Coaching interview updates

[ForJimmy]

58 minutes ago, OldhamA said:

Why is nobody else interviewing Wilks? And don't tell me it's because they all know he's a Charlotte boy and won't accept a job elsewhere.

It’s because he is not a great HC. It just takes a certain type of person to be one and more people fail at it than get it right. No disrespect to Wilks, but he would be average at best IMO. Give him a great staff and they get purged away in the offseason.

[Prowler2k18]

Wouldn’t surprise me if it comes down to Reich or Wilks with how things are shaking out. I’m becoming more skeptical about Payton coming here. Steichen and Kafka are unknowns at this point, and as exciting as the new offensive wunderkind would be, the goal should be building a consistent winner here in Carolina beyond the honeymoon stage. And that may require experienced leadership and direction at the top. IMO

[Growl]

2 minutes ago, HPPantherzfan said:

Why is it starting to feel like that?  Has any other team looking for a head coach hired one yet?  I'm glad they are taking their time and "hoping" to get it right this time.  The only people off the table right now are coaches that took themselves off the table for all teams

how long have you been a fan of this team

edit: just because there’s names left doesn’t mean there’s quality candidates left.

Payton is a pretty safe bet but likely untenable, Steichen is the best remaining option.

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Growl

[HPPantherzfan]

1 minute ago, Growl said:

how long have you been a fan of this team

Since day 1 and you?

[ladypanther]

16 minutes ago, Pazhoosier89 said:

Kafka interviewing Sunday. He is my top choice of the young OC Candidates.

 

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1616066077556973568?t=ql9PFki1ImFxxPUnMVM1Eg&s=19

Really good and long write up on him in The Athletic https://theathletic.com/4104453/2023/01/19/giants-mike-kafka-nfl-head-coach-candidate/

 

Kafka’s decision that day set in motion a meteoric rise through the NFL coaching ranks. Upon his arrival in Kansas City as offensive quality control coach, Kafka immediately got to work mentoring Mahomes, helping the young superstar win an MVP in his first season as a starter and a Super Bowl in his second. Meanwhile, Kafka had become the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach, later adding the title of passing game coordinator, and his work in Kansas City began to attract attention.

The now-35-year-old Kafka had always known there would be somewhat of a ceiling in Kansas City with Reid calling plays, so when Giants coach Brian Daboll called this past offseason, offering him a chance to do so while serving as New York’s offensive coordinator, he jumped at the opportunity.

In their first season together, they transformed a Giants offense that ranked 31st in the NFL in scoring and yardage in 2021 into one with a reputation for creativity and wildly outperforming expectations. Most recently, Kafka and Daboll helped deliver the Giants’ first playoff victory in 11 years, in large part due to a masterful offensive game plan against the Vikings that empowered quarterback Daniel Jones to deliver an historic performance. 

 

Perhaps even more impressive, Kafka and company have created a multi-faceted, innovative and productive attack despite injuries taking their toll on the offensive line and robbing the wide receiver position of some of its top talent, leaving the Giants reliant on practice squad elevations and waiver wire acquisitions. And they’ve made it work. It’s no surprise, then, that after his first year in New York, Kafka has already been called about three head coaching vacancies.

For those that have been with Kafka since the early days, it’s not a shock that others in the NFL world have caught on to what they’ve known for a long time.

 

Kafka spent a couple of seasons in Philadelphia, then became an NFL journeyman with stops in New England, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Tennessee and Cincinnati over a six-year span. The life of a backup was familiar territory for Kafka by this point, and he used his time in each place as an opportunity to digest as much information as he could.

“As a backup in the pros, you don’t get a lot of reps in general, so you’ve got to take a bunch of mental reps,” Kafka said. “You’ve got to work with the second- and third-teamers, and you also gotta be able to give feedback to the starter that’s real. 

 

Kafka developed his imagination and creativity by working with mentors such as Reid, Mornhinweg and others, then put his own stamp on things. But as Kafka’s friend and Giants tight ends coach Andy Bischoff said, he also doesn’t need to be right all of the time. He’s eager to gather perspective from the rest of the staff. He’ll make sure to poll the position group leaders rather than trying to be the all-knowing expert.

Take offensive line protections for example, which is different in Reid’s world than the Giants’ strategy. While Kafka might be inclined to do things a way he’s familiar with, he often listens to offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.

“In football, there’s a lot of different ways to win,” Bischoff said. “Largely it comes down to fundamentals and technique and turnovers, but there’s a lot of different ways to make good plays, and he’s just vulnerable enough to say, ‘Yeah, I can see it that way. Even though I used to do it this way, I can see it that way.’”

[Wolfcop]

Patience Grasshopper. Most coaching hires happen late January- early February. The process was rushed last time and we see how that went. There are good candidates on the table, I promise. If Tepper has that panicky mentality, he will force it with SP and give up the farm. Patience. 

[Proudiddy]

28 minutes ago, Growl said:

starting to feel like they get stuck holding the bag, they need to start dialing in on Steichen.

if they get stuck with anyone else it’s gonna suck all the wind out of the sails

not that there was much of that left anyways

I am worried about the same.  But I will say, if memory serves correctly, I believe the Eagles backed into Sirriani.  Bengals might have with Taylor too.  At this point, with Tepper, we're gonna have to hope that luck kicks in at some point, like right now.

