Ranking Potential HC Openings

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28276535/ranking-best-worst-potential-nfl-head-coaching-openings-2019

This is by Barnwell.  Who is probably one of the few ESPN Staff Writers where I actually value their opinion and seems to make an honest effort to be up to date with more than just the big market teams.

For people that don't want to click:

9. Redskins

8. Giants

7. Jets

6. Jaguars

5. Browns

4. Lions

3. Falcons

2. Panthers

1. Cowboys

Quote

 

2. Carolina Panthers

Biggest strength: Talent
Biggest weakness: Quarterback uncertainty

The Panthers were one of my picks as the five teams most likely to improve in 2019. They almost surely aren't going to beat their 7-9 mark from last season, but there's a better team here than their 5-8 record seems to indicate. In addition to starting the combination of a compromised Cam Newton and an overmatched Kyle Allen at quarterback, the Panthers had four games in which they could have either won or tied things up late in the fourth quarter and were stopped inside the opposition's 3-yard line.

There's a lot to like here. Marty Hurney has generally done good work in his second stint as general manager, and Carolina is loaded with talent it has drafted over the past several seasons. His moves in free agency have been chosen carefully and limited to short-term contracts; while the likes of defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Bruce Irvin are about to see their contracts expire, the Panthers are projected with more than $42 million in cap space for 2020 and don't really have much in the way of bad contracts on their cap. Injuries and retirements could lead them to create an additional $18.1 million in room by moving on from defensive tackle Dontari Poe and tight end Greg Olsen, with that money possibly heading instead toward free-agent cornerback James Bradberry.

The Panthers could clear an additional $19 million by moving on from the final year of Newton's contract, and his situation is the only thing keeping the Panthers from ranking atop this list. He hasn't been healthy since the first half of 2018, and while he was one of the league's best quarterbacks while the Panthers started 6-2, he has been a shell of his former self since. Newton underwent shoulder surgery after the 2018 season, and after suffering a Lisfranc injury and attempting to heal it without going under the knife, he had surgery Monday.

Newton should recover in time for minicamp, but the Panthers will have to hire a coach and go through the player-acquisition window without seeing what the QB looks like on the field. That's an almost unbearable amount of uncertainty for an NFL team. Do they cut or attempt to trade their franchise quarterback with no obvious replacement available? If you're a coaching candidate, how can you make a decision on what to do with Newton when you haven't even seen him throw? And does Panthers owner David Tepper let the new coach make his own decision about Newton, or is that an organizational call beyond the coach's purview?

Tepper's role in the process also creates some uncertainty. Prior Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was conservative to a fault, hiring four coaches over his 25 years in charge of the franchise. Tepper, a hedge fund manager who was formerly a Steelers minority owner, fired Rivera less than two years after purchasing the team. Reports have suggested that Tepper plans to integrate a larger dose of analytics into the organization's decision-making, which might limit the pool of coaches who would take this job. Thankfully for the Panthers, the coaches left in the pool are likely to be better options than the ones who would rule out using data as part of their day-to-day work.

The identity of the next coach might be aligned with who ends up playing quarterback for this team. If it's Newton and the Panthers think the only way to use him is in his prior role as both a passer and runner, I wonder if Carolina might look toward Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who has built a creative, vibrant running attack around MVP favorite Lamar Jackson. Roman also has spent time working for two of the league's more analytics-friendly shops over the past decade in San Francisco and Baltimore.

On a totally different page, the Panthers have been regularly linked with Bill Cowher, who played college football at NC State, over the past decade. Cowher retired before Tepper purchased his minority stake in the Steelers, but their shared familiarity with how the Steelers have built a development machine in Pittsburgh should have plenty of crossover with what Tepper wants to do in Carolina. Cowher sold his house in Carolina in 2018 and moved to New York on a full-time basis for his media duties, but if there was ever an opportunity to make the 62-year-old reconsider his retirement, this might be it. Tepper fired Rivera with the hopes of getting a jump on the hiring process, so it wouldn't be surprising if the Panthers were the first team on this list to lock down their new coach.

 

 

[joeyxfresco]

Cowboys head job will always be the least sought after job as long as Jerry micromanages everything 

[Mr. Scot]

I'm not sure how you say that David Tepper's role in the Panthers might be "concerning", then turn around and name the Cowboys as the most desirable coaching job 

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

Just now, joeyxfresco said:

Cowboys head job will always be the least sought after job as long as Jerry micromanages everything 

Cowboys job still has some very big benefits, though.

Huge stage.  Fairly young talented core.  But yeah, dealing with Jerry will be a huge negative.

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

Just now, Mr. Scot said:

I'm not sure how you say that David Tepper's role in the Panthers might be "concerning", then turn around and name the Cowboys as the most desirable coaching job 

Fortunately, he did not say that Tepper's role might be "concerning".

[Mr. Scot]

12 minutes ago, Tepper's Chest Hair said:

Fortunately, he did not say that Tepper's role might be "concerning".

Concerning was my word, but he did have a paragraph there questioning Tepper.

I find it inconsistent to question David Tepper and then state that the best job available is working under Jerry Jones.

