Mage

I do agree that we are not an attractive place to come to. But it is still very misleading to suggest we aren't going after a rising star in the coaching ranks, when O'Connell is exactly that. It is possible to both acknowledge that he is a good, or at the very least attractive, candidate, and also that we are not an desirable destination. I think out of all 3 names, Jay Gruden is the most likely candidate considering he's out of a job. I seriously doubt BOB would come here, for a multitude of reasons. I think he only leaves Alabama for a HC position in the NFL, unless we're going to pay him a big bag. O'Connell wouldn't surprise me though. He's never going to call the plays in LA while McVay is there. So at some point he's going to leave to go somewhere that he can, because that is what will position him for a HC more than anything. And there has been a LOT of success recently w/ young, back-up QBs turned offensive coordinators.

Fan of Gruden as OC. But not so much BOB. I really don't see his personality clashing well with Rhule. That is my biggest concern, by far. And despite having Watson for some seasons, the only time as a play-caller his offense has ever been top 10 in either points or yards was 2011, when he had Brady, Gronk, Hernandez, and Welker.

Some of you are so negative to the point that you will find any way to support your clearly wrong take.

Okay? At the end of the day you tried to state that we weren't targeting up-and-coming coaches. When we clearly are targeting an up-and-coming coach. Are you now suggesting we shouldn't be targeting people like O'Connell, because they won't want to come here? And if so, then why imply that us not targeting rising coaches (even though O'Connell is one) is a bad thing? Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Nah. We'd definitely fire him if we failed again next season, barring miraculous circumstances. And this isn't me just trying to be optimistic for the sake of optimism. But there is no way Rhule would survive a 2nd season of this level of criticism and hate.

Kevin O'Connell is a rising coach though. And he doesn't call the plays in LA. He has every incentive to coordinate somewhere else. Maybe you are right and he doesn't want to come here, but he certainly increases his chances of becoming a head coach if he goes somewhere and calls plays, rather than just being an OC in name only. And he's only 36.

Also while yes, Kevin O'Connell would technically be a lateral move for him, he doesn't call the plays in LA due to McVay's presence. That would be the incentive for him to leave the Rams and come here. So suggesting we aren't targeting an "up-and-comer", when we clearly are, seems intentionally disingenuous. I love the idea of bringing in someone who's learned under another great offensive mastermind. But, again, I do think adding someone with HC-experience helps Rhule a lot. So that would be the biggest slight against O'Connell in the context of this current coaching staff, which needs more pro experience.

What? Jay Gruden would be a great hire. Not sure what him being unemployed matters. Plenty of coaches end up taking a year off off, especially when they get purged from a coaching staff due to a new HC hire. Not a fan of Rhule, but Gruden would definitely be a good get for us. He coached some very good offenses in Cincinnati and Washington, and you could point to both Dalton and Cousins as guys he got the best out of (and there was only so much you were getting out of Dalton). Quite frankly I don't understand how anyone could hate on the idea of Gruden being our OC, unless they are trying to be negative for the sake of being negative. He is certainly one of the best, established OCs available. Even Minshew under him finished with 16 TDs/5 INTs and a 95 QB Rate in 2020. The overall offense sucked but its the Jaguars. Gruden on the sidelines would also give us someone with more NFL coaching experience and hopefully alleviate some of the gameday pressure off of Rhule. And no, this is not me saying I want Rhule back, but if he's going to come back, then we need to give him the best chance to succeed. Gruden would be a good hire in that regard.

McCaffrey could still easily be worth the contract if the Panthers did the sensible thing and made him a primary receiver who also plays RB. Granted our QBs suck. But if we had a solid QB, CMC would tear it up in the slot and out of the backfield. The way the Saints used Kamara for all of those years is how McCaffrey should be used. There is NO reason for CMC to have 20+ carries in a game. The ideal touch count for him is about 10-12 in the run game and 5-7 in the receiving game.

Here is something that needs to be considered, that often isn't - The performance of the offensive line would likely be improved with better QB play and/or a coaching staff. This is not me saying we shouldn't draft an OL in Round 1, but it isn't the end of the world if we don't either. Look at the Bengals. Everyone said they NEEDED to go OL. And yes, their line needs to be improved and they acknowledge that, but even then, they are ranked 5th in scoring this year and Burrow is playing lights out. Herbert last year is another example of a guy who stepped into a situation with a bad OL and still allowed them to have an electrifying passing game. There are many ways to improve your protection without actually drafting a lineman. Which, don't get me wrong, we should absolutely have a plan to inject more talent there. But it doesn't necessarily need to be a 1st-round commitment. Better QB play alone would make our pass protection better, in all likelihood. Nobody respects Newton or Darnold. Nobody respects the scheme. Stuff like that makes a bad offensive line look so much worse. I'd argue to this day the 2015 OL wasn't that good. But it benefited from MVP play from Newton and a perfect combination of a power-run scheme designed around his talents and Ginn's exploits downfield, not to mention Olsen playing at a high level. Again just improving in those areas will make a worlds of difference. I don't think there is any QB worth picking at #5. At least not right now. Maybe things will change as I watch more and more film (Mac Jones for example, I became a fan of the more and more I watched him play before the draft). However, if there is a guy you think is top-5 caliber, then you absolutely take him, even if your OL is weak. With that said right now my #1 guy would be Evan Neal. So don't take this as a post of me advocating against taking an OL in the 1st. Just saying it isn't something we HAVE to do.

Pickett has been a starter for 4 years and has been with Pitt for 5. Burrow didn't start until his 4th year (16 TDs to 5 INTs... better than any Pickett season sans '21) and by that point was on his 2nd team. And Burrow's 2019 season is legendary. I like Pickett, but I don't think it is a good comparison. And Burrow flat out just looks much, much better when you watch them play.

I wouldn't consider hiring a new OC that was worse than the one we had an upgrade though. Doesn't really matter if and when he was fired. We had him. And we would have ultimately let him go just to bring in Jason Garrett the next year. That is not an upgrade.

Jason Garrett is horrendous. He is definitely not an upgrade over Joe Brady.

This is the most damning evidence against our coaches. How is Darnold performing so much worse here than with the freakin' Jets?

Our starting QB was Kyle Allen the season before Rhule got here Imagine if I told you in 2019 that in 2021, somehow, someway, our QB position would be soooo much worse than Kyle Allen. So disappointed in my Panthers.

17 TDs to 15 INTs as a rookie 19 TDs to 13 INTs in his 2nd year, 84.3 QB rating. This after missing 3 games due to mono 9 TDs to 11 INTs in his 3rd year Right now he's at 7 TDs to 12 INTs. FIRE RHULE

Wow, what a loser.

Yea he sucks.

This is the worst run blocking Panthers team ever

This forum absolutely hated Ron Rivera by the end of it. So what would keeping Richardson accomplish? Richardson never wanted to fire anyone. Fox would still be here if it wasn't for the fact Fox himself wanted to leave.

Saban is better off in college, but I think too often people make it seem like he was a complete failure in the NFL. Dolphins were 4-12 when he got there and in his first season they finished 9-7. If Saban could have gotten Brees like he wanted (Dolphins doctors failed him in the physical), I think he would have done just fine. I agree with your overall point though that it is difficult for college coaches to transition to the pros, but IMO Saban wasn't a bad NFL coach. He just A) didn't stay long enough and B) didn't get the QB he wanted.

FIRE RHULE

FIRE RHULE

Sam Darnold TIME

lols