Brian Flores and Matt Nagy will likely get second chances

Lots to get to, with the seasons of 18 groups over, and 14 extra preparing for the playoffs …

Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports activities (Flores); Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports activities (Nagy); Robert Scheer/IndyStar/USA TODAY Community (Lawrence)
• For the previous few weeks, there have been rumblings that the Dolphins might shake up what had change into a little bit of a dysfunctional setup—however few guess that Brian Flores can be the one biting the bullet. So why has he? Nicely, my sense is that if organizational alignment was the purpose, possession would take a look at the steadiness on the scouting aspect, and stability on the teaching aspect, and make a name from there. On the previous, GM Chris Grier’s labored within the group for 22 years, and his scouting employees has remained pretty static since he was given the reins three years in the past. On the latter, Flores had cycled by means of three offensive coordinators and three offensive line coaches, and even had a number of offensive play-callers at factors this yr (QBs coach Charlie Frye dealt with it early on, OC George Godsey later within the season). Now, the opposite aspect of that? Over the past two years, Flores’s protection was one of many NFL’s greatest, and the tinkering on offense was, partially, to beat some personnel misses and the shortcomings of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. So ideally, you’d give everybody one other yr—until you consider the state of affairs is unworkable, and that’s the purpose, clearly, that Dolphins proprietor Stephen Ross received to.
I’m instructed communication was scarce over the previous few months, and there was lots that Flores and Grier didn’t see eye to eye on, with emotions on the longer-term future with Tagovailoa part of that. And that’s the place, during the last month, Ross felt the necessity to decide on a aspect, with foreboding indicators popping up at Sunday’s season finale at Onerous Rock Stadium (ex-Dolphins exec Daybreak Aponte, now on the league workplace and with a task in figuring out coach and GM candidates league-wide, occurred to be on the recreation; and Flores walked off the sphere along with Invoice Belichick, and hung out along with his outdated boss on the purpose line close to the tunnel, which caught the eye of others), and the outcome validating what had been illustrated for everybody. Flores leaves with a superb file and a superb probability to land a job elsewhere. Clearly, his offensive coordinator selection, when he will get one other shot, can be scrutinized elsewhere, however Flores achieved lots in his three years in South Florida.
• Talking of second chances, I do suppose ex-Bears coach Matt Nagy will get his ultimately, based mostly on a strong file—he made the playoffs twice in 4 years in Chicago, and solely had one dropping file (the Bears went .500 twice)—and that his crew stayed engaged by means of what amounted to a training dying march on the finish of the yr. It’s honest to have a look at Nagy and marvel if issues had been a bit of extra steady at quarterback, and if he’d been capable of hold on to Vic Fangio for greater than a yr, if the ultimate outcome would’ve been completely different. As it’s? Nicely, I’d say that if Andy Reid have been to step away someday within the close to future, Nagy can be excessive on the Chiefs’ record to switch him. Nagy, for individuals who don’t know, was faculty teammates with Kansas Metropolis GM Brett Veach, and has maintained lots of good relationships within the group. And clearly, he was on the bottom ground for Patrick Mahomes’s growth.
• We talked about this final week, but it surely’s value reiterating that groups don’t appear to be honing in on a selected sort of head teaching candidate early within the course of, and that ought to be excellent news for a league workplace that’s been on the lookout for groups to be extra open-minded in how they strategy this stuff (the assumption is that will assist with groups contemplating extra various candidates). The Broncos (Dan Quinn, Jerod Mayo), Bears (Leslie Frazier) and Jaguars (Quinn, Todd Bowles) have already reached out to defensive-minded coaches, in addition to guys on the offensive aspect of the ball. And a few faculty names (Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell) have been mentioned, even within the aftermath of City Meyer’s flaming out in Jacksonville. Which is sweet for the groups in the long term in making large selections like these, and good for coaches who don’t essentially match the offensive play-caller development of current years.
• Whereas we’re on the subject of variety, with Flores’s firing, the NFL’s now down to 3 minority head coaches (the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, Washington’s Ron Rivera and the Texans’ David Culley). The excellent news? There’s a crop of recent names that I feel have an opportunity to achieve momentum within the coming weeks, with New England linebackers coach Jerod Mayo the plain one, and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich likely to get good lengthy appears to be like. Add to {that a} good group of potential second-chance candidates (Bowles, Frazier, Vance Joseph, Raheem Morris), and there’s a really wholesome pipeline in place.
