Tag: Bobby Slowik

Dolphins OC Frank Smith listed as odds-on favorite to become next Panthers HC

Who’s the current favorite to be named the next HC of the Panthers? Here is one oddsmaker’s opinion:

So, who’s currently the favorite to become the newest head coach of the Carolina Panthers?

Bookies.com oddsmaker Adam Thompson has released a fresh set of odds for the job on Wednesday. Atop the list is Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who leads the pack with an 18.2-percent chance.

Here’s the full rundown from Thompson:

  • Frank Smith (Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator): +450 (18.2 percent)
  • Mike Macdonald (Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator): +500 (16.7 percent)
  • Brian Callahan (Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator): +550 (15.4 percent)
  • Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator): +700 (12.5 percent)
  • Ejiro Evero (Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator): +750 (11.8 percent)
  • Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator): +1200 (7.7 percent)
  • Dave Canales (Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator): +1500 (6.3 percent)
  • Bobby Slowik (Houston Texans offensive coordinator):+1500 (6.3 percent)
  • Mike Vrabel (former Tennessee Titans head coach): +1750 (5.4 percent)
  • Bill Belichick (former New England Patriots head coach): +1800 (5.3 percent)
  • The Field: +600 (14.3 percent)

Smith, per an official release from last night, has completed his virtual interview with the Panthers. He is now one of five candidates to do so—joining 2023’s interim head coach and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, Evero, Monken and Macdonald.

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Did Bobby Slowik secure himself a head coaching job with masterful game vs. Browns?

Texans OC Bobby Slowik called a perfect game in Houston’s blowout win over Cleveland, which may have landed him a head coaching job

This is always the fear with a defensive head coach.

They can be brilliant schematically, consistently finding the best ways to deploy defensive personnel and neutralize opposing offenses. They can be phenomenal leaders of men, finding great talent on the roster and great coaches across the league to join their staff. However, they’ll never be the ones tasked with working in tandem with their franchise quarterbacks to score points.

It’s a reality that has caused many pundits to call for offensive hires when positions open in the NFL. It’s also a reality that, as DeMeco Ryans and his Houston Texans team sore to new heights, may cause Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud to be victims of their own success.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is in hot demand around the league.

Slowik, just 36 years old, has thrived as a first-time playcaller on Ryans’ staff and played an integral role in the success and development of Stroud as potentially the greatest rookie quarterback of all time. Houston ranked fifth in passing yards, 12th in total yards per game, and 14th in points per game this past year.

It’s no surprise that the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers have requested to interview the young offensive mind.

Slowik, having worked under Kyle Shanahan the previous three seasons, brought with him the Shanahan-Kubiak offense that has dominated the league and found similar success as many of his peers. The offense’s consistent commitment to the run set up excellent play-action looks, deep shots and worked to protect his quarterback.

Notably, Slowik was able to shape the system around Stroud, working to emphasize protection concepts despite a litany of offensive line injuries and letting his ball placement specialist work every area of the field. It was a big reason that receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell were able to explode during the year.

The only reason to this point there may not have been as much noise around Slowik was the play-calling. An overcommitment at times to the run limited the ability of Stroud’s immense talent to impact the game.

That was, until they decided to blow out the Cleveland Browns and the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense in a 45-14 dismantling.

The Texans’ offensive performance in the AFC wild-card round was a masterpiece and arguably no one was more responsible than Slowik. Receivers were constantly open around the field. Nico Collins was dominant vertically, John Metchie had some big moments, and Dalton Schultz had a beautiful touchdown as the defense overcommitted to crossing routes in the other direction.

It was a ridiculous 356 yards of net offense on just 44 plays.

The protection schemes were beautiful. Laremy Tunsil shut down Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett and, generally, Stroud had all day to throw in the pocket and wait for receivers to progress through their routes.

Even tight end Brevin Jordan, once considered unlikely to make the team, made an impact. His 76-yard-touchdown was the longest offensive play of Houston’s season and the latest in a long line of examples of Slowik putting his offensive players in a strong position to succeed.

