Grading the Head Coach Hires

[Dantés]

Grading coaching hires right after they happen is almost as silly as grading draft picks on draft day.

So in light of that, my grades will reflect the silliness of the exercise.

Grading Scale:

LaFleur's Brows: This is my highest grade. Just as Petals has flawless eyebrows, I think the hire was flawless.

Cousins: Just like the QB, it's not a homerun, but you could certainly do worse.

Cleveland: This hire is as average as the Browns. And just like the Browns, people will convince themselves to rejoice in mediocrity.

Covid Toe: Not as bad as it could be, but certainly not what you want.

Drayton: This is the lowest grade. Just as Drayton is incompetent, so is the act of hiring this coach.

 

[Dantés]

The New York Giants

Newly hired Giants' GM Joe Schoen has chosen to hire Brian Daboll.

Daboll isn't old but he has extensive experience. Most recently, he oversaw the development of Josh Allen from raw lump of clay into one of the elite QB's in the NFL. This background makes him a great candidate to try to turn around the career of Daniel Jones. Furthermore, you get points for him being an offensive guy AND the OC of a defensive minded head coach. Lastly, he's well connected, including to the GM who is coming from the same organization.

I'm giving this one a LaFleur's Brows. I think this is exactly how you turn an organization around.

 

[Dantés]

The Chicago Bears

Newly hired Bears' GM Ryan Poles has (supposedly) chosen to hire Matt Eberflus.

I say "supposedly" because it doesn't seem like there was enough time between Poles' hire and the coaching hire for him to have conducted a search. The Bears either told him who the coach would be or gave him options.

I think it's smart to bring in a new GM and coach together. When you off-set that you're asking for problems. A lot of people seem to carry a high opinion of Eberflus around the league, and that makes sense given the way that he carried himself during the whole McDaniels/Colts debacle.

That said, I don't get this hire. He's a good DC, sure-- but not an elite one. And his system isn't cutting edge or unique. His results have been good, but not great in Indianapolis. Furthermore, the biggest goal for the Bears right now is the development of Justin Fields into a franchise QB. By hiring Eberflus, you place tons of importance on the OC hire. And if that OC is good, odds are he only lasts a season or two (as it will be known that he's responsible for any offensive success, not the head coach).

Maybe Eberflus will be the next Sean McDermott, but I think the better odds of success lay in another direction.

Covid Toe for the sad Bears fans.

 

[Dantés]

The Denver Broncos

New-ish GM George Paton is apparently a big Packers fan! He hired Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett and is trying to hire some more assistants too.

I like that Hackett has a diverse background and three years under a master of the offense that's currently really effective in the NFL. That gives him a good shot at incorporating a lot of things that teams like the Packers, Rams, and 49ers do well, without being married to it. He has some success in his history (2017 Jaguars), and the people that work with him seem to think really highly of him.

On the other hand, I don't like hiring an OC when the head coach is the real OC and the QB is elite. I just think you're buying the stock at its highest point. That doesn't necessarily mean he will flop, but when you talk about factors that led to offensive success in Green Bay, he's the 3rd coach on that list for me (behind Petals and Stenavich). There's a pathway here where he's like a Mike McCoy, who got hired as a head coach because Peyton Manning was really good and then totally flamed out (Hackett won't be that bad-- McCoy was a soulless pull string doll without a progressive idea in his entire body).

Finally, you cannot convince me that Denver's hopes of acquiring Rodgers were not tied up in this hire. I'm not saying that that's the only reason they liked him, but you're a fool if you think it wasn't a significant reason. And I don't like making a hire in the hopes that you get this player to come with him, when that may or may not end up being the case.

So while I kind of want to give this one a Cousins, because I like Hackett, I am going to land on Cleveland here, with that last point being the tie breaking factor.

 

[Dantés]

The Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders seem to be the team that finally coaxed Josh McDaniels into his second head coaching stint.

I have mixed feelings.

I do think that McDaniels is a good offensive mind. And he’s a good fit for Derek Carr and some of the other personnel. He also seems well connected— with Spagnuolo and Eberflus both being guys who would have DC’d for him if he had taken past offers.

On the other hand, I don’t like hiring off the BB coaching tree. His assistants try to be him and they just can’t— they don’t have the clout. I also don’t think the man has any honor. What he did with the Colts was ********.

So when I think about both sides, I give this hire a Cleveland.