Of the 9 named HC candidates is there anyone you'd hate?

[Visionman]

Being a HC is about a LOT more than knowing the Xs and Os. Just because you can craft and call a great offense doesn’t mean you will be even a decent HC, as the skill sets are so different.

Having the Xs and Os is good, but you then need to look at their overall leadership capacity, how they work with others, etc. To me, this is why you need more experience than anything. That is only something you learn.

 

[MikeDitkaPolishSausage]

Being a HC is about a LOT more than knowing the Xs and Os. Just because you can craft and call a great offense doesn’t mean you will be even a decent HC, as the skill sets are so different.

Having the Xs and Os is good, but you then need to look at their overall leadership capacity, how they work with others, etc. To me, this is why you need more experience than anything. That is only something you learn.

I agree with this but also think the two most important factors that determine a good HC are A) How you celebrate after a win and B) How you overcome a 6 game losing streak. And god damnit Nagy checks both of those boxes. Bring back Nagy!!

 

[Pegger]

So this isn't pro or anti Leftwich but I think it's worth pointing out that Winston's INT rate last year with the Saints was 1.9% compared to 4.8% with the Bucs. Does the OC deserve blame for that?

Leftwich seems like the most questionable hire of the guys mentioned. He's only been a coach since 2017. That's my biggest concern. Wether or not he's calling plays it's Arians' offense and he's obviously had the luxury of Brady who requires no coaching.

I'm not opposed to him mind you, but I have more questions about him than any of the other candidates.

I think that's more around how Winston fit what is still a Bruce Arians logic.

Winston just isn't an accurate deep ball thrower. He had Mike Evans AND Desean Jackson for 2 seasons before Arians and he just couldn't make it work. In terms of talent, I'm having a hard time thinking of a better deep threat tandem. Both those guys are great at getting open deep and can adjust to off target throws with ease.

Anyway, then came Bruce Arians, who attacks deep. He's a great offensive mind, but a part of his offense requires the QB to grip and rip. IMHO this is why Winston was the only 30 TD, 30 INT QB ever.

I'd also look at Winston's 1.9% int rate in NO and look deeper into that number. It's a small sample size (7 games) and for his 5 seasons in Tampa he averaged 274 yards a game. This season in NO he averaged only 167, so I'm assuming those situations are apples and oranges.

 

[remydat]

The problem is: If he called plays, how much of his success is due to Brady? James Winston had his worst season as a pro. He averaged 2 turnovers a game. Does the o.c bear no responsibility? Because as I have heard endlessly a player is only as good as his coach and a coach is required to alter his game plan if his approach isn't working or doesn't fit his players. That's why Nagy is so hated, right?

Is Leftwich for some reason not responsible for his quarterback's play? The Bucs DVOA was 23rd in 2019. They were 3rd in yards the year before Leftwich/Arians got there. And when you compare the quarterback numbers between 2018 and 2019, Winston and Fitzpatrick threw for more touchdowns, fewer interceptions and a higher YPA than under Leftwich.

Brady had a terrible year in 2019. If you going to look at how the Bucs O was prior to Leftwich then you need to look at how Brady performed the year before he came to Tampa.

It was not a given he would be good in 2020 as he struggled early in 2020 to the point some feared he was done.

As for the year before you are looking at 36 TDs and 26 Ints vs 33 TDs and 26 Ints. Not really that different and if you watched Winston, those ints were bad throws or decisions not scheme issues.

Are we going to nitpick every candidate or just Leftwich? Who is your top choice?

Also, Leftwich has 5 years of coaching experience. McVay had 8 years of NFL coaching experience and one in college when he was hired. It's not just about being an o.c. He'd be the head coach. Experience matters. And I have no idea what McKay being white has to do with anything.

Pretending his time as an offensive assistant or Tight End coach is why he was hired is laughable. He was hired based on his time as OC. If you think he doesnt get hired if you remove his non OC time then you are delusional. Also not sure why we are pretending his time as a QB running the O and being a team leader isnt relevant experience just as being an O assistant is for a guy that didnt play QB in the NFL.