“Bobby did a great job today, like he always does. His job is to call the plays. When he call, we ball. He knew to mix it up a little bit. We wanted to throw the ball early just to set the tone that we were going to not shy away from
anything.” Ryans said of his offensive coordinator after the 45-point explosion. “We’re a very explosive team. We showed we can run the ball today too, which is great. I think this is the best that we’ve played so far. We played four quarters of football this week, and that’s what you want to do towards the back end. So, Bobby did a great job, our O-line, our tight ends, running backs, our receivers, our defense, scoring points. We talk about that all the time. It’s really cool to see it come to fruition.”

Everything is clicking offensively for the Texans at just the right time as they try to turn their momentum into a potential Super Bowl run. For Slowik, it’s timing up perfectly that multiple NFL owners are seeing his talents against premier competition.

It’s a competitive coaching cycle. Notably, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald, and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel loom large as potential All-Star hires for NFL franchises.

However, Slowik’s mold will likely make him uniquely coveted by some teams. For anyone that wants a young, offensive-minded head coach to pair with their quarterback, he and Johnson represent the best two options on the market by far.

There’s fair reason to believe for the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young, the Washington Commanders and their future No. 2 pick, and even the Tennesee Titans with Will Levis, Slowik will be strongly pursued. He’s already shown an ability to place supportive and protective infrastructure around a young quarterback and those teams will desperately need it as they attempt to elevate, or salvage, their young quarterback prospects.

It’s far from a guarantee that Slowik leaves. Last week, Coach Ryans encouraged Slowik to “be selective” about the teams he seriously considers and the opportunity he’ll eventually leap to. Many coaches only have one opportunity to lead the operation at that level and he’ll want to make sure it’s the perfect one.

Stroud’s ascent and Ryans’ budding defense make it an easy situation to potentially sign on for a second season. Factor in that general manager Nick Caserio will have over $70 million in cap space to bolster the roster and there’s an argument Slowik could help pilot the best offense in football next season.

Until that assurance, however, Ryans and Houston fans alike sit with the reality of a defensive head coach.

Their quarterback appears more than talented enough to overcome the loss of Slowik, especially with quarterback coach Jerrod Johnson waiting in the wings. However, it’s not an ideal scenario for any team.

It’s a special position that Houston’s coaching staff is already being vultured to this degree. In the meantime, the Texans will try to win games with that advantage before dealing with the downstream repercussions.

Could another offensive-minded coach be on the Commanders’ radar?

Will Adam Peters expand his list of coaching candidates?

The Washington Commanders have a general manager. On Tuesday, Adam Peters was introduced to the Washington media, one day after signing a five-year contract to head the franchise’s football operations.

The next step for Washington and Peters is to find a head coach.

Last week, the Commanders requested permission to speak with seven potential head coaching candidates:

  • Lions OC Ben Johnson
  • Lions DC Aaron Glenn
  • Ravens DC Mike MacDonald
  • Ravens AHC/DL coach Anthony Weaver
  • Rams DC Raheem Morris
  • Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
  • Texans OC Bobby Slowik

Most of these candidates have either interviewed with Washington or will interview this week. Peters wasn’t yet hired when the Commanders interviewed MacDonald and Weaver, although he will be if there is another round of interviews.

Some consider Johnson to be Washington’s top target. What does that mean? Nothing. While the Commanders may like Johnson, he could get another offer with more money or more power and choose that offer. Or, Peters could meet with Johnson and decide to go in another direction.

It’s a bit early to claim a favorite.

With Peters now at the head of football operations, will he expand beyond the seven initial candidates?

Frank Smith is the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were phenomenal on offense in 2023. However, Smith isn’t a household name because he doesn’t call plays. Head coach Mike McDaniels calls plays. But, Smith has quietly emerged in some places as a candidate. He’s scheduled at least two interviews for this cycle.

Could Peters bring the 42-year-old Smith in for an interview?

There are connections. While Smith has never worked in the same building as Peters, McDaniel worked in San Francisco for five seasons with Peters. McDaniel brought Smith to Miami in 2022.

While Smith has experience under McDaniel, Sean Payton gave him his first NFL job with the Saints back in 2010. He’s also worked for the Raiders under Jon Gruden. Payton and Gruden are highly respected offensive minds.

Ben Volin covers the NFL for The Boston Globe and is also hearing Johnson in connection to the Commanders. But he also brought up Smith’s name in a recent appearance on “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C.

