One thing that was kind of upsetting over last year and this year (so yes, this bad sign was present in 2024); the pressers have shown a disconnect between OC and HC here. Quick aside, but when we are guessing because of a fog of hard info, the pressers are generally invaluable here. When the coaches are forced in front of those mics, and they get to answering, invariably they let real information slip, and that's great when we are trying to piece together what's happening.
I think I mentioned it in other posts, but DQ and KK have been disconnected on the running game. KK has been very nonchalant, talking pretty consistently in a very positive light this year and last year about it. DQ, on the other hand, has talked about how they can improve, how they need to run more - he launched into a few minutes of talking about the importance of sticking with it even when you are getting 1-2 yards / rush. This is almost the exact opposite of KK's playcalling. Everyone knows it, too, which is a HORRIBLE characteristic in an NFL playcaller.
This actually was very similar to Ron Rivera and Turner, followed by Bienemy. I got tired of hearing the disconnect, because it was like - dude, you hired him! What questions did you ask? Did you care?
Now, I am seeing a similar thing play out, and that is the kind of thing that was probably in the back of my mind when I started this thread. Wouldn't you want to know your coordinators had the philosophy that you have? I get that DQ said in early pressers, he thought KK's offense was "hard" to plan for, but hearing him repeatedly contradict KK (subtle, but clear) in pressers about the run game performance... it gets annoying in a way. Again, you hired him - and KK is not doing anything unexpected here, I would say (just like Bienemy, frankly).
I really hope they can get on the same page with the next OC, whenever that happens. I don't think KK will be here longer than 1 more year at the most (2027, he will be out), and I think there is a pretty decent chance he won't want to stay next year. I'd say 85% right now. He's not having fun, at all, right now - and I think that was a big reason he stayed.
This is being reported now as potentially largely the reason Kliff was let go.
I put myself out on a limb with that "85%" but yes, it looks like it was right.
Now, THIS post is not about bragging or anything (I don't care), although since I think only a few of you maybe know my posting history that well - I hope I have earned some credibility when I say "hey I heard this" - I actually heard it. I am pretty careful to say things accurately, in all walks of life, and when I analyze, I am careful not to inject my opinions without recognizing it as opinion; not perfect so I appreciate criticism, but I am careful.
Anyway, THIS post is more about the original thread topic.
I made this thread because of something I guess we are going to need to answer here. The radio guys are starting to ask, I see others asking, why is DQ still here if both coordinators are gone? I also see people talking about how they are getting flashbacks to the Snyder years.
Guys this is NOT the Synder years. Snyder was de facto GM and owner, which meant we were never getting out from his direct hand in the dirty details. Now we will always have an opportunity for organizational refresh via a new GM. That means, no "25 years of wandering in the desert" anymore. Every time Harris decides the GM is not setting us up for success, he can hit the refresh button, and hopefully analyze where he went wrong with that hire (if at all, sometimes a good process leads to bad results, it just happens). So no, this is not and never will be the same as the Snyder years unless Harris starts deeply involving himself and stepping on the GM's toes. In all of Harris' other ventures (and there are many) he does not do that, so I think we are safe there. I think he will let AP/org succeed or fail, and reset on his schedule when he feels that they can't right the ship.
So that covers our new TOP of the ship.
As for AP, I think at this point we can say he likes DQ. Why? I think we all agree that he has a lot of say in DQ staying or going. I also think Harris is involved there, as in all successful NFL orgs, but my impression right now is that AP is heavily involved. So he gets along well with DQ. Where does this come from? The pressers, of course, but also - it's the ONLY way DQ stays when BOTH coordinators go.
That's a big deal for the DQ style HC, which isn't all that uncommon in the NFL these days, and is not a bad model for an org to follow. I think AP likes that structure, and frankly, so do I. I don't personally prefer the structures with a coordinating HC - don't get me wrong, I know they can succeed (see Reid), so I'm not going to be upset if we went that route, but I suspect AP likes the "managing HC" structure as I do. How can we tell (because it's conjecture)? He himself does it, and he clearly likes DQ who is also doing it, and they both do it very deliberately. They both continually talk about their direct reports in this fashion: OK, I will help you if you need it, but you need to be accountable for your actions. In the AP world, his main direct report is DQ (obviously he has others but in this aspect/side of his job, it's DQ). For DQ, it's the coordinators. I don't see either of them involving themselves in the details much at all of their direct reports.
I don't think that's a bad thing.
What I do see as bad, and maybe VERY bad - is how both executed their hirings.
AP hiring DQ instead of the other candidates available, in particular I would say Macdonald, may have cost us dearly. We can't cry over spilt milk, and yes we had a great year last year, but no one (especially Harris) cares about 1 year vs 5 or 7 or 10 years of sustained success. So right now we can't say we are confident of sustained success under DQ vs under Macdonald. That's not all DQ, but where we can say there may be an issue is how DQ picked his coordinators. This is one of his fundamental jobs in his own structure. As a "managing HC" he needs to be GOOD at hiring coordinators. He needs to know how to analyze the factors, evaluate, and pick the right guys. Going 0 for 2 out of the gate?
That's bad.
I don't think it's a mistake for AP to say, OK DQ, let's give this a shot with some new coordinators, and back DQ. However, if this next round doesn't work out, AP will maybe have this round counted against him as his own round 2 failure. That doesn't mean he'd be gone - it depends largely on his relationship with Harris. However, I do think at this point, you have a HC who failed at hiring 2 coordinators, that's a big red flag staring at you. You yourself should probably be looking at your hiring of him too, and how maybe there were issues there. If you keep him while letting BOTH coordinators go at the same time within 2 seasons, you need to question your "managing HC" because hiring the right coordinators is one of the key aspects of the job. We don't expect perfection there, but 0 for 2 out of the gate is a serious issue that can't be ignored.
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