10 Guidelines to hiring NFL HC from Athletic Tepper mentioned in 10

[raleigh-panther]

I have a subscription. Thought I’d share 
from S. Kapadia  From the Athletic

Dear NFL owners, don’t screw up your next head coach hire! Here are 10 guidelines to follow 

So far, we know that two NFL teams — the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders — are in the market for a new head coach. But more jobs are expected to open in the days and weeks ahead.

Picking the right NFL head coach is challenging, and there are a lot of variables (and luck) that will determine whether the candidate succeeds or fails. The key for owners is to have a good process, give the coach the resources he needs, and hope for the best.

Yet over and over again, we see teams make baffling decisions when it comes to the hiring process. So I’m here to help. The first version of this column published a couple years ago, but it’s time for an update. Below are 10 guidelines to follow when searching for a new head coach. Feel free to pass them along to your favorite owner!

1. Focus on leadership above all else

Head-coaching responsibilities go far beyond scheme and X’s and O’s. You need someone who can build relationships with people at all levels of the organization — from the billionaire owner to the practice squad linebacker to the equipment staff. The truth is that winning consistently for an extended period of time is really, really hard. And adversity is pretty much always going to strike. Remember, Bill Belichick’s teams finished under .500 in five of his first six seasons as an NFL head coach. Andy Reid’s teams went 12-20 in his final two years with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers teams haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. And those are some of the best coaches in the league.

When things don’t go according to plan, does the coach have the ability to draw everyone together? Will members of the organization — from the players to the assistant coaches to the front office — believe in the head coach to right the ship? Or will the adversity lead to finger-pointing, a lack of accountability, and power struggles that only exacerbate the issues?

There’s no perfect way to define leadership in this context. Authenticity definitely matters. Players can spot a phony from miles away. Consistency matters too. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs. An even temperament can be valuable. It usually means the coach is process-oriented, and that should trickle down to everyone else. Volatility can wear on people.

If a coach has the belief of his players and the trust of his staff, he can navigate through many of the other challenges associated with the job. But if he’s not a great leader, the other stuff probably won’t matter.

2. Make sure you believe in their plan for building out a strong staff

Aside from leadership, this is the biggest key to being successful. Pretty much every first-time head coach talks about all the things that come across his desk every day that he wasn’t expecting. The coach needs to be comfortable delegating. And the people he’s delegating to need to be good at their jobs.

The process here is really important. How much thought has the candidate given to filling out his staff? You should be able to tell. Is he committed to searching far and wide for the best people? Is he looking for assistants who have expertise in schemes and systems that are different than his own? Does he embrace the advantages of building a diverse staff? Or is he just hiring guys with whom he’s friendly or shares an agent and then filling out the remaining spots with his sons? Don’t laugh. That’s actually a thing!

This part of the interview process should tell you a lot about the candidate, including whether he’s going to be someone who people want to work with.

The truth is the coach doesn’t need to be brilliant with X’s and O’s, scheming, and game plans. If he can hire the right people to lead the charge on those things, he can still be successful.

3. Find someone who can connect with players

A couple years ago, Kalyn Kahler wrote a story about the end of the Matt Patricia era in Detroit that included a great anecdote: A group of 10 to 15 players made mimosas in the locker room before the final team meeting in 2018 as a way to celebrate the fact that they didn’t have to see Patricia again at least until OTAs.

If you think that type of anecdote might apply to a coaching candidate you’re considering, it’s probably best to go in a different direction.

Building relationships with players is crucial. They will be more invested when they feel their voice is being heard. There is great value in creating a culture where players enjoy going to work every day. They spend a lot of hours in the team facility.

Discipline is important, but there’s a fine line. These are grown-ups, not teenagers. They don’t need coaches to be father figures. They need coaches who can help them maximize their potential. Make sure you’re hiring a coach who understands that.

4. Find someone who has a plan for achieving sustained offensive success

There are two ways to go about this. The first is to hire an offensive head coach. Finding the next Reid or Sean Payton isn’t easy, but it does offer huge upside. An adaptable, innovative play-caller with the ability to do more with less or the ability to build a consistent, offensive juggernaut is a clear path to sustained overall success.

Among the 20 teams that have made it to the conference championship over the past five years, 19 (95 percent!) finished in the top 10 in offensive DVOA. And 14 (70 percent!) finished in the top five. Over that same period, six (30 percent) finished in the top 10 in defensive DVOA, and five (25 percent) finished in the top five.

That doesn’t mean defense is unimportant. But a great offense with a below-average defense generally profiles to a contending team. A great defense with a below-average offense does not. And offensive efficiency is more sticky year to year than defensive efficiency.

So does that mean you should always target an offensive coach? Not necessarily. Refer back to the first guideline. Leadership trumps everything else. Some of the NFL’s best coaches — Tomlin, John Harbaugh — coached defense or special teams previously. But they are great leaders.

The key, if you are hiring a defensive-minded or CEO-type head coach, is you need to make sure he has a well thought-out plan for building an efficient offense. And that can be complicated. Because if you employ a strong offensive play caller who produces impressive results, he’s probably going to get a head-coaching opportunity before long. That could make it difficult to build continuity.

If a head-coaching candidate does not come from an offensive background, what’s his next move if his top offensive coordinator leaves after a couple years? What’s his plan for building a pipeline? Will he have impressive position coaches on staff who could be promoted? Those are important questions.

In some ways, there are advantages to hiring a coach who doesn’t have an offensive background. He won’t be tied to a specific scheme, and theoretically, that might mean more of a willingness to adapt scheme to personnel. Plus, the offensive coordinator job for this type of head coach should be attractive, given that it likely would include more autonomy.

Bottom line: Having a plan to achieve sustained success on offense is a must for any candidate.

5. Avoid coaches who want to flip the field, take the points, or end every drive with a kick

Are there exceptions? Sure. If your offense stinks and your defense is elite and you need to coach to your strengths, then fine. But that should not be the default mindset.

In football, over the long run, aggressiveness is going to be rewarded. Look for someone whose expectation on every drive is to score a touchdown. During the interview process, give them specific game situations. There are 57 seconds left in the first half, you have all three of your timeouts, and you are down by 7. If they say they’d probably take a couple kneeldowns and regroup at halftime or if they pontificate about the importance of momentum, you might want to thank them for their time and move on.

If they get excited about punting on fourth-and-2 from midfield or running a coward’s draw on third-and-9, end the interview. That’s not the coach you want.

6. Find someone who is open-minded

This one is admittedly vague, but it applies to a number of different areas. The big-picture theme is: A great idea can come from anywhere.

The coach doesn’t have to be an analytics whiz, but is he open to incorporating data into decision-making? This could apply to anything from game-planning to using analytical models for in-game decision-making to sports science.

What about scheme? The game is constantly cycling through different phases with new trends emerging each year. Having core principles is fine. But is he willing to adjust and be flexible? That’s another crucial part of the job.

What’s his approach for working with players who might have “difficult” personalities?

Earlier this season, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool was criticized for performing a first-down celebration when the offense was trying to move quickly in a two-minute situation at the end of a game. Tomlin was asked about Claypool days later.

“These guys don’t come to you as finished products,” Tomlin said. “That’s another part of coaching that I embrace, we collectively embrace. It is the reason why we make what we make, and there are so many of us because these guys are less than finished products when we get them. There is a growth and development that has to take place.”

It’s amazing how many coaches fail to realize that their job is actually to coach. They criticize college programs for not delivering them with finished products, or they whine about a lack of practice time even though the rules are the same for everybody.

Find a coach who understands, like Tomlin does, what the job is. Talent matters — a lot. And not every player is going to fit the coach’s prototype. Is he willing to do everything in his power to help each individual maximize his potential?

Because that’s the job. Or as Don Draper would say, that’s what the money’s for.

7. Cast a wide net, and interview a lot of people

If you’re a good organization, you’re not going to be doing this a lot. And if you’re a bad organization, just pretend that you’re a good one and won’t be doing this a lot. In other words, take advantage of the opportunity. You get to pick the brains of a bunch of really smart football minds. And they are incentivized to bring their best ideas to the table. You might interview someone who is a complete disaster, but he offers up one really great idea. Guess what? You can steal that idea! There are no rules against that.

This is also a great opportunity to get to know minority candidates and female candidates. Maybe someone wows you. And even if that’s not the case, there is value in getting to know them and hearing their ideas. Maybe it leads to an opportunity down the road, or perhaps they’d fit in another role in your organization.

Owners often lean on agent recommendations or media-reported lists. They look for a coordinator who had success the previous season and assume he must be a great candidate. Is that really the best process? Of course not.

There could be an innovative defensive coordinator from an NCAA Division III program that you read about. Bring him in for an interview! There is literally no down side — especially for teams that get an early start on the process.

