Tag: HC

REPORT: Alabama OC Tommy Rees being considered for head coach position

Tommy Rees (31) is being considered a “wild card” candidate who is being considered for the Alabama head coaching job.

At just 31-years-old, Tommy Rees has a rather impressive resumé. The offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide can add “head coach candidate” to it, as he is being considered for the vacancy created by Nick Saban’s decision to retire.

After being the quarterback for Notre Dame, Rees found his way back onto the field as a coach. It did not take long for him to become the Fighting Irish’s offensive coordinator and, in 2023, served in the same role under Nick Saban at Alabama.

Nick Kelly of The Tuscaloosa News reports that Rees is being considered as a “wild card” candidate along with other high-profile targets including Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and Washington.

Kelly’s report was corroborated by ESPN college football reporter Adam Rittenberg, who named the same three in a recent report.

It’s not likely or expected that Rees would be handed the keys to the Crimson Tide, but it is interesting that he, at such a young age, is even being considered

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama head coaching search.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Alabama OC, Bill O’Brien, a top candidate for Nebraska HC

Alabama may be set to lose yet another coordinator

Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien, has been listed as one of the top three candidates for the Nebraska head coaching job. O’Brien has previously served as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Houston Texans, with neither stint being overly successful. During his time at State College, he was 15-9, while going 54-52 in the NFL.

Coach Saban hired O’Brien after he was fired by the Texans in 2021 to be the Alabama quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. During Alabama’s 2021 campaign O’Brien lead an offense that competed for a national title, as well as a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

As for Nebraska, they have been in a constant search to find their guy since they fired Bo Pelini in 2014. The Cornhuskers fired former head coach Scott Frost after a 1-2 start that included a brutal home loss to Georgia Southern.

Alongside O’Brien, Iowa State HC Matt Campbell and Kansas HC Lance Leipold are also being strongly considered for the position. Expect a decision from the Cornhuskers in the near future.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

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Former Alabama OC Brian Daboll hired as New York Giants HC

The former Crimson Tide OC is now an NFL head coach!

The Nick Saban coaching tree is ever-expanding. Now it has grown a little more, as former Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has been hired as the New York Giants head coach.

Daboll served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017, a season that ended with a Crimson Tide national championship.

He then moved onto Buffalo, where he held the same role for the Bills from 2018-2021.

His coaching abilities led to him being courted by numerous teams and being a finalist for the Giants, was well as the Miami Dolphins.

The news was made public by the New York Giants social media, which stated “Got our guy.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Brian Daboll as he transitions into his new role as a head coach in the NFL.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy focused on Browns as HC vacancies are filled

Bieniemy has shifted his attention away from the head-coaching searches and onto the Cleveland Browns.

As head-coaching vacancies around the NFL have started to be filled, it’s beginning to look like Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy will once again be passed over for an opportunity.

Two jobs that Bieniemy has interviewed for, the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars, have both officially settled on head-coaching candidates. The Jets hired San Francisco 49ers DC Robert Saleh and the Jaguars hired former Ohio State HC Urban Meyer.

Other jobs that Bieniemy interviewed for, such as the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers haven’t made an official hire yet. However, reports have named top targets for each team, several remaining in the playoffs, none-of-whom are Bieniemy. The Lions have their sights set on New Orleans Saints TE coach Dan Campbell. The Falcons have reportedly offered their job to Tennessee Titans OC Arther Smith. The Chargers are said to have very serious interest in Buffalo Bills OC Brian Daboll.

Since interviewing for each of these five jobs, Bieniemy has declined to comment on the process. He’s turned his focus entirely to the Cleveland Browns, as he should, in preparation for the upcoming divisional round of the playoffs.

“Let me just say this, first of all, it was an honor and a privilege,” Bieniemy told reporters of interviewing for HC vacancies. “But that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to talk about the Cleveland Browns. And you’ve heard us talk about this before, we eliminate all distractions. At the end of the day, my focus and attention is on the Cleveland Browns. This is a great team and they’re playing some great ball. They’ve got some young guys up front that are playing tremendous. They’ve got some guys in the second level with those backers and they’ve got a heck of a secondary group, one of those guys we’re very familiar with. So, we’re looking forward to this challenge. I know our guys are fired up and excited. They’re refreshed, they’ve hit the reset button. Now it’s time to get out there and produce and show exactly what we’re about.”

