Grading the 5 new NFL Coaching hires

[XXLMike]

Ralph Vacchiano wouldn’t know a football if it hit him in his manboobs

 

[Blast From The Past]

Shotty has a chance to shock the establishment if he becomes successful here. We dem Cowboys!!!!!

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Besides that, there is a lot of room to question many of the choices. A coach with a terrible roster might be doing the best job to get the group he has to 6-10. A coach with a great roster might be underachieving with 11 wins

Bingo!....another element you have to factor in. The guy could a be great head coach but took a job with bad roster, so so a QB and had injuries. Good example......Raiders job is a huge challenge just looking at their divisional head coaches and QBs. You could argue ALL three teams have elite QBS and head coaches. You have an average roster with NO QB..........now try winning that division within the next 2-3 years. That is about the time they will start calling for your head. But I think Carroll is the better choice for them than Ben Johnson.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

This is like draft grades. Useless until a minimum of two years.

 

[Sydla]

you lost me Creep. What do you think they are trying to accomplish?

At the end of the day, I like what Helman said........there's nothing to suggest Shotty will be any worse than any of the other FIRST TIME head coaches coz none has ever done it. He's right........being a master play designer or play caller doesn't mean you can manage people and a team. This is particular true when things start going south and pressure kicks in.

Sure but to deny Schottenheimer isn't a bigger risk than some of these first timers is a bit misguided.

You look at these guys and most have something they can fall back on - Johnson has shown to be a good play caller and designer of an offense. Now does that mean he can lead an entire team? No, but at least he is a high performer at something.

Schotty has none of that. He's an offensive coach that bounced around, was never considered great at what he did, etc. Does that mean he can't lead a team? No, but honestly, when you have a guy that is as non-descript as him and compare him to someone who has a track of high level success as an assistant, that guy is clearly a bigger risk.

I also tend to put weight on market dynamics. Schottenheimer has been around AWHILE and couldn't sniff a head gig despite having been given some advantages (such as who his father was). That's a potential red flag to me when you hire a new HC that no one else ever thought was competent for that role.

 

[charron]

Yes the head coach is a d grade but more importantly they do seem to be putting a nice staff together and that is what really matters. And unless they change how they want to operate in free agency it won't matter anyway cause this team needs more than a handful of guys they can get in the draft to be successful.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Bingo!....another element you have to factor in. The guy could a be great head coach but took a job with bad roster, so so a QB and had injuries. Good example......Raiders job is a huge challenge just looking at their divisional head coaches and QBs. You could argue ALL three teams have elite QBS and head coaches. You have an average roster with NO QB..........now try winning that division within the next 2-3 years. That is about the time they will start calling for your head. But I think Carroll is the better choice for them than Ben Johnson.

I agree with this, Carroll has the experience to figure out the path for them to get better sooner rather than later. Johnson is the hot coordinator, but he has to prove that he can develop the team around a young QB that isn't of his choosing.

 

[Denim Chicken]

These media people are haters and idiots. But I am sure many on here love them.

Some of them aren't even Media. Some rando named Adam with 100 followers? Great content.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Sure but to deny Schottenheimer isn't a bigger risk than some of these first timers is a bit misguided.

You look at these guys and most have something they can fall back on - Johnson has shown to be a good play caller and designer of an offense. Now does that mean he can lead an entire team? No, but at least he is a high performer at something.

Schotty has none of that. He's an offensive coach that bounced around, was never considered great at what he did, etc. Does that mean he can't lead a team? No, but honestly, when you have a guy that is as non-descript as him and compare him to someone who has a track of high level success as an assistant, that guy is clearly a bigger risk.

I also tend to put weight on market dynamics. Schottenheimer has been around AWHILE and couldn't sniff a head gig despite having been given some advantages (such as who his father was). That's a potential red flag to me when you hire a new HC that no one else ever thought was competent for that role.

I understand but still, there is nothing to factually prove Johnson or Glenn will be a better first-time NFL Head Coach than Shotty until proven. Way too many other factors, many beyond their control, to consider. As stated, being partially in charge of one side of the ball, designing plays and calling plays doesn't mean he has the leadership required to successfully lead an entire team.

Play calling and designing plays vs leading an entire team are two different things. It's not about being successful but keeping all the pieces ( players/coaches) focused when you are not successful. It's easy when things are going great but real pressure comes when things start going south and players/coaches question your direction/leadership. All I am saying is we have nothing to prove Johnson or Glenn will handle these circumstances any better than Shotty.

Shoot, if you believe Cooper Rush, Shotty is an excellent communicator and teacher ...that's a start

 

[Hawkeye0202]

I agree with this, Carroll has the experience to figure out the path for them to get better sooner rather than later. Johnson is the hot coordinator, but he has to prove that he can develop the team around a young QB that isn't of his choosing.

Agree 100% .......Carroll is a good coach to lay the foundation for the next coach.

 

[beware_d-ware]

Schotty has had way more chances as an NFL playcaller than most, and he's never done anything with them. Dude is a proven mediocrity in a way that coaches rarely get to prove themselves.

 

[fivetwos]

I’m not thrilled with the Schotty hire but honestly, how can you grade a guy who hasn’t even coached a game yet? As frustrated as I am as a fan with this organization, Brian Schottenheimer deserves a chance to show us what he can do…or can’t do.

In other words this is like grading a student on the first day of school before doing anything.

Yep I’m with that.

The deck is stacked in season one though IMO. The schedule is murder, there’s no more two free bingo card spaces with division games that Garrett and McCarthy had, and the combo of continuing to ignore free agency with a couple of not so great drafts in a row has made this a multi off-season fix….even if they actually try, which is very far from a given.

