie Bernard Scott rushed for 119 yards at Oakland and veteran Larry Johnson gained 107 yards vs. Cleveland.
The Bengals 2009 offense averaged nearly four minutes more possession time than its opponents for the season (31:59 to 28:01). The Bengals ranked ninth in the NFL by allowing only 29 sacks. During Bratkowski’s tenure with the Bengals, the club set franchise records for fewest sacks allowed twice, including a record-low 17 in 2007.
In 2007, Palmer became the fifth-fastest player (59 games) in NFL history to throw for 100 touchdown passes. Palmer knocked Brett Favre and Daunte Culpepper out of the top five in the category, and joined a group that also includes Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner.
From 2004-06, Rudi Johnson ranked fourth in the NFL with 4,221 rushing yards, the most by any Bengal in a three-season span. In Bratkowski’s first two seasons as offensive coordinator, Corey Dillon posted back-to-back 1,300-yard rushing seasons. QB Jon Kitna revived his career under Bratkowski and threw for a career-high 26 touchdowns in 2006 and eclipsed 3,100 passing yards in three straight seasons.
From 1999-2000, Bratkowski was wide receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bratkowski entered the NFL coaching ranks in 1992 as an assistant with the Seattle Seahawks and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1995 where he served four seasons. In 1997, he coordinated the NFL’s top-ranked passing offense (247.4 yards per game) and the club ranked third in total offense (359.9). The Seahawks established club records for single-season passing yards (4,187) and completions (359) in 1997 and ranked second in the NFL in first downs (331).
Prior to joining the Seahawks, Bratkowski spent 14 years as a college coach, including four different stints as offensive coordinator at Weber State (1981-85), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-88) and Miami (Fla.) (1989-91). The Hurricanes won national championships in two of the three seasons (1989, 1991) with Bratkowski directing the offense. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Missouri from 1978-80.
A native of San Angelo, Texas, Bratkowski was a three-year letterman as a wide receiver at Washington State. His father, Zeke, played quarterback for 14 seasons in the NFL, seeing action for the Bears, Rams and Packers.
Born Dec. 2, 1955, Bob and his wife, Rebecca, have two children; son Shane and daughter Courtney.
COACHING BACKGROUND: Missouri 1978-80, Weber State 1981-85, Wyoming 1986, Washington State 1987-88, Miami (Fla.) 1989-91, Seattle Seahawks 1992-1998, Pittsburgh Steelers 1999-2000, Cincinnati Bengals 2001-10, Atlanta Falcons 2011, Jacksonville Jaguars 2012.
