HC Search Discussion Thread

[ADnum1]

5 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Obviously, you have never read my posts the last 5 years. I was lower on Frank than anyone on the forum the whole time he was here, and anyone who is active on this forum will back that up. 

 

Get outta here with that trash.

What does Steichen have to do with Frank ?

 

Sirianni came from Franks coaching tree not Steichen.

 

Steichen was the OC from the Chargers and became OC under Sirianni.

 

Do people understand what they are talking about ?

[Superman]

12 hours ago, aReggie7 said:

Management/Leadership: 

• Accountability - Has to be someone who will hold the staff and players accountable.
• Staff Management - Hire, develop, and maintain a strong staff.
• Communication - Have to keep coaches and players engaged / interested, make sure everyone is on the same page, the message is clear.
• Big Picture Thinker - Must be able to see the entirety of the football team and not get lost in the details. (not saying details don't matter though)
• Prepared - The HC has to ensure that everyone involved is prepared. 

 

Football: 

• Game management - Deciding when to go for it on 4th down, go for 2 vs kick the XP, aggressive vs conservative, etc. 
• Strategy of Xs and Os - There is a lot that can go in here but I am thinking of self scouting, evolving your schemes, properly utilizing players and maximizing their strengths, etc.
• Teaching - This can probably go in either category but I am putting it here. They must be a good teacher. People learn differently, can't overload people with too much information, sometimes people don't know what they don't understand so a good teacher can help uncover that.
• Scouting - Scouting opponents and identifying the most important  situations/concepts that you need to prepare your team for.
• Meetings/Practices - How will the practices and meetings be organized and ran? 

 

Like you said, some of these are really intertwined.

 

Some of the things I think are important:

• Growth mindset -- Any coach might make a mistake here and there, lack insight, lack foresight. Does he have a mentality that allows him to learn new information, admit a mistake, and grow from what he's learned? (To Saturday's credit, he quickly admitted that he mishandled his timeouts in the Steelers game. That humility is important.)
• Curiosity -- Similar to above, there are new trends and strategies being used and exploited in football all the time. Tennessee Vols have been running this wide split offense for two years, at some point it won't work as effectively, but they're riding it until someone has an answer. Can an NFL coach identify these shifts, figure out what he can use, and put it to use? Or is he stuck in his mindset? All due respect to Irsay, but 'this game hasn't changed in 50 years' is too old school for me. Being dismissive of advanced metrics is too old school for me.
• Communication -- You mentioned this, but I'll add how he handles media. Pagano sometimes sounded like he didn't know what he was talking about, he was just a walking cliche. 'Climb the pocket? I've never heard that before...' Reich was sometimes too open, but also mostly a cliche factory. Give a little insight into the operation, without giving away your gameplan. And treat people well. But you also have to communicate well with 70 players, 20 assistant coaches, and the front office. Dungy was really good with the media, and everyone in the building seemed to follow his lead.
• Gameplanning -- This is where having coordinator experience gives good insight. In 2017, there was a Warren Sharp Twitter thread showing how predictable our offensive play calling was. We've seen similar trends over the last 4 years. Can the HC oversee the gameplanning phase in a way that puts the players in position to succeed by leaning on their strengths, without being totally predictable? Can he identify these trends from opponents, and use them to get the team ready during the week? 
• Delegating -- Having a pipeline really starts with giving your assistants high level responsibilities. I don't think a play calling HC is ideal -- have always felt that way, and I appreciate Saturday's viewpoint on this. There are a lot of teams breaking up the duties on both sides of the ball lately -- running game coordinator, passing game coordinator, red zone specialist, etc. Not only putting together a good staff, but developing them. 
• Strategy -- You touched on this, and attention to detail. There's no one like Belichick, but how he understood the situation in that SB against the Seahawks, and didn't need a timeout... goodness. That's preparation, that's combing through every situation, knowing what they do with their personnel -- and best of all, having your players prepared for what might happen. Malcolm Butler got that pick because they had practiced that situation. I want my HC to have the team prepared for these situations. I don't want him to be asked about what went wrong in the presser, and have to say 'not really sure, we'll watch the film and figure it out.' I think Reich had some strategic high points, but a lot of low points as well. And even with the 4th down situations, some of them didn't work out, but his explanations were lacking. I'm not sure he ever fully embraced the strategies behind those decisions. If he had, the explanations should have been quick and simple.

I still think the big question is how you can identify whether a candidate checks these boxes, especially the intangible areas like communication, leadership, vision, teaching, accountability... What's clear is 'hire a great coordinator' isn't a sound strategy. Being a great coordinator doesn't really prepare a guy to be a HC.