I really don’t know what they think at times. They don’t want to pay coaches OR players that they didn’t draft or don’t sell jerseys. How exactly is that going to add up to on-field success? It’s really a great question for the smartest people on earth.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

It's hard enough for a good coach to overcome this organization. It's hard for me to believe that a guy who was on nobody's radar could do it.

 

[Boyzmamacita]

Schottenheimer has been in the NFL 24 years. The Cowboys just made him a HC for the first time. No other team was interested in interviewing him for any position.

Just sayin'...

And? I'm not saying he's great. I'm saying we don't know how he or any of the others will fare. Time will tell.

 

[gimmesix]

Please list the NFL teams that Schotty has been a head coach for.

Although I know you're not really looking for this, he was in the running for the Miami Dolphins job in 2007 after Nick Saban but pulled his name from consideration, saying he preferred to stay with the Jets. He was interviewed for the Jets job in 2009 after Mangini was fired, but the Jets went with Rex Ryan instead and No-Schott stayed as coordinator. Then, in 2010, he announced that he was going to stay with the Jets as OC and not interview for the Bills head coaching vacancy. He also interviewed for the Jaguars head coaching job in 2012.

Now, we don't know if he would have gotten any of those jobs, but he pretty much pulled out of consideration for two and lost out on two, including one where they wanted him to remain offensive coordinator. After that, he never really got another shot. He was let go by New York after he interviewed with Jacksonville, was offensive coordinator for three years for a failed Rams team that lost its starting QB for two of those years, was offensive coordinator for a year for the Georgia Bulldogs, was QB coach for Indy for two years before being hired as Seattle's OC where he was fired for "philosophical differences." He then was part of the failed staff of Urban Meyer's in Jacksonville before coming here.

I just think he missed his window and then was part of several failures. How much of the failures were his fault is hard to say. Some seemed like bad situations, but not all of them, but he wasn't going to get head coaching opportunities coming out of those situations. Of course, it's fair to say he shouldn't have gotten a head coaching opportunity after the way McCarthy's time in Dallas ended, either.

 

[gimmesix]

Schotty has none of that. He's an offensive coach that bounced around, was never considered great at what he did, etc. Does that mean he can't lead a team? No, but honestly, when you have a guy that is as non-descript as him and compare him to someone who has a track of high level success as an assistant, that guy is clearly a bigger risk.

I don't know if he was never considered great. I guess it depends on how you measure greatness.

The Jets offense with him as coordinator scored 405 points in 2008 for only the third time in team history over 400 and scored 42 touchdowns, which was the most for New York in a decade. The Jets reached the AFC Championship Game twice while he was OC, with Mark Sanchez at QB, but those were the Rex Ryan years and we know his defenses were good.

He also was QB coach in Indianapolis when Andrew Luck had the best season of his career and offensive coordinator in Seattle when Russell Wilson had the best season of his career. In 2020, the Seahawks set the franchise record for points scored with 459.

There were some lows in there as well, so I'm not saying he has been great throughout his career, but I don't know how fair it is to compare him to the likes of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, who are rising stars like No-Schott was with the Jets.

I would have preferred Johnson or Glenn simply because they are on the rise, but they could just as easily fall. My preference was actually Belichick and then Sanders. Belichick because he's experienced NFL success as a head coach and Jerry might actually listen to him and Sanders because at least he has shown he can be a successful head coach. I prefer No-Schott over some of the retreads we could have brought in, because I believe if they couldn't win somewhere else, they are not going to do it here with our front office's mismanagement.

 

[TNCowboy]

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Schotty has had way more chances as an NFL playcaller than most, and he's never done anything with them. Dude is a proven mediocrity in a way that coaches rarely get to prove themselves.

Except for the fact Wilson had his best years with him as the playcaller.

I wasn't excited with the Schottenheimer pick, but the staff he is putting together is certainly promising. He has guys that proven that they are decent position coaches and coordinators. I mean, didn't McCarthy initially bring in duds like Mike Nolan who was simply awful and Jim Tomsula? ANd of course Solari who none of us thought was a good move.

 

[shabazz]

To those of you who think you know, why is Schotty such a horrible hire? If a team other than Dallas had hired him, would you think more of him? That seems to be the criteria for perceived coaching greatness...Anybody But Dallas.

Many of us haven't declared Schottenheimer as a person that can't be a great HC.....we just don't see him as being the most qualified due to his resume and sucess level.

When Jerod Mayo was hired by the Patriots I thought he was even less qualified than Schotty. Mayo had never even reached the level of coordinator in the NFL before his HC hiring......same exact situation with Antonio Pierce never having coordinator title in the NFL.

It's not attacking the person being hired as much as the blatant disregard of "Best Candidates" for the HC position by the owners

There's 2 examples of the criteria for another teams hiring as NOT better than our own.....at least Shotty has time as an OC to his credit

 

[DandyDon52]

I think all the new HC should start out as a F and then work their way up thru S1.
you can start to grade them based on who they hire as asst's and what plan they have if any.

Too many grade new HC's based on if they looked like a good dc or oc.
Many times it is the players that make them look better than they are.

I also think the NFL should make a rule that no HC can be interviewed or talked to until AFTER the SB !!!!!!!!!!!!

I find it odd detroit played so badly, and both the DC and OC couldnt wait to go to their new HC job.
Last year Dan Quinn was eager to get to his HC job.
Interviews and wanting to get to new job as soon as possible conflicts with desire to keep winning for their current team.

If detroit had kept winning and was in the SB, things would be vastly different for their 2 coordinators!