Jim Harbaugh possibly interested in Jets?

[Philc1]

13 hours ago, Sonny Werblin said:

 

 

 

[Philc1]

9 hours ago, CTM said:

Harbaugh / Fields is dream off season. Get it done dick bros

Hire Harbaugh and Fields might actually be good in the nfl

[Sonny Werblin]

I saw this posted about a half hour ago. I saw nothing else stating that Harbaugh was in Ann Arbor today.

Quote

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is back in Ann Arbor today 

https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-football-itf-extra-the-latest-on-harbaugh-s-extension

 

[CM28]

2 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

I saw this posted about a half hour ago. I saw nothing else stating that Harbaugh was in Ann Arbor today.

 

Pick up his things before his big move to the Jets?

 

[shuler82]

13 hours ago, Defense Wins Championships said:

I hate "sources" because it's not a real source without a name attached to it. 

Because real sources are confident in their predictions and don't hide behind a blank no name. 

You seem to not understand how sources work.

[Scott Dierking]

Michigan needs to do something with Harbaughs contract soon, as it is going to affect Michigan's recruiting. I know they are close, which leads me to believe Harbaugh is using the Jets as leverage.

[Wonderboy]

Why would Michigan want him back? He’s been awful there. Perhaps he can trade for  Darnold to be the Wolverines starting QB. Comeback!

[Sonny Werblin]

 

Harbaugh is back in Ann Arbor, but has not signed.

 

Quote

 

Michigan Football: No movement on Jim Harbaugh contract extension

 

by Chris Peterson14 seconds ago Follow @cmpetey

While Michigan football fans waited on pins and needles wondering about an announcement regarding Jim Harbaugh’s contract, there isn’t anything new.

There was some outside hope that the fiasco between Jim Harbaugh and Michigan football would be resolved on Tuesday. Instead, literally nothing new happened in this saga that won’t die.

Harbaugh was back in the office following his vacation to California and the thought was that he would agree to his extension. There was supposed to be a staff meeting to talk about all of this, but according to reports from Rivals and The Michigan Insider, it was business as usual.

Maybe the biggest thing to report is that according to Chris Balas of Rivals ($), Harbaugh once again told his staff his plan was to be at Michigan going forward. Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider ($) also had a similar update on Tuesday. Basically saying that Harbaugh was still focused on hiring staff and going through his normal work.

What now for Harbaugh and Michigan?

For now, it’s more of the same — work and wait.

Assistant coaches are doing the same and as we have seen, some of them have been out on the recruiting trail, notably guys like Brian Jean-Mary, Ed Warinner and Mike Zordich.

But their contracts are expiring Monday, so you would think that Harbaugh and Michigan would want to hammer something out and get the assistant coach contracts done too, which will likely include a few new hires if Harbaugh does stay on.

No new names have really emerged in the search for Don Brown’s replacement. Charlie Strong, Lance Anderson of Stanford, Jim Leavitt of South Florida, Derek Mason and Tim Banks are some that have been mentioned.

Strong and Mason make the most sense to me, although the Wolverines should also get Banks on staff and I’m higher on him as co-defensive coordinator than most.

There has been talk of adding guys such as Joe Moorhead or Mike Hart on the offensive side of the ball and that would be great too, but first things first, Harbaugh needs to agree.

Both Webb and Balas said Harbaugh did not have serious interest in the NFL and that he intended to be back at Michigan. Of course, some have reported that the NFL is his preferred destination and while I don’t believe that, Harbaugh makes you wonder as this drags on. However, with his assistants needing new contracts by Monday this timeline can’t extend much further and at some point, Warde Manuel needs to press Jim to make a decision.

The problem is that if Manuel fired Harbaugh, he would have to pay his buyout, which is something the University appears reluctant to do. So Harbaugh has the leverage and he knows it. I think that’s where these NFL rumors are coming from. It’s more about negotiating than a serious interest, at least that’s my guess.

But whether you believe he’s angling for a better deal or the NFL, this all has to come to a head soon and for the sake of every Michigan football fan, hopefully it does.

https://gbmwolverine.com/2021/01/06/michigan-football-literally-nothing-new-report-jim-harbaugh/

 

 

[jetblue95]

1 hour ago, Sonny Werblin said:

I saw this posted about a half hour ago. I saw nothing else stating that Harbaugh was in Ann Arbor today.

 

 

harbaugh was always expected back in AA yesterday after returning from Cali where he was on vacation.  according to those who generally are in the know, there is a Memorandum of Understanding awaiting him.  he has yet to sign it although the expectation continues to be that he will sign it.  but the longer it drags out, the less the expectation is that he will sign it.  and there will come a point (nebulous as to when), when the AD will tell him to shyte or get off the pot.  if nothing gets done by week end, then it seems like michigan will begin looking more seriously at other options (initial vetting has already begun).

[Sonny Werblin]

So, if Harbaugh is in Ann Arbor, but not signing his contract AND his assistants contracts expire on Monday, what gives? I mean he can't be "hopefully" waiting for a call from an NFL team, right? The only two possibilities are that he is in serious talks with one or more NFL teams OR he's just ******* around with Michigan because he is pissed off they only offered him a 5 year extension with a lower base, right?

Personally, if my employer wanted to decrease my base from around $8 million to $5 million with a 5 year offer and another employer was offering me $9 million per year for 7 years, it would be a no brainer. 

What am I missing here? Harbaugh's desire to win at his Alam Mater? If he wants to help Michigan football, he can become a big time booster for the program.

[56mehl56]

14 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

So, if Harbaugh is in Ann Arbor, but not signing his contract AND his assistants contracts expire on Monday, what gives? I mean he can't be "hopefully" waiting for a call from an NFL team, right? The only two possibilities are that he is in serious talks with one or more NFL teams OR he's just ******* around with Michigan because he is pissed off they only offered him a 5 year extension with a lower base, right?

