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Writer's pictureDJ Potter - The Founder

Going Through Changes


NFL News - Spittin' Cap

Despite the immense intrigue for Super Bowl LVIII throughout the football world; the 30 teams who don't have an invitation to play won't just sit back, relax, and watch the festivities. It's back to business. No rest for the weary. The only attitude to have if they wish to be one of the two teams in the Super Bowl in the future. The race to rebuild and revamp is on, which has caused pure madness. Eight head-coaching vacancies. Staff rebuilds. Longtime tenures coming to an end. Just pure madness. Madness that has come fast and furious. The work week has been filled with drama, moves, and headlines, while the weekend decides the quest for the Lombardi. How could we dare complain about this!?


With all eight head coaching vacancies now filled; I can properly grade the decisions and breakdown the coordinator moves and other prime headlines that have transpired over the past two weeks. We do have some more decisions to be made regarding coordinator and staff positions, but I have more of enough to breakdown here on this piece. I'll focus on the new head coaches, the biggest coordinator moves, and some of those big time headlines that set up the next few stages of the off-season once the Super Bowl is decided. I have been eager to discuss these head coaching replacements... lets start with those cats. Let me get my report cards out... lets run it.

NFL head coaching grades

In a two week span, we had all eight head coaching vacancies be filled with dozens on dozens of interviews takin' place across the country. Each team used a deep level of thinking when making their decisions. Which shocked me. Folks! We saw some solid GM play for a change. I know! Crazy, right? I have grades for each, and for once I feel we had some solid replacement decisions be made. A few teams see their entire identity be changed, one of the top brains in College Football returns to the big leagues, and a couple of coordinators move into the pinnacle of the coaching tree. The reports are in!

Raiders hire Antonio Pierce

After takin' a few interviews and doing in-house sit downs, the Raiders went forward with promoting Antonio Pierce to full-time head coach. I think it was without a doubt the best decision for Mark Davis. A decision I am surprised to see him pull the trigger on, frankly. Pierce is the perfect leader for that team and the Raiders' culture. Pierce obviously wasn't the best all-around coaching candidate this cycle due to his lack of experience and needed growth, but the experience factor is not what won him this job. it's the strong connections he made with the Raiders' players in his short time as interim head coach that won him the full-time job. Pierce has already elevated the morale and environment, now he is slated to elevate the Raiders back to a winning pedigree on the gridiron.


Pierce checks off most of the boxes for being a head coach, but he will need some top tier coordinators and staff members around him in order to bring that winning pedigree to the franchise. Just like with all the other good to great head coaches. It's one big assembly line in the industry of ball in order to reach success. Pierce has his DC and OC. I'll get to that later, but now it's time for Pierce and the front office to move their focus to the next stage of the off-season. I give them a B only due to the difficulty ahead for rookie head coach Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas. It was an A-grade hire based off vibes, leadership, and morale. I am excited to see what AP does in Vegas. So is Raiders Nation.

Patriots hire Jerod Mayo

Jerod Mayo has been hired to be the successor to Bill Belichick in Foxborough. A new era in New England. I like the idea of the Patriots and Mayo. It creates an entirely new culture; and shows a former player root himself to the pinnacle of the organization's coaching tree. Mayo has spent his entire professional life in the Patriots organization- eight as a player and five as a member of the coaching staff. He is given a grand opportunity as the successor of a man who won six rings in 24 years for the team. The rookie head coach is steppin' into one difficult position. He is steppin' into some large-large shoes.


Mayo is a good hire for the locker-room and building a new culture in New England as the Belichick regime is now a thing of the past. Former player, well spoken, and a true leader. Great traits for a coach no doubt, but this will turn into a bootleg version of Pierce in Vegas I am afraid. Which is why I drop Kraft and co. with a C+. Patriots are in full rebuild mode. Not 1-3 year rebuild; more like 5-7. Mayo worked under Belichick in what was a horribly rooted coaching tree with Mayo being probably the best coach of the bunch last season. He only has four years experience as a coach workin' with inside linebackers. This is a massive jump in job duties, especially considering the shoes he is steppin' in. With that, Mayo doesn’t have the cred to bring in a great staff; forcing the Pats to have to build from the ground up. They promote DeMarcus Covington (D-Line Coach) to DC and bring in fired Browns OC Alex Van Pelt to take reigns of the offense. These cats are tasked with a difficult one as they now have the weight of a franchise and fan base on their back that won’t want to return to consistent losing again after two decades of a winning dynasty. Good morale hiring, but Mayo is going to be doomed from the get-go. He won’t have a Bobby Slowik and Jerrod Johnson like DeMeco Ryans did (does) last season. Belichick left a dumpster fire prior to departing, a fire that has too thick of flames for Mayo to put out. Hopefully I am wrong.

