Brady says he’s not thinking about potential interviews though because it wouldn’t be fair to his players.
It is exceedingly difficult to build a lasting contender in the modern NFL given the way that players and coaches move around. In the case of the Carolina Panthers, they could very well lose their most promising young assistant even though he’s only been in the league for less than a year.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady is expected to be one of the top candidates to earn a head coaching job in the NFL next season. Brady says he’s not thinking about potential interviews though because it wouldn’t be fair to his players.
Panthers OC Joe Brady says he's not thinking about any potential head coaching interviews b/c to do so would be unfair to his players.
A good answer and another reason why he’ll be on the short list for teams who are looking for an offensive-minded coach to take over.
Brady will face some stiff competition, though. Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy are all expected to be strong candidates, as well.
The Los Angeles Chargers coaches are back in business.
Chargers coaches returned to Hoag Performance Center, the team’s facility, on Tuesday, four days after the league allowed them to start working at the office.
The team’s official Twitter account released a few photos of head coach Anthony Lynn back in business. Lynn was spotted supporting the Bolts’ face mask.
It has been three months since they last stepped in due to the coronavirus pandemic that has taken the world by storm.
Players haven’t been approved to return and begin working out on site unless they’re rehabbing an injury. But there’s a possibility that they will be allowed back before the end of June.
In the meantime, coaches and players will continue to work remotely until permitted by the league that they have a full go to do everything in-person.
Speaking with the media on Zoom earlier this week, Rhule said he has only met about 20 of the players currently on the roster.
Starting Friday, NFL coaches will be allowed to return to their training facilities, as outlined by this memo from Roger Goodell that went to teams today: pic.twitter.com/UEwDROGnO5
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has shared a memo stating that coaches can return to team facilities tomorrow, provided local authorities allow it. Adam Schefter at ESPN shared the letter on Twitter.
This is one small step back towards normalcy for the world of sports, which has been decimated in the United States due to the pandemic.
There’s still a long way to go, though. Understandably, the league is being cautious about how many people are allowed in one building at the same time. Field Yates reports that only players who are receiving medical treatment are allowed on the premises and only 100 people total.
The NFL has informed teams that, effective tomorrow: * Coaches are permitted to return to practice facilities * Only players receiving treatment are permitted to be at the facility, as has been the case * The maximum number of people at facilities is now up to 100 people
Panthers coach Matt Rhule has a particularly challenging task ahead of him. He’s leading an inexperienced team without the benefit of a traditional offseason program, which would have begun months ago under normal circumstances.
Speaking with the media on Zoom earlier this week, Rhule said he has only met about 20 of the players currently on the roster.
I had no idea Don Shula once dreamed of playing and coaching at Notre Dame. I found that out today after the coaching legend passed away.
Don Shula passed away Monday morning at the age of 90. He leaves as accomplished of football coach as the NFL has ever seen with a record 328 career regular season wins and a two Super Bowl titles to his name.
Shula attended John Carroll University where he played football before getting drafted in 1951 and playing seven seasons in the NFL. From there he went to the college ranks to get a start in coaching.
Shula headed the defensive backs at the University of Virginia in 1958 before doing the same at Kentucky in 1959. From there he leaped to the NFL where he coached the Lions defensive backs for a year before running their defense in 1961 and ’62.
He would then become the youngest coach in the history of the NFL at the time when he got the head coach job of the Baltimore Colts in 1963 at 33 years old.
All Shula would do was lead the Colts to a 71-23-4 record in seven seasons, winning the NFL Championship in 1968 before suffering a stunning upset to Joe Namath and the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.
Shula was out of a job after the Colts went 8-5-1 but he quickly landed in Miami in 1970 where he’d stay until his retirement in 1995. His 328 career wins are the most all-time and he led the Dolphins to a pair of Super Bowl championships while getting there and falling three other times.
In reading about Don Shula today though I was left wondering an all-time sports “what if?”
A Notre Dame alumnus, presumably speaking on behalf of the university, once approached Shula in the late ’60s, early ’70s about coaching the Fighting Irish. It had always been Shula’s life ambition to play and someday coach at Notre Dame.
“But after I got into the NFL, I didn’t want to go back into college coaching,” he says.
I had no idea about this ever being a thing before reading and researching about Shula a bit today. The timing is certainly interesting if you know anything about Notre Dame or Don Shula.
It wouldn’t have made sense for it to be late sixties considering Ara Parseghian nearly took Notre Dame to a title in 1964 before ultimately winning one in ’66 which put Ara on anything but a hot seat. After Parseghian left in 1974 then was Shula the first choice to replace Ara instead of Dan Devine?
It would be next to impossible to ever bring a more hyped up coach than Shula would have been in 1974. All he’d done in the three years previous was win the last two Super Bowls and appear in another. I also get why Shula couldn’t go to the college ranks after the start he’d had in his NFL run – it’d have been like if Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots for Notre Dame in 2005.