Personally, if my employer wanted to decrease my base from around $8 million to $5 million with a 5 year offer and another employer was offering me $9 million per year for 7 years, it would be a no brainer. 

What am I missing here? Harbaugh's desire to win at his Alam Mater? If he wants to help Michigan football, he can become a big time booster for the program.

The lack of a 2nd offer for $9 Mil and 7 years.

[Scott Dierking]

14 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

So, if Harbaugh is in Ann Arbor, but not signing his contract AND his assistants contracts expire on Monday, what gives? I mean he can't be "hopefully" waiting for a call from an NFL team, right? The only two possibilities are that he is in serious talks with one or more NFL teams OR he's just ******* around with Michigan because he is pissed off they only offered him a 5 year extension with a lower base, right?

Personally, if my employer wanted to decrease my base from around $8 million to $5 million with a 5 year offer and another employer was offering me $9 million per year for 7 years, it would be a no brainer. 

What am I missing here? Harbaugh's desire to win at his Alam Mater? If he wants to help Michigan football, he can become a big time booster for the program.

I believe that the Mich contract contained incentives for him, is that correct?

Again, this NFL dabbling may just be leverage making on his part.

[jetblue95]

11 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

So, if Harbaugh is in Ann Arbor, but not signing his contract AND his assistants contracts expire on Monday, what gives? I mean he can't be "hopefully" waiting for a call from an NFL team, right? The only two possibilities are that he is in serious talks with one or more NFL teams OR he's just ******* around with Michigan because he is pissed off they only offered him a 5 year extension with a lower base, right?

Personally, if my employer wanted to decrease my base from around $8 million to $5 million with a 5 year offer and another employer was offering me $9 million per year for 7 years, it would be a no brainer. 

What am I missing here? Harbaugh's desire to win at his Alam Mater? If he wants to help Michigan football, he can become a big time booster for the program.

 

don't think your numbers are correct.  his current base isn't $8MM.  his total compensation is approx $8MM but that includes certain perks like life insurance policy.  his base is closer to $6.25MM, the "pay cut" isn't as severe as it appears.

but yeah, he reportedly is being asked to take a lower base with higher incentives (and a lower buyout for both sides) given he is one of the highest paid coaches in college football, performance hasn't been as expected, and the athletic department is looking at massive losses and laying off people due to covid, so optics look bad to be handing out big money to an "underperforming" coach.

as to why he hasn't signed yet, that is the million dollar question.  perhaps he is still negotiating (including a bigger pool to attract and pay assistant coaches) or he is weighing his options.  there obviously is a lot of angst on the michigan end to get clarity, but right now, the feeling remains he is returning based on everything he has said and has been telling his coaches, players, recruits and their families.  but that of course could change

[Sonny Werblin]

I didn't realize Michigan Sports had such a big financial loss due to Covid. These guys say $80 million. 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ezfhw-f6dd09

 

[flgreen]

1 hour ago, jetblue95 said:

 

don't think your numbers are correct.  his current base isn't $8MM.  his total compensation is approx $8MM but that includes certain perks like life insurance policy.  his base is closer to $6.25MM, the "pay cut" isn't as severe as it appears.

but yeah, he reportedly is being asked to take a lower base with higher incentives (and a lower buyout for both sides) given he is one of the highest paid coaches in college football, performance hasn't been as expected, and the athletic department is looking at massive losses and laying off people due to covid, so optics look bad to be handing out big money to an "underperforming" coach.

as to why he hasn't signed yet, that is the million dollar question.  perhaps he is still negotiating (including a bigger pool to attract and pay assistant coaches) or he is weighing his options.  there obviously is a lot of angst on the michigan end to get clarity, but right now, the feeling remains he is returning based on everything he has said and has been telling his coaches, players, recruits and their families.  but that of course could change

Mostly agree

IMO right now he is waiting for the phone to ring from an NFL team.  If he can get a "Super Deal"  from a team, he'll sign it.  Otherwise he'll go with Mich.  He's got to make his mind up in a few days though.  I'd say by Friday the latest. 

[RedBeardedSavage]

 

[football guy]

19 hours ago, Guilhermezmc said:

Any other information you can share?

I'm a little bummed because I wrote a pretty long response to this on my work computer and now seeing that I never submitted. It's prob still open on my computer so I'll send it tomorrow, but cliff notes version: 

• Hymie and his staff have been working with his team vetting candidates, developing their profiles, speaking with their agents, etc. throughout the past few weeks, and they had upwards of 25 candidates on their initial list who they reached out to. 
• Douglas, truthfully, had been solely focused on pro & college scouting at least while in the office. All his meetings were scouting related up until Gase was fired. 
• Upon Gase being fired, all the resources/reports were shared and Douglas began the internal meetings with his advisors in the FO + Hymie and ownership. No word on if he added any candidates to the list (my guess is he had some level of input on the initial list and had been having conversations on his own, but because they wanted to shield him from being involved with the Gase firing, just gave him some deniability). 
• The sense among colleagues in the FO is that it won't be a big name because... 

1. Douglas doesn't care; he wants to find the guy with the best philosophical makeup
2. The communications team has already been versed on how to spin specific candidates. Me just puzzling things together leaves me thinking Staley, Eberflus, and Smith a lot more now than I did 2 days ago. 

• College coaches won't be announced unless they OK it to be announced (this is pretty obvious) 
• There were at least 3 interviews on the schedule this week as of late last night. We found out today that one of them was Bieniemy. Haven't gotten word on the next 2. Most of the reported names can't interview because of the playoffs, so I would think it would be college coaches, unemployed coaches, or someone that the Jets requested to interview but the media hasn't reported it yet. 

