Name your Dark Horse HC for Colts in 2018

[HeSoColt]

20 hours ago, SaturdayAllDay said:

I'll throw out a name that hasnt been brought up yet. Chris Petersen, HC of the UW Huskies. He has a 129-28 over his career and has had success with multiple teams. His team this year had the #1 rush defense in the nation, and I think if they manage to shut down Barkley in the Fiesta Bowl he could be a name that starts popping up as a potential candidate for a few teams. Not sure if he will actually want to leave for the NFL, though. 

 

Hes not my first choice as our new HC, but there are plenty of worse options out there. I wouldnt be against it if we picked him up. 

 

Very interesting candidate that will absolutely be in the NFL sooner rather than later.

[hoosierhawk]

Mentioned O'Brien about a month ago and didn't get much support. Still like him. Reason for possibly getting fired is he and GM don't get along. Don't know if GM is problem or O'Brien but he's a hard nose that I think we need.

[loudnproudcolt]

Todd Haley, OC Pittsburgh

[NewColtsFan]

I'm not suggesting the guy I'm going to throw out will be THE guy....

 

Honestly, I don't hear his name linked to the NFL at all, so maybe he's a college coach all the way? 

 

Any interest at at all in Urban Ｍeyer?   He's got quite a thing going at tOSU...   he knows how to spot talent and he's assembled a huckuve coaching staff.   His teams are loaded with players who seem ready to transition to the NFL quickly..

 

What say you, Colts Nation?    Any interest in Ｍeyer?    Just asking....

 

[BlueShoe]

7 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I'm not suggesting the guy I'm going to throw out will be THE guy....

 

Honestly, I don't hear his name linked to the NFL at all, so maybe he's a college coach all the way? 

 

Any interest at at all in Urban Ｍeyer?   He's got quite a thing going at tOSU...   he know how to spot talent and he's assembled a huckuve coaching staff.   His teams are loaded with players who seem ready to transition to the NFL quickly..

 

What say you, Colts Nation?    Any interest in Ｍeyer?    Just asking....

 

 

I would be interested in hiring him. He’s a midwestern dude. 

 

I love the fact that he started his coaching career at the high school level. 

 

Stellar career! His overall coaching record is 176-31 (10-3 in bowl games). He is 53 years old, and should have lots of football days ahead of him. 

 

Outstanding dark horse choice!

[danlhart87]

Jim Bob Cooter.

[aReggie7]

I was just listening to the JMV podcast with Kevin Bowen from today. Bowen brought up a couple of names that I don't think many of us have given much thought about.

 

The Offensive and Defensive Coordinators in Seattle:

 

Darrell Bevell

Kris Richard

 

Bowen pointed out that Ed Dobbs (formerly an executive in Seattle) is now working in the Colts front office and essentially second in command behind Ballard. Bowen said that Ballard trusts Dobbs a great deal. (no surprise since Ballard hired him this year)

 

I would be surprised to see Bevell as a candidate. I can see Kris Richard being a candidate. He interviewed for the Bills job last January. Obviously I have no idea what Dobbs thinks of him but I think he is at least given an interview. That certainly doesn't make him a favorite for the job but I think he is someone to keep in mind.

[BOTT]

5 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I'm not suggesting the guy I'm going to throw out will be THE guy....

 

Honestly, I don't hear his name linked to the NFL at all, so maybe he's a college coach all the way? 

 

Any interest at at all in Urban Ｍeyer?   He's got quite a thing going at tOSU...   he knows how to spot talent and he's assembled a huckuve coaching staff.   His teams are loaded with players who seem ready to transition to the NFL quickly..

 

What say you, Colts Nation?    Any interest in Ｍeyer?    Just asking....

 

He is about the only college coach I would look at.

[BOTT]

6 hours ago, loudnproudcolt said:

Todd Haley, OC Pittsburgh

He did something Belichick couldn't do.....make the playoffs with Matt Cassell.

[BlueShoe]

3 hours ago, ar7 said:

I was just listening to the JMV podcast with Kevin Bowen from today. Bowen brought up a couple of names that I don't think many of us have given much thought about.

 

The Offensive and Defensive Coordinators in Seattle:

 

Darrell Bevell

Kris Richard

 

Bowen pointed out that Ed Dobbs (formerly an executive in Seattle) is now working in the Colts front office and essentially second in command behind Ballard. Bowen said that Ballard trusts Dobbs a great deal. (no surprise since Ballard hired him this year)

 

I would be surprised to see Bevell as a candidate. I can see Kris Richard being a candidate. He interviewed for the Bills job last January. Obviously I have no idea what Dobbs thinks of him but I think he is at least given an interview. That certainly doesn't make him a favorite for the job but I think he is someone to keep in mind.

 

Makes sense. 

[Nancy]

I want a Mike Ditka kind of coach that can be just like the guys! ha  Be a Grabowski!

 

[SLILLINGTON10]

Was watching I think The Herd this morning and he was talking about Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick being at odds and he wouldnt be surprised is Bill leaves after this season and they promote McDaniels in NE... real dark house candidate would be Belichick.

[esmort]

52 minutes ago, SLILLINGTON10 said:

Was watching I think The Herd this morning and he was talking about Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick being at odds and he wouldnt be surprised is Bill leaves after this season and they promote McDaniels in NE... real dark house candidate would be Belichick.

 

Kraft can't be that stupid. 

[Dark Superman]

15 hours ago, loudnproudcolt said:

Todd Haley, OC Pittsburgh

God no. Todd Haley is almost as bad as Pagano.

[Dark Superman]

4 hours ago, esmort said:

 

Kraft can't be that stupid. 

If Belicheck left NE it would probably be to retire.

[BOTT]

5 hours ago, SLILLINGTON10 said:

Was watching I think The Herd this morning and he was talking about Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick being at odds and he wouldnt be surprised is Bill leaves after this season and they promote McDaniels in NE... real dark house candidate would be Belichick.

 

At odds over where to put all,the SB trophies?

[a06cc]

Tony Dungy comes out of retirement. 

[chrisfarley]

I will do a raffle for my home if Pagano is back.  AGH (aint gunna happen)

 

Reich - Darkhorse

[John Hammonds]

My very first post!  And I have two dark horse candidates for Colts head coach.  And remember, dark horse means they're unlikely, but still make you pause and say, hmmm, that's an interesting idea.

 

Dark horse #1 - LOVIE SMITH, head coach Illinois Fighting Illini

The case for Lovie Smith:  89-87 NFL record, with a 2005 Coach of the Year honor.  Winning record 5 out 9 seasons with the Bears, including a 2006 Superbowl appearance being led by one of the worst superbowl QB's of all time, Rex Grossman.  Defense was consistently top ranked.  His demeanor is the most like the beloved Tony Dungy without being Tony Dungy.

The case against Lovie Smith:  Was cursed with, or mismanaged, an iffy cast of QB's (Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, Jay Cutler, Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, and Jeff George Jr).  His two-year tenure with the Bucs was terrible.  Currently, there's a mad break for the exit among his players at Illinois.  That can't be good.

 

Dark horse #2 - MIKE SHANAHAN

The case for Mike Shanahan:  178-144 NFL record, with 8 playoff appearances and 2 superbowl wins.  An offensive mastermind, with a long tree of head coaches that coached under him.  Highly respected.  He knows what he's doing.

The case against Mike Shanahan:  Best years came with John Elway at QB.  Never could seem to reach similar heights again.  Made poor personnel decisions as GM/Coach at the Redskins.  He's 65, and not getting any younger.

 

What do you think?  Definitely two names that nobody has been discussing.  Dark horses, both.

[aReggie7]

26 minutes ago, John Hammonds said:

My very first post!  And I have two dark horse candidates for Colts head coach.  And remember, dark horse means they're unlikely, but still make you pause and say, hmmm, that's an interesting idea.

 

Dark horse #1 - LOVIE SMITH, head coach Illinois Fighting Illini

The case for Lovie Smith:  89-87 NFL record, with a 2005 Coach of the Year honor.  Winning record 5 out 9 seasons with the Bears, including a 2006 Superbowl appearance being led by one of the worst superbowl QB's of all time, Rex Grossman.  Defense was consistently top ranked.  His demeanor is the most like the beloved Tony Dungy without being Tony Dungy.

The case against Lovie Smith:  Was cursed with, or mismanaged, an iffy cast of QB's (Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, Jay Cutler, Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, and Jeff George Jr).  His two-year tenure with the Bucs was terrible.  Currently, there's a mad break for the exit among his players at Illinois.  That can't be good.

 

Dark horse #2 - MIKE SHANAHAN

The case for Mike Shanahan:  178-144 NFL record, with 8 playoff appearances and 2 superbowl wins.  An offensive mastermind, with a long tree of head coaches that coached under him.  Highly respected.  He knows what he's doing.

The case against Mike Shanahan:  Best years came with John Elway at QB.  Never could seem to reach similar heights again.  Made poor personnel decisions as GM/Coach at the Redskins.  He's 65, and not getting any younger.

 

What do you think?  Definitely two names that nobody has been discussing.  Dark horses, both.

 

I brought up Lovie in another thread. Chris Ballard would know him well after their time together in Chicago. I would not be opposed to Lovie but i'm probably one of the few on here who feel that way.

 

I thought it was a mistake by the Bucs to fire him after just two years. My understanding is that the Bucs fired him because they were afraid of losing Dirk Koetter who was the OC when Lovie was the HC.

[JColts72]

No more d coach as cannot stop anyone with either this d or 4-3. 

[SLILLINGTON10]

14 hours ago, esmort said:

 

Kraft can't be that stupid. 

Kraft is going to move on eventually. I always thought it would be whenever Bill wanted to hang it up but crazy things have happened.

[SLILLINGTON10]

9 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

If Belicheck left NE it would probably be to retire.

