Panthers bring in Montgomery for 2nd interview

[BIGH2001]

All my PSL seats are going up for sale next year. Hopefully to opposing fans. I hope we lose every game. fug Rhule and Tepper for ruining something that I used to enjoy.

[mickeye76]

1 minute ago, Mike in Raleigh said:

There is nothing more satisfying than watching your team get beat in the most humiliating way possible week in and week out. Why aren't people more positive?

Anywhere in my posts did I say I enjoyed this f#cked up season?  I'm not gonna defend Rhule too much but I actually liked the philosophy of an all defense draft.  I liked taking BPA despite inflated positional values. Horn, Brown,  and Gross Matos were solid picks.  The patchwork oline( that has been neglected for way too long) and the gamble on Sam and Cam doomed us.  I am in a minority that I can almost see the process.  We build the oline up, get lucky at QB, plug some holes with FA and with the defense improving we can win consistently.  Point blank I have hope.  Y'all stop pooing on my hope that this can turn around.  Hell compare us the Lions and Browns. They kept supporting despite like a murderers row of failed QB's and idiot GM's.  

[frankw]

4 minutes ago, mickeye76 said:

Anywhere in my posts did I say I enjoyed this f#cked up season?  I'm not gonna defend Rhule too much but I actually liked the philosophy of an all defense draft.  I liked taking BPA despite inflated positional values. Horn, Brown,  and Gross Matos were solid picks.  The patchwork oline( that has been neglected for way too long) and the gamble on Sam and Cam doomed us.  I am in a minority that I can almost see the process.  We build the oline up, get lucky at QB, plug some holes with FA and with the defense improving we can win consistently.  Point blank I have hope.  Y'all stop pooing on my hope that this can turn around.  Hell compare us the Lions and Browns. They kept supporting despite like a murderers row of failed QB's and idiot GM's.  

You say you liked the all defense draft but also say the neglected OL doomed us. Can't have it both ways. It's called mismanagement.

[mickeye76]

1 minute ago, frankw said:

You say you liked the all defense draft but also say the neglected OL doomed us. Can't have it both ways. It's called mismanagement.

I get it. You right.  Trust me I've been banging the drum for oline help for years.  Paradis was not the best center but he had some decent games despite injuries and age. So that position was given a bandaid.  Left tackle is what hurt the most.  Honestly after the debacle that was our Superbowl appearance and how Von Miller singlehandedly destroyed the left side we should have already fixed the problem.  The problems with QB and Oline were ignored.  Cam was obviously not the same yet we kept trotting him out there.  CMC was run into the ground but he was our only chance to be competitive. Olsen got hurt and yet we put him out there to reinjure himself.  This franchise has been mismanaged for awhile it's just all coming to a head right now.  Y'all act like this team was built to win when the current leadership took over.  It was a sinking ship. 

[BIGH2001]

20 minutes ago, frankw said:

You say you liked the all defense draft but also say the neglected OL doomed us. Can't have it both ways. It's called mismanagement.

Anyone who tries to defend the Matt rhule experience at this point is either related to Matt rhule, knows nothing about football or is a troll. These arguments are so utterly unconvincing that they border on mental illness. 

[rayzor]

We have no clue what we're doing. None 

[mav1234]

2 hours ago, rayzor said:

We have no clue what we're doing. None 

Maybe Montgomery sees the process...

[kungfoodude]

2 hours ago, rayzor said:

We have no clue what we're doing. None 

[Icege]

Initially wanted to throw the typical Huddle bitch fit, but decided to dig a little more. 

Native NC guy that got his start with David Cutcliffe at Duke before serving under Mike Tomlin. During his time with the Steelers he coached AB, Emmanuel Sanders, Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El, and Jericho Cotchery. As of late, coached Jonathan Taylor to an insane season as well as got Nyheim Hines in on the action. Something worth mentioning here: Taylor was killed over ball security and pass-catching abilities during the pre-draft process but looked markedly improved on both of those (while still putting up the season he did by a Colts line dealing with all kinds of injuries). There was no dip in production from the Colts after not only losing their OC (Siriani) but RB coach as well.