Falcons hire Raheem Morris

Falcons had everyone in the first half; boy am I glad the Bill Belichick interviews were just for curiosity. Just a liiiiiil tease. The casuals don't understand how bad that would have been. I for one, liked the handling of the job search by the Falcons front office. A rollercoaster of an opinion as I was prepared to shoot major degrade towards Arthur Blank as their process went on. Morris is a solid hire after some ponder. Originally I was against it, but I have since changed my opinion. Speaking of a rollercoaster opinion. Falcons need a strong leader that connects and energizes the guys after the Smith tenure. Morris is a home run in that regard. Belichick would have been nuclear. Raheem also was assistant coach the last time the franchise was successful as he worked as the WR coach and passing-game coordinator for half a decade workin' with the likes of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Morris knows the ATL culture. He has worked success on both sides of the ball throughout his career and has one of the best track records with developing defensive players in the past three seasons. I like the hire. The coordinators aren’t big names; and are each in big prove it roles as they get promoted a level higher. Zac Robinson worked well with Morris in LA as they already have chemistry. So it’s worth giving it a shot. No degrade here. Still a ton of work to do in Atlanta to get the ship turned back around.

Commanders hire Dan Quinn

Adam Peters with an amateur hour type of coaching search. Commanders moved from Ron Rivera to Dan Quinn. A maneuver that doesn’t move the needle nor change the culture inside the franchise. I’m not high on the move and I think that rookie GM Adam Peters was quite lackluster in his efforts to find the best coaching candidate. They waited until all the candidates fell off the board and settled with Quinn. That’s what this was. They settled. Quinn has shown to have some success, but only when he is surrounded by the best minds in the game. We saw what his team was like when he lost Kyle Shanahan and then Steve Sarkisian as his OC in Atlanta. Quinn also forgets how to coach defense when he is a head coach and in big games; see the Cowboys' playoff loss for a recent example. When his plate gets filled up, he creates havoc. If they wanted a defensive mind, they should have went with Vrabel or Macdonald. Quinn is not a fit for what this team needs moving forward. Not one bit. Macdonald would have been better for building a new and better environment in the locker-room. If they can retain Eric Bieniemy as OC then maybe there is some potential, but still not a lot considering Rivera and Quinn really aren't all that different from one another. D+ on this decision; one they will once again be left looking foolish from.

Chargers hire Jim Harbaugh

Winner-winner chicken dinner. Chargers make a splash with the hire of Jim Harbaugh. I am for it! A great move as I am excited to see Jim return to the NFL. The hire does wonders for Justin Herbert, depending on whom Harbaugh brings in as his OC. Harbaugh himself is a big get for Herbert who has begged for a solid mind to help complete his potential. I wouldn’t be surprised if Greg Roman returns to a Harbaugh’s staff as OC for Jim. The vibes in LA are already up and we haven’t even reached the new football year. Jim brings a winning mindset to the head of the table- a mindset Chargers fans have DREAMT for. Harbaugh went 44-19-1 in his four seasons as a NFL head coach with three NFC Championship appearances and one Super Bowl appearance. He returns to the big leagues with a goal of reaching the wonderland and quickly. Best case-scenario for both the Bolts and Harbaugh. I love it. Take an A... the AFC West should be fun next season.

