NFL.com: Wade Phillips to interview for Redskins DC job (MET)

[bnacpa]

A year ago Bruce Allen interviewed numerous candidates for head coach even though it was widely speculated and suggested that Jay Gruden was his man.  One of the reasons for the thorough search is that Al Davis taught Bruce Allen to get as much information from potential coaches as you can regarding what they see as your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.  Like a SWOT analysis in business.

 

It could be that Gruden is doing the same thing - has someone in mind, but wants to solicit input from many sources around the league first.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I'd love to see Grimm here

 

People are never going to give up this dream, right?

 

He's produced mediocre lines all across the league, but we must have him because the 80s were fun.

[Murphs56]

I have a feeling everything is a bit quiet because Scot is getting involved in the process. I mean he kind of has to be because he can't start evaluating talent until we know if we are keeping the 3-4 or going to the 4-3

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

People are never going to give up this dream, right?

He's produced mediocre lines all across the league, but we must have him because the 80s were fun.

Dammit you beat me to it

[Mercuryrising]

I have a feeling everything is a bit quiet because Scot is getting involved in the process. I mean he kind of has to be because he can't start evaluating talent until we know if we are keeping the 3-4 or going to the 4-3

 In the press conference he was emphatic that the DC job was entirely Jay's call. I don't think anyone would have had a problem if he had said "I am going to sit down with jay and we will come to a decision" but he did not.

 

I think Jay has an eye on, at least for an interview, someone he can't talk to because their team is still in playoffs.

I am glad they are taking their time. Let's get the right guy. We got plenty of time.

[RWJ]

 In the press conference he was emphatic that the DC job was entirely Jay's call. I don't think anyone would have had a problem if he had said "I am going to sit down with jay and we will come to a decision" but he did not.

 

I think Jay has an eye on, at least for an interview, someone he can't talk to because their team is still in playoffs.

I am glad they are taking their time. Let's get the right guy. We got plenty of time.

It's been tweet that we have interest in interviewing Ken Norton Jr. for DC.

[Mercuryrising]

It's been tweet that we have interest in interviewing Ken Norton Jr. for DC.

Hmmm, have not heard that. A legit tweet?

 

If he comes maybe we bring UFA LB Malcolm Smith with him. Knows the schemes, hard worker, drafted while Scot M was there, super Bowl MVP who is expendable because they are stacked at LB and he did not start for them this season.

[Riggo#44]

People are never going to give up this dream, right?

 

He's produced mediocre lines all across the league, but we must have him because the 80s were fun.

 

The ones calling for Grimm to coach the OL are the same ones criticizing Allen for being here because of his dad taking the team to it's 1st Super Bowl.

 

I really want to make this clear. 82-92 were great, and it's oodles of fun to remind Iggles fans of how good we were then, but they have nothing to do with right now, and we as a fan base need to stop living then. If we call for Snyder to stop it, we must too.

[PerryMason]

I know some here are against Wade coming here due to him having too many connections, but look at his first year whereever he's gone. INSTANT change and improvement from the previous year in yards and points.  And most of the time dramatic changes.  He knows how to run a 3-4.

[Thinking Skins]

Just like the hiring of a good head coach, I wonder about hiring a good defensive coordinator. In the past 20+ years we've had our fair share of bad coordinators and only a few good ones. The thing that surprises me is that we have not been successful in this period in naming a Coordinator from a position coach.

 

The Good:

Marvin Lewis: Previous Coordinator with Ravens

Gregg Williams: Previous Coordinator with the Titans (and HC with the Bills)

Greg Blache: You could count him as a success, though he got washed away with the Zorn castoffs.

Kurt Schottenheimer: Previous DC in KC.