For those of you with subscriptions, there's a lengthy write up here on The Athletic. For those that don't subscribe to The Athletic, here are some noteworthy sections:

Quote

The press release announcing the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit in June listed a lineup of 36 speakers. Among them were Steelers president Art Rooney, Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Not on the list: Scottie Montgomery, a less-familiar name.

Despite the omission, the Maryland offensive coordinator addressed those who attended the virtual event, which was conceived to increase coaching diversity.

The title of Montgomery’s speech was Collaborating with Head Coach and QB Coach as an Offensive Coordinator, and it covered the communication triangle between the head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Montgomery spoke with the perspective of a man who played seven positions in the NFL, who brought out the best in players like Antonio Brown, and who transitioned from coaching wide receivers to quarterbacks to coordinating an offense to being a head coach to going back to being an assistant.

The 42-year-old enlightened many that day.

He did something else, too. He drew the attention of people who are in the hiring game.

“He was maybe the best speaker at the summit,” a long-time, high-ranking NFL executive said. “Put a star next to his name.”

These are some of the bullet points from his speech and from the times of his life.

Ego check!
The son of a sharecropper who dropped out of school in the ninth grade to work in a yarn mill, Montgomery’s father, James, was the kind of man who would do whatever was necessary to give his family a better life.

He kept the job until his Montgomery was a child. Then he quit so he could study to become a Baptist minister. During those days, Montgomery’s mother, Vera, kept the finances flowing by working at the yarn mill and taking a side job at Family Dollar.

After James became a minister, he continued his studies. He obtained his doctorate degree, then became a professor at Gardner-Webb University and a community leader.

“I learned leadership from a different standpoint,” Montgomery says with a voice from a gravel road in rural North Carolina. “I think you have to lead from the center and not from the front.”

............

“The things that come with leadership, the things that are required of a head coach, are work for some and not for others,” says Mike Tomlin, who hired Montgomery to coach wide receivers for the Steelers in 2010. “It’s not work for (him).”

A great orator, the son of a minister, and an NC native? He shares two attributes with Matt Rhule and might be allured by the chance to come home? When you look at that and the season that Jonathan Taylor had running behind an OL that had 10 different starters (though to be fair, 5 of those starters are really friggin good), I can see why the team reached out for a 2nd interview. Definitely checks the boxes you'd expect the current regime to have.

Quote

Challenge each other’s innovative/creative sides
Montgomery spent the better part of three seasons with the Broncos. Head coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak told him because of his Duke education, he would need to learn to play seven positions. His value to the team was mostly about his knowledge.

“I was backing up Ed McCaffrey, but if a tight end would go down, I would do some of the stuff a tight end would do,” he says. “I could sub for Ed, for Rod Smith, Sharpie (Shannon Sharpe). They even put me in the backfield and I ran flare screens. It was almost like a backup quarterback learning experience, playing 25 snaps a game, but I knew every position.”

Being challenged that way influenced Montgomery to think big picture and to consider the perspectives of others.

In 2019, Montgomery was hired as Maryland’s offensive coordinator by head coach Mike Locksley, who has a background on offense. Locksley gave Montgomery the freedom to change the verbiage that Locksley used at Alabama. He also entrusted Montgomery with play calling.

But their offense is a collaboration. “Anything I do, I put in (Locksley’s) box and give him the why, and we move ahead if it’s to his liking,” Montgomery says. “If not, we talk about it and move forward. He has a heavy influence on the weekly game plan, like every head coach should. I have heavy influence on the weekly game plan.”

Knew how to play seven positions? Backed up Ed McCaffrey and Shannon Sharpe? Consulted with the head coach and got their final approval on the offensive game plan? Matt Rhule probably texted David Tepper back after the initial interview "" when asked what he thought.

Quote

No surprises!
In his speech, Montgomery emphasized that players should have no uncertainty about what is expected of them.

As wide receivers coach for the Steelers from 2010-12, Montgomery prepared his players so thoroughly that Mike Wallace says on game day, they would have answered any question correctly.

