NFL News

[Mainevent]

Not having Payton is the bigger issue. And maybe he left because they are going to tear it all down. If they are going for a clean sweep and taking it down to the studs, I wouldn't expect Allen to get the nod as HC.

[Nick Pappageorgio]

Kind of hard to attract a bigger name coach though….hiring from within might be their best (and only) move.

Anyone legit would require a Campbell-esque contract…..they’re looking at 2 years of cap purgatory before they can fully start the rebuild. If Loomis hires an up and comer (like leftwitch or Bieniemy) there’s going to be friction and power issues between coach and FO.

Maybe Mickey will be more savvy that I give him credit for…but hiring Allen looks like the only move he has.

[JGSpartan]

I do wonder how much the Lions are going to jump into free agency versus playing the comp pick game. I think it's pretty certain they will at least dip their toes into free agency but they still might be in bargain bin mode. If they are in the latter, signing cap casualties is something to keep an eye on. I doubt it's like last year, where circumstances dictated the full bore comp pick game was the play.

Considering they only have a couple guys that would likely even draw comp picks and probably not even great ones. I don't think that's something to aim for this year. They could make the cap they have go pretty far through how they structure the signings.

[Futureshock]

Giants complete second interview with Leslie Frazier

Posted by Charean Williams on January 28, 2022, 4:11 PM EST

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Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier completed an in-person interview with the Giants on Friday, six days after Frazier had a virtual interview.

Frazier, 62, met with team president John Mara, chairman Steve Tisch and General Manager Joe Schoen at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. He also met with other members of the front office and toured the team’s facility.

Schoen spent the past five years as the right-hand man of Bills General Manager Brandon Beane, so it’s no surprise Frazier and Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll are high on the Giants’ list.

The Giants have completed in-person interviews with Daboll, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, whose Bengals play at Kanas City in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, had a virtual interview last Sunday.

Frazier has spent the past five seasons as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator.

He has head coaching experience, taking over the Vikings as interim coach in 2010 before getting the full-time job from 2011-13. He went 21-32-1 and made the postseason once in his tenure in Minnesota.

[Futureshock]

Andrew Whitworth good to go, Van Jefferson questionable for Sunday

Posted by Josh Alper on January 28, 2022, 3:42 PM EST

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Rams head coach Sean McVay shared his team’s injury report for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the 49ers and it featured some good news for the offensive line.

McVay said that left tackle Andrew Whitworth is good to go after missing last Sunday’s win with a knee injury. Whitworth moved from limited to full practice on Thursday, which was a good sign that he was on track to return to action this weekend.

Linebacker Ernest Jones is also set to play. He was designated to return from injured reserve last week after missing time with an ankle injury.

Wide receiver Van Jefferson (knee) and safety Taylor Rapp (concussion) are both considered questionable to play. Jefferson returned to practice Thursday while Rapp has missed the last two games.

Tackle Joe Noteboom (pectoral) is listed as doubtful and is not expected to play.

[Futureshock]

Report: Packers interviewed Kevin Koger, set to interview Brian Johnson for OC opening

Posted by Josh Alper on January 28, 2022, 3:31 PM EST

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Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said earlier this week that the team plans to promote from within to fill the offensive coordinator hole left by Nathaniel Hackett moving to the Broncos as their new head coach, but they are reportedly speaking with outside candidates as well.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the team has interviewed Chargers tight ends coach Kevin Koger and that they are expected to interview Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson for the position.

Koger was an offensive quality control coach for the Packers in 2019 and 2020 before joining Brandon Staley’s staff as their tight ends coach. Johnson just finished his first season with the Eagles after serving as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at the collegiate level at Florida and Houston.

The in-house candidates for the job are quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator Luke Getsy and offensive line coach/run game coordinator Adam Stenavich, although Getsy reportedly has other suitors for his services as well.

[Futureshock]

Lol. That Kevin Koger is a cousin of my wife. Nice guy.

[Futureshock]

Dolphins request second interview with Brian Daboll

Posted by Josh Alper on January 28, 2022, 2:23 PM EST

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Word this week was that the Dolphins wanted to speak with Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll again about their head coaching vacancy.