Ray Rhodes: Previous HC and DC

 

The Bad:

Jim Haslett: Previous Coordinator and HC

George Edwards: Previously Linebackers Coach

Mike Nolan: Previously DC in NY

Ron Lynn: Previosly DC in San DIego

 

With that being said, I was looking up what makes a good DC and somebody gave a nice answer on Quora:

 

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-qualities-of-a-good-defensive-coordinator

 

They focus on players, not plays. The more time they spend developing, the less time they need to spend planning. Exotic schemes are usually a compensation for the fact that the players being used have specific strengths and weaknesses that need to be accommodated. Dan Quinn has one of the thinnest playbooks in the NFL, yet the Seahawks are the scariest defence since the '85 Bears. They've turned their players into multi-threat workhorses, and that allows a vanilla scheme to be incredibly effective. (If you can get your guys to win the one-on-one battles, scheme is absolutely irrelevant.)

They force opposing teams to beat them using their weakest weapons. They're going to take away what you love. When a good DC preps to play against a team like Detroit, their first move is going to be shutting down Megatron. If Stafford wants to shred them for yards, he's going to have to turn Golden Tate into a Pro-Bowler. Or, if they suspect your running game is weak, they'll keep their secondary in coverage all game and force you to beat their front seven.

They get their players to love hitting. What has Dick LeBeau done his whole career? He's conditioned men to enjoy the act of hitting. It's paid off. Some NFL players simply don't like it, especially smaller-bodied safeties. But you need to instill fear if you want to win games. If you can get a receiver to think about the upcoming physical impact when he goes up for a ball in the middle, you've taken part of his attention off of making the catch.

They preach a killer instinct.  The Seahawks don't care what the end score is. They care about punishing their opponent so savagely that the next team can't help but allow some seeds of doubt. When they sense that a team has a weakness (especially in the OL), they're going to exploit it without mercy. When they see the opposing team beginning to regain a sense of hope, they make a violent hit to re-establish the tone.

They're excellent students of history. How do you beat Peyton Manning? Disrupt his timing. Don't worry about getting burned by the run a few times. Put your guys outside and turn on the blitz. History has proven that he is as good as his footwork. If you can disrupt him, you can get his head out of the game. A great DC knows the weakness of every offensive threat in the game, and they develop a plan to attack them.

[mike42]

Wade Phillips. For short term.

 

If Wade's track record is any indicator, it's Gruden best chance for getting the defense a quick fix. Gruden needs someone who can turn the defense around fast for his own job security after 2015. Not sure if Gruden can afford to pass on Wade and gamble on an unproven coordinator. If Gruden has the same poor defense, Gruden will be 4-12 again and be shown the door.

 

Too bad Wade has never been a long term solution for any team as he goes sour his second/third season.

[VRIEL1]

Here's a fundamental question: Why the 3-4? Why are we married to this defense and do we actually have any talent on this defense that needs to be in a 3-4 to thrive?

 

We are currently running the 3-4 because Shanahan had a wild hair up his ass about it 5 years ago. We still don't seem to have the right personnel for it. And we suck at defense.

 

So, why not case a wide net?

 

It was my understanding Snyder wanted to switch to the 3-4. He liked it better for some reason. MS said he would bring that to the table if hired. Except he brought Haslett to the table to run it.

[Burgold]

LKB,

 

What they say is that the 3-4 as a base causes more confusion for qbs and o coordinators.  I certainly never saw that or very rarely saw that with Haslett over the past four years though.

[KDawg]

I like that they're taking their time with this process. Even if Wade is the top guy today, in two days another DC could be available and he may not be. Due diligence is fun. Not rushing is grand.

LKB,

 

What they say is that the 3-4 as a base causes more confusion for qbs and o coordinators.  I certainly never saw that or very rarely saw that with Haslett over the past four years though.

 

Well, every defense has an advantage over others. the OLBs themselves are a big advantage in the 3-4. Having said that, that advantage is negated if your front line isn't stout enough. Wade's 3-4 is different than Haslett's because it's a one-gap scheme. And just for the record, I'm sure Dick LeBeau (I'm not advocating for this, for the record) could come in with the same roster that Haslett had last season and get better results. Because he's Dick effing LeBeau and he created the system that Haslett attempted to run.