[lollygagger8]

If they can't get (or Ballard won't get) Harbaugh, then Ben Johnson please. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

14 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

This says Harbaugh is interested.  He could have declined.

In person interviews really haven’t started. So we will see if it moves beyond a virtual interview.

19 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

No but they are wasting Harbaugh's time  . He isn't going there with no draft capital and an aging QB. NEXT.

They have more draft capital then people think.

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

In person interviews really haven’t started. So we will see if it moves beyond a virtual interview.

They have more draft capital then people think.

Explain? 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Explain? 

Most of the time they do these initial interviews virtual. Then if both parties want to move on they will move to in person.

[2006Coltsbestever]

46 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I looked into this a little more. They were mostly a 3-4 defense in 2021, but they ran more 4-2-5 in 2022, which I don't think I was aware of. That makes me feel better about Aaron Glenn's candidacy.

I love everything the Lions are doing, that 4-2-5 defense is lethal if you have a pass rusher like Hutch. Them drafting Hutch and getting a hard nosed coach like Campbell to get Goff motivated again after he left the Rams was brilliant. 

[azcolt]

6 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

In person interviews really haven’t started. So we will see if it moves beyond a virtual interview.

They have more draft capital then people think.

He might also be looking for an owner who won’t choose his starting qb.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Most of the time they do these initial interviews virtual. Then if both parties want to move on they will move to in person.

We are in a much better situation than Denver is. With the 4th pick and arguably the best RB in the league. We get our QB and get healthy we will be fine with the right coach.

[2006Coltsbestever]

One bad year doesn't sink me, we are closer to being good than people think. We lost 3 games by 1 point, blew a 33 point lead, and had 1 tie. We could have easily been 9-8 with a good QB and good coach, not hard to see. Taylor was injured all year, Leonard our turnover machine missed all year as well. 9-8 would have won the division. We split with Jacks.

[TimetobringDfence!]

14 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Hiring a coach and drafting player prospects is not the same thing. I don't think the comparison tracks. Hiring a coach relates more closely to signing free agents, in which case you're looking for something in particular to address a roster need.

 

As for hiring the best coach available, I don't think it's as simple as that. Recent events have me wondering what exactly it is that makes a good coach, and how best to find them. I don't think any hiring process, formula, strategy, etc., has proven to be better or worse than any others. I think the best coach available is Sean Payton, but I think there are some teams that are probably not a good fit for him right now (for example, the Rams, if they embark on a full rebuild). 

 

For the defensive guys who are currently connected with the Colts, I'm not excited about them. Leslie Frazier and Raheem Morris are retreads who didn't have great showings in their last jobs. Aaron Glenn has been in charge of a bad defense in Detroit. So I don't see any of them as strong candidates.

 

But regarding Aaron Glenn... One of the ideas I'm challenging in my own mind is that a team should find a guy who has been a successful coordinator for another team, and expect him to do well as a HC. I think some of the traits that make a coach successful as a coordinator are not really relevant to being a good HC. And we've seen a ton of good coordinators fail as HC, for a variety of reasons. So I think it's clearly possible for a coach to be a coordinator of a unit that isn't doing all that well, but still possess traits that will help him succeed as a HC. But I'm still not excited about a guy who is responsible for one of the league's worst defenses. (He's also a 3-4 DC, and I don't want us to switch to a 3-4; it's eyebrow-raising that Ballard would even consider him.) If we're going to talk about a defensive candidate, I want it to be Demeco Ryans or Jonathan Gannon. 

Kellen Moore will be a great HC soon. I hope he is on our radar. He is an Offensive guru and has alot to do with Dallas having offensive success.

[Superman]

5 minutes ago, TimetobringDfence! said:

Kellen Moore will be a great HC soon. I hope he is on our radar. He is an Offensive guru and has alot to do with Dallas having offensive success.

 

He's been buzzy for a couple years, I'm sure he'll get his shot soon.

[masterlock]

3 hours ago, JColts72 said:

Obviously, when one team has better players and coaches.

You seemed to be arguing that the Eagles' offense couldn't be bland because they have a winning record. I was just pointing out that they can be bland and still have a good record if they have good execution. 

[JColts72]

19 minutes ago, masterlock said:

You seemed to be arguing that the Eagles' offense couldn't be bland because they have a winning record. I was just pointing out that they can be bland and still have a good record if they have good execution. 

Not arguing point; your observations are solid too.

[JColts72]

27 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

He's been buzzy for a couple years, I'm sure he'll get his shot soon.

Well Dallas has key QB, RB, WR and a line we wished had.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Listening to this it seems Harbaugh and Ballard would be a match in heaven with similar philosophies.

 

 

[strt182]

9 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

...and the Colts become the first team in NFL history to go 0-17.

I dont see that happening. but its the NFL thats why games are played. Even those that turned out to be great and have many many years under their belt still have bad seasons.  Nobody knows unless given a chance. You can say he was given a chance but not a fair one. We do not know what was asked of him in all reality.  

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I can’t find a video of this so I can’t verify what a caller said on JMV for context. But they called in and said Tom Pellisero was asked about Harbaugh in Indy. Tom goes Saturday is a serious candidate and Harbaugh is staying away.  I will see if I can find video to verify that but that doesn’t make dense.

 

 

[aReggie7]

2 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Like you said, some of these are really intertwined.

 

Some of the things I think are important:

• Growth mindset -- Any coach might make a mistake here and there, lack insight, lack foresight. Does he have a mentality that allows him to learn new information, admit a mistake, and grow from what he's learned? (To Saturday's credit, he quickly admitted that he mishandled his timeouts in the Steelers game. That humility is important.)
• Curiosity -- Similar to above, there are new trends and strategies being used and exploited in football all the time. Tennessee Vols have been running this wide split offense for two years, at some point it won't work as effectively, but they're riding it until someone has an answer. Can an NFL coach identify these shifts, figure out what he can use, and put it to use? Or is he stuck in his mindset? All due respect to Irsay, but 'this game hasn't changed in 50 years' is too old school for me. Being dismissive of advanced metrics is too old school for me.
• Communication -- You mentioned this, but I'll add how he handles media. Pagano sometimes sounded like he didn't know what he was talking about, he was just a walking cliche. 'Climb the pocket? I've never heard that before...' Reich was sometimes too open, but also mostly a cliche factory. Give a little insight into the operation, without giving away your gameplan. And treat people well. But you also have to communicate well with 70 players, 20 assistant coaches, and the front office. Dungy was really good with the media, and everyone in the building seemed to follow his lead.
• Gameplanning -- This is where having coordinator experience gives good insight. In 2017, there was a Warren Sharp Twitter thread showing how predictable our offensive play calling was. We've seen similar trends over the last 4 years. Can the HC oversee the gameplanning phase in a way that puts the players in position to succeed by leaning on their strengths, without being totally predictable? Can he identify these trends from opponents, and use them to get the team ready during the week? 
• Delegating -- Having a pipeline really starts with giving your assistants high level responsibilities. I don't think a play calling HC is ideal -- have always felt that way, and I appreciate Saturday's viewpoint on this. There are a lot of teams breaking up the duties on both sides of the ball lately -- running game coordinator, passing game coordinator, red zone specialist, etc. Not only putting together a good staff, but developing them. 
• Strategy -- You touched on this, and attention to detail. There's no one like Belichick, but how he understood the situation in that SB against the Seahawks, and didn't need a timeout... goodness. That's preparation, that's combing through every situation, knowing what they do with their personnel -- and best of all, having your players prepared for what might happen. Malcolm Butler got that pick because they had practiced that situation. I want my HC to have the team prepared for these situations. I don't want him to be asked about what went wrong in the presser, and have to say 'not really sure, we'll watch the film and figure it out.' I think Reich had some strategic high points, but a lot of low points as well. And even with the 4th down situations, some of them didn't work out, but his explanations were lacking. I'm not sure he ever fully embraced the strategies behind those decisions. If he had, the explanations should have been quick and simple.

I still think the big question is how you can identify whether a candidate checks these boxes, especially the intangible areas like communication, leadership, vision, teaching, accountability... What's clear is 'hire a great coordinator' isn't a sound strategy. Being a great coordinator doesn't really prepare a guy to be a HC.

 

All good points.

 

I think you are spot on with the big question being how you can identify if a candidate checks these boxes. One thing I think is important is to have multiple interviews with people. Those interviews have to be real interviews and not just a formality too. The more you speak with someone the more you see what they are really about. 

 

It's also worth acknowledging that no candidate is going to check all of the boxes but for a HC the areas I mentioned and you have here/expanded on are the types of topics I would want to primarily focus on if I was hiring a HC.

 

I had a chance to watch the recording of Ballard's press conference. He mentioned one thing he is doing during this search is not beginning with the end in mind. I think that's a big and I suspect a lot of teams are guilty of doing this and not just Ballard/the Colts. 

[richard pallo]

1 hour ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Listening to this it seems Harbaugh and Ballard would be a match in heaven with similar philosophies.

