Brian Flores, Joe Judge, and Harry High School
NFL Wild Card - As the coaching carousel turns and NFL organizations decide among Doug Pederson, Bill O'Brien, Brian Daboll, Jim Harbaugh, and pretty much every viable candidate except Eric Bienemy, keep in mind that all NFL head coaches can be categorized into a small handful of archetypes.
Movie Sergeant
The Mike Tomlin/Tom Coughlin type: his gruff exterior conceals a gruff mantle and gruff outer core, but there's probably a warm-and-squishy heart of gold buried down there somewhere.
The Movie Sergeant is a smart default persona for a standard-issue defensive coordinator getting his first head coaching gig: no one will be surprised by his no-nonsense, hard-nosed, drill-instructor approach when he's hired, and no one will remember it after he is fired.
Sitcom Dad
The John Harbaugh/Frank Reich type: an upbeat source of good-natured wisdom, plus a dash of tough love when someone needs a kick in the rump. Two years of the NFL head coaching lifestyle turns most Sitcom Dads into either sleep-deprived paranoiacs or detached, vacant-eyed zombies. Rather like actual dads. (That's right: Walkthrough is going DARK! It has been a long season!)
Dime-Store Machiavelli
Bill Belichick and all his acolytes and wannabes fit this type, though Belichick is more like a Designer Machiavelli.
Most Belichick cosplayers take their tactical and leadership cues from a cartoon supervillain like Skeletor rather than from any Hall of Fame coach or Renaissance philosopher. Yet NFL owners are strangely enamored with this personality type because they always think they are hiring a master strategist, not someone who will devote 95% of his mental energy to blaming his team's 56-10 losses on the assistant weight-room sanitizer.
Harry High School
Rah-Rah Sis-Boom-Bah: win one for ol' Coach Pete Carroll or young Coach Nick Sirianni!
Harry High School acts like Sitcom Dad introducing the kids to his first girlfriend after the divorce, or like the cool teacher who lets the seventh graders call him by his first name. Owners generally fire Harry High School at the first sign of trouble, because everyone knows that dad ends up crying over a maxed-out credit card after that first post-separation fling (DARK), while the cool teacher winds up duct taped to his chair while the kids have Bunsen burner-on-a-yardstick jousts.
Executive Material
Sean McVay and his various cronies/clones all present themselves as central-casting MBA candidates: young, fit, well-groomed, white as baking flour and bristling with innovative ideas that sound suspiciously identical to everyone else's innovative ideas.
Mini McVays are enjoying success right now that is sure to yield diminishing returns as owners scour the depths of their offensive coaching staffs in search of anyone with twinkly eyes, a stubblebeard, two seasons as a slot receiver at a midmajor college, and an interview hook that impresses the easily impressed. ("He can name all 50 states and their capitals. The kid's a prodigy!") The Mini McVay vogue will end once team owners stop preferring coaching candidates who look like their favorite nephews. In other words, never.
The CEO
The Andy Reid/Marty Schottenheimer type: a CEO lets his coordinator handle schemes and game plans while he focuses on structure and culture. Most college-to-NFL transplants market themselves as CEO types, then crash quickly when they learn that the NFL lifestyle is not all about unpaid labor and private jets fully stocked with single-malt scotch and lascivious cocktail waitresses who find entitlement sexy.
Successful Sitcom Dads, Movie Sergeants, and Dime-Store Machiavelllis sometimes transition to CEOs late in life; Executive Material coaches will start striving for CEO roles if any of them are still coaching by age 50.
Factotum T. Yesman
Jason Garrett or David Culley: someone overpromoted or groomed from within the organization to do the boring stuff that the meddlesome owner or his spiritual adviser cannot be bothered with like running practices, designing game plans, or working in the traditional sense. Few organizations are brazen enough to hire an obvious Yesman these days when a Sitcom Dad or Harry High School could perform the same tasks with a little more dignity. (Yes, we're watching you, Mr. Lurie.)
