[SI] Matt Eberflus: The top defensive head coach candidate

[stitches]

Here's a good read on Matt Eberflus by Andy Benoit from Sports Illustrated(very much worth reading):

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/07/matt-eberflus-head-coach-indianapolis-colts-defensive-coordinator

 

(the following is just an excerpt, go to the link for full story)

 

Quote

 

Hire Matt Eberflus: He’s the Best Defensive Mind Among Head-Coaching Candidates

By ANDY BENOIT 

January 07, 2019

 

 

Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is the rare first-time coordinator who accepted a job and then had to wait to find out who his head coach would be. Tapped for the Josh McDaniels staff, Eberflus stayed with the Colts thanks in part to support from GM Chris Ballard, who sold Indy’s Plan B Coach, Frank Reich, on the longtime Cowboys defensive assistant. During those turbulent weeks, Eberflus kept working on a project that he’d started almost right away: studying Indy’s defensive roster.

 

Eberflus watched the film on every snap of every current Colts defender spanning back over the last four years. He’d spend the first 75 or so plays just watching. Then, he’d start jotting down notes. When no plays were left, he’d read through his notes and type out a final report.

 

Most of those final reports reiterated what Eberflus almost surely expected going in: His Indy defense needed work. A lot of work. Most players had been acquired for previous head coach Chuck Pagano’s 3-4 blitzing, matchup-coverage system, which was antithetical to Eberflus’s 4-3 zone coverage scheme. Given this and the underwhelming talent of many of those Pagano players, one could argue that every position on Indy’s defense save for 2017 first-rounder Malik Hooker’s free safety spot needed upgrading.

 

Even if Ballard were to be aggressive altering the roster—and he was, Indy drafted five defensive rookies and signed three notable defensive contributors—Eberflus would still be working with a crew of young players, journeymen vets and whatever ill-fitting Pagano holdovers remained.

 

[... read more here ...]

 

 

[Shadow_Creek]

11 minutes ago, stitches said:

Here's a good read on Matt Eberflus by Andy Benoit from Sports Illustrated(very much worth reading):

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/07/matt-eberflus-head-coach-indianapolis-colts-defensive-coordinator

 

(the following is just an excerpt, go to the link for full story)

 

 

i'm surprised the Ravens DC isn't on head coach watch i mean he had that D looking scary.. our defense needs another draft or two to get there

[Fluke_33]

7 minutes ago, stitches said:

Here's a good read on Matt Eberflus by Andy Benoit from Sports Illustrated:

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/07/matt-eberflus-head-coach-indianapolis-colts-defensive-coordinator

 

(the following is just an excerpt, go to the link for full story)

 

 

 

He has done wonders here.   I really wish we can keep him but with the respective GMs of the colts and browns knowing each other so well, i expect there will be a lot of communication, praise and trust of said praise regarding eberflus.  I expect he will be the browns next hc.  

 

If so, I hope they have someone in place that will continue his methods.  It was fun to hear the players talk about "loafs" etc.  on radio interviews.  They clearly bought into it and held each other accountable.  

[Mr.NotSoCreative]

I hope he sees an opportunity to win a SB here in Indy and stays. We are cooking some good stuff here.

[stitches]

If he's getting this much hype this early, IMO it's all but guaranteed that we lose him sooner or later. It might not happen this year, but if our defense has similar or better year next year, it will be almost impossible for teams to ignore him. There just aren't that many good head coaching candidates. With that said... if I'm Eberflus I wait for the right opportunity, I wouldn't jump on the first team that offers me, specifically because IMO if not this year, in one of the following years he is very likely to be a VERY HOT candidate, especially if we get some more elite talent on the defensive side of the football in the off-season. I wouldn't want to go to a team with weak GM and 'organizational structure'.

 

The weird thing is... he's interviewing with the Browns this year(I think he's already had that interview?) which IMO is a great job. There is a ton of talent on that roster, there is a great young QB AND Dorsey IMO is one of the better GMs in the league too. If the Browns offered him the job, I don't know how he would refuse it. If I were in his place, I'd have hard time turning that one down. 

[shasta519]

18 minutes ago, Fluke_33 said:

 

He has done wonders here.   I really wish we can keep him but with the respective GMs of the colts and browns knowing each other so well, i expect there will be a lot of communication, praise and trust of said praise regarding eberflus.  I expect he will be the browns next hc.  

 

If so, I hope they have someone in place that will continue his methods.  It was fun to hear the players talk about "loafs" etc.  on radio interviews.  They clearly bought into it and held each other accountable.  

