Mr. Scot

Reich isn't the type. Staley though? One of the reasons he came here to be closer to his ailing mother. Now he's out of a job, and taking one with another NFL team would defeat his purpose. He could still take a job with a local University of course, and David Tepper would have no say in that. That might be the sort of thing that loosens somebody's tongue.

To be clear, there's another side to the "works well with others" discussion. Why did we draft Matt Corral? Reportedly it was because Ben McAdoo wanted him. Why did we draft DJ Johnson? Word on that was that he was favored by DC Ejiro Evero. Why did we sign Miles Sanders? Story there was that Deuce Staley and Frank Reich advocated for him. Why did we draft Jonathan Mingo? Pre-draft we were told that a certain receiver had so impressed the coaching staff that they were certain to draft him if they had the chance. Why did we draft Bryce Young? Well, that topic's been discussed plenty already. There's a pattern here, though. Former Titans GM Floyd Reese hated having coaches involved in scouting because, per his words, coaches had a tendency to fall in love with a particular player over highlights rather than looking at the whole picture. Obviously, it's the GM's job to get the kind of players his coaches want, but how much he should listen on particular players is a matter of debate. It's one of those things that's been in the back of my mind for a while now. Tepper is obviously the bigger concern, but these stories also make me wonder.

Sad to say I'm starting to get that feeling as well. The way Dianna Russini talked about Frank Reich's situation made it sound like Tepper and Fitterer were on the same page. She also pointed out (rightly) that defense and special teams haven't been a problem, just offense. So if Tepper feels okay about the roster in those areas, it would indicate he might not have a problem with his GM or front office.

Too late to edit, but I should have added Staley's name here. If he decides to talk, look out

Tepper said Houston backed out of the deal.

Always believed that was Staley and Reich both...

I think it's fairly safe to say McCown wanted Stroud, but I don't know if that has anything to do with his firing. Staley? No idea who he wanted, or if he even had a preference.

I don't know that Reich would have worked out, but it's not fair to force a guy into a decision he didn't want to make and then blame him for the results.

I don't believe this was Tepper's decision. Mind you, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good decision.

As to the topic, if it were only Keyshawn saying this I'd probably say he was full of sh-t. He's actually one of many. (poorly worded on his part mind you, but he's not alone)

Frank won't. McCown? Unknown.

Was never a case of not wanting Young so much as wanting Stroud more.

Holder has also said that Reich wanted Stroud. So did the others mentioned above as well as Adam Schefter back during the draft.

Of Reich, definitely. His depth chart decisions have been one of my big criticisms of him.

Florio, Eisen, Patrick, Holder and others have all echoed the idea.

I gave you the tweet for one of Holder's statements in another thread. Is exact words there were that it's an "open secret around the league" that Tepper heavily influenced the quarterback choice.

I don't go by stats. I go by what I see. What I've seen is that when he was used, Blackshear looked good. Keeping him inactive in favor of Miles Sanders hasn't exactly looked like a solid decision.

I know per his own words that Thomas Brown is the guy who actually wrote the playbook, but he also admits to being influenced by both Reich and McVay. What's weird about that though is that while Reich and McVay both run WCO style attacks, they have a lot of differences when it comes to some things (like motion, for example). Despite all the accolades, I'm not really sure Thomas Brown was ready for an OC job. Jim Caldwell playing an advisory role also makes me wonder.

Marty didn't get fired until after year one of Matt Rhule.

Blackshear is the leading kick returner in the league. Sitting him this past Sunday was criticized by even Darin Gantt. I think you'd also find a lot of people saying he's been underused this year. When he's played, he's done pretty well.

Stephen Holder is one who sounds pretty sure that Reich wanted Stroud. I wouldn't necessarily say he was the "lone voice" though. One of the other probable "voices" just got fired along with him.

Well if Mike Garafalo or somebody else says so, I will Joe Person and Mike Kaye both seem to think he'll go, but Dianna Russini talks about him as if he and Tepper are on the same page.

No, but he a has about 20 years of it as a quarterback, and the last few teams he played for as a backup indicated that he acted as a coach for their starters.

Yeah, I don't think he's gonna do that. Someone else might. There is such a thing as being too nice as an NFL coach. That might be a valid criticism of Reich.