NFL Coaching News

[Mr. Scot]

Apparently, O'Brien joining the Panthers could be an option.

Not a fan of this idea

Edited January 6, 2022 by Mr. Scot

[PNW_PantherMan]

Well at least if Rhule hires BoB, there a 0% chance Watson ever approves a trade here.

As long as Matt Rhule is here next year, I don’t think it matters who he hires.

[SmokinwithWilly]

On 1/3/2022 at 5:09 AM, Mr. Scot said:

Well, here's a new one...

Jason LaCanfora is apparently reporting that Jags GM Trent Baalke is nudging ownership to consider...Bill O'Brien as their next head coach.

It's LaCanfora...but it's also the Jags, so

Please oh please. Trade a 4th, Sammy D, and Djax for TLaw. He'd do it. 

[Mr. Scot]

8 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

Well at least if Rhule hires BoB, there a 0% chance Watson ever approves a trade here.

As long as Matt Rhule is here next year, I don’t think it matters who he hires.

Yeah, I'm not sure how Ellis sees them on "good terms" when, if I recall correctly, a big part of Watson's issues began when O'Brien traded away his best receiver.

[trueblade]

12 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

Apparently, O'Brien joining the Panthers could be an option.

Not a fan of this idea

BOB the GM got BOB the coach fired. He actually did okay as just a coach. We'd presumably go back to E/P which would benefit Cam if we brought him back. I'm more in favor of implementing a Shanahan style offense like they have in SF, GB, Cinci, etc.

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, trueblade said:

BOB the GM got BOB the coach fired. He actually did okay as just a coach. We'd presumably go back to E/P which would benefit Cam if we brought him back. I'm more in favor of implementing a Shanahan style offense like they have in SF, GB, Cinci, etc.

Current roster is definitely built for a West Coast type attack.

[PNW_PantherMan]

Just now, Mr. Scot said:

Current roster is definitely built for a West Coast type attack.

And our definition of a west coast attack is checking down to the RB every play. 

[Mr. Scot]

12 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

And our definition of a west coast attack is checking down to the RB every play. 

Well, yeah. That's a valid criticism of a poorly run WCO scheme.

Critics have often called the WCO "a horizontal offense".

[Mr. Scot]

40 minutes ago, stbugs said:

If Payton was a big fan of Fields, I could see that potentially happen. NO isn’t a top team without Brees based on the QBs they have. If he doesn’t like any of the 2022 QBs, it’s not going to be easy for them to get a top pick for a QB considering the doormats in the division named the Panthers and Falcons.

I'd love it strictly for the drama / entertainment value.

[Mr. Scot]

Not head coaching news, but an old friend of ours...

 

[Basbear]

7 hours ago, stbugs said:

If Payton was a big fan of Fields, I could see that potentially happen. NO isn’t a top team without Brees based on the QBs they have. If he doesn’t like any of the 2022 QBs, it’s not going to be easy for them to get a top pick for a QB considering the doormats in the division named the Panthers and Falcons.

Id take the iants over the bears 10/10. They have a legit players at every group(hard to say at WR this yr). Yea that one missing is a big one, but if they just find a "average" one, they could easily take over the south again *if brady finally gos home...... I mean Winston should be cheap again as well, he was playing better and for sure was in better shape. Having slant boy back would greatly help any QB and they have the better CMC model as well....

[Mr. Scot]

From Albert Breer...

Here’s what I’m hearing heading into Week 18.

• The Jaguars have already interviewed ex-Eagles coach Doug Pederson and ex-Lions and Colts coach Jim Caldwell, and sat down with Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles earlier in the week. They also plan to interview Cowboys OC Kellen Moore and tried to get Dallas DC Dan Quinn in too (he’s thus far declined). Pederson is said to be well-positioned here, and there’d be merit to his hire, without question, in that he has head coaching experience, and experience developing a young quarterback. But my understanding is that the Jaguars’ plan is to do the opposite of what they did last year—and run a wide-open search, and not pigeonhole themselves into a certain type (i.e., offense vs. defense, CEO vs. guru, young vs. old) and let that search take them where it will. One thing that’s created hurdles already is the team’s decision to hang on to GM Trent Baalke. There are potential candidates who simply won’t go there now, because of Baalke’s history with coaches.