Captain Caveman
The Dan Campbell type: a 10,000 B.C. version of the Movie Sergeant, or the dark-mirror version of Harry High School. Cro-Magnons like Campbell fell out of fashion as Mike Ditka's generation aged out and the NFL transitioned away from real-men-don't-wear-helmets-or-drink-water messaging for obvious reasons. Campbell's persona is nearly a winking homage to the old blood 'n' guts coaches, which makes it charming in a way, though it's also a reminder that if NFL owners began following Three Year Letterman on Twitter, they would end up making him a hotter candidate than Bienemy.
If your team is searching for a head coach, you should hope for a combination of the best attributes of all of these coaches: the Sergeant's results-oriented approach, the Dad's openness, the Executive Material's eagerness to embrace modern ideas, the CEO's gift for delegating and empowering subordinates, Harry and Caveman's motivational skills, Machiavelli's willingness to bend a few minor rules, and even Yesman's knack for going with the flow and keeping the owner subdued.
Unfortunately, there's a chance you may end up with a coach that combines the worst of all these archetypes. And if you are a Giants fan, that chance is currently 100%.
Get Ready for 2022 Quarterback Madness
With Brian Flores, Rick Spielman/Mike Zimmer, Vic Fangio, and others getting fired this week, brace yourself for some serious quarterback upheaval over the next two months.
Kirk Cousins may finally lose his status as Overpaid Franchise Quarterback in Perpetuity when new management takes over the Vikings. Tua Tagovailoa may return to his familiar role as dangling trade bait. Broncos general manager George Paton may seek a splashy move to both solve his quarterback problem and put his final stamp of control over the organization.
There are other factors in play. Baker Mayfield and the Browns appear to be giving each other some space right now. Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert plans to step down at the end of the draft, and he will want to leave behind a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger as his legacy. Frank Reich and Chris Ballard sounded like walking embodiments of the Gob Bluth "I've made a huge mistake" meme at their season-ending press conferences. Who knows what direction the Giants will lurch in now that they have dragged Joe Judge kicking and screaming from team headquarters? And Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers will fill our offseasons with breathless, wishful rumor-mongering and speculation.
Major quarterback moves have become relatively common in recent years. Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Sam Darnold, and Teddy Bridgewater headlined last year's big-name moves. Fellows named Tom Brady and Philip Rivers changed teams the previous year. Trading for a franchise quarterback or big-game hunting for one in free agency is as viable as hoping to get the finicky draft-and-develop recipe precisely correct. No contract is too great these days, no compensation package too unrealistic, no fears about upsetting "team chemistry" adequately founded.
Coach/general manager firings and franchise-level transitions only turn up the burners. Jason Licht, Les Snead, and Howie Roseman have demonstrated that bold quarterback bold moves can fast-track rebuilding programs, upgrade teams that are already contenders, or (most notably) stuff past mistakes down the garbage disposal and freshen up the kitchen.
So while the GM/coach hiring process can become a little perfunctory—Every choice is the perfect choice! Every hotshot new exec gets a ringing endorsement from insiders he shares an agent with/tastemakers who like to sound informed!—things will likely get much more interesting when the new decision-makers start seeking quarterback solutions, or when older heads start calling the newbies up with offers that sound too good to be true.
Carouselambra
Notes on Monday's firings, non-firings, and so forth.
Miami Dolphins Fire Brian Flores
Flores deserves a second chance, preferably sooner than later, but he really needs to work on his quarterback messaging/handling. Flores was never comfortable with Tua Tagovailoa as his starter, which was not all that unusual (coaches are saddled with shaky young quarterbacks all the time), but he made it obvious to everyone who watched and listened, which was inexcusable. Rolling through four offensive coordinators in three years was also a bit of a problem.
