Joe DeCamillis: Not just Dan Reeves' son-in-law anymore

<p>For years, Joe DeCamillis was best known as the guy who worked for his father-in-law.</p><p>No matter how well he did his job, there was always the perception that DeCamillis got his job by marrying Dan Reeves' daughter.</p><p>"I'm sure he got kidded a lot by coaches and players about working for his father-in-law," said Reeves, the longtime NFL coach who was Joe D's boss for 16 seasons. "I couldn't say anything nice about him because everyone would say, 'It's only because he's your son-in-law.'"</p><p>When Reeves was fired by the Atlanta Falcons after last season, no one would have blamed his successor for dumping such an obvious reminder of the old regime.</p><p>But Jim Mora didn't even consider getting rid of the special teams coordinator, and it turned out to be one of the wisest decisions by the rookie head coach.</p><p>"If you're in the business, you keep track of who's good at their position. Joe's the best," Mora said. "There was no hesitation to (keep) Joe. As a matter of fact, we had to convince him to stay because so many teams were after him."</p><p>This season, DeCamillis finally made a name for himself, proving he's worthy of the job because of what he knows _ not who he knows.</p><p>"I'm sure this has been an enjoyable year for him," Reeves said Tuesday. "He's definitely gotten some recognition that he didn't get in the past."</p><p>DeCamillis played a huge role in Atlanta's 47-17 rout of the St. Louis Rams in last week's divisional playoffs. Allen Rossum set an NFL playoff record with 152 yards in punt returns, including a 68-yard touchdown on a trick play designed by Joe D.</p><p>The Falcons lined up three players across their 30-yard line for the return, with Rossum in the middle. After catching the punt, he feigned a lateral pass to DeAngelo Hall on the right side, then took off up the middle. Rossum wasn't even touched on his way to the end zone.</p><p>Afterward, television cameras homed in on the guy who drew it up. While moving frantically down the sideline, DeCamillis got a hug from receivers coach George Stewart and an approving slap on the shoulder from Mora.</p><p>"He was part of the highlights," Mora said, "and he should be because he's a big part of this thing."</p><p>Typically, DeCamillis shrugged off all the praise that's coming his way. It wasn't like this was some aberration. The Falcons ranked No. 1 in both punt return average and punt coverage during the regular season, and they were in the top 10 in two other categories.</p><p>"You've got to keep it in perspective," DeCamillis said, taking out a moment from another grueling day of meetings and watching film. "You enjoy it for a day, then you go back to work."</p><p>He can't slow down now. The Falcons are one victory from the Super Bowl, but they'll face a more formidable opponent in Sunday's NFC championship game at Philadelphia.</p><p>Unlike St. Louis, which has some of the worst special teams in the league, the Eagles appear the match up well with the Falcons _ right down to the coaches.</p><p>John Harbaugh has been in charge of Philadelphia's kicking game for seven years. This season, the Eagles ranked in the top 10 in nine special teams categories.</p><p>"We'll have to come back down to earth," DeCamillis said.</p><p>That shouldn't be hard to do in a job where the ego is best left at home. DeCamillis gets 40 minutes each day to meet with his guys and about 30 minutes before the start of practice to work on the kicking game. That's it. With only a 53-man roster, most of the special teams players must work at other positions.</p><p>DeCamillis feels a constant sense of urgency, which led him to develop a deft touch with the computer. He puts together presentations that resemble a business meeting, blending video with diagrams to get his point across quickly.</p><p>"You can't tell stories, like they do in other meetings," DeCamillis said. "You've got to be completely focused for that 40 minutes."</p><p>He's also willing to take chances that other coaches might avoid for fear of getting burned.</p><p>"We're not playing not to lose," said Artie Ulmer, the leading special teams tackler. "We're playing to win. We pin our ears back. To us, it's just as important as offense or defense."</p><p>DeCamillis was a bit uncertain about his future when his father-in-law was fired. But Mora moved quickly to assuage any hard feelings, calling Reeves a coaching idol and making it clear that he wanted DeCamillis to stay.</p><p>That smoothed things over with DeCamillis' wife, Dana, who was understandably hesitant about having her husband continue to work for an organization that had just fired her father. Reeves gave his blessing, as well.</p><p>"I told him to do what's best for his family," the former coach said, "and get me out of the equation."</p><p>No one's kidding DeCamillis anymore.</p>

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