Seahawks hire Mike Macdonald

Considering that the Seahawks' coaching search was more than likely down to Macdonald and Dan Quinn- they sure made the right choice with hiring Macdonald to be the successor to Pete Carroll. People are worried on his young age, but forget that he has climbed rapidly through all three levels and spent nine seasons under John Harbaugh and with the well rooted staff in Baltimore. Macdonald also spent a season with John’s brother Jim, in Ann Arbor. Experience is not a worry with Macdonald. I like the hire. It’s a hire that could build a future in Seattle after seeing a regime come to an end. Macdonald is a leader that players will want to play for. He also gets the keys to a well built defense that has some major young stars who with Macdonald’s guidance- could elevate into All-Pro caliber players. Macdonald can take what he saw Monken and Harbaugh do in the running game and use that with Kenneth Walker III. Best case-scenario for both the Seahawks and Mike; I think Macdonald has a strong chance to succeed as a head coach. Need to bring in some offensive minds, however. He built some great cred in Baltimore that will help him build a staff.

Panthers hire Dave Canales

Some may be shocked on my B+ grade for the Panthers, but I love the hire. The only reason why it’s not an A is due to the fact Dave Canales can still fail as a head coach. The hire is great, however. Time for him to prove his stay at the pinnacle. Despite people thinking Canales will fail due to their lack of knowledge on his track record, this hire shows for once that Carolina gets it. They needed to bring in a guy that can build a good environment and an offensive mind that can elevate the young players that Carolina has invested in. Young players that had lackluster developers around them last season. Canales has spent 14 seasons coaching and developing offensive players in the NFL. 13 years for Seattle and one year with Tampa Bay. He helped resurrect Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith’s confidence, and turned Russell Wilson from a project to a potential Hall of Fame talent in short order. Canales is the BEST option for Bryce Young. More so than Callahan, who ended up with Tennessee. I love this move for Young and the Panthers. Canales has a great attitude and should be a solid leader as a head coach. Hopefully this will work out for the Panthers. The franchise needs positive energy; this hire is a good start.

Titans hire Brian Callahan

Callahan is certainly one of the best offensive brains across the league- now he takes the reigns of the Tennessee Titans. Titans go from Vrabel to Callahan… a big environment switch. Tennessee looks to adjust their focus to the offense under Callahan- that I am excited about. Titans have been in the bottom five of the league in total offense for the past two seasons. They want to get back to the 2020 Titans (top 3 offense) and Callahan can be the man to do it. He has worked in some of the more successful offenses in the past 15 years. Brian has coached Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford, and elevated Joe Burrow to a MVP caliber player right off the bat. He was the best coach available that can come in and make something out of Will Levis. Bringing in Callahan is great to develop the young players on offense. Next the Titans need to spend some capital to build up the defense and weapons in the offense. Let's see what Callahan is all about as he reaches the pinnacle of the coaching tree. His staff is starting to fill, and looks solid. Lets see what they can do with their newfound career positions. I give the hire of Callahan a B-. Lots of upside.

 
Time for Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll to retire

Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick got what I call: respectfully fired. Changing of the words as camouflage to fire them without tainting their name. "Mutually Parted Ways" or falsely saying one was moving into a front office role and away from the sideline. They were fired with both the Patriots and Seahawks ready to end their long-lasting regimes to rebuild.


Both coaches were due the honor of departing in the way they did, as they each delivered the first Super Bowl titles for each of their respected franchises. I just wish Belichick departed into immediate retirement; same with Carroll. It's a good thing the Falcons didn't fold to Belichick's six ring'd resume. Not only would Belichick bring in his band of goofs like Adam Sandler, but Belichick also was demanding a GM role/control of GM tasks. That would have been devastating to the Falcons' future, glad they bypassed it and that no other team took that kind of risk on Belichick. Regarding Carroll, he too needs to hang the headset and clipboard now that all the vacancies are filled. Both guys had Hall of Fame careers. Rest in football galore, fellas.

Jerrod Johnson and Bobby Slowik stay with Texans

Houston... we have great news! Both OC Bobby Slowik and QBs coach Jerrod Johnson will be returning to DeMeco Ryans' staff for a chance to grow the Texans' offense into a major contender in the AFC next season. This is nothing but GREAT news for C.J. Stroud, whom is my NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winner. Johnson did a great job with Stroud's unbelievably quick rookie season progression; this the guy who helped elevate Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. I love seeing him return to Houston for an important season in Stroud's career. The season that he can take the next step in- Slowik and Johnson will help him avoid a sophomore slump as he won't have to start from square one again. Stroud can build right off the playoff loss.