Montgomery made the wide receivers run the same drill over and over until their minds were as tired as their legs. The meetings were so long, Wallace says, “it was crazy.” They would meet for an hour before practice and then two hours after. Young players would have to stay for a third hour of meetings.

Every fine point of the route was scrutinized. “It was snapping my route, getting my head around, getting my hands up quick,” Wallace says. “Those were the things I needed.”

Montgomery was only 32 and had just four years of coaching experience, but Tomlin believed he could develop young wide receivers and keep their egos at the proper psi.

Montgomery was the adult in the room that included Wallace, Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El. His challenge was to convince them the greater good was a means to everything they desired as individuals.

He sought chemistry through competition, pitting the players against one another in every way he could think of. Everything was charted — how quickly they turned in written tests, test scores, big plays, mental errors, cut blocks and much more. All of it was posted in the wide receivers room, smacking underperformers in the face.

............

Montgomery visited the players away from the facility to help them with family and money issues. “I thought he did a really nice job of not only developing them as players but also being an active participant of their development of men,” Tomlin says.

Competitive atmosphere, relatable to the players, and cares about the players? Very much the type of coach that players have said that Rhule is. I can definitely see why he got a second interview now.

That last comment by Mike Tomlin I felt was especially important.

Quote

Say what you mean, mean what you say
In 2010, Randle El still had game. He did everything he was asked to do and then some, and he did it with selflessness, dignity and a smile. But none of that mattered as much as being on the mature side of 30.

Those young receivers were ping-ponging all over the field, making noise with their plays and their ways. The Steelers had to clear a path for them. It was Montgomery’s place to tell Randle El it was over. And so came that uncomfortable, queasy feeling in the pit of the stomach.

“I was sitting on my couch and literally was in pain for him,” Montgomery says. “There is nothing like telling a (31-year-old man) he can no longer work.”

Meeting with Randle El was one of the most difficult things ever. Montgomery had to do what Cutcliffe had taught him, which was say what you mean and mean what you say.

“You have done everything the right way, and I appreciate all of it,” he told Randle El. “But we need to let Antonio and Emmanuel play in the slot, so this has to be done.”

Then, a silent embrace said more than words.

Can you imagine having this level of competency and professionalism with Cam instead of the absolute dogshit way that it was done?

Quote

None of us are as smart as all of us
When Adam Gase was the Bears’ offensive coordinator in 2015 and Montgomery was an assistant at Duke, Gase invited Montgomery to visit Chicago. Gase wanted to understand the Steelers’ way of evaluating and developing wide receivers.

Montgomery had learned it from Bruce Arians, who had been the offensive coordinator, and Randy Fichtner, who preceded Montgomery as wide receivers coach. They told him about the importance of toughness and love of the game, and how production trumped potential. That’s why the Steelers drafted wide receivers who didn’t always have elite physical traits, and that’s why they were able to find stars after the first couple of rounds.

Montgomery’s visit to Chicago wasn’t just give without take, as Montgomery learned more about quarterbacks and offense from Gase.

Montgomery might have been typecast as a wide receivers coach forever, as many like him have been, but Cutcliffe saw something else in him.

When Montgomery went back to Duke in 2013 as a wide receivers coach and assistant head coach, Cutcliffe told him he wanted to teach him the two ways to train a quarterback — from the neck up and the neck down. “He was my path to the quarterback room,” Montgomery says.

The following year, Cutcliffe needed an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “I did not have a second thought about putting Scottie in that role,” Cutcliffe says. “He was terrific, I mean right away.”

Through the years, Montgomery had learned about coaching quarterbacks and game planning from Kubiak, Bill O’Brien, with whom he worked at Duke, and others.

This man learned from Bruce Arians while in Pittsburgh how to evaluate and develop WRs, from the same guys that coached Peyton Manning on QBs, and game planning from Kubiak/BOB?

Ok. Before I was interested, now I'm intrigued.