 

 

For the record: I have 3 acquaintances in the FO (2 in communications, 1 in football ops) now that I met through my cousin (player rep/former NFL staffer/former Panthers employee) and her fiance (former player/current advisor). Also have a few agent connects that are my friends, and 1 friend who works in the NFL offices. Trust me, I hate reading when people cite B.S. anonymous sources. I just wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble by getting them doxxed on a message board.

[Adoni Beast]

11 minutes ago, football guy said:

I'm a little bummed because I wrote a pretty long response to this on my work computer and now seeing that I never submitted. It's prob still open on my computer so I'll send it tomorrow, but cliff notes version: 

• Hymie and his staff have been working with his team vetting candidates, developing their profiles, speaking with their agents, etc. throughout the past few weeks, and they had upwards of 25 candidates on their initial list who they reached out to. 
• Douglas, truthfully, had been solely focused on pro & college scouting at least while in the office. All his meetings were scouting related up until Gase was fired. 
• Upon Gase being fired, all the resources/reports were shared and Douglas began the internal meetings with his advisors in the FO + Hymie and ownership. No word on if he added any candidates to the list (my guess is he had some level of input on the initial list and had been having conversations on his own, but because they wanted to shield him from being involved with the Gase firing, just gave him some deniability). 
• The sense among colleagues in the FO is that it won't be a big name because... 

1. Douglas doesn't care; he wants to find the guy with the best philosophical makeup
2. The communications team has already been versed on how to spin specific candidates. Me just puzzling things together leaves me thinking Staley, Eberflus, and Smith a lot more now than I did 2 days ago. 

• College coaches won't be announced unless they OK it to be announced (this is pretty obvious) 
• There were at least 3 interviews on the schedule this week as of late last night. We found out today that one of them was Bieniemy. Haven't gotten word on the next 2. Most of the reported names can't interview because of the playoffs, so I would think it would be college coaches, unemployed coaches, or someone that the Jets requested to interview but the media hasn't reported it yet. 

 

 

For the record: I have 3 acquaintances in the FO (2 in communications, 1 in football ops) now that I met through my cousin (player rep/former NFL staffer/former Panthers employee) and her fiance (former player/current advisor). Also have a few agent connects that are my friends, and 1 friend who works in the NFL offices. Trust me, I hate reading when people cite B.S. anonymous sources. I just wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble by getting them doxxed on a message board.

I’m having less optimism that we’ll get one of the top guys, and will have to settle. In JD I trust but sigh...

[SomebodytoAnybody47]

31 minutes ago, football guy said:

I'm a little bummed because I wrote a pretty long response to this on my work computer and now seeing that I never submitted. It's prob still open on my computer so I'll send it tomorrow, but cliff notes version: 

• Hymie and his staff have been working with his team vetting candidates, developing their profiles, speaking with their agents, etc. throughout the past few weeks, and they had upwards of 25 candidates on their initial list who they reached out to. 
• Douglas, truthfully, had been solely focused on pro & college scouting at least while in the office. All his meetings were scouting related up until Gase was fired. 
• Upon Gase being fired, all the resources/reports were shared and Douglas began the internal meetings with his advisors in the FO + Hymie and ownership. No word on if he added any candidates to the list (my guess is he had some level of input on the initial list and had been having conversations on his own, but because they wanted to shield him from being involved with the Gase firing, just gave him some deniability). 
• The sense among colleagues in the FO is that it won't be a big name because... 

1. Douglas doesn't care; he wants to find the guy with the best philosophical makeup
2. The communications team has already been versed on how to spin specific candidates. Me just puzzling things together leaves me thinking Staley, Eberflus, and Smith a lot more now than I did 2 days ago. 

• College coaches won't be announced unless they OK it to be announced (this is pretty obvious) 
• There were at least 3 interviews on the schedule this week as of late last night. We found out today that one of them was Bieniemy. Haven't gotten word on the next 2. Most of the reported names can't interview because of the playoffs, so I would think it would be college coaches, unemployed coaches, or someone that the Jets requested to interview but the media hasn't reported it yet. 

 

 

For the record: I have 3 acquaintances in the FO (2 in communications, 1 in football ops) now that I met through my cousin (player rep/former NFL staffer/former Panthers employee) and her fiance (former player/current advisor). Also have a few agent connects that are my friends, and 1 friend who works in the NFL offices. Trust me, I hate reading when people cite B.S. anonymous sources. I just wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble by getting them doxxed on a message board.

I hate your breakdown and support of Sam Darnold but I appreciate your sauces. Thank you sir. 
 

If JD just wants the best man for the job, wouldn’t the “big names” also be a contender?

[football guy]

5 minutes ago, Samtorobby47 said:

I hate your breakdown and support of Sam Darnold but I appreciate your sauces. Thank you sir. 
 

If JD just wants the best man for the job, wouldn’t the “big names” also be a contender?

It doesn't sound like he's putting as much weight into experience as he is talent. Looking for someone who has a great philosophical understanding of the game and truly exemplifies the buzz-word qualities that have been sterilized/overused to define candidates ("leadership", "culture builder", "discipline", etc.). 

Apparently he's placing a heavy emphasis on principles; guys who can simply define what makes up a team identity among all sides of the ball. It's easier said than done, and many coaches struggle at this... for whatever reason, defensive coaches are better at establishing an identity then offensive ones... I don't know if its coincidence or what. "Establishing a culture" was a theme under Gase... but what was the culture? Can you define it? Can the players define it? That's an important part of this process. 