• The choices from each the Bears and Vikings to scrub home, after many within the league anticipated the NFC North rivals to maintain their GMs in some capability, might sign extra involvement from possession. Latest searches for each groups have been run by the GMs and/or crew execs, and as such change in these circumstances routinely got here off as half-measures. What Chicago and Minnesota did Monday opens the prospect for larger-scale change in each locations—and that’s why nobody ought to be stunned that the Bears introduced in an skilled NFL exec, in Invoice Polian, to assist steer the method.
• I had an superior discuss with Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday afternoon, and you may see most of it within the morning column. However there was one factor I omitted—and that was how he answered once I requested how he’d grade his personal efficiency by means of his first NFL season.
“Yeah, I feel I would like a pair weeks to do this, to be trustworthy,” he mentioned. “Nevertheless it’s been a loopy yr, one thing I by no means envisioned. I didn’t suppose it will go this fashion. Wouldn’t change it now. I’ve realized lots. Discovered lots about myself, lots about soccer, lots about simply my teammates, all these issues. Proper now, I’m simply extra completely happy and excited for the longer term, and actually happy with this group. However yeah, there’s undoubtedly gonna be lots of reflecting over the following couple of weeks as a result of there’s some large issues this yr that I’ve realized which have gone effectively, haven’t gone effectively. I’ll simply actually take all that in and use it.”
It’s fairly straightforward to inform, simply speaking to Lawrence, how he was capable of navigate a bizarre begin to his NFL profession and come out of it taking part in like he did on Sunday. He’s very, very even-keeled, one thing that’s confirmed by means of the previous few months, as issues round him worsened.
• Raiders GM Mike Mayock isn’t getting lots of credit score for the job he’s carried out constructing the roster in Las Vegas. Ought to he? He drafted Josh Jacobs (26 carries, 132 yards on Sunday evening) within the first spherical in 2019; received Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow and Foster Moreau within the center rounds; picked Zay Jones off the scrap heap; rebuilt the offensive and defensive strains on the fly; and discovered star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby within the fourth spherical. Sure, he has his misses. And to make certain, Clelin Ferrell and Damon Arnette are large ones. However for essentially the most half, the Raiders don’t have big weaknesses and are positioned effectively for the longer term with out lots of dangerous contracts on the ledger. There’s benefit there to staying the course for proprietor Mark Davis. After all, the place Davis goes with the teaching place will most likely dictate what occurs with Mayock particularly, and the GM spot generally.
• A part of hiring coaches is figuring out they’ll be capable of fill out sturdy staffs, and Nick Sirianni completely opened some eyes in that division with the job he’s carried out in Philly. He was capable of lure defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon there with him—Gannon was one of many extra in-demand coordinator candidates within the NFL final yr—and leaned on his previous to seize Shane Steichen to be his offensive coordinator off Anthony Lynn’s employees, after Lynn was let go by the Chargers. Gannon has rapidly grown into the coordinator position, and is already attracting head coach curiosity from Denver. And Steichen was a significant a part of placing in, and calling, a brand-new run recreation to suit Jalen Hurts’s talent set. The lesson? Take note of who the brand new coaches are bringing with them to their new groups over the following few weeks.
• On that one, I’ve been that means to level this out for a couple of weeks: The assistants whom Josh McDaniels had recognized for his staffs when he interviewed in Cleveland, Indianapolis and Philadelphia are fairly notable. McDaniels’s defensive coordinator in Indy was going to be Matt Eberflus, who wound up going to the Colts from the Cowboys to be DC even after McDaniels determined to remain in New England. Eberflus has been excellent in that position, ok to garner head teaching curiosity from different groups. And when McDaniels interviewed in Cleveland two years later, his plan was to have Gannon and now Chargers coach Brandon Staley as his co-defensive coordinators. Which additionally appears to be like fairly good a few years out. To me, these are the types of issues that ought to get house owners’ consideration (however typically don’t).
• Give me Alabama Monday evening, 30–24. (And for extra on watching the sport by means of an NFL lens, remember to take a look at the morning column.)
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