“You look at how Harris runs some of his other teams, it’s the young, analytics-based guys, and Peters is 44 and comes from the organization that everyone wants to try to emulate right now,” Volin said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy.

“I gotta think that they’re gonna look for a similar profile with their head coach. It looks like they probably want a young, good-looking offensive coach. The two names that you keep hearing are Ben Johnson, who several teams want him, and then Frank Smith, the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, who has been getting a lot of buzz – I actually heard a few weeks ago that he might be the favorite in Washington – but I think it will come down to that type of coach. It’s a new day in Washington.”

If Peters and the Commanders do prefer Johnson, MacDonald, Slowik or any of the other coaches whose teams remain in the playoffs, he can take his time. That would favor someone like Smith having the chance to interview with Washington.

Will it happen? It seems unlikely, but Peters may view things differently based on feedback he’s received from others he trusts.

11 head coaching candidates the Eagles could target if Nick Sirianni departs

We’re looking at a list of head coaching candidates the Philadelphia Eagles could target if Nick Sirianni is fired

Nick Sirianni has a 34-17 regular season record.

He has led the Eagles to the playoffs in his three seasons as their head coach, reaching the Super Bowl in 2022.

Still, people only remember your last performance.

Philadelphia owners Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman have begun the painstaking chore of evaluating the coaching staff and determining if Sirianni will return in 2024 after an ugly 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round.

It’s the second time in three years that a Todd Bowles defense has dominated Jalen Hurts, and the inability to adjust almost two years to the day of the first disappointment could be the final nail.

The one negative in Sirianni’s dilemma is that this coaching cycle is loaded with young and experienced offensive coaches who thrive in using motion, scheming players open, and, most importantly, adjusting to a blitzing defense.

With exit meetings set to begin Thursday and lots of changes expected, we’re ranking the head coaching candidates the Eagles could target if Sirianni departs or is fired.

 

Head coach candidate rankings if Cowboys replace Mike McCarthy

Ranking our top candidates to take over the headset if Jerry Jones decides to move on from Mike McCarthy. | From @KDDrummondNFL

While nothing has been leaked, the longer the silence remains, the stronger the possibility becomes. Owner Jerry Jones could at any time weigh in on whether or not head coach Mike McCarthy will be returning for a fifth season to lead the Dallas Cowboys.

McCarthy and company are at a bit of a crossroads. For the first time in three decades, the Cowboys are consistently winning, victorious in 12 games for three consecutive years. Yet the playoff success McCarthy was hired to bring about has escaped them.

The blowout defeat, at home in the wild-card round, does not scream team-on-the-rise. So for that reason, Jones may be ready to move on and hitch his wagon to a new head coach. If there is a move to be made, there are a lot of quality potential candidates to choose from.

When it was apparent that Jason Garrett was not going to survive his 2019 lame-duck season, we began running replacement coach power rankings. Of those names, McCarthy was our top choice among coaches who would not require losing draft picks.

At the time, because there were months of buildup, we ranked a whopping 46 candidates. This year there won’t be that extensive of a group.

Of course, what can’t be captured here is how impressive any of these guys are in the interview room. There’s only so much that can be gleaned from the outside looking in. Also to be considered, there are a handful of the best head coaches in the game weren’t actually offensive or defensive coordinators before taking over the big chair. It’s impossible for us on the outside to have much knowledge on these types of candidates.

There’s no way to know whether or not these names will turn into stud head coaches, or if they ever get the opportunity. On the list from December 2019, Dan Campbell was No. 40, three spots behind Matt Eberflus and 20 spots behind Brian Daboll.  One just never truly knows.

Seattle Seahawks 2024 head coach interview request tracker

It sounds like Seahawks general manager John Schneider is in the market for another defensive minded head coach.

It sounds like Seahawks general manager John Schneider is in the market for another defensive minded head coach. In the wake of last week’s surprise removal of Pete Carroll, we had heard very little news on the search for his replacement. That changed today when we received several reports of official interview requests, most of them for defensive coordinators. It makes sense, given how poorly Seattle’s defense has played over the last six seasons. In 2023 they finished ranked No. 25 in points allowed per game.

The Seahawks are casting a wide net, though – and today’s reported requests include at least one offensive playcaller. Here’s where we will be tracking reports of the team’s interest in potential head coach candidates.