8. Settle on a defined power structure between the coach and GM

These two members of your organization need to be aligned to achieve sustained success. If possible, let them know that their fates are going to be connected. If one succeeds, they both succeed. If one fails, they both fail. There’s a lot of politics in the NFL, and when things go south, it can be a race to convince the owner who to blame.

That’s why it’s important to be clear about expectations. How much say will the head coach have in personnel? What will the process be like? Who makes the final call with free agency, the draft and the 53-man roster?

You want to get ahead of any potential issues. There needs to be a directed effort to get both the coach and the GM on the same page from the start.

9. Don’t overvalue big-name endorsements and coaching trees

Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Peyton Manning recommends hiring Adam Gase. That doesn’t mean you should hire Adam Gase.

Bill Belichick is the greatest coach of his generation. Bill Belichick endorses Matt Patricia. That doesn’t mean you should hire Matt Patricia.

You get the point.

Should you talk to as many people as possible when considering a candidate? Of course. The point is to evaluate everything in the proper context. Just because someone once drove Sean McVay to the airport doesn’t mean he’s going to be able to call plays like McVay. Just because someone used to brunch with Belichick doesn’t mean he’s going to devise great game plans like Belichick.

Find out where the candidates draw their coaching influences. Follow up with people they’ve worked with to find out more. But don’t overrate the candidate just because he worked with someone you like and admire.

10. Don’t convince yourself you’ve found the next Belichick

If an owner were following a lot of the guidelines here, he probably wouldn’t have found Belichick. That’s OK. Belichick is the exception. Organizations that have tried to find their version of him have often failed.

In general, a good rule of thumb during the hiring process is: Don’t fall in love.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was convinced he’d hit a home run with Matt Rhule, signing him to a seven-year, $62 million deal. Now, Tepper is “unhappy and embarrassed” and Rhule’s future in Carolina is in question.

The Baltimore Ravens once tried to hire Jason Garrett, and when he turned them down, they had to “settle” on Harbaugh. Those types of stories are common around the league.

The point is that the hiring process is hard. In some ways, it’s like the draft. Every team thinks it’s hitting a home run, but often that’s not the case, and there’s plenty of luck involved.

All owners can do is employ a sound process, avoid some of the pitfalls mentioned above, and acknowledge that they’re operating in a world of uncertainty.

 

[Kraybrothers]

Im not really sure what sones expectations were this year, especially after injuries to CMC & Horn. Tepper told everyone this would be a 3 year + fix. This is a rebuild.

[countryboi]

the line between being the next Belichick and another Matt Rhule is super thin, you dont choose the right QB have the wrong injuries or pick the wrong staff and its a wrap. 

[raleigh-panther]

1 minute ago, Kraybrothers said:

Im not really sure what sones expectations were this year, especially after injuries to CMC & Horn. Tepper told everyone this would be a 3 year + fix. This is a rebuild.

Every single NFL team has the exact same issues

frankly, enough of the CMC excuse as well. The Titans lost Henry, somehow they managed to make it to the playoffs 

excuse Rhule all you wish, but the fact is, coaching matters.  

a previous post listed all the teams that turned around In  Year two.  

the Panthers  just aren’t one of them  
 

Doesn’t help when this coach brought along his Baylor buddies as staff and drafts a DT, a CB and  a Wr when he was in prime position for a QB and a LT

 

[raleigh-panther]

4 minutes ago, countryboi said:

the line between being the next Belichick and another Matt Rhule is super thin, you dont choose the right QB have the wrong injuries or pick the wrong staff and its a wrap. 

Bingo 

[MVPccaffrey]

Honestly I don't have much of an issue with Rhule the coach, I think that's mostly impossible to determine given the crap roster the last two years, my biggest problem is his horrid ability to identify talent or fair value given the bad signing and even worse trades of two absolute bum QBs the last two years.  He could be Bill Walsh on the sidelines on game day but if he continues on his trajectory of misjudging talent badly across the board along with bringing in his Temple and Baylor cronies then it doesn't matter at all

[BudFox]

3 minutes ago, MVPccaffrey said:

.... He could be Bill Walsh on the sidelines on game day .....

He's proven that he's definitely not based on in-game decisions, or lack thereof

[CRA]

17 minutes ago, Kraybrothers said:

Im not really sure what sones expectations were this year, especially after injuries to CMC & Horn. Tepper told everyone this would be a 3 year + fix. This is a rebuild.

an injury to a rookie DB shouldn't really be that impactful to whether your team be respectable.   And frankly, a RB injury shouldn't matter that much either.  

I don't think I have seen a Tepper quote where he said it would take at least 3 years to be respectable as a football team.  