Early reports suggested that the Dolphins had eyes on Jim Harbaugh. Those reports probably had some merit, because Steven Ross is a Michigan alum who loves splashy moves. (If you believe the I was talking him into staying at Michigan version of events, Walkthrough has a timeshare in a swamp to sell you.) But what happened in Miami sounds similar to what happened among Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman, Doug Pederson, and Carson Wentz in Philly this time last year, with the marriage breaking up over arguments about whether or not to finally kick the adult child off the couch.
Minnesota Vikings Fire Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer
Imagine trying to live your life and handle your finances exactly the traditional "right" way. You attend college, get a decent job, purchase a car, climb the corporate ladder a notch, take on a mortgage, marry, start a family, begin saving for retirement/vacation/kids' college, and so forth.
What you discover pretty quickly—yes, Walkthrough is getting a little existential and dark again, but that's inevitable when discussing the Vikings—is that the system is stacked against that sort of traditionalist "American Dream" lifestyle, and that if you manage to pull it off financially, it will probably come at a steep cost in leisure time, peace of mind, and (potentially) happiness. Each individual choice has plenty of merits—an education is important, home ownership is good, family life can be incredibly fulfilling—but striving to check all the boxes can leave a person deep in debt and too exhausted/stressed to enjoy life's most basic pleasures.
That's what happened to the Vikings during the Spielman/Zimmer era. The Vikings had a four-bedroom suburban home, a white-collar office job, 2.5 kids, and a late-model sedan in the driveway, and they spent every year trying to maintain it, not advance toward the Super Bowl. It was a comfortable rut. No organization needed more of a fresh start, and perhaps no organization has the potential to look more different on the field next season.
Chicago Bears Fire Matt Nagy, Ryan Pace
Early Bears coaching interview requests include Todd Bowles, Byron Leftwich, and Dan Quinn. No surprises there, and no awful Bill O'Brien-level selections. The franchise's biggest need isn't a coach but a general manager who will not keep throwing good money and draft picks after bad.
Denver Broncos Fire Vic Fangio
Their early interview list is loaded with young offensive coaches such as Kellen Moore, Kevin O'Connell, and 37-year-old Matt LaFleur assistant Luke Getsy. It looks like the Broncos are taking the "do the opposite" approach after three years under a defensive coach who looked more like one of Walkthrough's uncles than one of our nephews. The "do the opposite" mentality is easy to criticize, but the Broncos really need a head coach with mid-21st century offensive ideas.
Carolina Panthers Retain Matt Rhule
David Tepper is a new owner committed to making new-owner mistakes. Which, as the next capsule suggests, look a lot like old-family, legacy-owner mistakes.
New York Giants Eventually Fire Joe Judge, Dave Gettleman Retires
Nothing about the 48 hours in East Rutherford leading up to Judge's dismissal made sense: the conflicting reports of Monday meetings with Judge at various times, reports that Judge planned to stay and expected to have an active hand in choosing the next general manager (!), the speculation that John Mara planned to hire a general manager and then let him decide Judge's fate, and so on. It's as if Judge opened a door to a parallel dimension with those third-and-long quarterback sneaks on Sunday, but instead of (spoilers) Andrew Garfield and Tobey McGuire coming through, we just got drippier versions of Mara. Mara must have realized that saddling general manager candidates with the tasks of either working with or firing Judge was a great way to send the best of those candidates running to Minnesota or Chicago.
Anyway, what's done is done, and good riddance to bad coaching and, sadly, awesome and easy-to-write content. The Giants now have the chance to put the past behind them and start fresh. Two things they absolutely loathe.
Houston Texans Still Evaluating David Culley
"Hello, Brian? It's your old pal Action Jackson. You know: The Jackinator? Eastbound and Down? Bishop Sycamore? It's EASTERBY, Brian. Anyway, Nick and I would love you to come interview in Houston. We're going to make everything just like Foxborough down here. No one has ever tried it before. And you're the missing puzzle piece!
