Sgt Schultz

I may be misinterpreting your question, but the Wilks-led Panthers went 6-6 after The Process had the locks to his office changed. I'd even give the man a pass on the Rams game since the whole situation was a clusterfugg.

People are generally attracted to mediocrity because it is safe. Moving to excellence takes a lot of work, tough decisions, and risks. For football teams and fans, that step involves the potential to part with favorite players, especially if somebody offers a king's ransom for them, their usefulness is about to wane, or the contract they are going to command inhibits moving forward. The Pats over the years have been a revolving door. That's how they stayed so good for so long. People want to give Brady credit for that, but Brady always had tools around him. The names of those tools changed a lot, and fairly often. They could have allowed the early 2000's team to age out because it brought them three Owls. They didn't. It was viewed as cold much of the time, but it kept them competitive. To that end, think of all the howling that has been done by this fanbase when any long-time or popular player was let go. Granted, there was not always a replacement on the roster, but that was rarely the point of the howling. "How could we let them go/trade them after all he has done." I thought what Wilks did with Rhule's roster and flawed assumptions was very good. Would any of us have been surprised at 3-9 in that same stretch when the change was made? The guy inherited not only the roster but the coaches, made a few changes, and the team looked like it had a purpose. That is a testimony to his ability to lead a locker room. It is also a testimony to how bad The Process was. Wilks made some lemonade out of the lemons The Process left behind. His ability to lead a locker room and focus the team is not at issue. That said, I would not jump off the roof of a five story building if Wilks gets the job, but he is not my first choice. I would need to see something convincing that he would have been more aggressive with his own roster, instead of playing not to lose. I would also need to see a sustainable plan for the offense, including how we will deal with attrition. That is a lot to ask. In other words, I would need to see that he is not striving for mediocrity. For what its worth, if we are looking heavily at offensive coaches, I want to see the answer to similar questions on the defensive side.

Steichen, Kafka, Evero, Reich, and Wilks. Wilks is a show of respect. His first interview as his performance as IHC this season. His second interview was his first official interview. If nothing else, he has earned the right to be respected with a second official interview.

Absolutely. He and Harbaugh have both played this process like fine violins. That could be just part of the concert.

Could be. Jerrah as much as said he was going to fire McCarthy when he gave him his endorsement after the game Sunday. But that aside, the rumor/speculation of Payton to Dallas has gone on since Payton stepped aside in New Orleans. It would not surprise me to learn McCarthy was either fired, stepped down, or was perhaps moved "up" in the organization, despite of Jerrah's endorsement. That same rumor/speculation has been going on with the Chargers, but as @Mr. Scot said, that seems to be unlikely given what they have done since their playoff exit. Still, one never knows.

The Cowboys look like an organization that is all about excuses. They had the "blame the kicker" excuse armed and ready to post until Prescott threw the ball away a couple of times, and, after an initial bad PAT the kicker made two FGs. What they are saying is certainly not untrue, but these are the guys they put and keep on the roster. It's not like these limitations are something new. What is true is their coaching staffs never seem to be able to compensate (and generally looks like they invite the very situations that blow up) and their GM is a buffoon. Those two things are probably very related.

My main concern about Lance is if the 49ers staff is willing to throw in the towel on him, do we think another staff can turn him around? The devil is in the definition of throwing in the towel. If they are wanting to move him because they are willing to put their eggs in the Purdy basket, that is different than moving him before anybody else figures out he is a very expensive bust. But, if it is the former, the asking price is going to be higher than the latter. The advantage we have is we have a near-empty QB room. That does not mean we should go crazy and wind up with a room full of guys who struggle to reach mediocrity, but we aren't saddled with the existing contract of a guy we know will struggle to reach mediocrity. Honestly, this is a decision for a new staff to make along with Fitts.

That would be good. Olsen's delivery is such he could probably handle the play-by-play. Even if the game was awful, having it on as background just to hear that would be worth it.

Both Olsen and Romo are good analysts. The thing I like better about Olsen is you have to keep reminding yourself that it is Olsen.....he sounds like a guy that has been doing the commentary for decades. Merlin Olsen had a similar delivery.

I'm wondering the same thing. The rumor has been circulating all year that Payton was destined for the Cowboys. It was as if McCarthy was a dead man walking, with Jerrah just looking for an excuse to get out the hook. I would not be surprised to find out tomorrow McCarthy was dismissed or decided to step down. Should he? Well, sanity and reason have no place in the world of Jerrah Jones. The irony is that there are two NFC teams that seemingly should have achieved more with what they had. The Packers, with Rodgers and coached by McCarthy, and the Saints, with Brees coached by Payton. I feel like Payton would be more likely to get the Cowboys over the next hump, but it is no sure thing he would get them an Owl.

You are probably correct about Carr and a lot of competent coaches. You'll have to forgive my snippiness about Derek vs. David. Some of us still go into convulsions at the mention of David Carr. You should see us at the mention of Clausen. It becomes a full blown, foaming at the mouth conniption fit.

I sincerely hope you meant Derek Carr. Otherwise, you are dead to me.

I forgot about that. 16 teams was simply not enough.

