Interviews: Round Two

[FuFuLamePoo]

Just now, WarPanthers89 said:

Good, we need someone like Vrabel. We have had two of the softest coaches in the league the last two hires 

The softest team in the league as well.

[0kBoomer]

5 minutes ago, Selltheteamtepper said:

Do you guys understand how directionless this search is? The Seahawks have their mind set on a defensive guy to stop 49ers and Rams. The Titans had their mind set on a west coast offense guy for Will Levis. We are interviewing everyone from the eagles OC to Mike Vrabel to defensive guys. Totally lost franchise right now. 

We didn’t even interview Brian Johnson. We requested and then quietly moved away from him, never actually setting something up.

[WarPanthers89]

Just now, FuFuLamePoo said:

The softest team in the league as well.

Agreed and missing common sense when game planning. Passing game and pass protection was in the tank for most of the season? F*ck it, let’s throw 45 times even though Hubbard is averaging 5 yards a run.

[Jay Roosevelt]

1 hour ago, Billy Goat said:

 

What a useless statement. Might as well just say "Panthers might hire a coach!"

[Billy Goat]

37 minutes ago, methodtoll said:

Can't see it because it's a paid subscription thing but I can only guess that the five names are: Vrabel,Johnson, Canales, Morris, and Monken??

I hope MacDonald is in the mix

Didnt realise it was behind a paywall.

Fowler: I'm hearing the Panthers have four or five candidates they are really high on. One is Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who interviewed Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte. Canales' offense caught fire late in the season, his work with quarterbacks is strong, and he learned under Carroll for 13 years. The word is owner David Tepper is also intrigued by Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who is eligible to interview after this week. Evero -- the in-house candidate -- interviewed twice, and Carolina has long targeted Ben Johnson, though I haven't heard much momentum there at this point. He's going to have options.

What's funny, Dan, is that new Titans coach Brian Callahan had some traction in Carolina. He was set to interview there Tuesday, so Callahan agreeing to terms with Tennessee on Monday night probably sent waves through Carolina's building.

Graziano: Indeed, I had Callahan to the Panthers in the predictions file I wrote last week. But the Titans zeroed in on him early and moved quickly to get him on Monday night while he still had plans to visit Carolina and Atlanta in the ensuing days. Again, the offensive coordinator pool is a shallow one this year, and if the Panthers are focused on an offensive coach and can't get Ben Johnson, Canales could have the inside track at this point.

But if newly promoted GM Dan Morgan can convince Tepper to consider candidates other than offensive coordinators, I think the search becomes very interesting. For example, Vrabel is set to interview there Thursday. Surely, Vrabel could help anybody, even though he's not an offensive playcaller.

Fowler: Vrabel could be a wild card here. The word is Tepper values leadership big-time -- it's not just about improving the unsightly offense, though that's a key component. Vrabel has been lurking throughout the process and could pop up as a prime candidate somewhere. He would need to work in lockstep with Morgan, and there are questions, fair or not, about Vrabel's ability to do that after Tennessee switched GMs in early 2023 and Vrabel was gone a year later.

 

 

Edited January 25 by Billy Goat

[Tr3ach]

16 minutes ago, WarPanthers89 said:

I get hating Tepper but the interviews are not directionless. We have some solid candidates set for our second round of interviews and seeing Vrabel on the list makes me happy. The Eagles OC didn’t make the cut for 2nd interviews. 

Yea its a bit of a dwelling in negativity take.  Especially considering the coordinators will have just as much to say about the schemes we run.

[UNCrules2187]

18 minutes ago, WarPanthers89 said:

I get hating Tepper but the interviews are not directionless. We have some solid candidates set for our second round of interviews and seeing Vrabel on the list makes me happy. The Eagles OC didn’t make the cut for 2nd interviews. 

Yeah folks just want to wallow in misery. I get it, the past 6 years have sucked, but being so negative has to be exhausting. We didn't even give Brian Johnson (Eagles OC) a 1st interview. Vrabel isn't high on my personal preference list, but he's a real bonafide candidate, honestly I'd be fine with any of Evero, Canales, or Morris getting the gig if Ben Johnson doesn't want to come here.