[CRA]

6 minutes ago, BudFox said:

He's proven that he's definitely not based on in-game decisions, or lack thereof

I'm pretty sure Bill Walsh has punted from the 30 and called a timeout to poll the booing fans about what to do before.  So yeah, Matt Rhule is basically Walsh. 

[raleigh-panther]

13 minutes ago, jackson113 said:

And yet here you are   The time you took to do this, you could have read this article 

reading is more than crib notes 

[CRA]

12 minutes ago, MVPccaffrey said:

Honestly I don't have much of an issue with Rhule the coach, I think that's mostly impossible to determine given the crap roster the last two years, my biggest problem is his horrid ability to identify talent or fair value given the bad signing and even worse trades of two absolute bum QBs the last two years.  He could be Bill Walsh on the sidelines on game day but if he continues on his trajectory of misjudging talent badly across the board along with bringing in his Temple and Baylor cronies then it doesn't matter at all

I mean, you don't think there is a correlation.....that a guy who can't identify talent ends up with a crap roster? 

[ForJimmy]

24 minutes ago, Kraybrothers said:

Im not really sure what sones expectations were this year, especially after injuries to CMC & Horn. Tepper told everyone this would be a 3 year + fix. This is a rebuild.

I can’t speak for everyone but it’s odd to be rebuilding, but have our picks traded away for vet players. Also…

-The Teddy contract/quick trade dead money

-The Darnold bidding war with ourselves followed by unnecessary extension.

-drafting a CB in the top 10 with QB and OL still up in the air. 

-constantly starting terrible vets over promising rookies on the OL

-the Robby extension 

-jumping on Erving and Elf day 1 in FA

-seeing no development in 2nd year/rookie players

-hiring a staff with little NFL experience

-having no backup plan for Darnold and then continuing to start him every chance you get

-drafting all defense one year, following by a first round CB and being surprised your offense sucks

-blaming Cam for losses in a lost season

Aside from these plus a few more issues, everything else has been to my expectations.

[CRA]

1 minute ago, ForJimmy said:

I can’t speak for everyone but it’s odd to be rebuilding, but have our picks traded away for vet players. Also…

-The Teddy contract/quick trade dead money

-The Darnold bidding war with ourselves followed by unnecessary extension.

-drafting a CB in the top 10 with QB and OL still up in the air. 

-constantly starting terrible vets over promising rookies on the OL

-the Robby extension 

-jumping on Erving and Elf day 1 in FA

-seeing no development in 2nd year/rookie players

-hiring a staff with little NFL experience

-having no backup plan for Darnold and then continuing to start him every chance you get

-drafting all defense one year, following by a first round CB and being surprised your offense sucks

-blaming Cam for losses in a lost season

Aside from these plus a few more issues, everything else has been to my expectations.

this X1000

Matt Rhule isn't rebuilding.  Fans would in large been totally ok with a HC that came in and wanted to build this thing slowly from the ground up.  But Matt Rhule hasn't spent the last 2 seasons doing that. 

The arguement to keep Matt Rhule is basically, well, Matt Rhule fugged around for 2 years and now we are going to give him the opporutnity in year 3 to start what he was suppose to be doing in year 1. 

[BrianS]

19 minutes ago, MVPccaffrey said:

Honestly I don't have much of an issue with Rhule the coach, I think that's mostly impossible to determine given the crap roster the last two years, my biggest problem is his horrid ability to identify talent or fair value given the bad signing and even worse trades of two absolute bum QBs the last two years.  He could be Bill Walsh on the sidelines on game day but if he continues on his trajectory of misjudging talent badly across the board along with bringing in his Temple and Baylor cronies then it doesn't matter at all

I'm sure you could be more wrong, but I'm not sure how.

This Panthers team is one who is being clearly and consistently out-coached.  There is no other way to look at it.  Coaches win games in the second half, in the fourth quarter.  When adjustments need to be made, when hard calls have to happen.

Our team has been completely out-classed in the second half of every game.  Every game!  And it's not really all that close!  We play well with our opponents until they see our gameplan, then their coaches do coaching things and give their players the edge to take the game away.

Matt Rhule has assembled "his roster"  There are only 12 guys left from the Rivera rosters.  If the players aren't getting it done, it's Rhule's fault.  If the coaches aren't getting it done, it's Rhule's fault.  He is to blame, end of story.

The only question should be what is the trajectory.  Are we getting better toward the end of the year or worse?

I would argue we have poor results, we have negative trajectory.  That should lead to a regime change.  It's really very simple.