Your Head Coach preference?

[tshile]

I too have considered the idea of a former HC as an assistant for a first time HC. On the one hand they can help with what is probably an overwhelming logistical task (until you have your system developed), it’s also a hedge if things go wrong you can quickly put a person in charge that’s familiar with the team and how to be a HC… the downside is whether it makes your new young HC look over his shoulder. But that can be mitigated with quality management

For me - the hiring of Peters means not only making quality decisions, but being viewed as (potentially) a credible organization again. So I’m fully bough in on a long honeymoon period, and fully bought in on the positive Peters narrative.

After ~15 years of being cynical about this org, and every move it made, and being right every time cause it’s easy to bet against a dumpster fire, I’m enjoying being positive. I want Johnson but that’s just me buying into hype - I don’t actually know anything about him and whether he’d be a good HC. But I’ll put my faith and support behind whoever they pick.

It’s nice to be naively positive for a change. I don’t know how long the honeymoon should be, but I know it’s gonna be a long time before I’m overly critical of ownership moves.

 

[Boone]

Yeah, I was just getting ready to post similar thoughts tshile. One other angle... how many times have you heard Josh Harris say 'Bring in the right people and hold them accountable'? I don't think I've heard him speak since becoming the owner where he didn't talk about accountability. So in that regard, I don't think he would view having a guy like Dan Quinn waiting in the wings as a negative. I think he'd view it as positive pressure, and as you said a 'contingency plan'. I guess it would depend on a) how much control Ben Johnson would have in terms of selecting his coordinators, b) his sense of confidence and how secure he feels going into his first HC gig, and c) whether Dan Quinn is THE DC he wants.

I want the HC to have 100% say in who he goes into battle with. I don't want the GM, the owner, or anyone else *helping* him pick his staff. He will thrive or die based on those choices, they should be his to make.

For that reason, I don't see it happening but you never know.

 

[Chris]

Maybe Ben Johnson’s sister-in-law’s coffee barista’s niece does pilates with Dan Quinn’s tango instructor?

 

[tshile]

I was exposed to this take a few weeks ago. I don’t think it’s novel but it was new to me and makes total sense.

If you hire a DC to be HC, then you have to find an OC. If that OC has success, especially with a young QB, he’ll be poached for a HC job somewhere looking for help brining a young QB along

Successful DC’s get HC jobs, not not nearly as often, and when they do it comes after some sustained success as DC.

It’s easier to replace your DC when that happens and it won’t happen nearly as often.

Having your OC ripped away cause they ran a successful offense with a new QB is way more harmful to the overall trajectory of the team.

Look at the lions. Second year in a row Johnson has been a hot commodity. After making something out of Goff (I’m still skeptical but it’s the narrative at the moment.). And rumors are he is would want to bring their O line coach with him to be OC, and their o line coach is pretty well respected for what he’s done in Detroit.

If Johnson does indeed leave, Detroit will find themselves in an unfortunate (but not impossible to navigate) situation.

If you hire an OC to be HC, they won’t be poached. They have what they want.

 

[Chris]

I believe in that 100% and that is exactly why I absolutely prefer an offensive-minded HC.

I think that Mike Macdonald will make a very good HC when he gets the opportunity, but that time is not best for this organization now.

 

[Chris]

 

[Bulldog]

I think if Washington was going to hire a DC they would have pulled the trigger on Raheem Morris after his fine work with the Rams over the past 3 years.

Not only did LA win the Super Bowl with him as DC, he also oversaw a very young unit in 2023 and brought them along to a good finish by the end of the year.

He’s still young and is also popular with players.

 

[Boone]

Schefter's 'sources' say Ben Johnson is not the presumptive favorite for Washington and that it's still an open question which way they will go. A lot of talk about Macdonald in this article. Could we be in for a surprise?

Assistants from Ravens, Lions draw HC interest

The Commanders and Seahawks both are waiting to conduct head coaching interviews with assistants who will be coaching in Sunday's conference championship games.

www.espn.com

 

[Kel Varnsen]

This isn’t about who they should or shouldn’t hire, but does Schefter really know anything surrounding this new ownership and leadership? We know in the past, he’s had sources inside the building. But the one thing we have all enjoyed is that there haven’t been the constant leaks from this group. So even if he knows someone who works in Ashburn, do they really know anything now?