"What's that? You want autonomy? You will only answer to Nick. And me. And Cal, through me. And Nick kinda answers to me too. But you will have complete control of, like, when to call timeouts and stuff.
"What's that? The quarterback situation? Wait until you see Davis Mills. You're sure to find plenty of things wrong with him. We also have Tyrod Taylor, and he's ready to be your Jacoby Brissett.
"What's that? You are saying I skipped over someone? I'm working on that. We'll probably trade him for Tuauuuuhhh ... I mean, Three-a! Two-a or three-a firsta-round picks! Imma talking lika Mario froma the video game! It's part of my new faith-based comedy routine! Bet you missed hearing me joke around Patriots HQ, right? Right? Hello?"
"Heh. Guess we got disconnected. Oh well, another year of David Culley it is."
Comments
42 comments, Last at 14 Jan 2022, 11:01pm
#1 by johonny // Jan 12, 2022 - 10:27am
Flores should probably go work for Andy Reid or Pete Carrol and see another way of doing things. It will probably help him if/when his next job comes. Though, that Bears job looks tempting if Rogers does leave the division. Most NFL coaches fail and get fired. That's the NFL.
An NFL owner really has to want Patriot Way if they sign up for Patriot Way because Patriot Way is a lot of fun when you win, but tends to treat the popular local press badly and they will gut you if you lose. No owner has wanted Patriot Way for very long outside of New England.
Ross loves Harbaugh. He's a billionaire. He needs to land the guy he loves. We all know anyone else is going to feel like sloppy seconds to him. That first hint at 9-8 and your owner starts thinking about the girl you really love.
Fire your head coach when he's down. Quinn at 0-5 for example. Don't let him dangle on the hook or he might just save himself. Flores made his future life easier after that 1-7 start, but made the Miami's front office look like clowns. I don't think Ross understood that Flores might rise from the grave. If you want to pull the trigger, pull it. These coaches are professionals, they like and want to win games.
#2 by FanZed // Jan 12, 2022 - 10:41am
The Denver sports media have Cowboys DC Dan Quinn in the pole position, and Bronco GM George Paton has also requested interviews with Lions DC Aaron Glenn and Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon. Paton has emphasized that he's looking for leadership first and foremost (so, maybe a Movie Sargeant or CEO type), though it's anyone's guess as to what that means to him. IMO, Paton is a smart GM doing interesting things in Denver, and he bears watching.
I also find it interesting that few media types are invoking Mike Vrabel as a model for a home run coaching hire. Vrabel's base archetype is probably the movie sergeant, but he also draws effectively from the executive wannabe (white, fit, beard stubble, and a fast climber on the coaching ladder) and the Machiavelli archetype (Patriots roots, clever game management tactics).
#26 by Steve in WI // Jan 12, 2022 - 3:22pm
Yeah, with the disclaimer that dysfunctional organizations do dysfunctional things, I don't know why you would fire Culley after 1 season in which the Texans 4-13 record probably accurately reflects their talent, when he was very clearly hired to be a yes man and eventual scapegoat. IMHO, barring indefensible behavior it's crazy to fire a coach after only 1 year anyway, but it's not even like the Texans were expected to be a contender and underachieved.
#5 by mehllageman56 // Jan 12, 2022 - 10:55am
Also have to say that Machiavelli may not be the best philosopher for an NFL coach; too much of his work is about governing republics (The Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius) which does not help when running the dictatorship that is an NFL team. Machiavelli would prefer the term Principality instead of dictatorship. The Art of War may be better, since football is just an abstraction of battle.
#13 by OmahaChiefs13 // Jan 12, 2022 - 1:04pm
The Art of War may be better, since football is just an abstraction of battle.
Nobody who's ever been in or adjacent to a real battle thinks that. I'm not trying to be That Guy, because I know that link between combat and football has been around for a long time, but at best, it'd be more accurate to describe it as an abstraction of what Hollywood thinks battle is. Or maybe like the strategy game version of what battle is.
