I said it before. I understand that the normal arrangement is that head coaches get to pick their staffs. That's the way it should be. But this isn't a normal situation. It's a goddamn mess. And you've got a newb head coach who can't even get through year 1 without stirring up major controversy to add to the distraction trying to lead us out of the abyss. Gruden may well be in way over his head just with being a head coach. I don't know that he's got the experience, knowledge, and frankly judgment to pick the best coordinator candidates.
I don't care if the DC candidate interviews well. I don't care if he says all the right things or doesn't. I don't care if he's your age and you can 'relate'. I don't care if he intimidates you, or if you feel threatened by him. All I care about is whether or not he can build, field, and call a great defense. And the problem I have with giving Gruden all that authority is that I don't think he's capable after a tumultuous year 1, holding onto his job by the skin of his teeth, to ignore all the noise and find the best guy. I'd have preferred that McCloughan take a stand such as 'Of course Jay will have a lot of input in coordinator selections, but we'll make those decisions together'.
And the reason I say that is - Jay Gruden eventually gets to move on with a big fat bank account whether this works out or continues to be a disaster. Hell - he may move on and not even have to earn the money. But we fans, if this guy is nothing more than what his previous resume says he is, we'll be paying for it for years and years to come.