Trees will tap dance before the NFL has fewer playoff games. Next step will be 8 in each conference, and we'll be lucky if they stop there. It could be worse. The NHL and NBA play 80+ game seasons and then half the teams make the playoffs. MLB keeps expanding theirs.

Agreed. Short of actually playing the Buffalo-Cincy game and shoving everything but the Superb Owl out a week to make up the odd week, a neutral site if it was KC vs. Buffalo or even Buffalo vs. Cincy was the only thing that made sense. As it is, KC got the benefit of the round 1 bye.

I doubt that I would, but I would have the hook ready. That could create a preparation problem for opponents. Preparing based on Purdy and having Garoppolo come in at the first sign of trouble would cause some adjustments on the fly. The '72 Dolphins stuck with Earl Morrall even though Bob Griese had recovered from his injury and was available for the playoffs. When Morrall struggled against the Steelers in the AFCC, Griese was inserted at halftime and led them to a win and trip to the Owl. I could see a similar situation with the 49ers taking shape this year, although Morrall was a 38-year old vet and Purdy is in his first year.

My random thoughts on Payton are that he was an excellent coach who probably overstayed his welcome in New Orleans. After Brees left and even maybe a little before, it looked like he lost his drive. FWIW, I think we are seeing some of the same with Hoodie in New England. The results are similar, curious personnel decisions, unfocused, going through the motions, etc. It is possible time away and a new environment cures that. Payton is younger than Hoodie, so there is that. Bountygate does not thrill me, but I have always believe that was more Gregg Williams' brain child than Payton's (and I believe the NFL investigation concluded that). He gets dinged for allowing it and creating an atmosphere where it was acceptable. The downside is that he left the Saints in a mess. That is an upside for us looking at it through Panther eyes, but the question is whether he would do the same here. Based on that, he is not my first choice. As a game day coach, I’m good. Having a voice in who gets a chance to wear the uniform, sure. Having his hand on the checkbook, different answer. All that said, I would not ride into the sunset on the Panthers if they hire him. The only coaching hire that would have cause me to respond that way would have been Josh McDaniels.

Most people to view everybody and everything as either all good or all evil. I guess it's a convenient (or lazy) way to go through life. Since most people and things are a mix of good and bad, it isn't all that useful or accurate. I think it is part of the de-evolution of our species.

Rhule was a classic example of the bad TV commercial proclaiming "and if you act in the next 15 minutes...."

The problem I see with waiting is that there is an urgency to lock up one of the better candidates, at least better perceived candidates. Now the downside of that is it is how we wound up with The Process at a huge price tag. Perhaps had they taken a breath and talked to a few more people after him, Tepper would have come to his senses (and probably told Hurney his "hepp" was no longer needed). So, I am afraid that the urgency will always be there because, like Black Friday, teams are afraid the shelves will be bare if they don't. Right now, waiting is less a function of a contemplative approach and more an indicator that the team can't find anybody that wants the job. I remember a few Raiders searches and, if I am not mistaken, the 49ers search after they pushed Harbaugh out dragging for that reason. I wish it was otherwise, but as long as one team is going to race to the finish line, I think is stays the way it is. The fanbase, especially on this board, is antsy. What they don't keep in mind is that it is not in the team's interest to show any cards about how things are going. Somebody may have already blown away the interview and given all the right answers, including names of assistants and direction of the team in the short, medium, and long terms. But you don't say "Lipshitz really is a perfect fit for us, and we are going to focus on hiring him." Obviously, assuming he is not a dolt, if you do it becomes like a bidding war on eBay in the final minute of the auction and if Lipshitz says no, you have tarnished every subsequent candidate's view.

I have been reading this entire thread and thinking perhaps he feels he is just not ready. If so, I have a lot of respect for the guy, and assuming he does become a head coach someday, he will probably be better for it. If his assessment about something special happening with the Lions is true, it's not like interest will get lower.

I can't blame him for that. Denver might be best served with a guy like Wilks. The wheels are so far off that they may need somebody to come in and stabilize things, like they did with Fox after the McDipstick debacle. Wilks essentially did that here in pretty quick order after we unloaded The Process. They are a mess right now. They may not want a Wilks/Rivera/Fox type, but it may be what they need. It's either that or some shock therapy, which was why they were talking to Harbaugh. But, as dysfunctional as they are, that could make it worse.

A new coach could want somebody new, especially since Murray's future was very much up in the air a year ago.....right before they extended him. That extension is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. His dead cap is almost $100M this year. His 2024 salary jumps to $37M, so I doubt anybody is going to take him in the trade market. Unless they want to eat a bunch of that contract against the cap, they are tied to him for another few years. None of that prevents them from drafting a QB and they do have cap space, but Murray's contract is a pretty bitter pill for them to swallow. I have no idea what they were thinking with his extension.

Not to throw any cold water on this, but what was the score of the Cincy-Baltimore game? And the Cincy defense scored 7 of those. There is no universal rule on this stuff. Well, other than if the Cowboys kicker doesn't figure out the ball has to go through the uprights, they are going to be in some trouble.

I am thinking something similar, like a small meteor.