My point is it seems black coaches get picked apart more. It is why few cared about Nagy being an OC for 6 games but somehow being one for 3 years isnt enough. Few cared about the Brady effect when McDaniels got hired by the Broncos and Colts but care about it now. It is how guys like Caldwall and Flores get fired despite most agreeing their teams were progressing while mediocre white coaches can hang around.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

1. The fact there is an older coach ( or a few) doesn't mean age isn't an issue. It's not "OMG, he's old, he will die on the sideline". It's "Oh, Fuck, he's a relic from the 80's who doesn't recognize the forward pass as a viable play call."

2. Bill Belichick is probably not the only coach to succeed after having a losing recod in his first stint, but pointing to an exception and suggesting we should not consider Frazier'ss previous record is nuts. And for the record, BB took over a miserable Cleveland team and turned them into a playoff team. Frazier wasn't routinely 7-9, he was 11 games under in 3 full seasons. His offense and defense both ranked in the lower half of the league.

3. He's doing well in Buffalo as DC. And every year we go through this same cycle. Teams in the playoffs must automatically have the best coaches. Think how unlikely it is that all the results are due to assistants on the sidelines and not the talent on the field.

Your concern with defensive guys is mine as well - who is the OC and what's your plan? Right or wrong, I tend to think defensive HCs are likely to me more conservative on offense. There are exceptions, such as BB, but it's common.

Lastly, if I am unfair in suggesting the bears are only considering him because he played for them, why aren't other teams considering him?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1481451604184383497

Phins are now.

 

[IBleedBearsBlood]

Texans now looking for a head coach as well.

 

[onebud34]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1481451604184383497

Phins are now.

I could see the Phins being a better fit for Frazier.

 

[remydat]

Texans now looking for a head coach as well.

Another black coach that got a raw dead.. That Texans team overachieved amd Mills looked solid but somehow black coach is fired.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

Another black coach that got a raw dead.. That Texans team overachieved amd Mills looked solid but somehow black coach is fired.

And rumor is they want to replace him with another black coach.

 

[Toast88]

The number 1 priority is getting it right with Justin Fields, and that means getting it right with the head coach.

The Bears cannot afford to hire an unknown. They *have* to hire someone who has a proven track record of success, someone who gives Fields the best chance to succeed.

 

[Toast88]

And rumor is they want to replace him with another black coach.

Those double racist bastards!

 

[remydat]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1481745207540469762

Wonder if NFL and Steelers have a deal where Tomlin can never be fired so NFL can ensure there is at least one black HC.

 

[Canth]

The number 1 priority is getting it right with Justin Fields, and that means getting it right with the head coach.

The Bears cannot afford to hire an unknown. They *have* to hire someone who has a proven track record of success, someone who gives Fields the best chance to succeed.

I don't disagree that the Bears need to get the head coach hire right. However, I would say the #1 priority is they need to get the right GM first. If you get the right GM, then he hires the right coach and builds solid team around Justin.

 

[Pegger]

I'll answer on behalf of 90% of all Bears fans: We will hate whomever is the successful candidate approximately 1.5 seasons into his contract.

 

[Midwaymonster75]

There's really no one so far I'd go "this guy is just completely not qualified".

Yeah, Leslie Frazier isn't super exciting. But it might work. ?‍

Anyone you'd just lose your shit over?

Here's the current list: (in random order)

1) L. Frazier 2) D. Peterson 3) B. Daboll 4) N. Hackett 5) Todd Bowles 6) Byron Leftwich 7) Matt Eberflus 8) Dan Quinn 9) Brian Flores

Frazier and Flores dont excite me in the least. Eberflus is the guy id take in a heartbeat. I think that guy is going to be a winner. He has "it".

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

Frazier and Flores dont excite me in the least. Eberflus is the guy id take in a heartbeat. I think that guy is going to be a winner. He has "it".

An Eberflus guy! First one of those I’ve seen.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

I'll answer on behalf of 90% of all Bears fans: We will hate whomever is the successful candidate approximately 1.5 seasons into his contract.

Nailed it

 

[TL1961]

You can’t argue with the results of Flores. It’s absolutely impressive. The rotating door of coordinators and chatter of being difficult to work with is concerning though. Glad the bears are bringing him in for an interview, but there’s definitely big question marks there.

