Mr. Scot

Verge chimes in...

He's probably trying to put that on me Funny thing is, the only grade I ever gave Fitterer was an incomplete, that owing to the fact that he had to deal with Matt Rhule and then had to overcome changes in coaching and scheme. Again though, once the "Hunger Games" story came out, there was just no way to keep him. For the record, my favorite choices during that hiring cycle were Jeff Ireland first, then Adam Peters when we got to the second cycle. I was good with Fitterer but he wasn't my first choice.

The scheme was Brown, but it's fair to blame Reich for allowing it to continue. My big question with Frank will always be how different might it have been had he been allowed full freedom to choose his own staff rather than being nudged toward hiring the "All-Star" group that we did.

Word was they were pretty high on Callahan before the Titans got him. Hence why I fear we panicked here. It also comes off as a "bidding against ourselves" sort of thing since no one else was pursuing him. There was no need to rush...but we did. I hope it works, but it might be one of those cases of "more lucky than good".

Not a fan of a guy saying "I'll stop interfering when you start winning" when his interference is a big reason why we're not

And I hope he will. We'll see

That's the hope

Never said I wouldn't. What I actually have said is that I'm more concerned about the process than the hire itself. It feels like we're making some of the same mistakes again. I'm also concerned that Canales might be the guy with the least leverage to tell David Tepper to shove off when it comes to influencing his decisions. I'll absolutely give him a chance. Hell, I gave Matt Rhule a chance. But I had concerns at that time, and I have them now.

I'd at least like to have given a second interview to Johnson. But hell, even if not Johnson, one of the Ravens guys. Not that huge a fan of Vrabel, worried he'd be more style over substance. All in all, give him that nobody else was pursuing Canales, I don't get the rush to hire him.

Nah, I just said he needed more time. Of course, that went out the window when Frank Reich was fired. But as always, I know it's easier for you to argue against your misrepresentations of my positions than my actual positions.

My big concern here Is that what everybody knew we needed was a guy who could/would tell David Tepper to butt out of this hiring decisions. Canales is arguably the guy with the least leverage of any candidate to do that.

I get it. This just feels impatient to me.

I've done the "convince myself to get on board" thing too many times already. I'm burnt out on it

Nobody else was pursuing Canales.

Lukewarm... I'm not so much against the candidate as I am worried about the process that led to his hiring.

I know he had first interviews with a couple of teams. From what I saw, no second interview requests other than us. I'd have to look up who the others were.

Should probably also have added this is the guy with the least amount of leverage. That at least potentially allows Tepper to continue influencing things like staff choices. Likewise means he's less likely to demand a long-term, fully guaranteed contract.

It could turn out to be good, but I definitely have concerns... - one year coordinator - nobody else was pursuing him for a second interview that I saw - would have only had to wait 3 days to interview one of the championship guys - makes it seem like an impatient / panic / bidding against ourselves move As always, I hope it works. In this case, I'm not so much down on the candidate as I am how the hiring process played out.

Answer: by being impatient

So much for being deliberative...

Everybody expects that to be Arthur Smith. And to be fair, Smith probably was a much better OC than he was head coach.

Happy to help

From the article: The word seems to be that the Panthers are going to be very deliberate with their coaching search and may be one of the final teams to actually make a hire. Owner David Tepper is in no hurry, which is not necessarily a detriment. Vrabel is in Carolina today, and I was told to watch how well he gets along with Dan Morgan, the team’s new general manager. Both men are in their mid to late forties, both played linebacker in the NFL and both are from the Pennsylvania-Ohio cradle of football. Vrabel would be a telling hire by Tepper, who is used to having his say in team matters but would not get it with the former Tennessee Titans coach. Carolina has to wait on Baltimore Ravens DC Mike Macdonald, who I think it likes. The Panthers could also make a late bid for Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson, though Johnson to Washington feels much more likely at this point. Of note with Macdonald: He can’t help if teams are offensively obsessed this offseason, but from all indications he has made some strong impressions. Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Dave Canales is another name to watch in Carolina. It sounds like his interviews have gone really well, and there is definitely some mutual admiration there. The 42-year-old longtime Seattle Seahawks assistant burst onto the coaching radar this year after injecting some life into the Tampa Bay offense. If I had to take a wild swing right now, I would not be surprised if the Panthers job didn’t come down to Vrabel vs. Canales.