He's also prioritizing guys that won't put themselves above the team- and for that reason may not be the "big names" that have earned their reputations and have egos... in a way that could be a referendum on Gase, who put his scheme/playcalling before the team consistently. He used the word "partner" in his press conference which goes in line with the collaboration aspect. Douglas is a listener not a speaker, but when he speaks he wants someone to hear him. I think he expects the same qualities out of his next HC. 

 

None of this is to say they won't hire a established coach, but sounds like Douglas is not looking for brownie points or positive media coverage. Just wants to find the guy who he feels will be the best person to work with and the most likely to find long-term success. 

[Guilhermezmc]

1 hour ago, football guy said:

I'm a little bummed because I wrote a pretty long response to this on my work computer and now seeing that I never submitted. It's prob still open on my computer so I'll send it tomorrow, but cliff notes version: 

• Hymie and his staff have been working with his team vetting candidates, developing their profiles, speaking with their agents, etc. throughout the past few weeks, and they had upwards of 25 candidates on their initial list who they reached out to. 
• Douglas, truthfully, had been solely focused on pro & college scouting at least while in the office. All his meetings were scouting related up until Gase was fired. 
• Upon Gase being fired, all the resources/reports were shared and Douglas began the internal meetings with his advisors in the FO + Hymie and ownership. No word on if he added any candidates to the list (my guess is he had some level of input on the initial list and had been having conversations on his own, but because they wanted to shield him from being involved with the Gase firing, just gave him some deniability). 
• The sense among colleagues in the FO is that it won't be a big name because... 

1. Douglas doesn't care; he wants to find the guy with the best philosophical makeup
2. The communications team has already been versed on how to spin specific candidates. Me just puzzling things together leaves me thinking Staley, Eberflus, and Smith a lot more now than I did 2 days ago. 

• College coaches won't be announced unless they OK it to be announced (this is pretty obvious) 
• There were at least 3 interviews on the schedule this week as of late last night. We found out today that one of them was Bieniemy. Haven't gotten word on the next 2. Most of the reported names can't interview because of the playoffs, so I would think it would be college coaches, unemployed coaches, or someone that the Jets requested to interview but the media hasn't reported it yet. 

 

 

For the record: I have 3 acquaintances in the FO (2 in communications, 1 in football ops) now that I met through my cousin (player rep/former NFL staffer/former Panthers employee) and her fiance (former player/current advisor). Also have a few agent connects that are my friends, and 1 friend who works in the NFL offices. Trust me, I hate reading when people cite B.S. anonymous sources. I just wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble by getting them doxxed on a message board.

Thank you! Any news on the qb situation?

[Philc1]

21 hours ago, Sonny Werblin said:

So, if Harbaugh is in Ann Arbor, but not signing his contract AND his assistants contracts expire on Monday, what gives? I mean he can't be "hopefully" waiting for a call from an NFL team, right? The only two possibilities are that he is in serious talks with one or more NFL teams OR he's just ******* around with Michigan because he is pissed off they only offered him a 5 year extension with a lower base, right?

Personally, if my employer wanted to decrease my base from around $8 million to $5 million with a 5 year offer and another employer was offering me $9 million per year for 7 years, it would be a no brainer. 

What am I missing here? Harbaugh's desire to win at his Alam Mater? If he wants to help Michigan football, he can become a big time booster for the program.

I want to be optimistic and think Woody contacted Harbaugh’s agent and offered more $$ than Michigan

[Philc1]

20 hours ago, Sonny Werblin said:

I didn't realize Michigan Sports had such a big financial loss due to Covid. These guys say $80 million. 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ezfhw-f6dd09

 

It’s huge.  That stadium in Ann Arbor can hold 107,000.  Their loss on gate receipts and concessions is enormous 

[Adoni Beast]

14 hours ago, football guy said:

The communications team has already been versed on how to spin specific candidates. Me just puzzling things together leaves me thinking Staley, Eberflus, and Smith a lot more now than I did 2 days ago. 

Oh Cimini just randomly posted an article about Staley. Looks like you are really on to something here.

And you don’t write an article that long with quotes and interviews for no reason.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30663776/the-sean-mcvay-defense-former-division-iii-coordinator-brandon-staley-latest-los-angeles-rams-coaching-wunderkind?platform=amp&__twitter_impression=true

The driver was Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, and he was there to pick up the rather anonymous Denver Broncos outside linebackers coach to interview to be his defensive coordinator, replacing the legendary Wade Phillips.

The interview began immediately along the 10-mile drive to the Rams' practice facility, where Staley -- who came highly recommended from McVay's inner circle -- really dove in.

"When you talk football -- I'd like to think that I love football as much as anybody -- you're sitting there and you're thinking, 'This guy might be sicker than I am,'" McVay said about Staley.

Staley, who turned 38 last month, loves two things most: his family and football. He and his father are cancer survivors, but he watched the disease take his mother's life after nine years. He has taken a somewhat unconventional path to the NFL, but every stop -- from playing quarterback at Dayton and Mercyhurst, to coaching at Hutchinson Community College and serving as an NFL position coach for three seasons -- served a purpose in shaping him and the NFL's best defense.

Since McVay's arrival in L.A. four years ago, the Rams' identity has been tied to his high-scoring offense. But this season is different. And that difference began during a 12-hour marathon interview McVay and Staley admit flew by and could have lasted longer.

Staley pored over his plans for the Rams' defense, utilizing the blueprint he created at John Carroll University, a Division III school in Ohio where he served as defensive coordinator for the Blue Streaks four seasons earlier and developed a top-ranked unit.

Staley brought up Frank Pines, an undersized lineman for the Blue Streaks who he called a force of nature who could play anywhere along the defensive front.

