Potential Head Coaches

[Catdaddy]

We had George Seifert. He wouldn't be worth nothing without Steve Young. Mike Shannahan, what has he done without Elway? The Cowboy's, the list goes on and on. I can only remember one team with a bad QB winning it all, and that was the Ravens. But Dilfer didn't throw picks, he managed the games, and didn't lose them. The Colts are never great at all 3 fazes of the game. Peyton makes up for it. The same with New England, do they even have a running back? With a good QB, we would be a good team.

[Bj-monster56]

If thats the case Carolina Defense and Special teams Hasnt really been doin there job.That Means carolina will have to developed a Great defense in order to be a good team hands down.Because with moore Or Clausen at QB it isnt going to be pretty.

[Dpantherman]

No one said anything about a bad QB. Im saying you still need a solid coaching staff when you have a young QB on your roster and you want to win games. All the guys you've mentioned have people on their coaching staffs that know what they are doing. Who on our coaching staff has a history of success with Quarterbacks? no one. Its not all on the coaches, but when you sound average players with average coaches, what do you expect to get?

[Mr. Scot]

Just to add a little additional info to the search process, here are some things to be considered when the process begins.

OFFENSE OR DEFENSE?

take a look back at team history. In their relatively short existence, the Panthers have always had defensive coaches. Offensive coaches haven't generally even been part of the interview process. As far as I know, only one offensive coach even netted an interview. That was Steve Spurrier, and the whole encounter was reportedly a disaster.

Still, the other thing you'll see about Panthers history is one Super Bowl appearance, no titles, a modest playoff record and more losing seasons than winning ones. So the question is do you stick with what you know or go outside the box and shock the system. The old saying "defense wins championships" is still true, but as mentioned, more than one team in recent history has put themselves over the top by getting a coach that shored up a weakness rather than playing to a strength.

YOUTH OR EXPERIENCE?

The league is a very fluid (read: cyclical) being. There's still plenty of "old school" out there, and it still works sometimes. Ah, but there's a lot of innovation too. Solid young coaches are making names for themselves and thinking in ways that older coaches might not. So perhaps "youth must be served".

Or must it? Excluding Mike Tomlin, the record for current head coaches under the age of forty is 47-69. The majority of the best candidates are guys in their fifties or at least their mid-forties. Plus younger candidates like Sean McDermott and Jason Garrett are suddenly starting to fall out of favor as their respective units have struggled. Plus, while the young pups might have a trick or two up their sleeves, there's not much that the old dogs haven't seen before. So maybe the better old saying is the one that goes "Age and treachery will defeat youth and vigor every time".

SUPERSTAR OR RISING STAR?

Since we're talking about experience, there are some coaches available right now that have the ultimate in NFL experience. Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Tony Dungy, Brian Billick, Bill Parcells...All coaches that have led their teams to Super Bowl victory, and all available or soon to be. Clearly, these are men who know exactly what it takes to get to the big show and win the prize. So with that in mind, wouldn't it make sense to entrust the guidance of this team to someone who's been down the road you want to travel?

It might, except that road has generally been a one-way street. No coach that's taken a team to a Super Bowl and gone on to another team has ever managed to duplicate that success. Parcells came the closest, but his last few stops have not only not produced a Lombardi trophy, they haven't even garnered a single playoff win. "Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't" you might say, and be correct. But there's also the old "definition of insanity" saying to remember as well. You know, the one about continually doing the same thing and expecting a different result?

The Panthers have traditionally believed that it's better to grow your own star than pluck someone else's. bad experience with George Seifert helped cement that philosophy. Might they change it in the face of recent frustration? Time will tell.

3-4 or 4-3?

Ah, the perpetual debate. Some of the league's best defenses right now are 3-4 units. And the teams that have the most Super Bowl wins in the past decade - the Patriots and Steelers - both employ 3-4 defenses. Other teams that have been good of late but haven't quite made it, like the Chargers, Cowboys and Packers, are going with the same approach. It's definitely been the ticket in Green Bay. So why not here?

Well, for one, there's the personnel. The Panthers current defensive roster doesn't include guys that are well-suited to a 3-4 attack. There's no true nose guard, and the inside linebackers and potential defensive ends aren't exactly ideal. Throw in that of the two units, the Panther defense is the one with fewer issues right now. So why put them through a year of transition when you're already going to have enough flux with the offense? Dipping one more time into the book of quotations, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

A good number of the defensive coaches on the current wish list have experience with both, so the team likely has options. the big question will be which option is best.

WEST COAST VS CONVENTIONAL?