[MHS831]

Personally, I think defensive coaches (probably those who were defensive players--especially linebackers) might make better game managers--or even head coaches.  The offensive coach has the playbook and they are basically ordering an item from a menu. Their strength is in planning and preparation, where the defensive mind is preparation and reaction.  I recall our defensive coach in college telling the DBs and LBs--"You may run 4.4 40s, but if you have to process the play for two tenths of a second longer than a smart guy who runs a 4.6,  I am going with the smart guy."  Remember, during the game, the coach is wired into a group conversation between the eyes in the sky and the coaches on the field, so he has to make reactive decisions based on what he is hearing and seeing. That is the mental process of a LB.  As a defensive player, they look for tells--tendencies--and they are prepared to act accordingly, often making split second decisions. They are in a chess match with the other coach--guessing what he will do--based on tendencies and personnel etc.  The difference between a QB and a LB is that the LB has to make instantaneous decisions based on his expertise and knowledge of his opponent.  The QB is more focused on what his players are scripted to do...  Offensively, the QB processes at a high level, but defensively, nearly every player does it without a script for that play.  Does the LB have to know the offense?  The situation?  The defensive alignment?  yes to all.  Who were the players on our teams who made the best decisions once the play started over the years?  Sam Mills, Dan Morgan, Jon Beason, Luke Kuechly.  I would add that Mike Minter was smart as well.  Offensively, Ryan Kalil was very smart, and I would throw in Olsen.   So it is my position that the LB is in the best position to understand both sides of the ball as a coach.  This is just a theory, based on the fact that I played TE and OLB in high school, and when I watched film, I went with the defense.  I knew my time was best served getting to know the offense so I could react properly.  In college, I played offense and I found some value in film sessions, but the room was never as active as the defensive rooms. 

Bill Cowher is a good example, and he may have paved the way for former NFL linebackers like Mike Vrabel, Demeco Ryans, and now Antonio Pierce and Jerod Mayo.  Why is that? 

[UNCrules2187]

The one reason I lean Ben Johnson or Dave Canales is still the same though - offensive continuity. Forget where I read, but every single team has or will have a different OC than they did during the 2022 regular season. If you're an OC, you get 2 years, and either you're great and get hired as a HC or you suck and get fired. HCs that are playcallers have a leg up here. Also I don't understand folks who think Canales doesn't have enough experience given guys like LaFleur, Ben Johnson as a candidate last year, hell even Mike Tomlin were playcalling coordinators for only one year before being hired/strongly considered as HC candidates. 

Edited January 25 by UNCrules2187

[MHS831]

15 minutes ago, UNCrules2187 said:

Yeah folks just want to wallow in misery. I get it, the past 6 years have sucked, but being so negative has to be exhausting. We didn't even give Brian Johnson (Eagles OC) a 1st interview.

I see your overall point, but the Eagles FIRED Brian Johnson.  Now, it sure smelled like a "saving my own ass" move, but it is a concern.  https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/eagles-fire-brian-johnson-offensive-coordinator-nick-sirianni-20240123.html

[TheSpecialJuan]

I can’t get excited about any of these guys 

[UNCrules2187]

3 minutes ago, TheSpecialJuan said:

I can’t get excited about any of these guys 

Honestly the only hire I would have truly been excited about is Harbaugh, but either he or Tepper or both of them didn't want it to happen. All of the OC candidates, including Johnson, could be massive flops, and I don't feel all that jealous about the Pats, Raiders, or Titans hires. But I remember being excited about the Rhule hire and, to a lesser extent, thinking Reich would be able to right the ship, and those were both massive disasters, so wtf do I know.

Edited January 25 by UNCrules2187

[Wolfcop]

8 minutes ago, TheSpecialJuan said:

I can’t get excited about any of these guys 

I feel you man, but remember that many of the most successful coaches were not "homerun" hires. 

[Steelo]

1 hour ago, WarPanthers89 said:

I get hating Tepper but the interviews are not directionless. We have some solid candidates set for our second round of interviews and seeing Vrabel on the list makes me happy. The Eagles OC didn’t make the cut for 2nd interviews. 

Eagles OC didn’t get a 1st interview