• The idea that the Raiders could stick with Rich Bisaccia shouldn’t be completely ruled out—owner Mark Davis likes his interim coach, and came out of the Jon Gruden mess wanting to give him a real shot. It’d be more economical too, and Vegas is a win on Sunday night from the playoffs. Now, the Raiders have done their homework on outside candidates. So while they haven’t taken advantage of the new rules that allow interviews (I’m told they held off on that because they wanted to take their one shot at playoff-bound coaches during the conventional time early in the postseason, rather than scramble to do interviews with the regular season still going on), they are prepared to start a search when the time comes. For now, general manager Mike Mayock’s status is up in the air.

• One name that’s been connected to the Raiders consistently for the last month or so is Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Does he want back in the NFL? Maybe. My understanding is, despite what’s been said publicly, he wasn’t happy about having to take a pay cut last year. He accepted it only after exploring NFL openings (the Jets and Chargers were among the teams who were asked about him) and finding no interest. After a bounce-back year, and now aligned with an NFL-centric staff, there’s renewed curiosity in him from the pros. So is the NFL noise happening to make the people who made him take a pay cut last year squirm, and leverage more money out of Michigan? Or would he pull the trigger and go? It’ll be interesting to watch this one over the next couple of weeks, since he’s had unfinished business in the league (getting so close to a championship and falling just short), and leaving Michigan now would constitute going out on a high note, having beaten Ohio State and won the Big Ten this year. He just turned 58, so it’s hard to say how many shots he has left to do it, especially if this fall’s success in Ann Arbor isn’t duplicated.

• The Bears have been connected to both Harbaugh and Saints coach Sean Payton—but I don’t think they’d get into any sort of bidding war on either. And assuming Matt Nagy’s gone (GM Ryan Pace has a decent chance to survive), I’ve heard they won’t be focused solely on quarterback-developers like they were when they landed Nagy in 2018, with their focus likely on leader-of-men types. It’s also worth noting that owner George McCaskey has been very involved in the NFL’s diversity efforts, and the league has been bullish on the candidacy of Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Frazier, a star corner on the vaunted 1985 Bears defense, has been raised to me repeatedly in regards to Buffalo’s plans. I’ve heard a few younger candidates that project as leaders, like Patriots LBs coach Jerod Mayo and Colts DC Matt Eberflus, will be in the mix too. (Obviously, for these types, a plan for developing Justin Fields will be important.)

• There’s a lot of talk through the grapevine about Payton’s future. I think he’ll probably stay with the Saints, where he has a really good setup from a football standpoint and is making very good money. That said, tires will likely be kicked. My sense is he’ll say no on going home to Chicago. And I’ve heard networks are readying to make a run at him, and throw real money at him, to see if he’d leave the sideline for television. Eventually, my bet is he’ll do that. I just don’t think it’ll happen yet. Also, for whatever it’s worth, if Payton were to leave, I think we’d see some shuffling in New Orleans, but not an overhaul—with GM Mickey Loomis potentially going into a president-type of role, Jeff Ireland replacing him and DC Dennis Allen becoming the head coach. The Saints, of course, want no part of losing Payton, but are pretty well-positioned for whenever it does happen.

• Vikings ownership has been meeting on the direction of its football operation, and there’s a feeling that these will likely be Mike Zimmer’s final days in Minnesota. The fate of GM Rick Spielman is less certain, but there is an expectation among those in the industry that he’ll remain in some capacity (whether it’s his current one, or in an elevated executive role with input on picking his replacement). If Zimmer is out, the Vikings are another team expected to cast a wide net in their coaching search. Zimmer, for his part, could well land back in Dallas if he’s let go and Quinn lands a head coaching job somewhere. The Joneses have a strong relationship with, and respect for, Zimmer, to the point where had the Vikings pulled the plug on him earlier, he’d have been a leading candidate to replace Jason Garrett in Dallas.