 

Let's also mention that we didn't play the 3-4 all the time. We were in a four front fairly often with the nickel package.

 

If I feel like being in pain, I may go back through and watch games.

[RWJ]

I THINK I have read from tweets that Wade wants top dollar.  IF this is true, money shouldn't be an issue unless Wade is wanting as much as Gruden is getting to be our DC. 

[Voice_of_Reason]

It was my understanding Snyder wanted to switch to the 3-4. He liked it better for some reason. MS said he would bring that to the table if hired. Except he brought Haslett to the table to run it.

I've never read that or heard that. Source?

I heard that Shanahan wanted the 3-4, spent his year off analyzing best D, and came up with that.

[VRIEL1]

People are never going to give up this dream, right?

 

He's produced mediocre lines all across the league, but we must have him because the 80s were fun.

 

Weird, bio on him stated he had the OL with the least amount of sacks in Pittsburg and least amount of sacks in Arizona.

 

 

In 2005, Grimm added another Super Bowl ring (totalling 4) to his résumé as part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff (Offensive Line Coach).Under Grimm guidance in 2005, the Super Bowl champion Steelers averaged nearly 140 yards rushing per game during the regular season to rank fifth in the NFL while also grinding out 181 rushing yards in their Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks. In 2006 Steelers offensive line helped pave the way for running back Willie Parker to gain 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries with 4.4 yard avg. and earn his first Pro Bowl selection. Pittsburgh offense finished the 2006 season with the 10th best rushing attack in the NFL, helping to give the Steelers the 7th ranked total offense in the league. Parker finished the season with the second and third top rushing performances of the year in the NFL with 223 rushing yards 32 att., TD against Cleveland Browns and 213 yards with 22 att, 2 TD vs. New Orleans Saints.

 

 

In his first season in Arizona, his offensive line allowed only 24 sacks, 6th best in the NFL and the fewest given up by the Cardinals since 1978 with 22. Grimm’s offensive line also paved the way for running back Edgerrin James to rush for 1,222 yards, the fifth best total in team history. The Cardinals offense finished with the 5th best passing attack in the NFL and threw for a team record 32 touchdowns. Grimm remained with the Cardinals until Whisenhunt and the entire offensive staff was fired in December 2012, following ^[

 

I felt Grimm would be good cause I believe he utilizes the man-to-man blocking which to me appeared to be what Gruden had in Cinci. Gruden had not worked with the zone blocking/cut blocking and even mentioned it in his first media session when he said something like I'm interested to see what it can do.

 

If Gruden and his scheme did well in Cinci and we want to get him back to doing well I feel bringing in Grimm would help. Clearly Foerster has not impressed me the whole 5 years he's worked here. Lets get Grimm and get some big bodies on the OL. Plus Grimm is a stickler for details like his former OL coach was whom he learned from.

[VRIEL1]

I've never read that or heard that. Source?

I heard that Shanahan wanted the 3-4, spent his year off analyzing best D, and came up with that.

 

I have no written proof. Have seen where MS wanted to run the 3-4. But, back during the hiring process I could have sworn I read where DS wanted the 3-4. The only guarantee at the time was if we got Allen we would get MS. They were a package. I think Haslett was the consolation prize as he ran mostly 4-3 defenses even as a head coach. Weird that we brought him in to run a 3-4 which he had not ran in years when he was with the Steelers. and... they sucked back then until he was fired and his position coach took over and made it a top defense.  

[Riggo#44]

To get this thread off Grimm and back to Wade, it would not shock me in the least bit if Wade was not hired, if we went with Fangio, Schwartz or someone else we haven't heard of. One thing I do find very encouraging: we have not heard one word as far as "anonymous sources" or any leaks from Ashburn...

