Moving Towards our Future Front Office and Coaching Hires. All the Way to the Water Boy - Adam Peters Hired as GM! The Mighty Quinn is HC Kliff Kingsbury as OC. Joe Whitt jr at DC.

[Anselmheifer]

It sounds like Ben Johnson/Hank Fraley as HC/OC seems more and more likely, and I would be ecstatic with that being the staff in charge of developing a young QB. I've half moved on to wondering more what caliber of hire we should be expecting at DC. I'm super curious about that, since we don't have a stacked defensive roster and an incoming DC might expect some struggled for a while based on personnel. 

[SoCalSkins]

28 minutes ago, Anselmheifer said:

It sounds like Ben Johnson/Hank Fraley as HC/OC seems more and more likely, and I would be ecstatic with that being the staff in charge of developing a young QB. I've half moved on to wondering more what caliber of hire we should be expecting at DC. I'm super curious about that, since we don't have a stacked defensive roster and an incoming DC might expect some struggled for a while based on personnel. 

Brandon Staley would be a very good hire. Vrabel would be my first choice but I don’t think he will come here to be DC. With Staley you get a young smart coach who will not be in the running for a HC job for a very long time if ever.  You get stability and a guy who had the NFL’s number 1 D last time he was a DC. 

[HTTRDynasty]

 

[RWJ]

1 hour ago, Anselmheifer said:

 

Sorry. Single parenting a 3 year old that has been super sick with the flu for 8 days and now he's given it to me. I'm not usually a grumpy old man. Next round is on me. 

We all have our moments, Anselmheifer.  I've certainly had mine.  Thank you, my friend. Many more posts and good and fun times to be had on ES.   

[RWJ]

1 hour ago, method man said:

Raiders with a massive ****up hiring Tom Telesco. Means Champ Kelly should be on the market and would make a fine AGM for Peters. The two worked together in Denver for a number of years

Didn't know that.   I wonder, do you think it's possible that Adam spoke to Kelly about needing his help coming out here to rebuild this team and putting a F.O. together?  Couldn't be.  Kelly wanted that job as GM of the Raider and should have had it.  Hope Peters considers it and if he wants Kelly and vice versa, it happens!  

1 hour ago, Anselmheifer said:

It sounds like Ben Johnson/Hank Fraley as HC/OC seems more and more likely, and I would be ecstatic with that being the staff in charge of developing a young QB. I've half moved on to wondering more what caliber of hire we should be expecting at DC. I'm super curious about that, since we don't have a stacked defensive roster and an incoming DC might expect some struggled for a while based on personnel. 

I am really hoping for a DL Weaver of the Ravens to be hired as DC but there might be obstacles if MacDonald accepts a HC job.  If Baltimore wins the SB, which I expect, MacDonald may want to stay on for a try as DC for a couple more rings.  

[method man]

1 hour ago, Conn said:

Maybe. If he’s under contract, they don’t need to let him leave for another opportunity unless he’s promoted to GM somewhere. Unless it’s just out of the goodness of their hearts, or Telesco wants him fired. Both are possible but not guaranteed.

I can’t think of a situation in the NFL where the interim coach or GM stayed in a lesser role after getting passed over for the gig. The only exception may have been Joe Vitt when he filled in for a suspended Payton but that was different. There is an awkward organizational dynamic you build keeping that guy around. So there may be a contractual way to retain him but highly unlikely they hold him hostage

Edited January 24 by method man

[LetMeSeeYourWarFace21]

 

Ben Johnson Mic'd Up at Last Years Senior Bowl Practice.... Conversation W/Sam Howell

 

 

 

 

Edited January 24 by LetMeSeeYourWarFace21

[LetMeSeeYourWarFace21]

NFL Combine Interview With Ben Johnson

 

 

[FrFan]

11 hours ago, Conn said:

Because Keim is telling the truth? We may have a favorite in Johnson but a competent search committee and FO is going to earnestly explore the interview process and give all the worthy candidates a chance, their minds aren’t made up just because Ben Johnson seems like he could be the top candidate. Johnson may be a heavy favorite but you still interview all the candidates you’re interested in. It’s a valuable process for many reasons, even if you eventually do hire your original favored choice.