• The Broncos’ situation remains murky. First-year GM George Paton hasn’t been looking for an excuse to fire Vic Fangio and bring in his own guy—he’s got plenty of respect for Fangio as a coach, defensive play-caller and worker, and the two have worked well together in his short time there. The problem right now is results, and not just with the team’s current win/loss record (Denver was actually 7–6 when it lost Teddy Bridgewater in Week 15). The team’s offense and special teams have lagged behind Fangio’s defense, and the Broncos are in the midst of a sixth straight playoff-less year (most for the franchise in 45 years), and a fifth straight losing season (first time in 50 years that’s happened, and equal to the total number of losing seasons the franchise had in the previous 35 years). I’d expect that Paton and Fangio will meet either after the season finale to discuss the team’s direction, and my guess is the Broncos will move on. Paton’s always done his research on coaches, and two names I’ve heard connected to the job there thus far are Quinn (who I think would have an excellent shot at it) and Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett.

• There’s no question that Seahawks owner Jody Allen, who took her brother Paul’s place, has questions about the direction of the franchise after a mess of a year that could lead to the exit of franchise quarterback Russell Wilson. Thing is, no one I’ve talked to believes Pete Carroll is ready to retire, much less go out after his first 10-loss season, in any capacity, in 27 years. Would Allen fire Carroll? My sense is GM John Schneider is safer than Carroll, and I do think there’s a shot that Allen would decide to go with the status quo for another year. But this one’s at least worth watching, and especially so if the owner’s intent on keeping Wilson. And it’s a little unpredictable, too, given the lack of a track record on Jody Allen.

• I still think Joe Judge will get a third year with the Giants. Where New York goes with its GM position will be telling. Assistant GM Kevin Abrams is very well-respected in the building, and I’d expect he’ll get a look. And if he’s hired, I’d say that’s sort of neutral for Judge. If the Giants choose to hire someone connected to Judge, like the Titans’ Monti Ossenfort or Patriots’ Dave Ziegler, that’d be a positive for Judge. If they go outside the organization and outside Judge’s connections, obviously, that would essentially put Judge on notice, and 2022 would become a very big year for him (not that it isn’t already).

• The Texans are the only potential wild card. In Wednesday’s mailbag, I laid out the case for keeping David Culley and the case for moving on—there’s merit in both. I’ve also heard that Houston GM Nick Caserio has an idea who his next (and long-term) coach would be (obviously, Patriot-connected names like Mayo and Josh McDaniels come to mind, if you want to guess on who), and isn’t in a huge rush to get him. Take from that what you want.

Of the 10 teams we named, how many will actually open their jobs up? Set the over/under at a half-dozen, and buckle up, because there really is less telling where all this goes than there would be in a normal year.

And get ready, because if this year’s number is as relatively low as expected, then the 2023 hiring cycle could be really wild.

Previewing the 2022 Coach Hiring Cycle

Edited January 7, 2022 by Mr. Scot

[Mr. Scot]

Breer on the Panthers...

I think he’ll get a third year with the Panthers. The only thing that makes me hesitate on that would be how the postseason meeting with owner David Tepper goes. Tepper is very involved in Charlotte, and it’ll be interesting to see if he demands a certain level of change in staff. Rhule’s fiercely loyal to coaches he’s got long-term connections to (like coordinators Jeff Nixon and Phil Snow), and he’s brutally honest, so we’ll see how things go when owner and coach sit down and debrief.

I know people have been talking about the idea that Rhule would have to fire some of his current guys and hire outside his circle. Again, it's really hard to see that happening.

[Mr. Scot]