 

I just can't imagine CLE hiring a defensive coach...unless they can get Kitchens to agree to stay for a long time.

 

Apparently, they reached out to McDaniels...but no way they got that route. 

[CR91]

I honestly don't get why they want Eberflus. No offense to matt. Hes done great, but Greg Williams has already made them a respectable defense. They need an offense that Mayfield can grow in for 10+ years.

[chad72]

37 minutes ago, Fluke_33 said:

 

He has done wonders here.   I really wish we can keep him but with the respective GMs of the colts and browns knowing each other so well, i expect there will be a lot of communication, praise and trust of said praise regarding eberflus.  I expect he will be the browns next hc.  

 

If so, I hope they have someone in place that will continue his methods.  It was fun to hear the players talk about "loafs" etc.  on radio interviews.  They clearly bought into it and held each other accountable.  

 

I am afraid this will happen mainly because they want to retain Freddie Kitchens and mandate that he will be OC for the new HC coming in. Offensive minded coaches will not go for that. 

[Crunked]

If I may pout a little, I don't wanna lose Eberflus! lol.......since the Manning Era I have always wanted a defense I could be proud of as a fan......back then we had playmakers that made it work for a SB victory, but we never had a defense that we could say, "They can hold their own consistently"..........we still have work to do in that regard, but Eb has us maximizing our talent......and with a little more talent on that side of the ball we could be monsters.......(no pun intended)

[cbear]

With all due respect to Eberflus, I'm not so sure why he is in so much demand.  Imo, one year as a DC, no matter how good a turn around, isn't qualification to be a head coach. 

 

But maybe he has a rep among football people that we aren't privy to.  Either way, I do think he's gone. 

[shasta519]

3 minutes ago, CR91 said:

I honestly don't get why they want Eberflus. No offense to matt. Hes done great, but Greg Williams has already made them a respectable defense. They need an offense that Mayfield can grow in for 10+ years.

 

Exactly. Why wouldn't they just keep Williams as HC if that was their priority? 

 

Honestly, I think they make Kitchens the HC to continue to develop Mayfield. And Kitchens hires a DC and gives him full autonomy of the defense.

[chad72]

Chuck Pagano is a definite possibility since he is typically very co-operative with coaching choices but for a young defense, they feel Eberflus' coaching is much better, I guess. 

 

The Browns should just retain Gregg Williams. Why mess with something that is working fine? What is the guarantee any new coach can do better than what they have done, given the Browns' history?

[Fluke_33]

12 minutes ago, shastamasta said:

 

I just can't imagine CLE hiring a defensive coach...unless they can get Kitchens to agree to stay for a long time.

 

Apparently, they reached out to McDaniels...but no way they got that route. 

I think they’ve declined interviews with kitchens bc they intend to retain him.  Not sure where I heard or read that.  

 

Mcdoof has ohio connections but i cant imagine Dorsey hiring him after what he did to Ballard last year.  

[Fluke_33]

19 minutes ago, stitches said:

If he's getting this much hype this early, IMO it's all but guaranteed that we lose him sooner or later. It might not happen this year, but if our defense has similar or better year next year, it will be almost impossible for teams to ignore him. There just aren't that many good head coaching candidates. With that said... if I'm Eberflus I wait for the right opportunity, I wouldn't jump on the first team that offers me, specifically because IMO if not this year, in one of the following years he is very likely to be a VERY HOT candidate, especially if we get some more elite talent on the defensive side of the football in the off-season. I wouldn't want to go to a team with weak GM and 'organizational structure'.

 

The weird thing is... he's interviewing with the Browns this year(I think he's already had that interview?) which IMO is a great job. There is a ton of talent on that roster, there is a great young QB AND Dorsey IMO is one of the better GMs in the league too. If the Browns offered him the job, I don't know how he would refuse it. If I were in his place, I'd have hard time turning that one down. 

My thoughts too.  I hope he wants to wait for the right opportunity.  Unfortunately Cleve seems like the perfect one. 

[shasta519]

3 minutes ago, Fluke_33 said:

I think they’ve declined interviews with kitchens bc they intend to retain him.  Not sure where I heard or read that.  

 

Mcdoof has ohio connections but i cant imagine Dorsey hiring him after what he did to Ballard last year.  

 

I can't imagine Dorsey doing that either. I read that Dorsey has the same agent that parted ways with McDaniels after the stunt he pulled last year. I don't know the details around that...but that seems like a pretty big hurdle to overcome...in addition to everything else.