Quote

Always quality control yourself
As a 38-year old first-time head coach at East Carolina, Montgomery began the 2016 season by stomping Western Carolina, knocking off NC State and nearly beating favored South Carolina.

Then came the unraveling.

Montgomery says he put too much emphasis on those early games and the Pirates had nothing left.

The depletion was rapid in part because the university wasn’t feeding players like other colleges were, and there was no indoor training facility. Montgomery wishes he had fought harder to support his players that way.

Academic standards at East Carolina were raised when he was hired, and it impacted the talent he had to work with. “I didn’t do a good enough job of finding more ways to recruit, so when the talent gap occurred, we would be ready,” he says.

Montgomery spent three years trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle only to realize pieces were missing. He finished 9-26, winning three games each season.

If Montgomery could do it over again, he would have changed how he started. He would have called Ruffin McNeill, the man he was replacing. McNeill could have given him a map of every landmine in Montgomery’s path.

For Montgomery to be hired as a head coach again, someone will have to see past his record. “Whatever transpired in East Carolina transpired,” Tomlin says. “But in terms of what’s required to be a head coach, he has the natural skill set and the dedication to work and develop in areas you need to work and develop.”

I very much appreciated the article not shying away from Scottie Montgomery's 9-26 (.257) record as an NCAA head coach. I also appreciated Mike Tomlin's endorsement seemingly justified as Montgomery in his 30s what it took Ron Rivera until he was a few years into his tenure as an NFL head coach to figure out: ask the guys that have been there what to expect.

Quote

Good business / bad business = scoreboard
The scoreboard, Montgomery told the others at the summit, doesn’t always reflect how well a job is done or whether opportunities are maximized.

Montgomery knows he can’t always control scores or wins and losses, but he can control his processes.

Cutcliffe says Montgomery takes organizational skills to another level, and it shows on his game plan sheet, which he breaks down into many situations. “It was a thing of beauty, the organization of it,” Cutcliffe says.

Cutcliffe says when Montgomery was his offensive coordinator, there was more discussion than usual in the offensive staff room because Montgomery kept all of the coaches engaged by considering their ideas and writing them down.

“Then when you formulated the game plan, they felt included,” Cutcliffe says.

Montgomery has peppered Cutcliffe, Tomlin, Locksley and other coaches with many whys and hows.

The questions about what went wrong at East Carolina did not prevent him from finding work quickly after being fired. Four NFL teams pursued Montgomery. Two wanted him as a quarterbacks coach and two wanted him as a wide receivers coach. Alabama went after him for an unspecified offensive role. The University of Washington would have taken him as a co-coordinator. Other Big Ten teams also called.

An active seeker of feedback in order to modify his offense? If he does the same things with players during games, could that mean we might see successful halftime adjustments and 3rd quarters that aren't poo shows? I'm a big believer in an inclusive leadership style that values input, and the fact that he was so targeted by some major programs after being terminated from East Carolina attests to his capabilities (especially as a position coach).

At first glance, I too was rolling my eyes at this being the first name that we see getting a second interview but the more that I learn the more curious I get. It might not be the name that we expect, but he certainly seems to match all of the qualities that Rhule values. Something worth mentioning as well... former All-Pro center Kevin Mawae is the current assistant OL coach for the Colts. Mawae held the same position for the Bears in 2016, and from 2018-2020 was reunited with Herm Edwards at Arizona State as an offensive quality control analyst. If we don't land Mike Munchak, I wouldn't mind maybe taking a look at his as a possible OL coach.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Icege

[Mike in Raleigh]

6 hours ago, rayzor said:

We have no clue what we're doing. None 

Grasping at straws. Very untalented straws.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Mike in Raleigh

[electro's horse]

I actually think this is good? Dude has coached all over but the groups he’s coached have done well. 

[mrcompletely11]

8 hours ago, mickeye76 said:

Whatever man.  Considering for every thirty negative whiny posts there is one positive realistic one I'd say it's the negative Nancy's that need a pacifier to shut up. Don't like the HC, wah don't like the owner waah.  Go away.  I hear the Bengals, Rams and Bears are accepting bandwagon fans. 

Give me a scenario where we are not the worst team in the league next season?

[TheRumGone]

2 hours ago, Icege said:

Initially wanted to throw the typical Huddle bitch fit, but decided to dig a little more. 

Native NC guy that got his start with David Cutcliffe at Duke before serving under Mike Tomlin. During his time with the Steelers he coached AB, Emmanuel Sanders, Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El, and Jericho Cotchery. As of late, coached Jonathan Taylor to an insane season as well as got Nyheim Hines in on the action. Something worth mentioning here: Taylor was killed over ball security and pass-catching abilities during the pre-draft process but looked markedly improved on both of those (while still putting up the season he did by a Colts line dealing with all kinds of injuries). There was no dip in production from the Colts after not only losing their OC (Siriani) but RB coach as well.

For those of you with subscriptions, there's a lengthy write up here on The Athletic. For those that don't subscribe to The Athletic, here are some noteworthy sections:

A great orator, the son of a minister, and an NC native? He shares two attributes with Matt Rhule and might be allured by the chance to come home? When you look at that and the season that Jonathan Taylor had running behind an OL that had 10 different starters (though to be fair, 5 of those starters are really friggin good), I can see why the team reached out for a 2nd interview. Definitely checks the boxes you'd expect the current regime to have.

Knew how to play seven positions? Backed up Ed McCaffrey and Shannon Sharpe? Consulted with the head coach and got their final approval on the offensive game plan? Matt Rhule probably texted David Tepper back after the initial interview "" when asked what he thought.

Competitive atmosphere, relatable to the players, and cares about the players? Very much the type of coach that players have said that Rhule is. I can definitely see why he got a second interview now.

That last comment by Mike Tomlin I felt was especially important.

Can you imagine having this level of competency and professionalism with Cam instead of the absolute dogshit way that it was done?

This man learned from Bruce Arians while in Pittsburgh how to evaluate and develop WRs, from the same guys that coached Peyton Manning on QBs, and game planning from Kubiak/BOB?

Ok. Before I was interested, now I'm intrigued.

I very much appreciated the article not shying away from Scottie Montgomery's 9-26 (.257) record as an NCAA head coach. I also appreciated Mike Tomlin's endorsement seemingly justified as Montgomery in his 30s what it took Ron Rivera until he was a few years into his tenure as an NFL head coach to figure out: ask the guys that have been there what to expect.

An active seeker of feedback in order to modify his offense? If he does the same things with players during games, could that mean we might see successful halftime adjustments and 3rd quarters that aren't poo shows? I'm a big believer in an inclusive leadership style that values input, and the fact that he was so targeted by some major programs after being terminated from East Carolina attests to his capabilities (especially as a position coach).

At first glance, I too was rolling my eyes at this being the first name that we see getting a second interview but the more that I learn the more curious I get. It might not be the name that we expect, but he certainly seems to match all of the qualities that Rhule values. Something worth mentioning as well... former All-Pro center Kevin Mawae is the current assistant OL coach for the Colts. Mawae held the same position for the Bears in 2016, and from 2018-2020 was reunited with Herm Edwards at Arizona State as an offensive quality control analyst. If we don't land Mike Munchak, I wouldn't mind maybe taking a look at his as a possible OL coach.

Dude sounds like an awesome WR coach. Too bad his last time as an OC was in Maryland 2019-2020 where they ranked 109th and 83rd. 
 

11th of 14 both years in the big ten.

[Icege]

4 minutes ago, TheRumGone said:

Dude sounds like an awesome WR coach. Too bad his last time as an OC was in Maryland 2019-2020 where they ranked 109th and 83rd. 
 

11th of 14 both years in the big ten.

Seems to be a flat out awesome positions coach overall that can handle any group except for OL on the offensive side of the ball. Here's to hoping the lumps he took at ECU + UMD helped make him better should he be the one to get the position.

What frightens me most about him getting the position is that ultimately, his offense will be closely advised by Rhule who wants to keep games close and eke out a win in the end. I cannot put into words how much I hate that.