Slowik returning is big. He got shut down in the playoff loss, and looks to comeback better and more prepared. Slowik was a big factor in Stroud's progression as well. Slowik has been impressive since switching his mind over to offense in 2019. Not surprised with the solid football minds he has been with in his career, but he is still looking to take that next step. The loss gave him bulletin board material on what adjustments to make. The regular season gave him the roots. Now he looks to grow to full form. Texans are in good-good shape. It makes the playoff loss matter more. This team will have a whole season together to prove they now have what it takes to get to the next level as a team. Time to revamp in free agency.

Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn return to Detroit for 2024

Run it back! Lions got even better news than the Texans as both OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn will be returning to the Lions and Dan Campbell's staff in '24 despite head coaching interviews/interest. The NFC Championship loss was tough, but now the Lions are prepared to come back better and stronger. They will have an even better chance to go to a Super Bowl next season as they did this season. This is a big deal.


Ben Johnson knew the moment he saw the 49ers' confetti that he wanted to remain in Detroit and run things back. With the Commanders and Seahawks' representatives in the air enroute to meet with him the day after the loss; he told them he isn't interested. He is GAME. All in. That's such a big deal for Dan Campbell. That's such a big deal for the Lions. BJ called up Amon-Ra St. Brown prior to announcing his stay publicly and simply said: "Unfinished business". St. Brown has elevated the most under Johnson as OC. Amon-Ra had a breakout career year being a top-3 receiver in the league. Now he has a chance to go even higher next season. Lions stay intact, get a chance to adjust and redeem themselves next season. NFC be very wary, because we all know Brad Holmes isn't done provin' himself in the front office. Lions are hungry; who wants to join the fray?

Eagles/Sirianni hire Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore

Nick Sirianni was able to keep his job in Philadelphia, but under some conditions. It started with accountability, now he looks to completely rebuild his staff for a chance to not just keep his job, but keep the Eagles' contender window open after many maneuvers from Howie Roseman and the front office in past years. Eagles aren't in a good spot right now considering the constant rollercoaster of Jalen Hurts' progression, the morale, and the time wastage, but the new coordinator hires are pretty solid and could play major damage control for the Eagles and the mess of a collapse they had in 2023.


Veteran (!) play-callers, DC Vic Fangio and OC Kellen Moore, join Sirianni's staff to replace Brian Johnson and Sean Desai/Matt Patricia. Great hires for Philly as they needed some veteran coordinators to come in. Fangio mutually parted ways with Miami to take the job in Philadelphia right next door to his beloved Phillies (Fangio's family lives in PA). I thought Ron Rivera, Leslie Frazier, and Fangio were the only three options for defensive coordinator. Fangio is a solid bet as he will supply discipline and is a king of the scheme that Johnathan Gannon formed in Philly in 2022-23. A scheme that many of the starters can pick up and thrive in. They found a solid man to run the defense, now Roseman, Sirianni, and Fangio need to get to the business of reshaping and revamping the defensive rotation. Some guys will need to go. Holes will need to be filled. Sirianni also made a stellar choice in bringing in former Seahawks' defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt to take over the defensive line and aid Fangio. Hurtt is a big asset in the coaching circle to develop and beast up Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, and Jalen Carter.


Kellen Moore is a solid hire to take over the Eagles' offense as he was a top offensive mind available this cycle. People don't get how much Brandon Staley held back the coordinators in Los Angeles last season. Moore had great success prior, in Dallas. Eagles are quite familiar. Moore's 2019 and 2022 Cowboys offenses were top in the league. I think the Eagles must retain D'Andre Swift for Moore to have some solid success. They need a game-breaking back and Swift can be that. I'm shaky on how things will go with Moore and Jalen Hurts. Luckily, most of what Hurts needs will come from Alex Tanney, who I think will do a good job. Moore just needs to have the right play-design and play-call. I have confidence that he will bring a solid dose of that to the table for Sirianni. A.J Brown and DeVonta Smith brings more to Moore than Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup did. I like the hire. More work ahead for Sirianni. This has been a great start.

2024 NFL Coordinator Shuffle

We have seen just about two dozen coordinator changes thus far in the opening act of the off-season. We still have quite a few vacancies/clarifications needed to fill, but most staffs are beginning to shapen up around the league. Five coordinators moved up to the pinnacle to take head coaching jobs, while the other holes were created from terminations. Lots of shifts and changes. Lots of promotions. This is the time of the year when we get to make up the list of guys who now are set to prove their promotions true.