As it stands, Bieniemy potentially has one more interview ahead of him. The Houston Texans requested an interview, but due to the NFL’s anti-tampering policy, that interview cannot take place until the Chiefs win Super Bowl LV or lose in the playoffs.

The hard truth is that Bieniemy has now been passed over for other candidates in each of the last three coaching cycles. One of those teams, the New York Jets, has now passed over Bieniemy twice. We can speculate plenty on a number of reasons why he’s been passed over. At some point, it feels like something has got to give for Bieniemy, though.

By the end of the postseason, the NFL could be allowing a two-time Super Bowl offensive coordinator to maintain his post for four consecutive seasons without a promotion. Perhaps the biggest thing he can do for a job interview is to continue to contribute toward the Chiefs’ ability to win. If the league continues to miss the boat on a proven winner, Kansas City will continue to capitalize. As deserving as Bieniemy is to run his own team, Chiefs Kingdom can hardly be mad at that outcome.

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Report: Texans finally request interview with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy

After some drama surrounding Texans QB Deshaun Watson, the team has finally requested an interview with the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator.

Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy could be adding another head-coaching interview to his tally.

According to a new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Houston Texans have officially requested an interview with Bieniemy. Houston was long-considered a favorable destination for Bieniemy, but he hadn’t received an interview request up to this point.

The decision to interview Bieniemy comes after some very public drama surrounding Texans QB Deshaun Watson’s discontent with the decision-makers in Houston. Watson was told that he would have input on the next GM and coaching hires, but the Texans proceeded to hire Nick Caserio without much input from Watson. Reports also expressed significant frustration stemming from their failure to interview Bieniemy for the team’s head-coaching vacancy. Bieniemy, of course, came highly-recommended by Watson’s friend, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.

Bieniemy has already completed interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars for their head-coaching vacancies. The Texans and now the Philadelphia Eagles are the only two teams with vacancies that he has yet to interview for.

Our latest update on Bieniemy told us that he’s very much still “in the mix” for the job with the Falcons. It does, however, appear that other teams are moving forward with other interviews and candidates in mind.

As for Houston’s interview request, this screams of the team trying to save face in the eyes of their fans and franchise quarterback. I guess it’s better late than never for them. It’s hard to believe that this interview will be anything more than a charade. If I were Bieniemy, I’m not so sure I would take the interview given the situation.

Whatever the case, Bieniemy won’t be able to interview with the Texans anytime soon assuming the Chiefs advance in the playoffs. The NFL’s anti-tampering policy won’t allow teams to interview Bieniemy until the Chiefs lose in the playoffs. If they make it to Super Bowl LV, they wouldn’t be able to interview Bieniemy until after.

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Report: Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy remains ‘in the mix’ for Falcons HC job

Eric Bieniemy could be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy has interviewed with 12 teams for a head-coaching position over the last three postseasons. Now, it appears he may have finally found a landing spot to become an NFL head coach.

According to a new report from NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, Bieniemy had a “strong” interview with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday. The Kansas City offensive coordinator remains very much “in the mix” for the head-coaching job in Atlanta. This comes amid rumors that Bieniemy hadn’t been interviewing well during the course of the head-coaching interview process.

Wyche’s source, who was a participant in the hours-long interview between Bieneimy and the Falcons, said that Bieniemy was “prepared, knew everything about the team, had a great plan and is a bona fide candidate.” Bieniemy has recent familiarity with the Falcons as they played the Chiefs back in Week 16. Kansas City squeaked out a win after a failed game-tying field goal by Atlanta.

Wyche’s sources also cited strong recommendations from league officials, players and officials from other teams as reasons for why Bieniemy remains an attractive option. We already know that Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have been campaigning for Bieniemy to get an opportunity.

The Falcons fired their head coach of the last six seasons, Dan Quinn, along with GM Thomas Dimitroff back in October after an 0-5 start to the season. Interim HC Raheem Morris took over and coached Atlanta to a 4-12 record on the year. In addition to Bieniemy, the Falcons also have interviewed Morris, Panthers OC Joe Brady, 49ers DC Robert Saleh, and Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett.

This would be a good landing spot for Bieniemy. They have some pieces on both offense and defense. It’s outside of the AFC conference, so he won’t have to contend with his old team often. Atlanta’s owner Arthur Blank is the type that would buy into his vision and give him the type of autonomy that he needs to be successful.