 

Not to be indelicate but I also think there’s something to be said, perception-wise and morally, for not “just” interviewing the number of Rooney Rule candidates you’re required to before you just hire the white guy everyone assumed you were gonna hire anyways. Have a deep, diverse search process and honestly indulge in the opportunity to pick the brains of many, many qualified candidates. Then, if your early favorite still comes out the other side as your best option, you make the hire. If not, and someone else blows your socks off (this is famously what happened with Mike Tomlin), you hire them instead. 
 

But I think the most important takeaway is that the POV you express in the post above is disrespectful both to the idea of an honest hiring process, and to the assumed intelligence and integrity levels of Harris and Adams and the rest of the search committee. They see value in hearing the pitch and vision all these candidates have for the future of the organization, you should too. They are running a legitimate interview cycle, not just checking boxes in a sham process like Snyder would. Even if we all mostly like the idea of Ben Johnson, in the end, we have to respect that these guys are doing things right. 

It's not only Keim who's reporting that, some say it's a "done deal". My question wasn't meant to be disrespectuf as you claimed, I was more concerned about the short timeline we have since we're rebuilding from ground up. Since Harris is surrounded by competent people I thought the hiring cycle would be shorter and his team would focus on fewer coaches. We're in a top position in terms of attractiveness to them, so convincing them woudn't be hard. This franchise is so appealing all across the board that I believe they could "fight" to get the jobs here. I think fwiw that Harris wanted Peters before the end of the season, and Peters wants Johnson from the get go. Nevermind

Edited January 24 by FrFan

[SonnySideUp]

Looks as if it's happening for the Chargers. Supposedly at more than $12.5 million per year but less than the $18 million he was looking for. 

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/jim-harbaugh-has-a-deal-to-become-los-angeles-chargers-new-head-coach-per-sources/ar-BB1h9GRG?cvid=8795348f32b345f4834fdea0f5e5c37d&ei=13

 

>>Jim Harbaugh has a deal to become Los Angeles Chargers' new head coach, per sources<<

 

 

 

[SonnySideUp]

13 hours ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

No.

 

Our potential future head coaches will be be coaching in the SuperBowl. Lions cs Ravens.

 

Ideally, it would be wild to have them coaching in a Commanders/Ravens Superbowl a year from now. We can dream.

 

 

 

13 hours ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

 

Atlanta is interviewing coaches left and right because while the owner probably wants BB, the front office doesn’t. They hope the owner becomes enamored with one of the candidates they are interviewing besides BB.  If BB gets hired , likely the front office gets dismissed or neutered so they have no power. 

 

 

Florio has still been pushing BB all over the place. Earlier today he had him going to either Philly or Dallas, or even to Buffalo...even though none of those teams currently have openings. That never bothers Florio though.

[fearlessNelms]

18 hours ago, BayouBrave86 said:

No thanks to Quinn or Raheem. Don’t like retread HCs that have been failures. 

I'll just start by saying that I don't want either of these guys as our next HC. I want MacDonald, Johnson or Slowick, but I could live with Quinn if that were to happen. When you say retreads that have failed elsewhere, I'm assuming you mean never had won a SB with their former teams. If Peters and Harris go the retread route- which I don't think they will, I wouldn't completely hate it because I have full trust in what they're doing and retreads have won it all a bunch of times. 

 

While no coach has ever won a SB with two different teams, there have been a lot of them who have won in their second chances. Ewbank, Shula, Shanahan, Vermeil, Belichick, Gruden, Dungy, Coughlin, Kubiak, Carroll, Reid and Arians. That's not to mention guys who have taken multiple teams to the SB but lost with their new teams, Parcells, Holmgren, Fox, Reeves, to name some. I get that most of these guys went to situations where the team had a great quarterback or the team was win ready, but the bottom line is retreads can and do win.

 

Of course, there's a bunch of retreads that have failed miserably, including Rivera, but I can't just casually dismiss retreads as a bad hire by a team that hires one. As I said earlier, I have trust in the guys who are running the show for us now and although retreads like Quinn, Vrabel, Belichick, Harbaugh and Morris are not my preference- with Belichick and Morris being the least desirable for me- I'd be okay with any of the other ones based on trust who's doing the hiring.   