[OffensivelyPC]

29 minutes ago, stitches said:

If he's getting this much hype this early, IMO it's all but guaranteed that we lose him sooner or later. It might not happen this year, but if our defense has similar or better year next year, it will be almost impossible for teams to ignore him. There just aren't that many good head coaching candidates. With that said... if I'm Eberflus I wait for the right opportunity, I wouldn't jump on the first team that offers me, specifically because IMO if not this year, in one of the following years he is very likely to be a VERY HOT candidate, especially if we get some more elite talent on the defensive side of the football in the off-season. I wouldn't want to go to a team with weak GM and 'organizational structure'.

 

The weird thing is... he's interviewing with the Browns this year(I think he's already had that interview?) which IMO is a great job. There is a ton of talent on that roster, there is a great young QB AND Dorsey IMO is one of the better GMs in the league too. If the Browns offered him the job, I don't know how he would refuse it. If I were in his place, I'd have hard time turning that one down. 

It's important to be aware of your own development in the context of typical career progression.  You're chances of failure by accepting too much responsibility before you are ready can and often does result in a career setback.  Sure, there are rare instances when a person beats the curve, but generally speaking, the odds are against you.  Eberflus has 9 years in the NFL, 8 of them as a position coach.  Going from a LB coach to a HC in two seasons would be a rough jump for anyone.  Throw in the fact that you have a young QB still developing , all the signs are there for a short tenured HC job.

 

Eberflus would be wise to wait another year or more.

[BProland85]

REALLY hope we can keep him for at least another year. 

[jameszeigler834]

1 hour ago, Shadow_Creek said:

i'm surprised the Ravens DC isn't on head coach watch i mean he had that D looking scary.. our defense needs another draft or two to get there

Even at that look at the talent level of the ravens defense now look at the level on ours it isn't very close so I see why teams are eyeing up Eberflus. I hope he stays.

[Myles]

46 minutes ago, cbear said:

With all due respect to Eberflus, I'm not so sure why he is in so much demand.  Imo, one year as a DC, no matter how good a turn around, isn't qualification to be a head coach. 

 

But maybe he has a rep among football people that we aren't privy to.  Either way, I do think he's gone. 

I believe he was the most sought after defensive coordinator candidate last year.   I agree the progression is fast, but I think we will lose him.    The Browns would be making a mistake though.   They need an offensive minded coach.    

[Myles]

46 minutes ago, Fluke_33 said:

My thoughts too.  I hope he wants to wait for the right opportunity.  Unfortunately Cleve seems like the perfect one. 

I agree.  Eberflus would be making a mistake if he didn't take the Browns job.   They are young, hungry and solid at almost every position.   They also have lower expectations than most good teams.     

[Lucky Colts Fan]

Why does Benoit hate the Colts so much?

 

He's always so quick to criticize the Colts, and now he wants us to lose one of our best assets.

 

I understand that as we are more successful, our assistants will be targeted by other teams, but we don't need this hack advocating for our coaches to get poached by other teams. 

[King Colt]

Every time any team in the NFL shows promise the parasites come out and attempt to steal the talent like vultures circling roadkill. 

[#12.]

If we beat the Chiefs 35-7, he might get a job, but outside of that, I can't see it, not this year.  

[Clem-Dog]

I think Cleveland will hire an offensive minded head coach who will accept Greg Williams as his defensive coordinator, possibly McCarthy.  If McDaniels leaves New England he will go to Green Bay or maybe Cleveland.  I don't think either team is a threat.  Also, Licht seems to be targeting an offensive minded coach for Tampa as well, possibly Arians.

 

That leaves the Cardinals, Bengals, Broncos, Dolphins and Jets.  Out of these choices the Broncos are the ones who have traditionally pilfered from the Colts so I expect Elway to eventually inquire because they need a defensive masterminded who will mesh with Kubiak, and we know Eberflus is flexible.  Plus Denver's cupboard is fully stocked.  

 

Eberflus could also turn the Bengals and Jets around but it's less likely.  The Dolphins and Cards should not pose a threat. 

[Fluke_33]

49 minutes ago, King Colt said:

Every time any team in the NFL shows promise the parasites come out and attempt to steal the talent like vultures circling roadkill. 

Like we did to the eagles!  hahaha

[ColtsBlueFL]

7 hours ago, Fluke_33 said:

I think they’ve declined interviews with kitchens bc they intend to retain him.  Not sure where I heard or read that.  

 

Mcdoof has ohio connections but i cant imagine Dorsey hiring him after what he did to Ballard last year.  

