CmC2k

If not for Keith Taylor blowing 3 coverages against Mike Evans and getting cooked the entire game against the Steelers, then Wilks is probably our HC right now. Wilks took over a dead team from Rhule and put his heart and soul into this team and for a short time brought back the culture of this franchise. 

If Ben Johnson wants to stay in Detroit and not be a HC then that's fine no one's got an issue with that, but he needs to stop taking all the Head coaching interviews with teams and scheduling 2nd interviews with them only to pull out the day before the interview. If he only just did it once to us last year, then his story is believable, but he's now done it in back-to-back years with Washington and Seattle. The whole thing just seems sketchy and little bit snaky to me. 

Just my opinion but I think that Ben Johnson knows that he doesn't have the personality or the leadership ability to be a HC which is why he keeps pulling out of jobs where he's the obvious Number 1 choice for that team. He knows that despite that red flag teams are so desperate for a young offensive HC that they ignore any and all red flags and offer him the job. 

1 minute ago, travisura said:

I think in a vacuum you'd be right, but with the context of the game of thrones FO we had last year I think people would understand wanting out.

Yeah, if he doesn't wanna be here then I'm ok with him going now because it's clear he probably won't resign with us or would get a HC job soon so might as well rip the band aid off now and move on but I'm not letting him leave this year to go to a contender in conference for no compensation. 

16 minutes ago, travisura said:

The NFL is a small world when it comes to coaches, and coaches talk to each other. Holding a potential HC hostage because he's technically under contract would be a horrible look.

Yes, he signed the contract, but he signed that contract in drastically different circumstances than those which stand in front of him now. Do you blame him for trying to leverage a way out of this mess?

I get that many on this site see this as a black and white contractual issue, but introduce a bit of nuance and think about it from all sides of the equation.

Owners and front office people talk too. Just think if you a GM or an owner of another team are you gonna wanna hire a guy who quit on his team in the middle of his contract just because he didn't wanna be there. That's not a good look for someone who's looking to be a HC.

If Evero truly doesn't wanna be here then I'm ok with allowing him to seek out a trade for himself but I'm not letting him out of his contract to go to a contending team in conference for free. I don't think it's holding him hostage it's just the nature of the business. Evero is a talented young DC who's gonna be a head coach soon so if the Rams or Packers really want him then I'm asking for a 3rd or at least a 4th round pick in this year's draft to let Evero leave. Him leaving would also mean we'd have to hire an almost new defensive staff and our players would have to do another year of learning a new scheme. 

I think it speaks volumes for how well Dave Canales was thought of in Tampa by seeing him be able to bring some of these solid veteran coaches with him. They must know that without Canales Todd Bowles will go back to being on the hot seat like he was before the start of last season. 

5 minutes ago, Ship said:

I'm not looking for greatness out of our assistant coaches anymore. These are NFL coaches-- not college guys like Rhule, and not vaunted up and comers like Reich. Let's just hire some solid to average coaches and let our young HC build something with guys who know him.

 

Keep the defensive staff intact and we're good.

Great point

Last year we had too many assistant coaches who all had HC aspirations and each wanted to be given the credit for fixing the Panthers and developing Byce Young. 

I really hope Dave Canales can be our version of Dan Campbell. Dude has completely changed the culture and perception of the Lions in only 3 years. 

1 minute ago, CamWhoaaCam said:

When he does it consistently I will give him the credit. Until then im done betting against Mahomes.

 

NFL better pray he doesn't get a #1 WR this offseason.

That fair he's gotta prove it more when the games truly do matter. Burrow to me seems like the only QB who doesn't fear or get intimidated by the Mahomes and chiefs aura. 

1 minute ago, CamWhoaaCam said:

He has to consistently beat him in the playoffs. Regular season means nothing when it comes down to it.

 

Lamar just proved he was the best QB in the regular season. Playoffs came and he failed to beat Mahomes.

Burrow just needs to stay healthy and he'd be a threat to Mahomes every year. Dude just has that it factor in big time games. I still think that he would've beaten Mahomes this year if he was healthy and probably last year too if the Bengals D-lineman didn't shove Mahomes to the ground while he was going out of bounds.

4 minutes ago, CamWhoaaCam said:

Every other great QB is under pressure to beat Mahomes.