Edited January 24 by fearlessNelms

[FrFan]

14 hours ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

 

Our potential future head coaches will be be coaching in the SuperBowl. Lions cs Ravens.

 

I'd like to see this rematch, because Mc Donald just destroyed Johnson's offense during the season. I would like to see if Johnson (since he is the favorite to become our HC) have adapted and can beat the Ravens defense. I value adaptability as one of the top quality, that means you're very smart, you're always willing to question your schemes and ultimately you can predict what your opponent will do.

[Chris 44]

8 hours ago, Anselmheifer said:

It sounds like Ben Johnson/Hank Fraley as HC/OC seems more and more likely, and I would be ecstatic with that being the staff in charge of developing a young QB. I've half moved on to wondering more what caliber of hire we should be expecting at DC. I'm super curious about that, since we don't have a stacked defensive roster and an incoming DC might expect some struggled for a while based on personnel. 

I could imagine Dan Campbell losing his mind if he ended up losing both Johnson and Fraley.

[redskinss]

That last line, he wanted to teach high school.

I love that it's genuine with him about caring about relationships and wanting to teach and he represents himself so well.

He was already my number one choice but now I'll be a little disappointed if we don't get him.

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[SkinsNatsFan]

46 minutes ago, Chris 44 said:

I could imagine Dan Campbell losing his mind if he ended up losing both Johnson and Fraley.

 

He's definitely very supportive of Ben Johnson becoming a head coach, and I'd guess they've had respectful discussions at some point regarding opportunities for position coaches. Only my guess, but I don't think any of it would be a surprise to Campbell, but yes, it definitely would create big holes to fill. They probably already have somewhat of a plan in Detroit as well, to be handled when the time comes.

 

I'm sure this has already been posted, but he shows his support for Ben Johnson as a head coach candidate here...
 

 

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson shocked everyone last year when he passed on head coaching opportunities to return. Johnson didn’t only interview with teams last offseason, but he could’ve landed a head coaching job.

 

“I think it’s made him a better coach,” Campbell said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “Yeah, he’s grown as a coordinator. Got a little better. You learn things as you would being in that position, yeah. There’s that, but I think it’s made him a more well-rounded coach. I just think everything has grown. I think he’s got a very good grasp of what we do [with] roster management. I think when you do that, and you get in that, and it’s like, ‘OK, there could be a next step. I’m not ready for that. In my head, I don’t want to do that yet. Yes, I’m a better coordinator,’ but it’s also……he’s starting to look for and ask these questions about roster, game-day, building a team, what you’re looking for, front of the room. And I think it served him well.”

 

 

“It’s a credit to him, man. Not many people would do that,” Campbell said about Johnson turning down head coaching jobs last offseason. “But that’s how he viewed it. It’s an experience for him. It’s a chance to grow, and it’s a chance to grow with people that he appreciates being around.”

 

[Conn]

6 hours ago, FrFan said:

It's not only Keim who's reporting that, some say it's a "done deal". 

 

Keim is reporting that it’s a real interview process and that while Johnson is the favorite, it’s no guarantee because they’re going into these interviews with an open mind. Keim is reputable. The people reporting it’s a “done deal” are either random twitter aggregators or national reporters with no real reputation for being accurate. A lot of reporters with a good rep who are guessing it’s Johnson aren’t saying it’s a “done deal”, just that he’s the favorite. 

 

6 hours ago, FrFan said:

My question wasn't meant to be disrespectuf as you claimed, I was more concerned about the short timeline we have since we're rebuilding from ground up. Since Harris is surrounded by competent people I thought the hiring cycle would be shorter and his team would focus on fewer coaches.

 

There’s nothing specifically competent about purposely narrowing your search field early and zeroing in on a candidate whose pitch and vision you haven’t even heard yet. They haven’t even met this guy in person and seen his plan for a staff yet (though this was probably touched on in the virtual meeting). He’s the top choice around the league—he’d be a great get and I do think we ultimately get him. So I’m not pushing back on any of that. But wanting to interview 5-6 of the top candidates is a sign they’re doing it right.
 