 

https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/nfl/browns/browns-confirm-interview-with-freddie-kitchens-for-head-coaching-vacancy/95-e184ecbe-c31c-4a1e-867c-4d362a09a3fd

 

https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20190107/sports/301079863

 

[BOTT]

7 hours ago, chad72 said:

 

I am afraid this will happen mainly because they want to retain Freddie Kitchens and mandate that he will be OC for the new HC coming in. Offensive minded coaches will not go for that. 

And if the Browns offense performs next year Kitchens will be gone.  That's the problem with hiring a defensive minded HC when you have a young QB.

[BOTT]

7 hours ago, chad72 said:

Chuck Pagano is a definite possibility since he is typically very co-operative with coaching choices but for a young defense, they feel Eberflus' coaching is much better, I guess. 

 

The Browns should just retain Gregg Williams. Why mess with something that is working fine? What is the guarantee any new coach can do better than what they have done, given the Browns' history?

Chuck has a slightly better chance than me.

[Moosejawcolt]

7 hours ago, jameszeigler834 said:

Even at that look at the talent level of the ravens defense now look at the level on ours it isn't very close so I see why teams are eyeing up Eberflus. I hope he stays.

However, the Ravens D success  was due  more to coaching than personnel.  A lot of people r actually surprised the Ravens D coordinator is not getting looks. People have marvelled  at how he has out schemed many O coordinators he has faced this year.  His D is  known for its complexities and different looks he gives opposing teams. I give  Eberflus credit for player development.   Not sure how much of a brilliant mind he is though.  Remember this D is based  simplicity. I think he maybe missed, but he is not irreplaceable. Just my thoughts.

[jameszeigler834]

17 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

However, the Ravens D success  was due  more to coaching than personnel.  A lot of people r actually surprised the Ravens D coordinator is not getting looks. People have marvelled  at how he has out schemed many O coordinators he has faced this year.  His D is  known for its complexities and different looks he gives opposing teams. I give  Eberflus credit for player development.   Not sure how much of a brilliant mind he is though.  Remember this D is based  simplicity. I think he maybe missed, but he is not irreplaceable. Just my thoughts.

Maybe not but depending on his replacement it might hurt.

[Moosejawcolt]

10 minutes ago, jameszeigler834 said:

Maybe not but depending on his replacement it might hurt.

I trust in this organization to make the right call if they have to hire another D coordinator

[jimhegley]

I understand the rules allow for coaches to interview during the early part of the play-offs, I just don't think it is a good idea.  I think the focus should be on the upcoming game, period.  If a team wants a particular person, they will wait.  You might say, if they wait they may lose him.  If the coach says wait until I am through with this job I presently have (with massive responsibilities right now), I would call that "character."  I hope this Cleveland things is not going to effect his ability to focus on Kansas City.  You might say, don't worry about that, but to be honest, I am worried just a bit.  I have been interviewed for jobs while working, and at least for me, reviewing the new job description, etc, was awfully difficult to put out of my mind while I continue in my present position.  Maybe that is just me.  Anyway, I am concerned.

[coltsva]

2 hours ago, BOTT said:

Chuck has a slightly better chance than me.

Best of luck to both of you!

[ReMeDy]

Whoops, edit.

[markabrown96]

I hope that interview doesn't throw him his off his game this week. Must win in KC!

[dw49]

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports Browns OC Freddie Kitchens is receiving "strong consideration for the head job."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer adds there's a "good chance" Kitchens is promoted. Per Rapsheet, the Browns have been "making calls to people who’ve worked with" Kitchens, a sign they are seriously considering promoting him. Kitchens' 2018 performance after replacing Todd Haley was excellent, though he had previously never even called plays at any level. It would be a leap of faith for a franchise that is finally on the rise.

[King Colt]

23 hours ago, Fluke_33 said:

Like we did to the eagles!  hahaha

Well, of course when the Colts do it then it's OK!

[CR91]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/01/08/report-good-chance-freddie-kitchens-will-be-browns-head-coach/

[dw49]

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports Browns OC Freddie Kitchens and Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski are the two finalists for the Browns' head-coaching job.

That is Rapsheet's "understanding." Both coordinators are apparently meeting with the team on Tuesday. It stands to reason Kitchens is the favorite after the Browns got to watch him turn around the team's offense "in person," so to speak.

[CR91]

Bucs are likely to sign Arians

 

Cards are signing Kliff Kingsbury

 

That leaves the Jets and bengals for now