Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coodinator
Jonathan Gannon, Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator
Nathaniel Hackett, Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator
Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator
Raheem Morris, Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator
Kevin O’Connell, Los Angeles Rams Offensive Coordinator
Dan Quinn, Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator
DeMeco Ryans, San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator
Patrick Graham, New York Giants Defensive Coordinator
Jim Harbaugh, University of Michigan Head Coach
Nathaniel Hackett was hired by the Denver Broncos. Dan Quinn decided to remain in Dallas as the defensive coordinator. Eight of the ten candidates are still on the head coach market.
The new candidates:
Patrick Graham
I’ve been curious about Patrick Graham since he turned a marginally talented Giants defense into a very troublesome defense for the league’s offenses. Greg Bishop’s Sports Illustrated article about Graham from last September only increased my curiosity. I like his steady coaching rise through the college and professional ranks. Although it might scare off some people, I like the seven years that he spent in Bill Belichick’s coaching incubator. With Graham’s Yale education and scientific study of football, it’s no surprise that Adofo-Mensah has recently developed a friendship with him. In reading Bishop’s article, I couldn’t help but think that Graham was an ideal head coach for the Vikings new general manager.
Jim Harbaugh
This one worries me. For purely football coaching reasons, the possibility of Jim Harbaugh, Pep Hamilton, and Vic Fangio at the top of the Vikings coaching staff is appealing. Very appealing. Harbaugh’s an outstanding football coach. He’s also a bit of a lunatic. Living fairly close to the San Francisco Bay Area, I’m surrounded by San Francisco 49ers fans and San Francisco 49ers news. Due to the ridiculously fair-weathered nature of both, fans and news are in a frenzy when the team is good. Under Harbaugh, the 49ers were very good, even great. He turned them into an immediate contender. It helped greatly that he inherited a very talented team. The 49ers could’ve/should’ve won one title and could’ve won more. Harbaugh might still be coaching the 49ers if it wasn’t for Trent Baalke. That clown was the most significant problem in San Francisco. Pairing a horrible, credit-hungry general manager with a head coach that’s a bit crazy is a bad situation. When a team is winning, everyone is happy. Even people that aren’t the least bit compatible can be happy when a team is winning. If things start to go south, it’s a combustible situation. Didn’t we just see something like that in Minnesota? I’ve always thought that Harbaugh’s coaching style and personality was perfect for college football. He can get tiresome after 3-4 years. In college, he has a new group of players every 3-4 years. He’s not the type of head coach that’s good for the long term health of an NFL team. There’s no doubting Harbaugh’s ability to coach football but drama surrounds and follows him. After firing Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman, Mark Wilf spoke of building an atmosphere of collaboration and inclusivity. Hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah fits that. Hiring Jim Harbaugh doesn’t fit that. Every potential coach brings pros and cons. Harbaugh is loaded with potential cons. When Mike Tice was the head coach of the Vikings, I was constantly worried that the players would do something stupid. If Harbaugh was the Vikings head coach, I’d have daily fears that he’d do something stupid or crazy.
It was wonderful to see Vikings fans in universal agreement on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager. Fans rarely agree on anything. There’s no agreement on a potential head coach. The majority now want Jim Harbaugh. Only days ago, they were embracing change. Now they are kicking change to the curb for more of the same.
The addition of Patrick Graham and Jim Harbaugh to the Vikings head coach candidate list did little to my favorites for the job. Harbaugh’s too much of a loose cannon. I actually like Graham more than Harbaugh as the next Vikings head coach.
My favorites:
1a. DeMeco Ryans
1b. Raheem Morris
3. Kevin O’Connell
4. Patrick Graham
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Vikings will hold second interviews with Ryans, Morris, and O’Connell this week. These will be the first interviews for each with Adofo-Mensah. I’m glad that Morris is still in the mix. Most recent reports have the Vikings focusing on Ryans and O’Connell. With the 49ers loss in the NFC Championship game, Ryans can be hired this week. Morris or O’Connell can’t be hired until after the Super Bowl. I hope that little issue doesn’t impact the decision. I want the Vikings to hire their first choice. Even if they have to wait a couple weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment