It’s important at times like this, according to my sportswriting brethren and sistren to decide early who were the winners and losers of this round of coaching hires. As in most years, it’s usually pretty obvious.
At least to me. Last season the worst hire, pretty clearly, was the Los Angeles Chargers going with Anthony Lynn. You have Philip Rivers, in the waning years of his career and a solid, young defense and you hire a ground and pound disciple of failed head coach Rex Ryan? It made no sense.
Looking at some old Eagles stuff. Andy Reid’s 2001 coaching staff was absurd.
Offense:
Brad Childress
Pat Shurmur
Juan Castillo
Defense:
Jim Johnson
Ron Rivera
Steve Spagnuolo
Sean McDermott
Leslie Frazier
Special Teams:
John Harbaugh
Dave Toub
— Matthew Chastain (@MattChastain_) January 17, 2018
Now, after the fact, you can say that Vance Joseph was the worst hire based on end of season records. After all, Lynn’s Chargers finished 9-7. But is that a 9-7 roster? Look at how garbage the AFC was this season and tell me that team shouldn’t have double-digit wins and secured a playoff spot. The Buffalo Bills made the postseason for God’s sake.
Joseph was obviously a disaster too, but at least he had a ridiculous quarterback situation to blame. He’ll not get any more than a single season to repair the damage and Broncos general manager John Elway will address this quarterback situation in the off-season. The best case scenario for Lynn is he’s the second worst head coaching hire of the 2017 off-season. So, you know, kudos, I guess.
The truth is, and Redskins, Buccaneers and Browns fans should really be pissed off at this, of the six head coaching hires made last season, all but Joseph and Lynn were home runs. Doug Marrone (Jacksonville Jaguars), Sean McDermott (Bills) and Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams) all got their teams into the playoffs. Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers) coached the hottest team in the league over the last month of the season and one everybody, including me, thinks will compete for a playoff spot next season. Acing the head coaching hire is as important as finding a franchise quarterback. You don’t have a real, consistently competitive team without one.
So, knowing that, here are you Winners of the 2018-19 NFL Head Coach raffle
WINNERS
Andrew Luck
As we go through our quarterback draft prospects, you’ll hear a lot of talk about a guy’s “ceiling.” It’s a simple concept. How good is the guy now versus how good he could possibly be. Andrew Luck’s “ceiling” is a bust in Canton. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now and he didn’t take a snap this season.
Luck has carried the Indianapolis Colts on his back since they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2012. He no longer has to do it alone as McDaniels will craft offensive gameplans and put the players around him to make his job about 100 times easier. With Luck’s natural abilities and brainpower, aligned with McDaniels’ gamecalling, the Colts are Super Bowl 53 contender right now. Mark it down.
For those bringing up Marcus Mariota in Tennessee and the uncertainty with Andrew Luck’s shoulder when talking about McDaniels, I continue to be told Luck’s recovery has been going exceptionally well since returning from Europe
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) January 15, 2018
Josh McDaniels
Speaking of McDaniels, his first head coaching job with Denver came with Kyle Orton as his quarterback after he chased Jay Cutler off. He also drafted Tim Tebow in the first round. Needless to say, he was fired after a couple of seasons.
His second chance not only comes with more experience and a couple of Super Bowl rings, but with Luck as his quarterback. He’s going from Tom Brady to Andrew Luck. How is that not one of the biggest wins of all time?
Jon Gruden
Let’s just state this up front, a 10-year, $100 million contract makes anyone a winner. But the situation Gruden is stepping into with the Oakland Raiders is ideal. First off, he’ll be coaching the best quarterback of his head coaching career in Derek Carr. Carr’s numbers were down this season, but let’s blame a shitty offensive coordinator and shittier head coach for that. Carr has publicly stated that his first job this off-season is to hook up with Gruden and fix whatever is wrong with his mechanics and QB play. Oakland has great wide receivers and a solid offensive line. The only hole in the scheme is at running back. I’m not sure they’ll bring Marshawn Lynch back. If they do, they’ll still be looking at a long term guy to plug into that spot.
Derek Carr knows what he wants out of Jon Gruden as a coach. pic.twitter.com/yR1mQKoD9n
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 24, 2018
On defense, how about Khalil Mack? You can’t say he’s the best guy Gruden ever coached on that side because he had Charles Woodson his first stint in Oakland and Derek Brooks, Warren Sapp and Ronde Barber and John Lynch with Tampa Bay. Still, he’s pretty damn good. There’s holes in this roster still, mostly on this side of the ball, but the Raiders have the draft capital to fix it and will pick high enough to grab another couple of playmakers in April.
Matthew Stafford
For his entire career, Stafford has been saddled with one of the shittiest head coaches in the league. His first four seasons were with Jim Schwartz, who is a hell of a defensive coordinator, but one of the worst head men in the history of the NFL. His next four years were with Jim Caldwell, again, a decent offensive coordinator, but a horrid head coach.
Matt Stafford had the 2nd-highest passer rating on deep throws pic.twitter.com/eOuE5ywXA9
— PFF (@PFF) January 16, 2018
Unless the entirety of the NFL is talking out of their asses, New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will be taking over the Detroit Lions as soon as the Super Bowl is over. Will Patricia be better than Schwartz or Caldwell? I can’t see the future, but what I do know is he’s a guy that deserved a shot at a head coaching job and earned it with a fist full of rings. If Patricia is smart enough to implement a Patriots-like offensive system (and why wouldn’t he be?) Stafford might have a real shot of doing something in the postseason for the first time in his career.
Odell Beckham Jr.
I want you to look at what Pat Shurmur was able to do with Adam Thielan and Stefon Diggs and imagine what he might be able to draw up for a receiver like OBJ. If you’re a Giants fan, that sense of euphoria should last you all through the off-season. Now think about the production he got out of Case Keenum and realize you have a future Hall of Famer willing to stay in New York in spite of Ben McAdoo’s idiocy in Eli Manning. It’s a bright future on offense in the Big Apple.
God really works in mysterious ways….let the journey begin…. I’m geeeked https://t.co/3tbOTPcSl1
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) January 15, 2018
To make a wager on any sport, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here.