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Chargers request interview with Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy after firing Anthony Lynn

A new report says the Chargers have requested an interview with Eric Bieniemy.

Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy has already completed interviews with two NFC teams in the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions.

Now an AFC West team that Bieniemy is very familiar with has requested an interview. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Los Angeles Chargers have requested an interview with Bieniemy. This comes a day after ownership fired former Chargers HC Anthony Lynn, who had been the head coach of the franchise since 2017.

Chiefs fans will be quick to dismiss the attempt by Los Angeles to lure away their OC for a head-coaching job, but Bieniemy does have ties to the area and the team. Bieniemy was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 1991 and played with them through 1994. He also grew up in Los Angeles county and played high school football in the area. He coached at UCLA before making his way to the NFL for the first time in Minnesota.

Coaching in the AFC West since 2013, Bieniemy has a strong familiarity with the franchise and vice versa. He’s also seen what rookie QB Justin Herbert is capable of firsthand. This should be a strong option for Bieniemy as disheartening as it’d be for fans in Kansas City.

On the other hand, Fox 4 Kansas City Sports Anchor Harold R. Kuntz had some interesting statistics to offer if Bieniemy did happen to take the Chargers job.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid apparently has a winning record against his former assistant coaches, so that’d be a potential silver lining to this situation. Still, you’d hate to see Bieniemy go to a team within the division with a rising star at the quarterback position.

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Chiefs stand to benefit from NFL’s plan for developing minority coaches, GMs

The Chiefs could see extra draft capital with a new NFL resolution set on developing minority coaches and general managers.

NFL owners voted to approve a plan on Tuesday with the hope of strengthening diversity in the league. The idea is to encourage the development of minority coaching and front office candidates among NFL clubs.

Upon NFLPA approval, resolution 2020 Resolution JC-2A will see teams compensated with future draft picks when minority members of their coaching or front office staff are hired into new positions as head coaches or general managers.

Here is a look at how it’ll work according to USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell:

“A team that loses a minority assistant coach who becomes a head coach or loses a personnel executive who becomes a general manager will receive third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts.

“A team that loses two minority staffers to head coach and general manager positions would receive three third-round picks.”

If you’ll recall, the NFL originally proposed a plan which would reward teams for hiring minority coaches. That proposal was met with criticism, but this one has been more well-received. The NFL already rewards teams for developing players who enter the free-agent pool and become contributors elsewhere, so why not coaches and general managers?

The Kansas City Chiefs certainly stand to benefit from this plan, mostly because this is something they’ve been doing already. Andy Reid has historically been one of the great developers of coaches within the league. His coaching tree is vast and his offensive coordinator happens to be overdue for a head-coaching job. Eric Bieniemy is the hottest head-coaching candidate out there. You’ve got fans from the Falcons, Jets, and Texans clamoring for their team to hire him on a daily basis and the season hasn’t yet ended.

But Bieniemy isn’t the only staff member that Kansas City has groomed for a high-level position. Tim Terry (Director of Pro Personnel) and Ryan Poles (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) are both candidates to become general managers in the future. One could even follow Bieniemy to his next gig.

If this resolution can help the NFL become a more diverse space, while simultaneously supplementing draft capital, it’ll be considered a great success from within and outside the league.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid wants to continue being aggressive on fourth down

The Chiefs converted a big fourth-down in Week 1 and that could be the new normal in Kansas City.

In the past, we might have seen a more tentative Andy Reid when faced with a fourth-down situation. Now, he appears to be letting it all hang out.

When the Kansas City Chiefs faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 34-yard line in the first quarter against the Houston Texans, what did Reid do? Uncharacteristically, he kept his offense out on the field and went for it. The results were a successful conversion for his football team. The drive would lead to the Chiefs’ first touchdown of the game and things just snowballed from there.

Reid’s decision drew universal praise and he spoke about the fourth down call on Wednesday.

“Well, listen, that’s one that could go either way and you know that,” Reid said. “So, if you don’t get it then you don’t look so good, but I just felt like we needed to do that there and I thought we had a good play, so we ended up doing it. I’m not going to tell you that we’d do that every week, but we’re going to try to stay as aggressive as we can on fourth downs. We’ve been pretty good at that over the years, but anyway, I just felt that was a subjective decision on my part, right or wrong. If you talk to stats people, analytics people, they’d tell you it’s the right thing. If you talk to other people, they might tell you something different, but I just felt in my gut that was the right thing to do.”