Stock up, stock down for potential Seahawks hires from Wild-Card weekend

Let’s review who’s up and whos down.

News has been quiet on the Seahawks’ head coach search, aside from some vague reported interest in Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Hopefully this week things will begin to pick up as the playoffs move along.

However, based on what’s already happened in the Wild Card round on Saturday and Sunday, a few potential head coach hires have seen their stock drop off pretty dramatically. Let’s review who’s up and who’s down.

Browns’ refusal to adapt on defense cost them dearly against C.J. Stroud

The Browns lost their wild-card game against the Texans because Jim Schwartz, their usually brilliant DC, refused to adapt to C.J. Stroud.

If you were to point to one factor that ended the Cleveland Browns’ 2023 season with their 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round, you might say that Joe Flacco’s pick-sixes on consecutive drives. That obviously wasn’t beneficial, but it’s important to note that the Texans already had a 24-14 lead before Flacco’s first pick-six with 6:05 left in the third quarter, and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had completed 11 of 16 passes for 236 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 151.0 in the first half alone.

As great as Stroud has been throughout his rookie season, this was a bit of a surprise. Jim Schwartz’s Browns defense came into this game ranked second in Defensive DVOA and second in Pass Defense DVOA, behind only the Baltimore Ravens in both instances. But Schwartz refused to bend to the one reality he had right in front of him — that Stroud was set up well to take advantage of the Browns’ primary coverage concept.

In the regular season, the Browns played single-high coverage — either Cover-1 or Cover-3 on 64% of their snaps, the NFL’s highest rate.

But C.J. Stroud against Cover-1 and Cover-3 in the regular season? Try 141 of 228 for 2,054 yards, 1,335 air yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 105.4. Only Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson had higher passer ratings against middle-of-the-field closed coverage in the regular season.

How that played out in this game was in no way beneficial to Schwartz and his players. Stroud faced single-high coverage on 16 of his 21 passing attempts in the game, and at no time did Stroud have to deal with any kind of wrinkle pre-snap to post-snap to muddy the picture and delay his reads and throws.

The worst part may have been that this was the plan going in.

“I think playoffs come down to who can be themselves the best, if that makes sense,” Schwartz said last Wednesday. “Can we be the best version of ourselves versus the Texans being the best version of themselves? I think that’s when it’s all said and done. You’ve got 17 games under your belt. There’s not a whole lot you’re going to pull out that another team hasn’t seen. And really at this point of the year, people are going with what they do best. I think that has a lot to do with it. I really can’t worry about him and how he’ll treat the game.”

Sure, but assuming that a rookie quarterback (no matter how advanced) has already seen everything you might throw at him, so you’re just going to do your thing, no matter how good he might be against it? That’s a bit of a stretch, and in the end, that cost the Browns the game more than anything else.

Edge-rusher Myles Garrett confirmed this after the game.

“[Schwartz] said from the beginning he’s going to ride with what got us here, and he’s not going to change up. There’s not going to be any magic call that’s going to get us out of anything or get us through anything. I guess they were just doing things a little bit different that kept us off balance, and I think just the tempo which they were doing it, whether it was running the ball a little bit differently than we had expected, getting the ball out on time, trying to just delay us enough up front to get the ball to their skill players and make plays. We have to be able to make plays all across the field, not just up front or not just on the back end. It’s all together.”

And that’s the problem — you never want to be behind the schematic eight-ball when you don’t need to be. The play shown above is Stroud’s 27-yard completion to receiver John Metchie with 1:34 left in the first quarter; it was not the first or last time that Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s single-high beaters foiled Cleveland’s attempts to stop them.

This 21-yard pass to receiver Nico Collins with 11:51 left in the first quarter — the Texans’ second offensive play of the game — had Collins running the deep over out of 21 personnel — two backs, one tight end, and two receivers. Noah Brown’s vertical route from the left side cleared safety Juan Thornhill, who had to watch Brown and Collins at the same time, and afforded Stroud an easy read and throw underneath, with cornerback Denzel Ward a step behind Collins.