This years pool really is short on candidates you feel great about. I think harbaugh is the closest to it, but he even brings some concerns. How much credit goes to Vic/Roman? Is harbaugh up to par with the current nfl game?

Traits I absolutely need in my HC

Accountability. Absolutely must hold guys accountable and demand respect

Adaptability/Leadership. You have to win in a variety of ways in the NFL. Need someone who not only has the willingness to adapt each week, but the ability to prep, install, and execute

Football acumen. I don’t want an offensive or defensive specialist. I’m looking for someone who has the right mind to oversee 3 phases, and make sure everything makes sense. Sure, they’ll likely have their specialty, but can’t be a noob in other facets.

Connections. Who you gonna get to round out your staff? Coordinators matter. The HC must be able to assemble a quality NFL staff.

Xs/0s. Attention to detail. Maximizing your personnel and adapting and putting your players in the best position to succeed. Seeing one step ahead.

Whoever I hire has to check all these boxes, and that would likely mean an established coach with experience. I get the impression George is also looking for an experienced guy. That would mean guys like Harbaugh, Pederson, Flores, Frazier, and I’m probably missing some guys. Out of that list, gimme Harbaugh

List the teams Flores beat. New England twice is good. Go from there, though.

I understand that for every team, they will have a number of wins against bad teams. That makes sense. But are the wins only against bad teams?

And I do agree even with that, his record is a plus, but the fact no coach stays two years? Or he can't hire one who he wants for two years? That is not just an issue, it's a major issue. Being able to be CEO is what being a successful coach is all about. If you lose coordinators to HC jobs because of your team's success, that's a good thing. If you're losing them over and over for any other reason? Not good.

It's easy to say the Dolphins made a mistake firing a guy with his record, but can't we flip that and say "What is going on behind the scenes that a team would want to part ways with a guy with that record?"

Isn't it a red flag to see a team get wins from their HC and still not want him? If the team he was winning with doesn't want him, why do we? Are we going to find out in two or three years what they know now?

 

[TL1961]

I think that's more around how Winston fit what is still a Bruce Arians logic.

Winston just isn't an accurate deep ball thrower. He had Mike Evans AND Desean Jackson for 2 seasons before Arians and he just couldn't make it work. In terms of talent, I'm having a hard time thinking of a better deep threat tandem. Both those guys are great at getting open deep and can adjust to off target throws with ease.

Anyway, then came Bruce Arians, who attacks deep. He's a great offensive mind, but a part of his offense requires the QB to grip and rip. IMHO this is why Winston was the only 30 TD, 30 INT QB ever.

I'd also look at Winston's 1.9% int rate in NO and look deeper into that number. It's a small sample size (7 games) and for his 5 seasons in Tampa he averaged 274 yards a game. This season in NO he averaged only 167, so I'm assuming those situations are apples and oranges.

That last paragraph is interesting.

Doesn't it say that whoever was calling the plays for Wisnton in Tampa schemed for more yards in spite of more turnovers? Is that a good tradeoff? Did they not recognize his weakness? People are saying that was Leftwich that year.

 

[Enasic]

List the teams Flores beat. New England twice is good. Go from there, though.

I understand that for every team, they will have a number of wins against bad teams. That makes sense. But are the wins only against bad teams?

And I do agree even with that, his record is a plus, but the fact no coach stays two years? Or he can't hire one who he wants for two years? That is not just an issue, it's a major issue. Being able to be CEO is what being a successful coach is all about. If you lose coordinators to HC jobs because of your team's success, that's a good thing. If you're losing them over and over for any other reason? Not good.

It's easy to say the Dolphins made a mistake firing a guy with his record, but can't we flip that and say "What is going on behind the scenes that a team would want to part ways with a guy with that record?"

Isn't it a red flag to see a team get wins from their HC and still not want him? If the team he was winning with doesn't want him, why do we? Are we going to find out in two or three years what they know now?

Yeah I agree. Like I said, there’s definitive question marks and concerns. He should at least be interviewed though, and I’m glad the bears are doing their due diligence on him.