 

[Boone]

Yeah, I had the same question Kel. It's a new day and by all accounts none of the media we are familiar with are getting anything from the team itself. Now Schefter is in another league in terms of his 'sources'. We all know, when it came to the prior regime if there was big news, it never came from local media - it was always Adam Schefter or Rappaport breaking it.

But now? Who knows...

 

[Chris]

My only takeaway from the article is that a final decision of desire has not been reached by any party, despite the fact that many believe it has. That is fine by me. Have a process and stick to it.

 

[Primus Porcus]

Keim said the other day that NOTHING coming out is coming from Harris and co…. Everything at that point that we had heard was coming from the other sides of the equation.

This does sound a little different though, as I could easily see Harris and Co wanting to get it out there that no decision has been made (even if it has). Occam's Razor... it didn't make sense that the team would be talk glowingly about Bieniemy when those reports came out, and it wasnt from them, it was his agent. It doesn't make sense for the team to be 'locked in' on Johnson right now when they're not even sure they're going to get him (though it's looking more and more likely by the minute).

It would make more sense to me for this kind of a leak to come out from the team, than anywhere else, but as you all pointed out... there is no precedent.... yet

 

[Boone]

They've been at this for 3 weeks. They almost certainly are leaning towards one guy and possibly are locked in on a specific target. The only way this coming from the team makes any sense would be if they are leaning towards someone other than Johnson and they are prepping the fanbase in advance. I tend to think, despite it coming from Schefter, it's a) clickbait and b) based on supposition with a goal of ginning up readership vs. real 'sources' within the organization.

Also possible it's not going to be Johnson and that a result of multiple interviews is that they've decided there is a better option.

 

[Chris]

It is interesting to me that Seattle never conducted a virtual interview with Macdonald. Strikes me as a bit sloppy.

 

[Boone]

Yep. And what makes it really clumsy is that because they did not do a virtual interview, they cannot talk to the guy at all now until the Super Bowl is over if Baltimore is a participant.

 

[Chris]

Schefter did report (perhaps intentionally?) that he had multiple ‘sources’ not multiple sources inside the organization.

 

[Chris]

Yep. And what makes it really clumsy is that because they did not do a virtual interview, they cannot talk to the guy at all now until the Super Bowl is over if Baltimore is a participant.

Exactly. Sounds like the type of unforced error that a certain previous regime would make.

 

[Bulldog]

These NFL media guys don't know any more than we do.

Florio all but guaranteed that Bill Belichick was coming to Washington

Now we see Boomer Esiason come out and say on ESPN that Ben Johnson is a LOCK to get the job but then refuses to elaborate.

I didn't know that the 60 year old Boomer had some special 'in' with Adam Peters, Josh Harris or Ben Johnson for that matter where he would be privy to this information.

Evidently we don't have to worry about drafting Drake Maye because the Minnesota writers are saying the Vikings are going to move up to #1 and take Maye in the draft to replace Kirk Cousins

Forget for a minute that Chicago is in the same division as Minnesota and would have little motivation to help the Vikings but Minnesota also doesn't have that may draft assets as they are picking mid-round in the draft - they don't have say the #5 or #6 pick to offer Chicago so that the Bears are still guaranteed of getting an impact player.

Its just all so much BS to have people continue to read this drivel until the decisions are made.

 

[Chris]

I view Schefter and Rapoport very differently than a Florio. I do believe that they have credible inside sources throughout the league and are frequently used by teams and agents for their owns devices.

Boomer Esiason? Yeah, no. (Plus, I would never trust a grown man who goes by Boomer.)

 

[Bulldog]

Seems implausible to me that Schefter has anyone in the know with a new ownership group, GM and staff that has been very button down so far.

Seems to me that Dan Quinn and Mike MacDonald's camps or their agents might be feeding this information as 'sources' to try and keep their candidates seen as viable for the opportunity.

Especially as Seattle evidently has interviewed Quinn twice and plans on speaking with MacDonald when the league rules allow.