That said...the Art of War is still probably a good choice, because the Art of War doesn't really relate well to actual battle either.
#36 by mehllageman56 // Jan 13, 2022 - 11:25am
Sorry, I should not have compared a game to actual war. I was just thinking about someone I knew who got roped into playing his housemate in Madden without any knowledge of the game itself. He did very well because he knew Roman war strategies, and said the defenses were based on the "Roman Box". A quick google search does not come up with that term, but the Romans did employ a 3 line stategy, like the 4-3-4 or 3-4-4 defensive systems in use in the NFL.
I could use Plato's assertion that athletics are just preparation for war to defend my assertion, but I despise Plato so I won't . Sorry.
#41 by Lost Ti-Cats Fan // Jan 14, 2022 - 9:57am
As someone who's played a lot of ancient miniatures wargames, I can say that if you abstract pre-gunpowder war, ignoring the gruesome reality bits and the death and suffering of the actual warriors, then as an intellectual exercise there are a lot of similarities between the set piece battle strategies of ancient warfare and the Xs and Os of football gameplays. Many armies featured heavy, slow moving troops in the center of their battlelines, flanked by fast moving troops on the outside and reserves held back behind the line, and battles were generally won either by penetrating the middle of the opponent's line with a breakthrough that could not be countered by reserves or by winning on one of the flanks and then sweeping around behind the center. Tactically, the main way to achieve these results were by either getting more troops into an area than the enemy had troops to counter with or by creating a mismatch between the attacking unit and the quality and equipment of the defender opposing them.
Such an analogy, however, does a disservice to the men and women who have fought in real battles, which are neither games nor intellectual exercises and who do not get to stand up and reset for the next play after the referee blows their whistle.
#6 by James-London // Jan 12, 2022 - 11:03am
Ben Solak at The Ringer had a great piece on Flores, which has basically the same messaging/everyone needs to get along vibe as Mike
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/1/10/22876955/brian-flores-fired-miami-dolphins-stephen-ross
Still dumbfounded at the decision, but Dolphins gonna Dolphin
#8 by mansteel // Jan 12, 2022 - 12:16pm
Shame Tanier and his ilk aren't giving Flores the snark treatment, since there's plenty to work with. How about this:
In the results-oriented business that is the NFL, imagine how big an A-hole you must have to be to get the can despite the level of on-field success* that Flores has had? Maybe the Giants or Bears can hire him so that he can burn the tattered remains of Daniel Jones' or Justin Fields' confidence. Plus, the Giants have had three OCs in the last three years, so they're used to Flores' style...and they can step up from alienating back-of-the-roster camp vets into retirement to alienating Pro-Bowl DBs into demanding a trade!
*career record 24-25 with no playoff appearances...so not quite as good as Matt Nagy.
#12 by serutan // Jan 12, 2022 - 1:01pm
Flores need not have been a jerk. If you're in an office environment where backstabbing is an accepted method of doing business the real problem is either not having the right friends and/or low skill at CYA tactics.
#24 by Steve in WI // Jan 12, 2022 - 3:06pm
I'll agree and go a step further. In a scenario where a young black coach clashed with an owner who has been known to meddle in football operations, absent some real receipts I'm going to take vague statements attacking the coach's demeanor/leadership style with a giant grain of salt.
#7 by Pat // Jan 12, 2022 - 11:37am
Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Sam Darnold, and Teddy Bridgewater headlined last year's big-name moves. Fellows named Tom Brady and Philip Rivers changed teams
Woah, woah. Take out Bridgewater, he wasn't a "big name." You don't sign someone to a 1-year contract for $10M in free agency if they're a big name. If you want to keep Bridgewater there you need to add Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick to last year and tack on Cam Newton to the other list, too, and now it doesn't sound as great. Darnold's probably iffy there, too.