Pines' role would filled by Aaron Donald, the Rams' two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Then there was Jovon Dawson, an athletic defensive back who could play safety, corner and nickel, a skill set so grand an entire defense could be built around him.

Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey would be Dawson's All-Pro equivalent.

"They're not household names to the NFL," Staley says, "but they're household names to me."

Staley knows it sounds like a stretch, walking into his only formal interview for an NFL coordinator position and bringing up D-III players -- guys who paid to play in college, that no one ever heard of.

Even his former players got a good laugh when they found out their names were mentioned.

"I couldn't hold Jalen Ramsey's jockstrap!" said Dawson, who is 25 and works for a family business.

"That's just crazy that he said that," said Pines, 27, now a territory manager for US Foods. "It's kind of weird to be compared to the best defensive player in the NFL."

But to Staley, the analogy played perfect.

"The biggest point was that we were going to take advantage of our personnel," he said. "I was able to articulate that clear vision because I had done it before."

As the 10-6 Rams prepare for a wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks (12-4) at Lumen Field on Saturday (4:40 p.m. ET, Fox), Staley's defense is top ranked again, and a unit that can stifle any quarterback, create turnovers and consistently score.

"He's a great coach, one of the best coaches that I've ever had," Ramsey said. "I feel like he's a genius."

'Smooth like chocolate milk'

John Carroll was undefeated in 2013 and preparing for a big, early November game against a physical Heidelberg University team that had blown them out a year before.

The tension in the room felt palpable, and Staley -- the typically serious and focused first-year coordinator -- knew the moment called for a different approach.

"He looks at us," Pines recalled, "and says, 'You know what song really pumps me up?'"

A smooth melody filled the room, the song "Royals" by Lorde playing, and the rather stiff Staley began to groove.

"He's like, 'This is how you gotta be, baby! Smooth like chocolate milk!'" Pines said, chuckling. "It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it."

"That was absolutely the moment where I always look to like, where did the John Carroll defense change?" said Chris Rizzo, another former Blue Streak. "It was that moment in that room."

With an enrollment of 3,600 students, John Carroll is a relatively unknown small Catholic university 23 miles east of Cleveland. But it has become an NFL factory, producing Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio and Rams outside linebackers coach Chris Shula, among others.

At John Carroll, Staley grew a reputation for loving onion rings with hot wings, guzzling coffee and spinning his wedding band around his ring finger when his mind went into overdrive.

He demanded a lot from players, but they respected it. In his first season, he installed a defense that served players' strengths and turned a cellar-dwelling unit into a top-ranked defense among 250 Division III teams. In Staley's final season in 2016, the Blue Streaks were crowned conference champions.

Former John Carroll head coach Tom Arth, who is now head coach at Akron, knew within moments of meeting Staley that he would hire him. Staley was coming off a one-year stint as a graduate assistant at Tennessee, preceded by a two-year stay at Hutchinson Community College, where he was defensive coordinator.

"Within the first minute of his starting to talk some football, I just knew he was different," Arth said. "There's no other candidates after you meet Brandon."

Staley encompassed everything Arth wanted: passion, combined with an ability to communicate, teach and quickly earn trust. Plus as a former college quarterback, Staley sees the game from an all-22 perspective, with a deep knowledge for how each side of the ball works.

"Brandon is the same monster with two different heads," Rizzo said. "He's got his coaching head and then he's got his personality, his person head."

Staley understood how to reach every player, which meant finding ways to relate and communicate with each individual, a trait that caused Dawson to smile this year when he heard Ramsey echo the same sentiment to reporters.

"That's one of the special things he does," Dawson said. "I was a super emotional player, I didn't enjoy being talked to aggressively, so would always pull me to the side. ... [Other guys] had to be yelled at because that's the only way they took coaching."

Former Blue Streak Brody Zangaro recalled Staley telling players who missed assignments that he would put them on waivers.

"There are no waivers in Division III football," Zangaro laughed. "This is sort of a testament to him knowing that he would be in the NFL."

'He's about ball'

Jalen Ramsey isn't easily won over, so when the All-Pro cornerback offers praise, it means something.

"The way he's opened up the defense and built it around A.D. as it should be -- it's all things that you would think common sense," Ramsey said, "but the way that he does it is extraordinary."

Staley kept the base 3-4 defense installed by Phillips, but added elements he learned under Broncos coach Vic Fangio as well as wrinkles of his own style. His goal is to create one-on-one matchups in the run game and two-on-one matchups in the passing game. He does it by utilizing the individual strengths of his players.

"When Brandon came in, there was a clear-cut vision for all of our players and how he saw the ability to accentuate their skill sets," McVay said.

A season after finishing ninth in defensive efficiency, the Rams have jumped to the top in multiple defensive categories. They rank first in defensive efficiency, yards allowed per game (281.9) and points allowed per game (18.5), and are tied for first in the NFL with four defensive touchdowns.

But perhaps most important to Staley is the production of players not named Donald or Ramsey, who always are expected to produce at a high level.

"When I came here I really wanted to establish that we were a team defense," said Staley, who remodeled the defense without OTAs or a traditional preseason. "I think that's what we got done."

 

Staley revived the career of outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, whose production in Chicago stalled in four seasons but took on new life in L.A. with 10.5 sacks. Alongside Ramsey -- who allowed an average of 23.9 receiving yards per game as the nearest defender, former undrafted free agents Troy Hill and Darious Williams have produced standout performances. Hill has an NFL-best three defensive touchdowns, and Williams intercepted a team-high four passes.

"The dude's a genius," Williams said.

Rookie safety Jordan Fuller, a sixth-round pick, has excelled with three interceptions, while Staley entrusted safety John Johnson III to be his defensive signal-caller.

"He's always studying," Johnson said about Staley. "He'll shoot me a text at a random time of the day about something not even important -- just about football, something that he saw."