A few of the coordinator decisions I am all about, a few left me scratching my head. Bills hiring Joe Brady as full-time OC, Bengals promoting QBs coach Dan Pitcher to OC, and Rams promoting pass rush coordinator Chris Shula (Don's grandson) to DC are my top three best hires. I also like Fangio to Philly and Jim Harbaugh bringin' in Jesse Minter to LA, from UofM. The Kliff Kingsbury to Raiders move (OC) doesn't move the needle for me off first ponder. I will say he was a much better hire than going with Chip Kelly, who also was interviewed for the job. Kingsbury has good enough experience that will be aid to Antonio Pierce. Raiders just need to make sure they resign Josh Jacobs. Kingsbury made James Conner good... giving him Josh Jacobs would go a long way. Kliff showed out with 28-year old D-Hop and would do the same with Davante Adams. So there is potential with Kingsbury as OC in Vegas.


A similar move is Arthur Smith takin' the Steelers' OC position. Doesn't move the needle off first ponder for me, but could be a great move. Smith had some bad moments in Atlanta, but lets not forget about his good work in Tennessee when he had a top 2 rushing offense with Derrick Henry. Smith provides a solid TE/RB mind and should play-call well around Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris. He didn't belong as a head coach; now back as an OC, maybe he will return to solid offensive play-call. Raiders and Panthers fill their coordinator roles behind their new head coaches with some good fortune of retaining the solid defensive coordinators that came from the previous staff. Ejiro Evero returning to the Panthers and Patrick Graham stayin' in Vegas is huge. Bears did good restaffing around Eberflus as they bring in OC Shane Waldron (SEA OC) & DC Eric Washington (BUF DL). Eagles did well with their restaffing around Sirianni... a lot of good going on to say the least. Staffs with a lot of potential. Here are all the coordinator moves thus far:

Offensive Coordinators:

Bears hire Shane Waldron (Prev: SEA OC)

Bengals promote Dan Pitcher (Prev: QBs Coach)

Bills hire Joe Brady full-time (Prev: Interim OC)

Browns hire Ken Dorsey (Prev: BUF OC)

Buccaneers hire Liam Coen (Prev: Kentucky OC/QBs)

Eagles hire Kellen Moore (Prev: LAC OC)

Falcons hire Zac Robinson (Prev: LAR PGC)

Panthers hire Brad Idzik (Prev: TB WR)

Patriots hire Alex Van Pelt (Prev: CLE OC)

Raiders hire Kliff Kingsbury (Prev: ARI HC)

Titans hire Nick Holz (Prev: JAX PSG)

Steelers hire Arthur Smith (Prev: ATL HC)

Defensive Coordinators:

Bears hire Eric Washington (Prev: BUF DL)

Bills promote Bobby Babich (Prev: BUF LBs)

Chargers hire Jesse Minter (Prev: UofM DC)

Eagles hire Vic Fangio (Prev: MIA DC)

Falcons hire Jimmy Lake (Prev: LAR assistant coach)

Jaguars hire Ryan Nielsen (Prev: ATL DC)

Patriots promote DeMarcus Covington (Prev: NE LBs)

Packers hire Jeff Hafley (Prev: Boston College HC)

Rams promote Chris Shula (Prev: LAR pass rush coordinator)

Ravens promote Zach Orr (Prev: BAL ILBs)

Titans hire Dennard Wilson (Prev: BAL DBs)

 

We still have several vacancies up for the filling with a handful of solid football minds on the 'line lookin' for work. Dolphins need to replace Fangio as DC, Jim Harbaugh needs to lock in his OC, Giants and Cowboys need to fill their DC vacancies, and the Saints wait for the Super Bowl so they can hire Klint Kubiak as their new OC. We also await new head coaches Dan Quinn and Mike Macdonald to make up both of their staffs. Still several of moves to be made before we transition into free agency. We are off to a major bang and still have the Super Bowl to feast on. We are in for one helluva ride. It's going to be a NUTS off-season in the NFL. Going through changes. Going through changes.


EDITOR NOTE: Kliff Kingsbury withdrew from Raiders' OC position (2/3)

 

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