Strengthens the argument quite a bit, too, if you've just got Stafford, Wentz, Goff, Brady, and Rivers. Although I don't think counting on getting an end-career QB is really viable (there's no one really out there) and trading for a QB requires a partner and outside of Watson I don't know if any of those are actually realistic.
If I had to guess I'd say the QBs available in trade are probably Watson, Matt Ryan and Kirk Cousins (*).
(*: keep in mind Cousins's contract is cheaper when traded for - it's still high, but it's not wacko. Ryan would clearly be a better option, though)
#18 by serutan // Jan 12, 2022 - 1:51pm
I'd like to think the Steelers are not stupid enough to do that, or go after any of the high profile veterans except maybe Wilson. And that assumes that he's actually going to be available and the Hawks don't want a prohibitive number of high draft picks.
If they want a temporary solution because they decided to wait until 2023 to draft a QB, then they should go with a Teddy Bridgewater type.
#20 by Pat // Jan 12, 2022 - 2:31pm
It wouldn't be a bad option if the Steelers were a different team, but given the relatively unsettled nature of their line, trading for Ryan would almost certainly backfire horribly.
high profile veterans except maybe Wilson.
I'm completely working under the assumption that the Wilson and Rodgers availability talk is just player/agent/team politics. Even if by some miracle Wilson or Rodgers was available, I'd have to imagine that the contract renegotiation demands they'd make would be insane.
#19 by Pat // Jan 12, 2022 - 2:25pm
Yeah, I agree. I originally had a comment like "those don't encourage me to throw my entire draft at a team for them" there. Rivers was a similar situation, incidentally, although he wasn't traded - 2019 was a huge drop down for him.
Ryan's still not a terrible trade option because he's relatively cheap for the trading team (under $20M). I dunno who'd do it, though, it's not wacko for, say, the Steelers given their position but they are sooooo the wrong team.
But my point at the end was that while the trades for Goff/Wentz/Stafford actually might not be horrible (ha, ha) I'm not really positive that the QBs that will really be available as trade options are actually worth trading for as a long-term option. All of them could backfire horribly and carry much more risk. I mean, I know some people would think trading for Wentz carried huge risk but really there was no way he was going to be as bad as he was in 2020.
#21 by Pat // Jan 12, 2022 - 2:33pm
I assumed the "Successful Sitcom Dads, Movie Sergeants, and Dime-Store Machiavelllis sometimes transition to CEOs late in life" comment was referring to Reid. Reid was definitely a "Successful Sitcom Dad" type in Philly.
#27 by CHIP72 // Jan 12, 2022 - 4:27pm
...George Hegemin if Andy Reid was "Sitcom Anything" with him.
After Reid won the power struggle with Tom Modrak in Philadelphia (IIRC in 2001), he eventually did go towards the "Successful Sitcom Dad" archtype, except in postgame press conferences ("Injuries", "Time's Yours".)
#23 by ImNewAroundThe… // Jan 12, 2022 - 2:59pm
I wouldn't have fired him for most of the reasons already stated.
However what's the point of a GM if they just solely listen to the (defensive) HC on who to pick at QB? This conversation was inevitable because it seems like people are acting like Herbert was this can't miss prospect. When in reality everyone semi reputable had Tua above. And it wasn't particularly close. He was closer to Burrow than he was Herbert. Even QBASE had Love over Herbert (didn't agree with it but it is what it is). Even with a pick discount, everyone liked the Tua selection more. The chances that Griers scouts came to a different conclusion is unlikely. So, again, what's the point of a GM if he doesn't listen to his scouts and even himself and the owner? Sure you wish everyone could agree but that's not reality. But to be fair the whole conversation might have been avoided if they just don't win the last 3 games of 2019 when they were eliminated (and yes people were jokingly serious about him winning COTY).