Donald has turned in another performance worthy of earning him a third NFL Defensive Player of the Year with 13.5 sacks, while defensive lineman Michael Brockers had five -- his most since 2013 -- and former undrafted free agent Morgan Fox had a career-best six. Sebastian Joseph-Day also grew into a significant contributor up front.

"We're playing consistent football in his defense," Donald said.

And, like he did at John Carroll, Staley is still fidgeting with his wedding band when the wheels are turning and connecting with players in a season marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, when meaningful connections can be difficult to make.

"I told him the first time we were on the Zoom call, he had me fired up, ready to go," Brockers said. "I wanted to put my helmet on, on the Zoom call, because he had me so fired up."

"He's about ball," Ramsey said, "but at the same time he's a player's coach."

Staley is the owner of the "Salty Dog Café," Johnson said, and you become an official salty dog when you "trick out" (another of Staley's go-to catchphrases) -- disguise a coverage to create an opportunity for another defensive player whom the offense wouldn't expect to be a factor in the play.

However, he hasn't tried his former go-to line at John Carroll, play "smooth like chocolate milk," because -- well -- this is the NFL. "Pro players are tough," Staley said, smiling. "It's hard to impress them."

"He cracks a couple jokes here and there," Donald said. "But he definitely brings a lot of excitement and a lot of passion with him."

Head coach in waiting

Fangio's phone rang recently with a unique request.

"I had a call from a potential head coach for next season," Fangio said. "Asked me if I have any more Brandon Staleys to come be his defensive coordinator."

After three seasons at John Carroll, including a one-year hiatus as defensive coordinator at James Madison, Fangio plucked Staley to join his defensive staff with the Chicago Bears. The defensive guru wanted a coach he could groom to take over outside linebackers -- a group that would soon include Khalil Mack -- and Staley came highly recommended.

"I asked a lot of questions," Staley said about his three seasons under Fangio, one with the Bears and two in Denver, where he worked with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. "And he provided me a lot of answers."

Said Fangio: "He's a football savant in that he loves the game, the historical aspect of the game. He loves to research it and wanted to be up on all the new things."

Now, after only one season as an NFL defensive coordinator, Staley is earning the opportunity to become a head coach. The New York Jets and Los Angeles Chargers have requested interviews for their head-coaching vacancies.

"This is the Sean McVay of defense," said Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who coached three seasons with Staley between Chicago and Denver. "This is that young, bright mind that sees it all, that can communicate with people."

The progression to becoming an NFL head coach is one former players have seen coming.

Last year, Chubb signed a jersey for Staley at the request of Staley's wife, Amy, who was gathering memorabilia to build her husband a long-dreamed-about man cave.

Along with his signature, Chubb wrote: "Can't wait to see you become a head coach one day."

"It was just the energy he brought to the meetings, how he approached it," Chubb said. "You could just tell the aura he had about himself. One of the best dudes I know personally."

Since 2012, five coaches have made the jump to head coach after their first season as an NFL defensive coordinator, including Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who is 28-19 over three seasons, and Steve Wilks, who was fired after a single 3-13 season with the Cardinals in 2018.

Staley's NFL resume might be short -- one season as coordinator, three as outside linebackers coach -- but it doesn't feel that way to him.

"I felt like I was having this double education," Staley said. "I was coaching in college, but I felt like I was coaching the pros at the same time because I was studying."

"Selfishly, I would love to have Coach Staley for obviously the rest of this year and next year and my career here," Ramsey said. "But, I mean, he would be a great head coach, and there's a lot of teams in the league right now who could use him."

 

[56mehl56]

14 hours ago, football guy said:

It doesn't sound like he's putting as much weight into experience as he is talent. Looking for someone who has a great philosophical understanding of the game and truly exemplifies the buzz-word qualities that have been sterilized/overused to define candidates ("leadership", "culture builder", "discipline", etc.). 

Apparently he's placing a heavy emphasis on principles; guys who can simply define what makes up a team identity among all sides of the ball. It's easier said than done, and many coaches struggle at this... for whatever reason, defensive coaches are better at establishing an identity then offensive ones... I don't know if its coincidence or what. "Establishing a culture" was a theme under Gase... but what was the culture? Can you define it? Can the players define it? That's an important part of this process. 

He's also prioritizing guys that won't put themselves above the team- and for that reason may not be the "big names" that have earned their reputations and have egos... in a way that could be a referendum on Gase, who put his scheme/playcalling before the team consistently. He used the word "partner" in his press conference which goes in line with the collaboration aspect. Douglas is a listener not a speaker, but when he speaks he wants someone to hear him. I think he expects the same qualities out of his next HC. 

 

None of this is to say they won't hire a established coach, but sounds like Douglas is not looking for brownie points or positive media coverage. Just wants to find the guy who he feels will be the best person to work with and the most likely to find long-term success. 

This is why I've been against the hires of guys like Cowher/Harbaugh. I believe JD wants to be in synch with HC and doesn't want to have the power struggle ego concerns that go along with a big name HC.

In addition I feel JD wants to build this right with draft picks and "key" FA signings for sustained success. Guys like Harbaugh or Cowher will demand instant upgrades at positions considering how much $$ the Jets have in FA,  and those usually entail high priced contracts that push the eggs into a win now at all costs basket. That model is usually not sustainable , remember the fallout after Parcells bolted.  If I had my guess JD goes with a coordinator type or less high profile college HC. 

[football guy]

On 1/5/2021 at 11:36 PM, Guilhermezmc said:

Any other information you can share?