Yeah, not happening.
I think it’s safe to say things worked out more than alright for Shula afterwards, even if he never did win another Super Bowl. He’d appear in two more while heading the Dolphins and ultimately retire with more wins than anyone that ever coached the game.
And I know some people look back at the Dan Devine era as a disappointment but replacing a legend like Parseghian is a nearly impossible task. Devine only lasted six seasons at Notre Dame but went 53-16-1 in that time, winning a national championship in 1977.
A first-time NFL head coach takes over the New York Giants, and fantasy football owners are left with plenty of questions.
(Danielle Parhizkaran, USA TODAY Sports)
At 38 years old, Joe Judge becomes the fourth man to coach the New York Giants since the Tom Coughlin era ended in 2015. Both Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur were hired as promising offensive coordinators looking to put a fresh — if even youthful by comparison — stamp on this proud franchise after 12 years of rule by the elder statesman.
It almost worked with McAdoo after he nearly doubled Coughlin’s win total from 2015 with an 11-5 showing in ’16. In the three seasons since, with McAdoo being replaced during the 2017 season by Steve Spagnuolo and Shurmur lasting two full campaigns, the Giants have won 12 total games. That does not get the job done, even in the NFC East.
Circling back to present time, the hiring of an untested coach seems curious. There is much to be learned right away, and finding out the hard way in the NFL typically costs many people their jobs as the franchise has to press the reset button. If all else fails, no one can accuse the Mara family of being afraid to take a chance.
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So what did the brass see in Judge to warrant his hiring? Experience winning at the highest level, for one. He comes over after spending eight years with the New England Patriots, getting his start as a special teams assistant (2012-14). He served most recently as special teams coordinator (2015-19) while adding wide receivers coach in 2019 to his list of responsibilities. The 2019 Giants’ ragtag band of wideouts thoroughly surprised most prognosticators with 20 touchdown grabs (tied fourth most). Receivers coach Tyke Tolbert was retained for his third year, indicating Judge may not need to be heavily involved in this area of the team.
No one has to worry about Judge taking on too much of a role in his first year in New York. The offense will be run by Jason Garrett after his contract was not renewed by the division-rival Dallas Cowboys for a 10th full season as their head coach. He made a name for himself as an offensive mind once his quarterbacking days were done. The long-time backup to Troy Aikman found immediate success as a playcaller for the Cowboys. He would go on to relinquish the dual role of head coach and offensive coordinator following the 2012 season.
Table: Jason Garrett’s team rankings as a playcaller (lower number is better)
Offense
Rushing Off
Passing Off
Year
Tm
Role
Yds
Pts
TO
Att
Yds
TD
Y/A
FL
Att
Yds
TD
Int
2007
DAL
OC
3
2
7
21
17
10
10
1
18
4
2
21
2008
DAL
OC
13
18
31
25
21
22
12
26
8
9
4
29
2009
DAL
OC
2
14
4
17
7
15
2
11
13
6
13
3
2010
DAL
HC/OC
7
7
20
15
16
21
15
17
9
6
7
20
2011
DAL
HC*
11
15
7
24
18
30
9
16
11
7
5
5
2012
DAL
HC*
6
15
25
31
31
27
30
17
3
3
6
28
*Called plays despite no longer having OC title
Under Garrett as a playcaller, Dallas never fell into the lower half of the league in total yardage generated. His system always produced a top-10 passing yardage result, and all but one season it ranked in the top seven for touchdown strikes. The ground game didn’t flourish as well, but in Garrett’s defense, the Cowboys struggled for ages to find a running back to replace Emmitt Smith for longer than a season or so of quality play until Ezekiel Elliott was drafted, and Garrett wasn’t calling plays at that point. Instead, he had Marion Barber III and two years of DeMarco Murray not being particularly effective. Garrett took to the air at a top-10 rate in his final two years calling plays, including the league’s second-most attempts during the 2011 season.
In New York, the do-all Saquon Barkley should continue to thrive, but no player figures to benefit as much as quarterback Daniel Jones. Garrett has been fortunate enough to field two franchise quarterbacks during his tenure in Dallas, and we saw more than enough promise from Jones as a rookie to buy into the idea this union is destined for great things.
Personnel concerns
The Giants have plenty of salary cap space at an estimated $58.2 million available heading into the new league year. There could be even more room found if a few veterans are restructured. No one of consequence on the offensive side of the ball is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
Addressing the offensive line will be crucial, and some of the deficiencies can be handled via coaching. Building in the trenches will be the focus of the offseason movement and draft, which should come as no surprise given general manager Dave Gettleman’s preference for designing a team from the inside out.
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Journeyman right tackle Mike Remmers will be available to sign elsewhere, and it’s not a concern, even though the obvious answer to replace him isn’t currently on the roster. Perhaps impending free agent Jack Conklin (Titans) will be of interest. Maybe a positional change is considered for left tackle Nate Solder, who has failed to live up to a massive contract as the blindside protector.