Stroud’s 76-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brevin Jordan with 12:13 left in the first half was a simple leak to the flat out of 22 personnel — two tight end and two backs — but as Greg Cosell and I detailed in our game preview, the Browns will tend to gear up for the run against heavy personnel (hat tip to Robert Mays and Nate Tice of The Athletic Football Show for the actual numbers) no matter the down and distance. Slowik had to know this, and he had to know that if Schwartz didn’t flip the script, his young quarterback could feast. That’s what happened here.

This is not to malign Jim Schwartz as a defensive coordinator — he’s as responsible as anybody for the Browns’ turnaround this season. But Schwartz may spend some time this offseason wondering why he didn’t tailor his game plan more to Houston’s extraordinary young quarterback — and the offensive genius behind that quarterback’s most meaningful plays.

Lions OC Ben Johnson is reportedly Commanders’ top choice for head coach

While Johnson may be the top target, a lot can happen.

The Washington Commanders search for a new head coach should pick up this week. Five of the seven names Washington requested permission to speak with can be interviewed this week. The Commanders interviewed Ravens associate head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver last week.

It’s unknown if Washington has interviewed Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald yet.

Here are the seven names Washington has asked for permission to interview for its vacant head coaching position:

  • Lions OC Ben Johnson
  • Lions DC Aaron Glenn
  • Rams DC Raheem Morris
  • Ravens AHC/DL coach Anthony Weaver
  • Ravens DC Mike MacDonald
  • Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
  • Texans OC Bobby Slowik

Last week, the Commanders were searching for their next general manager while also beginning their coaching search. On Friday, Washington landed its top target to run the football operations: 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters.

Johnson, Glenn, Morris and Quinn all have teams playing in Sunday’s wild-card round. Slowik and the Texans advanced to the divisional round after Saturday’s win over the Browns. The Ravens (Weaver and MacDonald) were off this week.

Many NFL insiders have pointed to Johnson, the Lions’ 36-year-old coordinator, as the favorite for Washington. Another NFL insider, Dianna Russini of The Athletic, is also hearing the Commanders are targeting Johnson as their No. 1 choice.

While Johnson may be the top target, so much can happen once the interview process moves along. What happens if Peters connects better with another coach on the list? Also, what if Peters uses his 49ers’ connections to hire Slowik?

As Russini stated, Washington will be open and flexible in its search. This is no longer Dan Snyder’s show. The interview process will matter. Something to also consider is who each of these candidates would hire on their coaching staff.

What if Johnson can land former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale as his defensive coordinator? Or, what if Slowik could hire someone with Martindale’s credentials? Perhaps the Commanders love Raheem Morris’ leadership. Who could Morris land as a potential offensive coordinator?

This is a big week for the Commanders in their search for a new head coach, but it may be prolonged depending on what happens during Sunday’s games.

Several potential Commanders coaches in action on wild-card weekend

You can bet new Washington GM Adam Peters is watching this week’s playoff games very closely.

Washington Commanders’ new general manager, Adam Peters, was probably watching one Saturday playoff game closely.

The Houston Texans (4th seed) were hosting the Cleveland Browns (5th seed) in the first playoff game of the 2023 NFL season.

The reason Peters was probably watching closely was to observe the offense of Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

The Texans offense and defense both performed well, as the Texans surprised NFL fans, not in the fact that they won on their home field, but that the game was determined by the middle of the third quarter.

Houston won the game coasting to a 45-14 romp over the Browns. For Peters, he might have preferred the Texans offense to have been the primary reason for their 45 points. However, it was the Texans defense who, in the third quarter, intercepted two Joe Flacco passes, returning them for touchdowns.

As for the Texans offense, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was very efficient and effective, completing 16 of his 21 passes for 274 yards and three first-half touchdown passes. The Texans led 24-14 at the half, and the defense really sealed the win with two pic-sixes in the third quarter.

Slowik has been credited with his work in structuring an offense and overseeing the development of Stroud, who last year was playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

So we don’t get too carried away, Slowik’s Texans only ran 44 offensive plays compared the Browns 70. Yet, might that perhaps be the case because the Texans did average an impressive 8.1 yards per play? And this was against a playoff team?

Sunday, Peters will most likely be watching closely the playoff game in Detroit between the Rams and the Lions. Remember, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris are all said to be top head-coaching prospects in this year’s hiring cycle.