• The initial vetting of coaches, speaking with their agents, and "organizing the playbook" was managed by Hymie and his team with some of Douglas's input (although he won't admit that). Douglas's greatest priority throughout the season has been pro and college scouting, and that's the truth. The amount of candidates they initially reached out to via agents is about 30 total. 
• The second Gase was fired was when Douglas took over the process, which was the underlying plan. They were always going to remove the Gase decision from Douglas - not because Douglas wasn't going to fire him anyway, but to try and ease the burden of forcing Douglas to fire his friend. 
• What has become clear now that Douglas is running point: he puts very little into hiring the name candidate. I think people - including myself - confused the desire for a "CEO" to mean a guy who has already established themselves as a HC/program builder. Wrong. There's a sense stemming from internal meetings that there is a chance this guy ends up being an out-of-left-field hire.
• Being that interviews are being conducted remotely, it makes pinning down interviews more secretive. People in 1FP are only privy to the schedule, the presentation being shown, the boilerplate questions. That's why she said she doesn't think Harbaugh- she thinks the rest of the FO would've found out by now had he been scheduled to interview... his name is too big for it to go unnoticed, and unlike Matt Campbell, Harbaugh is very open to interviewing/leaving.  
• There's a good chance the coach who ultimately gets the job has a defensive background. I don't say that because the candidate pool on offense lacks diversity, but because the team doesn't want to hire specialists. They are prioritizing smart football coaches, not just schemers. Brandon Staley and Matt Eberflus have as good a shot as anyone because of their coaching philosophies, not their defensive schemes or success. Arthur Smith is another guy to keep an eye on because of his diversified experience. 
• Most of the candidates won't start interviewing until Saturday/Sunday the earliest, but there are interviews scheduled this week. Word is that it was 3. They already announced an interview with Bieniemy. They will likely announce a few others this week. They'll only announce college coaches who approve them to. 

 

^ from yesterday which I forgot to post. We now now the Jets have formally requested to interview Glenn. My "cliff-notes" version was just as long as the original lol ?‍♂️

14 hours ago, Guilhermezmc said:

Thank you! Any news on the qb situation?

I maintain that it's 60-40 in favor of Darnold. Douglas has made it clear that the QB decision will not be a unilateral one and that the coach will have input. If the new HC agrees with Joe Douglas, Sam will be back. However, that's not a prerequisite for the job... Douglas is valuing the coach over the player, and if the coach sees things differently it could impact the decision making. What I do know is there are quite a few coaches who think extremely highly of Darnold. Those guys are: 

• DC Brandon Staley 
• DC Matt Eberflus 
• DC Robert Saleh
• HC Jim Harbaugh (not confident he'll get the job) 
• HC David Shaw (he was certainly on our list; like Harbaugh not sure if he's interested/if he'll be interviewed) 

I'm sure there are others who really like him as there will be candidates who don't like him. And the thing for these coaches to determine is whether thinking extremely highly of him is enough for them to want to bypass a QB at #2. That I can't say. 

[ZachEY]

1 hour ago, football guy said:

I maintain that it's 60-40 in favor of Darnold. Douglas has made it clear that the QB decision will not be a unilateral one and that the coach will have input. If the new HC agrees with Joe Douglas, Sam will be back. However, that's not a prerequisite for the job... Douglas is valuing the coach over the player, and if the coach sees things differently it could impact the decision making. What I do know is there are quite a few coaches who think extremely highly of Darnold. Those guys are: 

I appreciate your contributions over the past few days.

My question is, how can any of this work?  I can't talk X's and O's with you, your knowledge is far superior to mine.  However, from all I've seen, while you can certainly say Sam can be buoyed with better coaching and a better line, I don't see how there's any path to success, either on the football field, or in the front office here.

Sam has a long way up to go to average.  So, what do you do about his option?  Based on 3 years, are you picking up the 25M?  I don't see how you can.  And then what.  Lets say, against a last place schedule, he looks moderately better, and the Jets win 6-8 games.  You're no longer picking top 2, and you've got to franchise him or work out a long term deal.  As I see it, the only path to success with keeping Darnold is that he goes from worst in the league bad, to top 10 (maybe top 15) next year.  Does that seem realistic?

What am I missing?

[football guy]

2 minutes ago, TeddEY said:

I appreciate your contributions over the past few days.

My question is, how can any of this work.  While you can certainly say Sam can be buoyed with better coaching and a better line, I don't see how there's any path to success, either on the football field, or in the front office here.

Sam has a long way to go to average.  So, what do you do about his option?  Based on 3 years, are you picking up the 25M?  I don't see how you can.  And then what.  Lets say, against a last place schedule, he looks moderately better, and the Jets win 6-8 games.  You're no longer picking top 2, and you've got to franchise him or work out a long term deal.  As I see it, the only path to success with keeping Darnold is that he goes from worst in the league bad, to top 10 (maybe top 15) next year.  Does that seem realistic?

What am I missing?

I think it has to do with team building philosophy. Less about Sam, more about what is better for the entire team: QB Sam + value of #2 (trade) or QB #2 + value of Sam (trade). 

If coaches like Sam and believe they can still get a good QB out of him, they will opt to trade #2 if they believe it takes a village rather than one player all while understanding its extremely possible QB may need to be addressed at a future date. 

[ZachEY]

6 minutes ago, football guy said:

I think it has to do with team building philosophy. Less about Sam, more about what is better for the entire team: QB Sam + value of #2 (trade) or QB #2 + value of Sam (trade). 

If coaches like Sam and believe they can still get a good QB out of him, they will opt to trade #2 if they believe it takes a village rather than one player all while understanding its extremely possible QB may need to be addressed at a future date. 

Sure, I get that.