But like Mike said, he went about the most important position/side of the ball pretty poorly, even if he didn't want him. 4 OCs in 3 years is objectively not good. Along with 4 OL coaches, you wonder why you're forced into a niche offense with one of the worst OLs of the era.
Does pushing for Watson in the midst of sexual misconduct allegations really do anything for... anyone? Like that's quite a blind eye to turn. I get wanting a QB upgrade (who doesn't?) but to do it to the extent of it popping up every other week is a horrible vote and use of your time.
And to look at the results the last 3 years, tell me whos who:
24th ranked offense by EPA/play and 17th ranked defense
vs
25th ranked offense by EPA/play and 15th ranked defense
Again, I understand expectations but flip 4 (3 in 2019, 1 this season) meaningless games and are we surprised if a 20-29 coach is let go? Heck are we surprised if it's after the Titans L to which would be the exact same record Gase started in Miami with. Ironically he'll get a job ASAP too, like him lol (deservedly but still funny).
#29 by Kaepernicus // Jan 12, 2022 - 5:28pm
I honestly think Flores has become overrated due to many points you hit on. I also think he is undoubtedly a talented defensive mind when you look at what he was able to do with some of his game plans against better opponents. The biggest thing Dolphins fans should be angry about is this was not clean sweep with the FO getting nuked as well. The fact that Grier was able to hang on after that many disaster seasons on OL is a very bad sign. Outside of Laremy Tunsil they have been abysmal at OL evaluation and development. This goes all the way back to the end of the Gase/Tannehill era when the latter was getting sacked at an 11% clip on his way to the missing 5 starts with various injuries on a 7-9 team. It seems like Tua could be an average starter behind a functional OL. Grier has done a bad job as GM by allowing an extremely important position group to turn into the worst in the league. Having an OL that bad also makes it nearly impossible to properly judge their QBs. Just look at what happened to Tannehill behind a competent OL with a decent scheme and weapons. I would have been fine with this if both of them got canned. If Ross was absolutely set on keeping one of them he should have kept Flores and found a new GM. Whoever the next HC in Miami is will probably be gone in 2 years with Tua and Grier. Ross just seems like a bad owner.
#31 by jackiel // Jan 12, 2022 - 8:34pm
I don't recall the Giants having a particularly good line before Gettleman arrived. In fairness to him, he did try to fix the problem. Moves like the Solder signing and high draft picks like Hernandez just haven't worked out. Miami has just flubbed the position group. Put another way, Ereck Flowers couldn't even get a 5th year in NY. Miami signed him for 3 years/$30M.
#35 by mehllageman56 // Jan 13, 2022 - 11:00am
The Qbase article talked about Jordan Love first, because that's where Scouts, Inc. ranked them. Go back and look at the article; Herbert has a lower bust quotient than Tua, and a higher mean projection than anyone else besides Burrow. It didn't love him the way it loved Lawrence and Wilson this past year (granted, a new system), but it ranked him 2nd in his class.
#32 by liquidmuse3 // Jan 12, 2022 - 8:47pm
I gotta say, right off the bat your point is off: of all the coaches you list in the first paragraph, the only one who doesn’t call the plays is the one you list as maybe not getting a job. Maybe it’s just that?
#37 by Will Allen // Jan 13, 2022 - 11:26am
Eh, the Vikings are just an example of nearly everyone needing good luck, along with good habits, to achieve extreme success. The good habits alone will, the vast majority of the time, afford not-awful results, but The Great and Terrible God of Randomness can confer huge success, on very rare (and usually quite briefq) occasions to even those with bad habits, and prevent huge success to those with good habits. Sometimes, The Deity is so black-hearted as to grind to dust even those with good habits, but that doesn't happen in the NFL; Matt Millen is all on Matt Millen. Vikings are very typical. Generally good practices stave off disastrous outcomes, but don't reliably deliver the best outcomes. For that you need Good Fortune, or consistently great practices, while the God of Randomness just leaves you be.