I think a lot of teams would offer him full control and a blank check.. both are tempting to stay.

[esmort]

8 minutes ago, SLILLINGTON10 said:

Kraft is going to move on eventually. I always thought it would be whenever Bill wanted to hang it up but crazy things have happened.

 

You don't "move on" from a coach that makes you a Super Bowl contender every year ... unless said coach retires, falls off the cliff and has several bad seasons, or does something so outrageous that public/media outrage forces your hand.

 

Any other personality quirks that may be irritating you overlook/learn to live with.

[SLILLINGTON10]

1 hour ago, esmort said:

 

You don't "move on" from a coach that makes you a Super Bowl contender every year ... unless said coach retires, falls off the cliff and has several bad seasons, or does something so outrageous that public/media outrage forces your hand.

 

Any other personality quirks that may be irritating you overlook/learn to live with.

I dont disagree with anything you said..yet again crazy things have happened. And if kraft really prefers Brady over bill what can you do?

[BlueShoe]

If Kraft ever chooses Brady over Belichick then we better never hear about Jim Irsay's past drug issues again, because the biggest drug story of all time would belong to New England. It would take a magic cocktail to make someone that stupid. 

[Rebelknight]

My dark horse is..

 

Mike Vrabel..

[gacoop1]

Wade Phillips, should have had him for DC.

[King Colt]

From "Chuck Strong"  to Chuck Gone". This a "what have you done for us lately" league. He was over his head. 

[lennymoore24]

My dark horse picks:

 

1) Chris Peterson - University Of Washington   Incredibly innovative play caller first at Boise State and now for the Huskies

 

2) Kirk Ferentz -  University Of Iowa   He probably will never leave college but a very good head coach with the talent he has.

 

One thing I would remind people is being a good coordinator doesn't necessarily make a good head coach.  I would compare it to being a good computer programmer doesn't make a good IT Project Manager.  So it always worries me when someone picks a coordinator who's unit had a good year and usually has pretty good talent.  I would look for someone more who is a manager of coaches and has a very clear system they want to run.

[Superman]

9 hours ago, lennymoore24 said:

 

1) Chris Peterson - University Of Washington   Incredibly innovative play caller first at Boise State and now for the Huskies

 

I came here to mention his name. I was hoping he'd get an interview in 2012 when he was still at Boise. Since then, he's turned Washington into a Pac-12 contender and even a playoff team last year. He's known for having disciplined programs, and he does it without belittling his players. Full buy-in everywhere he goes. 

 

But, I wonder about his offensive approach. It's more Andy Reid than Tom Moore: it's innovative and effective, but sometimes overly complex, relying on a lot of formations, motions, misdirection, etc. Tom Moore's offense was simple and lean. Both rely on execution, obviously, but one has a smaller margin for error. And in the NFL, deception doesn't hold up as you put more and more plays on tape. 

 

I'd still have Petersen on my initial list, but I want to know how he'd adapt his approach to the pros. 

[BProland85]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000897050/article/chargers-dc-gus-bradley-other-key-coordinators-are-18-fas

 

If Ballard were to look at another defensive minded coach, I wouldn't mind Bradley, and he has ties to Ed Dodds. 

[coach kline]

On 12/21/2017 at 1:27 AM, Colts1324 said:

Jon Gruden. Dude loves Luck and I can see it. 

He's out of touch. Wasn't that good in first place.

[richard pallo]

Another coach to consider is Lovie Smith.  I believe he is coaching a college team now and he has ties to Ballard when he was in Chicago.   He got to a SB. 

[Superman]

35 minutes ago, BProland85 said:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000897050/article/chargers-dc-gus-bradley-other-key-coordinators-are-18-fas

 

If Ballard were to look at another defensive minded coach, I wouldn't mind Bradley, and he has ties to Ed Dodds. 

 

Merging this with the darkhorse thread. 

[BOTT]

46 minutes ago, BProland85 said:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000897050/article/chargers-dc-gus-bradley-other-key-coordinators-are-18-fas

 

If Ballard were to look at another defensive minded coach, I wouldn't mind Bradley, and he has ties to Ed Dodds. 

I gonna say something I didn't think I would ever say.......I would rather keep Chuck.

[BProland85]

9 minutes ago, BOTT said:

I gonna say something I didn't think I would ever say.......I would rather keep Chuck.

 

No chance in hell I'd want Pagano back 

[BOTT]

2 minutes ago, BProland85 said:

 

No chance in hell I'd want Pagano back 

Why give Bradley consideration then? The man was god awful.

[BProland85]

2 hours ago, BOTT said:

Why give Bradley consideration then? The man was god awful.

 

He hasn't had near the opportunity  Pagano has had. Pagano has gotten 6 years of chances at HC and regressed every year. 

[Colts1324]

On 12/22/2017 at 10:14 PM, BOTT said:

He is about the only college coach I would look at.

I love Urban Meyer, but I also love my Buckeyes. I don’t want to see Ohio State lose the second best college coach in the nation(second to Nick Saban).