 

It's no longer Mahomes and whoever. It's who can beat Mahomes. Not sure there is anyone who can do it consistently. This was the best year to beat him.

The only QB who can consistently win vs Mahomes has been Joe Burrow who currently holds a 3-1 record against him. 

Joe Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes: Head-to-Head Stats Comparison | Stathead.com

34 minutes ago, Rocky Davis said:

Burns cannot contain the run and has no ability to drop back in coverage.  He has one mode:  rush QB.  Even with that mode he isn't a game changer on this team as it currently stands.

Luvu and Brown are much more important and the savings to rebuild to team are as well.

The concerning part is that Burns truly did look dominant the 1st game of the year against the Falcons then just went through the motions the rest of the year. So, the question I'd ask him is why can't you play like that consistently? Are you just gonna mail it in once you get your big pay day? 

I like Frank Reich as a person, but he does not have the ability to command a locker room or a coaching staff. The all-star coaching staff looked good on paper but the second it looked like it wasn't gonna work everyone went into self-preservation mode trying to save their own jobs. 

I would just extend Burns, Brown, and Moton and re sign Luvu. We went shopping in FA last year and it didn't get us nowhere so lest just accept our lumps this year and try to get some help through the draft by trading down and getting more picks to build the team. But I can also see them going and trying to kick the cap down the road and trying to bring in Bryce some weapons so we can get a proper evaluation on him to see if he's gonna be the guy going forward. 

47 minutes ago, jamos14 said:

I’d agree.  But there is 0 indication they aren’t letting him leave if he actually wants to go anywhere . 
 

Canales wouldn’t want an unhappy defensive coordinator before the season even starts.

Can you trade a coordinator? Like let's just for example sake that Evero is upset that he was passed over twice for the HC spot and wants out could we get a 4th or a 5th from the Rams to reunite him with Mcvay?

The offense was so bad last year that not a single offensive coach should be retained. Canales needs to fully clean house on that side of the ball. 

9 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Yeah, there were a few like that.

A lot of us probably remember him famously only rushing two guys on a play where they gave up a big gain.

Will he call the plays or does Eberflus call the defense in Chicago? 

3 minutes ago, rayzor said:

Then we wait 2 years and take advantage of other options until then. Hopefully we won't need to do that.

Just imagine the 2026 draft the panthers have the 1st overall pick and Bryce is a confirmed bust and the Manning family tells Tepper to kick rocks and that Arch will not play for him. Just imagine the huddle melt down. 

This year will be a big test for Evero if he stays as DC. The past 2 years with us and Denver he's had awful offenses, so the other team knows that once they score 17 or more points, they can just go ultra conservative and chew clock because there was no threat of either team coming back. Our offense will hopefully at least be competent this year so I want to see how well he can do when the other team is actively trying to score for all 4 quarters the entire season. 

1 minute ago, Steelo said:

As much as the fanbase would hate it... I don't hate this idea as much.

I'm still a Bryce guy but Sam Howell is an absolutely perfect fit for the offense that Canales ran in Tampa this year. Dude throw's a great deep ball but he needs to control some of his erratic play and taking so many sacks but to be fair the Commanders had an awful Oline last year. 

Dave Canales was able to get Baker to put up 4000 yards and 28td's to 10 int's. If he doesn't think Bryce has the ability to run the offense he wants to run, then I'd be all for going and getting Sam Howell from the Commanders. 

9 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Our former DC under Rivera...

(a job he clearly wasn't ready for at the time)

This play call of his from 2018 still haunts me. Let's send your HOF middle linebacker on a rush by himself and drop your 350 Nose tackle in Dontari Poe into coverage. 

2 hours ago, LegioX said:

Purdy can only keep the Cinderella storyline going for so long

I still think Sam Darnold is better than Brock Purdy. 

I feel that the main reason Dan got the job was that he was probably the only candidate who told Tepper and crew that this team is closer to competing that it probably actually is. All the other candidates probably wanted to strip the whole operation down and build the team in their image and we all know Tepper doesn't have the patient to allow this team to do a complete rebuild. I like Dan Morgan and believe he's gonna do a good job. He knows this team's culture and identity and is well respected around the league for the work he puts in so hopefully with him having full control things will get better.