UNCrules2187

Wasn’t that Todd guy one of the ones who was claiming Watson to Carolina was a done deal?

Great post, thanks for all the info! BTW, one nit, you have Reich listed as OC for the Eagles twice; think the second one is supposed to say OC of Chargers I believe.

He interviewed for the Arizona HC job as well. Doubt he’s hired as an OC here.

Zero chance, the Eagles would block the move anyway.

That's not at all what it reads like? Sounds like you're twisting the words of "didn't go as hoped" into what you want to believe (that he turned Carolina down in his initial interview?) rather than what most people logically concluded (that the interview, maybe on both sides, didn't go well).

Yep and he was actually pretty respectable for Cleveland - better than Watson at least. Put up 2,600 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs in 12 games.

I mean I literally said I'm assuming since he can't interview until next week. But we've heard that Ryans is a top candidate in Houston and Denver and they're not rushing their second round before they can speak with him. Haven't heard any of those sorts of rumblings for Steichen (yet).

While I was hoping Steichen would get a second interview (and he may yet still), it is interesting that he went through the initial rounds with three teams (Carolina, Indy, Houston), and as of now, it doesn't look like anyone was impressed enough to want to include him in their second/final round. Now obviously, I'm just assuming here given he can't even interview until after Sunday, so maybe he will get a second look from Carolina or Indy. Just seems like he didn't quite blow anyone away enough for them to put their search in a holding pattern (compared to a guy like Ryans who's being mentioned as one of the top two candidates in Houston and Denver).

He interviewed Sat, 1/14 virtually. After that coaches who are still alive in the playoffs cannot interview again until after the conference championship games.

Colts did as well but don't see him landing the gig there either. He may end up being back in Philly.

Maybe they went into Steichen's interview thinking he would be one of their frontrunners/preferred choices, but he bombed the interview and then Ben Johnson pulled out, so they pivoted to other candidates.

That one wouldn't surprise me, given he worked with Wentz in Philly. And to be fair, when was the last time a Carolina QB put up a line like Wentz did under Reich? Wentz 2021 stats: 3,563 yards (7 ypa, 62.4% comp %), 27 TDs, 7 INTs, 94.5 QB rating (60.6 QBR)

I don't know if that's on Reich so much as it's on Irsay - similar to Tepper always looking for the quick fix rather than grabbing someone like Justin Fields 2 years ago.

It's a valid question, but at some point your QB has to make plays and Wentz didn't that day. 2 turnovers and took six sacks. Both turnovers had Jacksonville set up in plus territory (fumble recovery at IND 23, interception at IND 46). Looking at the play-by-play, they were also fairly aggressive on 4th and short, going for it early 3 times, but only converting one of those. But yeah, definitely a bad performance for sure.

I feel like this is how the top 4 is going to play out: 1. Indy (trade up with Chicago) - Levis 2. Houston - Young 3. Arizona - Will Anderson / Jalen Carter 4. Chicago - Jalen Carter / Will Anderson At that point, I think the Panthers will be on the phone with both Seattle and Detroit to try to get Stroud. Going from 9 to 5 or 6 will likely cost both of this year's 2nds (based on Darnold and Allen precedents). I'd be willing to send the 49ers' 2nd and a future 2nd round pick to get it done. Keep this year's 2nd to add a slot weapon for Stroud, sign a FA TE (Engram/Hooper/Gesicki) and let's roll.

Go back and look at the pre-draft commentary on Herbert. Very few folks thought he was a QB prospect on the Burrow/Lawrence tier.

He was QB coach with Manning in 2009-2010, then QB coach for Rivers in 2013. He's been around those two most of his career, with a one year detour as Arizona WR coach in 2012.

Went back and watched SB 52 highlights last night...crazy how well Foles played in that game against one of the best defensive minds and GOAT QB. Pederson and Reich coached him up really well.

Apparently the Colts plan to bring in 7 (SEVEN) candidates for their 2nd round of interviews...lol wtf.

I'm good with Reich, if a tad underwhelmed. He's got a lot of staff connections, and he got fuged over in Indy. He had the Colts in position to make the playoffs last season after an 0-3 start until Wentz completely poo the bed in the final two games (they were 9-6 and needed one win to make it). That would've put the Colts in the playoffs for the 3rd time in 4 years and with four different QBs in those 4 years. Prior to Irsay's meddling this year, he had a 37-28 record as HC (.569 win %). I think he's as good of a candidate if you want someone with experience, someone on the offensive side of the ball, and someone who can get the most out of a QB. I was hoping we'd go with Steichen or Ben Johnson, but I don't think Reich is a bad consolation prize.

Latest from ESPN (paywall); nothing that hasn’t already been speculated IMO: Fowler: It wouldn't surprise if Steve Wilks is a finalist, along with at least one offensive-coordinator candidate -- think along the lines of Buffalo's Ken Dorsey, Philadelphia's Shane Steichen or New York's Mike Kafka. People around the league are torn as to whether David Tepper will aggressively pursue Payton. Tepper is big on value, cost analysis and checks and balances. Giving up a bunch of picks for the right to pay a coach $20-plus million a year doesn't seem like his plan, especially coming off the failed Matt Rhule experiment. But Tepper is also very aggressive, and I found it interesting when the Panthers interviewed Kris Richard for defensive coordinator. Payton is known to be a fan of Richard from their days together in New Orleans. I was also told this week not to sleep on Frank Reich's candidacy. He interviewed well there. Graziano: Yeah, I think Reich remains in the mix in Carolina, though the Panthers do seem to have a type in terms of this interview cycle -- the young offensive coordinator. They added the Cowboys' Kellen Moore to the list this week, and I do think Dorsey and Kafka remain on the radar. Wilks can't be ruled out, I don't think. The Panthers like him, and the team responded well to him as interim head coach in the second half of the season. But given how heavy the rest of their candidates list is on the offensive-minded types, it seems as if they might be inclined to go with one of them as they prioritize finally getting the quarterback situation right. https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/insider/story/_/id/35516868/nfl-head-coach-openings-latest-buzz-top-candidates-broncos-cardinals-colts-panthers-texans

I mean you can’t interview current coaches during the season so unless we decided to bypass the current pool of assistants and wanted to hire someone who was on the sidelines like Reich or Caldwell (couldn’t interview Payton until after the season since he’s under contract), it doesn’t really do much. All it does is give you a head start on building your candidate list.