It would really not look good, for the legitimacy of their process or for their reputations, if at this point they already had their field of candidates essentially narrowed down to just Ben Johnson and the two Rooney Rule candidates for in-person interviews. That would be very Snyder. 
 

So this week they’ll interview Slowik, Quinn, and Morris in person, who are all out of the playoffs. During a time when they can’t interview Johnson, Macdonald, or Weaver anyways. They’ll interview those three after the games this weekend.

 

So what time are they wasting by running a thorough process? It kind of just feels like you’re impatient and very invested in the idea of Ben Johnson being destined, so you’d rather believe these other candidates have no actual chance at the job and interviewing them is a waste of time and a sign of inefficiency. I don’t think that’s the case.

 

6 hours ago, FrFan said:

We're in a top position in terms of attractiveness to them, so convincing them woudn't be hard. This franchise is so appealing all across the board that I believe they could "fight" to get the jobs here. 

 

I think so as well. But that, to me, gives you the luxury of talking to all your candidates while knowing your top candidates will still be there for you (and in this case it’s guaranteed, because they’re still in the playoffs while we interview these other folk). Desperately chasing one name at the exclusion of all else is what Snyder would have done. We’re in the opposite position. We’re da bell o’ da ball. If you’re a top candidate, impress us. Earn it in relation to your peers. 

 

6 hours ago, FrFan said:

I think fwiw that Harris wanted Peters before the end of the season, and Peters wants Johnson from the get go. Nevermind

 

I think so as well. That’s what being the favorite means, these guys all have reputations around the league so they aren’t total mysteries. That doesn’t mean the hiring process revolves entirely around just creating the illusion of a fair shot for anyone else—it’s a disservice to the professionalism and competence of Harris (and now Peters) to think they they don’t want to legitimately give all these guys a shot and pick their brains. 

[RVAskins]

10 hours ago, DiscoBob said:

So if we hire Ben Johnson, and then he hires Brian Johnson.... we'll have Johnson & Johnson... and a seasons worth of d*** jokes

 

Just sayin'

That reminds me of the SF Giants in the early 90's. The had a pitcher/catcher combo of Black and Decker. Lot's of tool jokes.

[RWJ]

All's quiet on the FO and HC fronts.  Nothing on Twitter from the beat reporters.  Keim is doing a podcast right now with Bram but that's it.  We wait.   

[Hitman#21]

 

Boomer isn't one to throw stuff around.

[Riggo#44]

3 minutes ago, Hitman#21 said:

Boomer isn't one to throw stuff around.

When Keim says it, I'll believe it. Who are Boomer's sources...in New York? 

[spjunkies]

Did Boomer talk **** about the team afterwards like he does on his sports minutes on Audacy? The jerk!

 

https://omny.fm/shows/cbs-sports-minute/1-9-boomer-esiason-cbs-sports-minute-on-the-washin

Edited January 24 by spjunkies

[philibusters]

7 hours ago, FrFan said:

It's not only Keim who's reporting that, some say it's a "done deal". My question wasn't meant to be disrespectuf as you claimed, I was more concerned about the short timeline we have since we're rebuilding from ground up. Since Harris is surrounded by competent people I thought the hiring cycle would be shorter and his team would focus on fewer coaches. We're in a top position in terms of attractiveness to them, so convincing them woudn't be hard. This franchise is so appealing all across the board that I believe they could "fight" to get the jobs here. I think fwiw that Harris wanted Peters before the end of the season, and Peters wants Johnson from the get go. Nevermind

 

Until the Lions are eliminated from the playoffs, we are not even allowed to do an in person interview with Ben Johnson.    In terms of Johnson, it won't move to the next stage until the Lions are eliminated from the playoffs, so expect things to remain in limbo until the Lions are eliminated.  I think you are worrying about noise, when noise is inevitable in situations like this.

[Hitman#21]

6 minutes ago, Riggo#44 said:

When Keim says it, I'll believe it. Who are Boomer's sources...in New York? 

 

He works for CBS the pre game show. He has sources.