[bobowilson]

Barnwell's critique on Dave Gettleman is both scathing, and accurate

 

Gettleman's two-year run in charge of the Giants has been disastrous, and while the former Panthers GM inherited a roster bereft of young talent, his moves have done little to shore things up. His controversial decision to draft running back Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick has not aged well; as talented as Barkley clearly is, he hasn't been able to single-handedly build a running game, which is what he needed to do to justify being selected over the likes of quarterback Sam Darnold and guard Quenton Nelson, let alone the best runner in his class, Lamar Jackson. Other 2018 picks such as guard Will Hernandez and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter don't appear to be difference-makers after two seasons.

Even if you think it's too early to evaluate the draft picks, Gettleman's decisions with veterans have gone horribly. He made former Patriots left tackle Nate Solder the highest-paid offensive lineman in league history in the spring of 2018, but Solder has allowed 17.5 sacks, per Stats LCC data, over the ensuing two seasons. Gettleman followed by signing guard Patrick Omameh to a three-year, $15.5 million deal, only to cut Omameh after seven games. Adding 31-year-old receiver Golden Tate made little sense for a rebuilding team, as did bizarre trades for the likes of linebacker Alec Ogletree and defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Gettleman's plan to build around running the football and "hog mollies" seemed antiquated, but the Ravens have built their offensive philosophy around that model and have the league's best offense. The problem is that the players Gettleman has acquired to fill out his plan aren't good enough to pull it off.

 

The jury is still out Gettleman's two draft classes, but 2019 first-rounder DeAndre Baker has been one of the worst corners -- and starters -- in football so far. Gettleman's best selection so far, adjusting for draft position, has likely been fifth-round pick Darius Slayton. The problem, of course, is that Slayton has taken the spot in the lineup that previously belonged to franchise icon Odell Beckham Jr. While Beckham has had an underwhelming season in Cleveland, retaining him would have given rookie quarterback Daniel Jones a legitimate No. 1 receiver.

Jones' first season has been inconsistent. After leading the Giants to a comeback victory over the Bucs and a win over Washington, he lost eight straight before going down with a high ankle sprain. He hasn't had much help up front, but he has shown virtually no pocket awareness. Jones has fumbled 15 times in 11 games, and while his stat line is several grades above that of Haskins, a lot of it has been thanks to friendly matchups. He threw 10 touchdown passes without an interception against the Bucs (who rank 19th in pass defense DVOA), Lions (25th) and Jets (22nd). He has otherwise thrown eight touchdown passes against 11 picks in his other matchups.

 

[jfra78]

15 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Concerning was my word, but he did have a paragraph there questioning Tepper.

I find it inconsistent to question David Tepper and then state that the best job available is working under Jerry Jones.

You really do just see what you want to see.  It says nothing at all what you're implying.

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

15 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Concerning was my word, but he did have a paragraph there questioning Tepper.

I find it inconsistent to question David Tepper and then state that the best job available is working under Jerry Jones.

Weird you quoted your own word in apostrophes, implying it was directly stated by the author.

He said "uncertainty" because Tepper is still a new owner.  So there is uncertainty as to how exactly things will play out.  He compared him to Richardson that was a known quantity.  Like him, or hate him, you knew exactly how he would react to specific situations.

He didn't say he was concerned.  He didn't say that Tepper may be hard to work under.  Only that no one knows exactly what type of owner Tepper will be, as we are still seeing Tepper come into his own as an owner.

[jfra78]

4 minutes ago, Tepper's Chest Hair said:

Weird you quoted your own word in apostrophes, implying it was directly stated by the author.

He said "uncertainty" because Tepper is still a new owner.  So there is uncertainty as to how exactly things will play out.  He compared him to Richardson that was a known quantity.  Like him, or hate him, you knew exactly how he would react to specific situations.

He didn't say he was concerned.  He didn't say that Tepper may be hard to work under.  Only that no one knows exactly what type of owner Tepper will be, as we are still seeing Tepper come into his own as an owner.

He has done this with other articles as well.

[rayzor]

38 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Concerning was my word, but he did have a paragraph there questioning Tepper.

I find it inconsistent to question David Tepper and then state that the best job available is working under Jerry Jones.

He said the biggest weakness for the cowboys job was having to work for Jerruh. The reason they are top is because of the talent on that team and that Jerruh isn't afraid if throwing money around. 

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, rayzor said:

He said the biggest weakness for the cowboys job was having to work for Jerruh. The reason they are top is because of the talent on that team and that Jerruh isn't afraid if throwing money around. 

I get that. And heck, if it weren't for Jerry, the Cowboys would absolutely be the top job available.

Unfortunately for both the Cowboys and their fans, Jerry actually exists.

[GoPanthers123]

Yep Carolina is the least fuged up franchise in the list.

[trueblade]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

I'm not sure how you say that David Tepper's role in the Panthers might be "concerning", then turn around and name the Cowboys as the most desirable coaching job 

The Cowboys have a quarterback. The Panthers have uncertainty at the quarterback position. That trumps either owner's meddling as far as ranking the opportunities for incoming coaches.