 

 

Agree.  Cowherd jumps the gun a lot to try and get a hot take without really thinking things through.

[Superman]

23 minutes ago, aReggie7 said:

I had a chance to watch the recording of Ballard's press conference. He mentioned one thing he is doing during this search is not beginning with the end in mind. I think that's a big and I suspect a lot of teams are guilty of doing this and not just Ballard/the Colts. 

 

Yeah, apparently he had an idea of what he wanted to do at HC, and McDaniels fit his vision. I don't blame him; if you get past the questions about McDaniels personality, it seemed like a good fit in a lot of ways. But still, conducting an exhaustive search is critical.

[cdgacoltsfan]

Just now, richard pallo said:

Agree.  Cowherd jumps the gun a lot to try and get a hot take without really thinking things through.

Denver will pay Harbaugh major $$$.

Irsay will hire his guy...Saturday.

[JColts72]

Just now, cdgacoltsfan said:

Denver will pay Harbaugh major $$$.

Irsay will hire his guy...Saturday.

That is very likely.

[richard pallo]

1 minute ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Denver will pay Harbaugh major $$$.

Irsay will hire his guy...Saturday.

You’re a broken record.  They can pay Payton too.

[CheezyColt]

2 minutes ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Denver will pay Harbaugh major $$$.

Irsay will hire his guy...Saturday.

And that's when the apathy takes full hold of me.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Here is the video. Tom never said Harbaugh was staying away because of Saturday lol. 
 

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

7 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

Agree.  Cowherd jumps the gun a lot to try and get a hot take without really thinking things through.

Everything Colin said here matches up with Ballard. Even what Ballard said today about finding ways to win without a elite QB. Then add run game and trenches and it’s a match made in heaven.

[cdgacoltsfan]

2 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

You’re a broken record.  They can pay Payton too.

Sorry, Unlike you, I'm a realist.

You live in fantasy world and think OBJ, Honey Badger,Harbaugh, Payton..etc...etc  think Indy is the ultimate landing spot 

[JColts72]

10 minutes ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Sorry, Unlike you, I'm a realist.

You live in fantasy world and think OBJ, Honey Badger,Harbaugh, Payton..etc...etc  think Indy is the ultimate landing spot 

Give up 4th pick too for Sean right. Let him work with Sam. He will come here to work with that top QB. Plenty of Colts fans here who are broken records as you say expecting Jeff to return. It's called having different opinions and really low expectations of what GM and Irsay MAY DO.

[cdgacoltsfan]

17 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

You’re a broken record.  They can pay Payton too.

I'll be happy if I'm wrong but doubt I will be.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Never mind 

[Colts1324]

38 minutes ago, JColts72 said:

That is very likely.

I have said Irsay is one of the best owners in the league for a while now. 
 

If Irsay makes Ballard hire Saturday, he becomes just like his dad. 
 

It’s a slap in the face to the franchise & the fans

[richard pallo]

48 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Here is the video. Tom never said Harbaugh was staying away because of Saturday lol. 
 

 

All he said was Harbaugh was a fan of Saturday.  Nothing more.

[JColts72]

2 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

All he said was Harbaugh was a fan of Saturday.  Nothing more.

Fan when Jeff played perhaps?

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

4 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

All he said was Harbaugh was a fan of Saturday.  Nothing more.

One of the things I hate is the telephone game. I always need to hear it with my own ears when I hear people say something they heard. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. People on here might not believe this but if I say something I heard without video evidence I try and be accurate.  
 

I think Tom made a mistake there and meant Irsay was a fan of Saturday.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, JColts72 said:

Fan when Jeff played perhaps?

No I think Tom meant Irsay was a fan of Saturday not Harbaugh was a fan. He made a mistake I think.

[Dobbinblitz]

The number of coordinator openings continues to grow.

Redskins fire OC Turner.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Something else with Harbaugh is national guys might not get as much info on him since he is not currently a nfl coach. So no requests from other nfl teams needed.

[Yoshinator]

Broncos definitely have the advantage over the Colts for Harbaugh or Payton. Rob Walton has 30X more money than Irsay, and can outbid any owner for whatever coach he wants. Harbaugh has shown interest in the Broncos, so he can be bought out by Denver.

 

We have the 4th draft pick over Denver if we want to trade for Payton, and it's probably enough, but that's way too much to sacrifice for him as we'd be giving up our one chance at a franchise QB. We'd literally be stuck with a retread QB and someone like Hooker or McKee.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I wonder if other teams are out on Harbaugh  because  they know he is headed to Denver.  He has a lot of connections in Denver.