Reid is right, had the play gone sideways and cost Kansas City the game, the headlines would have probably read, “Baffling fourth-down call costs the Chiefs.” But it didn’t, and now he’s getting every bit of credit for his gutsy call. It was something that no team had done during the first quarter throughout the entire 2019 season.

From the sound of it, Reid will continue to be aggressive on fourth down calls throughout the 2020 season. But what has changed for Reid? Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes probably has something to do with it.

Mahomes has always maintained an aggressve approach on fourth down. He reiterated his stance from last season, that he’d go for it every single time if it were up to him. Perhaps Mahomes’ aggressive nature is rubbing off on Reid?

“I think the conversation happens during the week,” Mahomes said. “We prepare for those situations during the week and in training camp. Coach puts us in those situations so that when he calls the plays, we know exactly what we need to do and go out there and execute. If it’s up to me, I would want to go for it every single time. I just try to stay out there as long as possible. If it gives us the chance to go out there and make it happen, we’ve got to make it happen so that we get more chances later on in the year.”

Maybe this paradigm shift for Reid has something to do with his first Super Bowl win. He doesn’t have to chase perfection in pursuit of his first title any longer. He can afford to be a little more loose and gutsy with the play-calling in situations where there might be risk, but a greater reward. Whatever the case, an aggressive head coach is good for this offense and a welcome departure from what Kansas City has seen in previous seasons.

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Chiefs usage of RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Week 1 a planned aberration

Chiefs HC Andy Reid intended to get the run game going in Week 1 and ended up feeding Edwards-Helaire.

The Kansas City Chiefs had a departure from the norm during Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season. The Chiefs are typically known as a pass-first team, as they should be with star QB Patrick Mahomes at the helm. But in Week 1 things were a little different for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Kansas City handed the ball off a whopping 25 times to Rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who rushed 138 yards and a touchdown. The last time a single running back had 25 carries in the Chiefs’ offense was over a year ago when Damien Williams had 25 carries in the 2018 AFC divisional playoff win over the Indianapolis Colts.

When Andy Reid spoke to the media this week, he confirmed that he planned this aberration and wanted to get Edwards-Helaire and the run game going against the Texans.

“We wanted to kind of get the run game going, is what we wanted to do,” Reid told reporters. “Especially with a younger back (Clyde Edwards-Helaire), I think that was important to get him used to the speed of the game. But at the same time, you want production. You’re striving to put points on the board. So, a little bit of everything there that you mentioned—yeah, part of it was we got in there and it was working so we stuck to it. On the other hand, it was also good to get our young back some carries and experience, which I thought was important. That’s kind of the answer to it.”

Reid first and foremost intended to get Edwards-Helaire his carries and acclimated to the speed of the NFL game. Once the run game found some success, Reid didn’t want to take the ball out of his hands. He was riding the hot hand, so to speak.

Reid didn’t exactly give Edwards-Helaire carries at the expense of neglecting the passing game either. Mahomes still threw the ball 32 times, completing 75% of his passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

“That’s what you do as a head coach,” Reid continued. “You’re trying to manage the whole thing. So, we felt like we were still able to get people touches on the ball, or at least opportunities on the ball, and that’s important for everybody. It’s important for the team and it’s important for success on offense. And at the same time, we were able to get our young guys involved, really on both sides of the ball, which I thought was important. In the case you’re talking about, Clyde got some carries and there are a whole lot of things that go into that. How are you going to recover for the next week? There’s a way of doing that in the National Football League to get yourself right for a Wednesday practice. How do you manage yourself up to that point and get yourself ready throughout the week for the game? So, all of these things he has to learn as he goes forward here.”

A lot went into the decision to give Edwards-Helaire a boatload of carries in Week 1, but it began with Reid wanting to give the rookie a lot of carries. Even in their Super Bowl-winning season, this team struggled to find a good balance between the run game and the pass game. Edwards-Helaire seems to be providing that balance, at least through the first week of the season.

Will Edwards-Helaire continue to be utilized this heavily in the run game moving forward? As Reid seems to suggest, it all depends on how he responds mentally and physically to the workload of Week 1 as the team gets ready for their next challenge.

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