Flipping over to the other side of the ball, what about the offensive attack. The current starter is Matt Moore, a longball thrower whose skills are best suited to a more conventional attack. But waiting in the wings is Jimmy Clausen, the heir apparent. Clausen's skill set is better suited to a West Coast type attack, concentrating on short, high percentage passes and letting the receivers and runningbacks do the rest with their athleticism. Steve Smith is potentially a good receiver for such an approach, and DeAngelo Williams is a runningback who's great in space. Maybe changing over to the more pass-oriented approach is the way to go.

Ah, but while Clausen is developing, he's still mostly a question mark. Throw in that if you don't get the right personnel for it, the WCO can turn into what's been called "a horizontal offense". Do we have the right personnel? At skill positions? Maybe. On the offensive line? No. The WCO runs best with lighter, more athletic linemen, and the Panthers have a preference for big, mauling road-grader types. No surprise, since Marty Hurney cut his football teeth under the guy who built "The Hogs" (Bobby Beathard). is it a passing league? Yes, but if everybody in the league is gearing up to stop passing attacks while you've been building a rush based offense, you might find you can turn opposing defenses into welcome mats.

_________________________________________________________________________________

So what's the "right" answer to each of these questions?

Well, that's a matter of opinion.

Each of the approaches listed here has its pros and cons. There's no single formula that automatically spells success.

Still, these decisions will have to be made, but that leads to one last question.

Do you make these decisions ahead of time and then tailor your coaching search to finding the right guy to implement them?

or...

Do you do your interviews, find the guy that seems most like "the right coach" and then let him make the decisions about what approaches to use?

(yeesh) :willy_nilly:

[Dpantherman]

I really hope Norv Turner gets fired. I REALLY REALLY hope so. Hes really good with QBs, Id love for whoever our next head coach to bring him in as OC or at the very least QB coach

[Catdaddy]

Our head coach took a nobody QB from NFL Europe and went to a Super bowl with him. If he wasn't so in love with him and cut him before he did and got a replacement he would more than likely not be leaving after the season and probably taking the Cowboy's job!

[Catdaddy]

I think it's speculation to say we'd have a winning record with Flacco as our QB. Honestly, look at their WR corps and how their running game has been doing... AND THE COACHING... it's not like Flacco is dragging the teams to wins week in, week out.

You would not want Flacco over what we have, honestly?

[Dpantherman]

Our head coach took a nobody QB from NFL Europe and went to a Super bowl with him. If he wasn't so in love with him and cut him before he did and got a replacement he would more than likely not be leaving after the season and probably taking the Cowboy's job!

yep. and he had a really Good OC with experience w/ Quaterbacks...Dan Henning.

[Mr. Scot]

(reprinted from another thread)

Since we’re in the mode of looking for a new head coach (fans that is, not the team…yet) it’s worth asking just what sorts of things you need a head coach to be able to do.

Here are some of the important aspects of being a head coach.

EVALUATION

One of the first things you have to be part of is building a roster. Depending on the structure of the team you’re part of, you may or may not have a voice in the player selection. In fact, some teams prefer that you don’t. The reason? Scouts say coaches have a tendency to “fall in love” (so to speak) with a particular player while watching workouts and say “I want that guy”. Scouts and personnel people are usually trained to be more objective. Thus, you have to be able to play the cards you're dealt.

Still, once they’re on the team, you’re the guy in charge of determining just how good they really are. Workout warrior, one-year wonder, or true football player? That’s why you practice. Preseason games help a lot because you get to see your guys hitting someone else for once. You pretty much have to be aware of everything that’s happening on the field. If you miss something, it can affect your ability to make a good personnel decision, something which generally isn't easy to begin with.

Assuming you determine the guys who are indeed ready to be a pro though, the job isn’t over. In fact, it’s just begun.

ORGANIZATION

Once you have an idea of just how good your guys are (or aren’t) then it’s time to start comparing. Is Receiver A better than Receiver B? Is Lineman X better suited to play on the interior or the exterior? Would he work best on the left side or the right? How about determining whether your old veteran quarterback still has enough gas in the tank? If not, is your young guy ready for the big time? And what about that guy who isn’t as good a position player but is a real special teams ace? Who do you sit so he can play?

These are the kinds of decisions coaches have to make while filling out a depth chart, but even the depth chart isn’t the final word. On a weekly basis, you have to account for injuries, sometimes suspensions, maybe even for your star player being a knucklehead and doing something stupid. Did I mention that the guy you downgraded to a backup role isn’t especially happy about it?

Anyway, let’s say you have the lineup you want. Time to move to the next step.

PREPARATION

Now you’ve got to get the guys ready for their big game. That means not only knowing your guys, but knowing their opponents as well. How’s their run game stack up against your run defense? Is their defense aggressive or reactionary? What parts of your attack match up well against them? Perhaps more important, where are you vulnerable? This is where the coordinators, your best Xs and Os guys, are invaluable, so you seek their input as much as possible.