Center Jon Halapio will start his offseason rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon, and the run-blocking regression of second-year guard Will Hernandez didn’t go unnoticed. Neither is a deal-breaker, but adding quality depth will be extremely important.
Oft-injured tight end Evan Engram’s contract enters its final year and is fully guaranteed. While the cost of cutting him wouldn’t be prohibitive at $3.41 million, he’s going to be getting paid that much anyway, so the Giants might as well ride it out one more year with the talented but brittle Engram.
Fantasy football assessment
Jones, as mentioned, should benefit a great deal from the hiring of Garrett. The receiving corps has safety and promise already baked in, and when all is working properly, Engram and Barkley offer dynamic checkdown options. Having such explosive outlets can turn a hurried dump-off pass into a double-digit fantasy play for Jones’ owners. The offensive line concerns and having to learn another offense do give some pause. Cautiously draft him as a high-end QB2 and expect him to force tough lineup decisions many weeks.
Barkley battled a high-ankle sprain and a weak offensive line during his sophomore season. Don’t hold those against him. Injuries haven’t become a pattern yet, and the line should improve. We saw late in the season when he was finally healthy just how much damage he can do in spite of poor run blocking. He’s arguably the top pick once again and is pretty well a lock for the top three in any PPR draft.
Wideouts … this is where it gets a little murky. We saw a tremendous rookie season from Darius Slayton, and one has to believe he will be given every opportunity to capitalize on it. There’s star potential here, but gamers should monitor his offseason progression in this new system. Golden Tate showed he still has a little somethin’ in the tank as he navigates his early 30s, and he’s remains a serviceable depth option in fantasy. “Serviceable” also can be said for Sterling Shepard, although his concussion tally is trending the wrong way. One big hit could be enough to force him to be shut down for an unusual amount of time. He performs as a WR2 many weeks, so there’s still a reason to take a chance on Shepard.
Engram, as discussed, will be given every opportunity to prove he’s still capable of finishing a full season and play at a high level throughout. The upside comes with massive risk in fantasy drafts, and owners will be forced to spend up on an adequate depth replacement option if Engram is their No. 1 tight end.
As for Judge, as long as he relies on his extensive experience with Bill Belichick and a his former head coaches on staff, the sky is the limit. He has the right demeanor to turn this thing around in a hurry, and New York really isn’t that far away from being one of the scariest offenses in the NFL for fantasy football purposes. It all comes down to getting more from the offensive line and the Year 2 maturation of a quarterback whose rookie season was full of bright spots.
The Rams haven’t received any interview requests for their assistants yet.
In the last two offseasons, Rams assistant coaches have been hot commodities. Matt LaFleur was hired by the Titans to be their offensive coordinator two years ago, and last offseason, the Packers brought him in to be their head coach. Also after the 2017 season, Greg Olson left the Rams to become Jon Gruden’s offensive coordinator in Oakland, a position he still holds today.
Last year, Zac Taylor was poached from Los Angeles to become the Bengals’ next head coach, replacing Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati. Shane Waldron was interviewed by the Bengals for the same opening, which came as somewhat of a surprise.
Sean McVay’s offensive assistants have been in high demand recently, but that isn’t the case in 2019 – yet. McVay said at his press conference Monday that he hasn’t yet received any interview requests from other teams for his assistants.
“We have not, not like last year. I think there’s a couple guys that may have some interest you know from some colleges but out of respect for the privacy of those places, I don’t want to get into that,” McVay said. “I’m always going to be of the approach that you want to try to help guys. I don’t ever want assistants apologizing for being ambitious and wanting to grow and wanting to have their careers if they have the goals of being a head coach or taking the next step, depending upon where they’re at. I don’t think those are things that people should apologize for. I think part of what we want to try to do is help people grow. That’s why I was fortunate enough to get to the role that I got to at a young age because I had so many good people that were willing to help me.”
Waldron would seem to be a potential head coaching candidate after drawing interest from the Bengals last year, but McVay doesn’t expect any of his assistants to be sought after like the were a year ago.
That could change, of course, but it’s been quiet on that front so far.
“Don’t anticipate a whole lot of those kind of like what you were asking with what happened last year,” he added. “But again, usually those kind of conversations and those requests come in today and over the next couple days. We wouldn’t have known that last year either. You see kind of the buzz and if you’re writing if guys are going to be head coaching candidates on Gary Klein’s weekly profile for the L.A. Times, maybe you’ll get some guys requested.”
As of now, only the Redskins’ head coaching vacancy has been filled with Ron Rivera being hired on Tuesday. The Browns, Panthers and Giants are all looking for new head coaches after Freddie Kitchens, Rivera and Pat Shurmur were all fired.
Jason Garrett of the Cowboys and Doug Marrone in Jacksonville could be the next coaches on the way out.