But, it's not that simple.  Sam plus a bunch of picks sounds good in this scenario, but part of that has to include, Sam + 100M contract on a guy who's been terrible for 3 years and TBD for his fourth vs. QB at 2, and modest return for Sam in trade.  As for team I've always said the picks for Adams were gravy.  The real win was not paying him and what he brings to your team, 15M (or more) per year.

In our attempts to build a team, we've paid Sanchez when we shouldn't have, and we've held out hope on QBs when we shouldn't have, electing to draft the aforementioned Adams in that recent case.

The real fear should be that one of these QBs turns into an actual player, and we've missed out again, because that's something that's happened.

Even with that being said, if you want to trade out of 2, I'm not dead-set against it, but you need to add an actual veteran QB who can/and likely would start.  No more McCowns or Flaccos, even though Flacco probably would have won a fair competition.  Trade for Stafford or look into Rivers.  Hell, even Winston beats him out in a fair comp.

[football guy]

36 minutes ago, TeddEY said:

Sure, I get that.

But, it's not that simple.  Sam plus a bunch of picks sounds good in this scenario, but part of that has to include, Sam + 100M contract on a guy who's been terrible for 3 years and TBD for his fourth vs. QB at 2, and modest return for Sam in trade.  As for team I've always said the picks for Adams were gravy.  The real win was not paying him and what he brings to your team, 15M (or more) per year.

In our attempts to build a team, we've paid Sanchez when we shouldn't have, and we've held out hope on QBs when we shouldn't have, electing to draft the aforementioned Adams in that recent case.

The real fear should be that one of these QBs turns into an actual player, and we've missed out again, because that's something that's happened.

Even with that being said, if you want to trade out of 2, I'm not dead-set against it, but you need to add an actual veteran QB who can/and likely would start.  No more McCowns or Flaccos, even though Flacco probably would have won a fair competition.  Trade for Stafford or look into Rivers.  Hell, even Winston beats him out in a fair comp.

I don’t know why people keep making this so absolute. Jets will not hitch their wagon to Sam past 2021 unless he plays significantly better. If he plays significantly better, he’ll be back for 2022. If he plays really well 2022–2 years in a row—they’ll extend him to a 3-year guaranteed contract. 

Browns, 49ers, Titans, Chargers, and Bills all passed on Mahomes and Deshaun. Both those guys are “actual players.” 

Those teams starters entering that 2017 draft? Brian Hoyer, Marcus Mariota, Philip Rivers, Tyrod Taylor, and DeShone Kizer. 

I think those teams turned out alright.

[ZachEY]

2 minutes ago, football guy said:

I don’t know why people keep making this so absolute. Jets will not hitch their wagon to Sam past 2021 unless he plays significantly better. If he plays significantly better, he’ll be back for 2022. If he plays really well 2022–2 years in a row—they’ll extend him to a 3-year guaranteed contract. 

Browns, 49ers, Titans, Chargers, and Bills all passed on Mahomes and Deshaun. Both those guys are “actual players.” 

Those teams starters entering that 2017 draft? Brian Hoyer, Marcus Mariota, Philip Rivers, Tyrod Taylor, and DeShone Kizer. 

I think those teams turned out alright.

The Chargers is the only one of those teams you'd hope to, or be possibly able to replicate.

Browns got the #1 overall.  49ers are back in a position of looking for a QB.  Titans have Chris Henry and picked up a high quality veteran (something I'm advocating for), Chargers as stated, and Bills are getting a historically unprecedented performance out of a gamble.

The team the Jets should be looking to emulate, is the Cardinals.  Yes, they also had the #1 pick, but they didn't sit on their hands.  They got aggressive and replaced their mistake quickly.

[Waka Flocka Flacco]

1 minute ago, TeddEY said:

The Chargers is the only one of those teams you'd hope to, or be possibly able to replicate.

Browns got the #1 overall.  49ers are back in a position of looking for a QB.  Titans have Chris Henry

too soon

[ZachEY]

7 minutes ago, Waka Flocka Flacco said:

too soon

oof.

[choon328]

7 hours ago, Philc1 said:

It’s huge.  That stadium in Ann Arbor can hold 107,000.  Their loss on gate receipts and concessions is enormous 

They have a $12.44 billion endowment. Losing $80 million is nothing. I think they're trying to force him out by low balling him. 

[Bugg]

20 hours ago, football guy said:

It doesn't sound like he's putting as much weight into experience as he is talent. Looking for someone who has a great philosophical understanding of the game and truly exemplifies the buzz-word qualities that have been sterilized/overused to define candidates ("leadership", "culture builder", "discipline", etc.). 

Apparently he's placing a heavy emphasis on principles; guys who can simply define what makes up a team identity among all sides of the ball. It's easier said than done, and many coaches struggle at this... for whatever reason, defensive coaches are better at establishing an identity then offensive ones... I don't know if its coincidence or what. "Establishing a culture" was a theme under Gase... but what was the culture? Can you define it? Can the players define it? That's an important part of this process. 

He's also prioritizing guys that won't put themselves above the team- and for that reason may not be the "big names" that have earned their reputations and have egos... in a way that could be a referendum on Gase, who put his scheme/playcalling before the team consistently. He used the word "partner" in his press conference which goes in line with the collaboration aspect. Douglas is a listener not a speaker, but when he speaks he wants someone to hear him. I think he expects the same qualities out of his next HC. 

 

None of this is to say they won't hire a established coach, but sounds like Douglas is not looking for brownie points or positive media coverage. Just wants to find the guy who he feels will be the best person to work with and the most likely to find long-term success. 

Army's Jeff Monken and Holly Cross's Bob Chesney fit this bill.

The Jets will not interview either one. Instead they'll sell us a retread. Marvin F---In' Lewis? 

Not even a rumor about Harbaugh nor Cowher. 

Hymie's on the case. BLESSED!