[skinpride1]

If what im hearing is true about wade wanting top dollar for the job ..then that concerns me some. Does wade want to truly rebuild the defense or is he just looking for a big payday..these are the things the f.o. need to eliminate. Just like players wanting a big payday it applies to coaches also.

[Burgold]

Yeah, that would make me suspicious that Wade was in it just for one last big pay day.  Now, there's nothing wrong with that on the surface.  These coaches are doing this as a business and not a charity, but you have to wonder if his passion is still there... we've seem a number of folks take the check and go through the motions.

[Taylor 36]

It was my understanding Snyder wanted to switch to the 3-4. He liked it better for some reason. MS said he would bring that to the table if hired. Except he brought Haslett to the table to run it.

No, it was 100% a Shanahan move.  He studied the 3-4 his year off between Denver and here due to the problems he had face the 3-4 as a HC and OC, and decided he want a 3-4 defense in his next stop.  If anything, Shanahan had to sell Snyder on it; not the other way around.

[Bonez3]

With all due respect... I know very little on what it takes to be a good DC. I do know quite a bit about football in general.

But Wade Phillips asking for top dollar?!?!?! IDK, sounds motivation in wrong place. Further, he certainly doesn't command 'top dollar' rep when his name pops up.

Also, just don't like the idea of father-son connections.

[Voice_of_Reason]

I have no written proof. Have seen where MS wanted to run the 3-4. But, back during the hiring process I could have sworn I read where DS wanted the 3-4. The only guarantee at the time was if we got Allen we would get MS. They were a package. I think Haslett was the consolation prize as he ran mostly 4-3 defenses even as a head coach. Weird that we brought him in to run a 3-4 which he had not ran in years when he was with the Steelers. and... they sucked back then until he was fired and his position coach took over and made it a top defense.  

I think that you've got some facts wrong, though parts of this is correct.

 

I have never read where Snyder wanted a 3-4 anywhere, ever.  I honestly can't imagine that he would have cared whether they ran the 4-3, 3-4 or 46, and not sure that he would know the difference.  The only position where DS really meddles directly is QB, and if he has a prized (high draft pick or prized FA) at another positions, see Lavar, AH, and Portis.  

 

I am one of the few that think Dan really doesn't meddle as much as folks think, in terms of making decisions.  At least not since 2010.  His meddling is more preferential treatment, and then supporting certain guys. And ultimately, hiring idiots who made bad decisions.

 

NOTE: I'm NOT defending Haslett.  I wanted him gone 2 years ago, and never wanted him hired to begin with.  but I do think that it's important to base arguments on facts.  

 

He wasn't fired from Pittsburgh.  He was hired as HC of the Saints. And in his first year, he won Coach of the year. This was in 2000.

 

The Steeler's hired Dick LeBeau back in 2004, where he's been the DC until this year, when he resigned.  The defense really came back in earnest with LeBeau returned in 2004.  Because he's a freaking defensive genius. 

 

You are correct, though, that it was weird that Shanahan brought Haslett in as DC, given that he wasn't THAT familiar with the 3-4, then brought in all assistants who had never run a 3-4, and then tried to run a 3-4. I made several posts on this topic, but Haslett was the MOST familiar with the 3-4 of the entire defensive staff, and he only had a few years in it back in the 90's.  Very odd.

 

It's why if Shanahan does get a new HC gig, he should go out and find the best DC he can, and then let the DC hire his own staff, and handle the entire defense as an equal.  Kindof like what Gibbs did with Pettibone.  Because Mike doesn't know squat about how to put together a good defense. And it started with the coaches that he hired.  

[Murphs56]

 In the press conference he was emphatic that the DC job was entirely Jay's call. I don't think anyone would have had a problem if he had said "I am going to sit down with jay and we will come to a decision" but he did not.

 

I think Jay has an eye on, at least for an interview, someone he can't talk to because their team is still in playoffs.

I am glad they are taking their time. Let's get the right guy. We got plenty of time.

 

What's reported and what's actually happening can always be different things