All these actors (and many more) go into a game plan. Then you and your position coaches set about to teach the guys you chose to be in the lineup what that game plan is and what part they play. Hopefully, the guys catch on. After all, you did pick the right guys, didn’t you? Having second thoughts? Might be a bit too late for that now.

Still, you do the best you can to get what the guys need to know into their brains, but you also have to do something about their hearts as well.

MOTIVATION

So what’s your angle to light a fire under the guys you chose to play and taught the game plan? Build the other team up as unstoppable like Belichick, or tell your guys that they’re the ones who can’t be beaten like Ryan? If you’ve been around a while, they’ve likely heard all your favorite speeches by now. Can you come up with something new that’ll rekindle their fighting spirit and inspire them to greatness? If so, what is it?

Of course, you have to remember that what motivates one guy might not motivate another. Thus you might have to leave some of those duties to the position coaches. After all, they’re the ones who work most directly with the players. And hey, you hired them, so you know you got the best guys for the job, right? Right?

Hopefully, but ready or not, it’s game time. Now you’ve got to shift into a higher gear.

MANAGEMENT

Now the game’s started. Just like in the preseason, you have to know everything that’s going on, only this time it counts. What down and distance is it? How many timeouts have you got? Is your best linebacker tired? Who’s in at runningback now? How many carries has he had? Too many, or not enough? Oh great! Somebody’s hurt on the field. Is it one of yours? If it is, how bad is it? Is his backup ready? Is his backup even active or did you have to sit him to make room for that special teams guy? How much time is left? Can we get the ball back? Should I have gone for two on that last score? Wait, how many timeouts do we have again?

Sound complicated? It is. That’s why some guys who make great coordinators don’t always make great head coaches. Being lord and master over one aspect of the team isn’t quite the same as being responsible for all of them. A dozen different things are happening at any one time, and if your mind isn’t capable of multitasking, you’re likely to make a bad decision that may cost your team the game (and you, your job).

And again, even that’s only half the battle.

ADJUSTMENT

So you’re into the game now, and parts of your game plan seem to be working. Unfortunately, other parts are looking like a disaster. You’re learning that your primary corner is no match for their top receiver, or perhaps their best pass rusher is making a turnstile out of your best tackle. Maybe the other side is doing something they've never done before and you weren't ready. Whatever it is, it’s got to be fixed, and fast.

You have to do it on the fly, of course. There will, however, be some time available at the half where you can make the big changes. Of course, the coach on the other side is making changes too. Do the changes you’re making account for the ones he might be making over there? If not, you might have to make yet another change, teach your guys what it is on the sideline (when you have time) and hope they execute.

Okay

So is that it?

Not really. There are plenty of other factors that affect the outcome of a game, everything from crowd noise to weather conditions to plain old dumb luck. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, and sometimes it doesn’t. Of course, as the guy in charge, you have to account for those things, and handle them. While you’re at it, your agent called to remind you that your contract is nearly up, and he and the owner have very different ideas about how much you’re worth.

Yeesh :willy_nilly:

You might notice that a good number of the above sentences are questions. There’s a reason for that. Questions are what a head coach deals in, and lots of them. After the game is over, you’ll be answering even more questions from guys who have a story to write for the local paper or TV outlet. If you lost, the press isn't likely to be forgiving, and the fans even less so. How they portray you may or may not be fair, but you don’t have much control over that (realistically, none at all).

For all those questions, you have to have an answer, and you have to have it now.

This is what the team will be looking for in a new head coach. Someone who has those answers.

So when you’re looking at potential candidates, ask yourself these questions.

- Is he good at recognizing talent?

- How are his organizational skills?

- Do the players he coaches come to games prepared?

- Are guys willing to go to war for him?

- Does he make smart in-game decisions?

- How well does he adjust to what the other team is doing?

We need a coach that’s not just good at one or two of those things, but all of them.

Being bad at even just one of them can mean the difference between championships and mediocrity.

[mav1234]

You would not want Flacco over what we have, honestly?

Oh hell yes I would, but I'd also like John Harbaugh over what we have.

[mav1234]

(reprinted from another thread)

AT LAST, THE TRUTH COMES OUT... MR. SCOT IS COPYING.... oh wait. Mr. Scot.

darn.

[Catdaddy]

Oh hell yes I would, but I'd also like John Harbaugh over what we have.

Who do you think are the best coaches in the league?

[Dpantherman]

Oh hell yes I would, but I'd also like John Harbaugh over what we have.

yep, and Cam Cameron, yet another guy thats good w/ QBs....see a theme here folks? Ill rest my case.

[Catdaddy]

Good QB and OC's are working out good in Chicago to people.