They’ve now formally requested the chance for a second meeting with him. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported the request on Friday.

Any interview would likely come next week, but it may be contingent on the choice that the Giants make. Daboll has already interviewed with them twice and reports have him and Brian Flores pegged as the favorites to get the job. The Giants are expected to make a decision over the weekend.

49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore are the other candidates who are reportedly in the mix for second interviews in Miami.

[Futureshock]

Mickey Loomis on new coach: More important to get it right than do it quick

Posted by Josh Alper on January 28, 2022, 2:05 PM EST

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Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis met with the media on Friday for the first time since Sean Payton stepped down as the team’s head coach and the search for his successor was the main topic of conversation.

Loomis called this search process “completely different” than the 2006 one that ended with Payton being hired and that’s largely because of how successful the team was over Payton’s 16 years in the team. Loomis said that he feels Payton left the team in much better shape than he found it and that the organization isn’t looking for “wholesale change” with the hiring of a new coach.

The search for that coach got off to a later start than those of other teams, but Loomis said he isn’t feeling pressured to speed the process up as a result.

“I wouldn’t say that I have some drop dead date,” Loomis said. “Obviously, you want to move the process around as quickly as possible and yet it’s more important to get it right than it is to do it quick. We’re going to be diligent about that.”

Loomis called defensive coordinator Dennis Allen “an excellent candidate” while noting that there are others outside the organization who fit the same description. He said the team will keep interviewing until they find “someone that we’re in love with” and make that person the next head coach in New Orleans.

[Futureshock]

To get the most out of Justin Fields over the long haul, should the Bears have hired an offensive coach?

Posted by Mike Florio on January 28, 2022, 11:19 AM EST

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The Bears haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman. The Bears hope to have one in Justin Fields. The Bears hope the next coaching staff will nudge Fields in that direction.

The Bears have decided that said coaching staff should be led by former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. That’s their prerogative, obviously. But the decision comes with a challenge, and a potential problem.

It becomes critical for the Bears to have an excellent offensive coordinator. They’ll reportedly interview Pep Hamilton; whoever gets the job, the Bears need an offensive coordinator who will create the right connection with Field. Who will get the most out of Fields. Who will develop and mentor and help Fields become the best quarterback he can be. If that happens, if the Bears thrive and Fields rises, the offensive coordinator will become a prime candidate to secure the head-coaching job with another team.

If he leaves, Eberflus will need to replace him. And if things continue to go well, that coordinator will be gone, too. That’s why — especially with a young quarterback who already has had a rookie year that went poorly enough to get the coach fired — it’s better to hire an offensive-minded coach. If the team thrives, the coach will be there. The relationship with the quarterback will remain, and it will strengthen.

Sure, the Bears obviously decided the Eberflus will be a better coach than any of the offensive-minded candidates. But how can they be so sure? Whenever a coordinator becomes a head coach for the first time, it’s a projection. A roll of the dice. A hope. A wish.

If that projection is being made for a team with a young and unproven quarterback, I’d want to not undermine the relationship between coach and quarterback. I’d want the head coach to have an offensive background, making him the one person in the organization who is most closely tied to the young quarterback — and the one person who won’t get hired away by another team.

[Tom]

Curious to see how this affects the Bills:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33168803/sources-new-york-giants-hiring-brian-daboll-next-head-coach

[Iron Lion]

Lol, the Raiders. Wtf are they doing? Have they learned NOTHING?

[jaadam4]

To get the most out of Justin Fields over the long haul, should the Bears have hired an offensive coach?

Posted by Mike Florio on January 28, 2022, 11:19 AM EST

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This is what I never understood about the Jim Shorts hire. They have a #1 pick franchise QB and they started his career off with a defensive minded coach, followed up by a conservative followed by another defensive moron.

And they wondered by he didn’t lead us to the SB

[Mainevent]

You mean like Matt Nagy?

[jaadam4]

Yes.. Just like Nagy. Hire another one of him all day long. I’m totally good with it

Im all for Chicago completely wasting a damned good defense for all of these years.