[Proudiddy]

16 minutes ago, ladypanther said:

Really good and long write up on him in The Athletic https://theathletic.com/4104453/2023/01/19/giants-mike-kafka-nfl-head-coach-candidate/

 

Kafka’s decision that day set in motion a meteoric rise through the NFL coaching ranks. Upon his arrival in Kansas City as offensive quality control coach, Kafka immediately got to work mentoring Mahomes, helping the young superstar win an MVP in his first season as a starter and a Super Bowl in his second. Meanwhile, Kafka had become the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach, later adding the title of passing game coordinator, and his work in Kansas City began to attract attention.

The now-35-year-old Kafka had always known there would be somewhat of a ceiling in Kansas City with Reid calling plays, so when Giants coach Brian Daboll called this past offseason, offering him a chance to do so while serving as New York’s offensive coordinator, he jumped at the opportunity.

In their first season together, they transformed a Giants offense that ranked 31st in the NFL in scoring and yardage in 2021 into one with a reputation for creativity and wildly outperforming expectations. Most recently, Kafka and Daboll helped deliver the Giants’ first playoff victory in 11 years, in large part due to a masterful offensive game plan against the Vikings that empowered quarterback Daniel Jones to deliver an historic performance. 

 

Perhaps even more impressive, Kafka and company have created a multi-faceted, innovative and productive attack despite injuries taking their toll on the offensive line and robbing the wide receiver position of some of its top talent, leaving the Giants reliant on practice squad elevations and waiver wire acquisitions. And they’ve made it work. It’s no surprise, then, that after his first year in New York, Kafka has already been called about three head coaching vacancies.

For those that have been with Kafka since the early days, it’s not a shock that others in the NFL world have caught on to what they’ve known for a long time.

 

Kafka spent a couple of seasons in Philadelphia, then became an NFL journeyman with stops in New England, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Tennessee and Cincinnati over a six-year span. The life of a backup was familiar territory for Kafka by this point, and he used his time in each place as an opportunity to digest as much information as he could.

“As a backup in the pros, you don’t get a lot of reps in general, so you’ve got to take a bunch of mental reps,” Kafka said. “You’ve got to work with the second- and third-teamers, and you also gotta be able to give feedback to the starter that’s real. 

 

Kafka developed his imagination and creativity by working with mentors such as Reid, Mornhinweg and others, then put his own stamp on things. But as Kafka’s friend and Giants tight ends coach Andy Bischoff said, he also doesn’t need to be right all of the time. He’s eager to gather perspective from the rest of the staff. He’ll make sure to poll the position group leaders rather than trying to be the all-knowing expert.

Take offensive line protections for example, which is different in Reid’s world than the Giants’ strategy. While Kafka might be inclined to do things a way he’s familiar with, he often listens to offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.

“In football, there’s a lot of different ways to win,” Bischoff said. “Largely it comes down to fundamentals and technique and turnovers, but there’s a lot of different ways to make good plays, and he’s just vulnerable enough to say, ‘Yeah, I can see it that way. Even though I used to do it this way, I can see it that way.’”

I really like Kafka.  I also think Dorsey is getting shortchanged and is solid as well.

I honestly would be happy with Payton, Kafka, Dorsey, or Steichen in no order.  I just hope we act pretty quickly.

[Panthercougar68]

3 minutes ago, Proudiddy said:

I am worried about the same.  But I will say, if memory serves correctly, I believe the Eagles backed into Sirriani.  Bengals might have with Taylor too.  At this point, with Tepper, we're gonna have to hope that luck kicks in at some point, like right now.

Jags backed into Pederson too. It’s ok to take time and not rush…it’s like the Panthers are learning from past mistakes and people don’t want to acknowledge that.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Panthercougar68

[Killah_Ray]

Steichen sorta worries me because I wonder how much is it his system or is it Hurts?  Minshew looked like complete poo the game I watched with him in. 

[Growl]

10 minutes ago, Proudiddy said:

I am worried about the same.  But I will say, if memory serves correctly, I believe the Eagles backed into Sirriani.  Bengals might have with Taylor too.  At this point, with Tepper, we're gonna have to hope that luck kicks in at some point, like right now.

Bengals fans hate zac Taylor 

[Growl]

plus Sirianni and Taylor had legitimate, varied NFL resumes’

Outside of Steichen, the only other resume’ I like from an experience standpoint is Dorsey.

and uh how do you guys really feel about ken Dorsey as head coach material 

[rebelrouser]

10 minutes ago, Killah_Ray said:

how much is it his system or is it Hurts?  Minshew looked like complete poo the game I watched with him in. 

It's both. You have to create an RPO type system for Hurts to work out. Minshew is a completely different type of quarterback so when he goes in, he is running a system built for someone very different than him. He is not a good backup for Hurts. Get a Huntley type like Ravens have so when the backup has to play, he can come in w/ the same playbook and no one has to adjust.  

[ladypanther]

16 minutes ago, Proudiddy said:

I really like Kafka.  I also think Dorsey is getting shortchanged and is solid as well.

I honestly would be happy with Payton, Kafka, Dorsey, or Steichen in no order.  I just hope we act pretty quickly.

Not feeling it about Dorsey and not Payton for me.  I would add Evero to the list.  He has lots of experience with good coaches and has worked both sides of the ball. Dependent on getting a good OC of course but the D would be nasty. Wilkes concerns me because Holcomb comes with him.