HC Candidates: The List

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Bears had initial interview with Pederson today. 

[AZ54]

On 1/12/2022 at 4:52 PM, adam said:

That is the same thing I said yesterday ^ . Similar to Leftwich, hard to judge independent of some of the greatest QBs to ever play. 

 

We do know what Hackett's offense looks like without Rodgers.   Hackett "Joined the Packers on Jan. 16, 2019" which gave him plenty of time to put together a lovely 7pt performance with Jordan Love in 2021.   He does get mad props for that TD because it was done against the always tough KC Chiefs defense.  https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202111070kan.htm  

 

[adam]

Not a bad group. I am leaning towards Flores and Quinn for previous HCs and Daboll and Eberflus for Coordinators.

Role	HC Candidate Name	Team	Interview Date
DC	Leslie Frazier	Buffalo Bills	Sunday 1/16
HC	Doug Pederson	Ex-Philadelphia Eagles	Wednesday 1/12 (DONE)
OC	Brian Daboll	Buffalo Bills	TBA
OC	Nathaniel Hackett	Green Bay Packers	Saturday 1/15
DC	Todd Bowles	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TBA
OC	Byron Leftwich	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TBA
DC	Matt Eberflus	Indianapolis Colts	Monday 1/17
DC	Dan Quinn	Dallas Cowboys	Late Next Week
HC	Brian Flores	Miami Dolphins	Friday 1/14

[DABEARSDABOMB]

36 minutes ago, adam said:

Not a bad group. I am leaning towards Flores and Quinn for previous HCs and Daboll and Eberflus for Coordinators.

Role	HC Candidate Name	Team	Interview Date
DC	Leslie Frazier	Buffalo Bills	Sunday 1/16
HC	Doug Pederson	Ex-Philadelphia Eagles	Wednesday 1/12 (DONE)
OC	Brian Daboll	Buffalo Bills	TBA
OC	Nathaniel Hackett	Green Bay Packers	Saturday 1/15
DC	Todd Bowles	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TBA
OC	Byron Leftwich	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TBA
DC	Matt Eberflus	Indianapolis Colts	Monday 1/17
DC	Dan Quinn	Dallas Cowboys	Late Next Week
HC	Brian Flores	Miami Dolphins	Friday 1/14

Your list is awesome - I threw it into the original post.  I still lean towards Daboll, Bowles and Quinn as my 3 favorite candidates (if they don't go Harbaugh).  Josh McDaniels name isn't on here, but there are rumors Bears are interested but McDaniels won't meet with teams until after Pats are out of playoffs.  

I actually wonder if Pederson might be in play for an OC role. Especially if Bears hire a defensive HC.  

[Stinger226]

Flores, Bowles and Daboll in that order.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Edit:  after seeing Daboll “pitch the perfect game” he’s back in the top of coveted HC candidates.  
 

But… The Raiders definitely need to consider keeping Bisaccia as HC.  Amazing what he’s managed to do this year in Vegas. 

[adam]

Daboll called a perfect game, 7 TD drives against NE. Impressive. 

[Pixote]

I can only dream of Fields playing in an offense designed around him like Josh Allen benefited from tonight.

On the other hand, I was not at all impressed with the play calling for New England.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

14 minutes ago, adam said:

Daboll called a perfect game, 7 TD drives against NE. Impressive. 

Yes - hire this guy asap. Don’t let someone else grab him. Get the Bills Asst GM too to pair him with or Dodds from Colts. 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Just now, Pixote said:

I can only dream of Fields playing in an offense designed around him like Josh Allen benefited from tonight.

On the other hand, I was not at all impressed with the play calling for New England.

We are spot on - that was all I could think about. Fields is such a great fit in that offense and Dabol just does such a nice job putting his QB in a spot to excel. And all the work he did to improve Allen’s accuracy. 
 

You hire Dabol and you are getting the guy who built that system. Allen is a stud - but he helped make Allen that good. No Andy Reid he was hiding behind. He was fully in charge of the offense and built it. When the league adjusted this year - he adjusted back. And he just had two straight games vs a Pats D where they didn’t punt (I think). That is crazy good. Especially when the 3rd time in one season vs Bill…a GOAT at scheming and you score 7 TD in first 7 posessions. 

[adam]

9 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

We are spot on - that was all I could think about. Fields is such a great fit in that offense and Dabol just does such a nice job putting his QB in a spot to excel. And all the work he did to improve Allen’s accuracy. 
 

You hire Dabol and you are getting the guy who built that system. Allen is a stud - but he helped make Allen that good. No Andy Reid he was hiding behind. He was fully in charge of the offense and built it. When the league adjusted this year - he adjusted back. And he just had two straight games vs a Pats D where they didn’t punt (I think). That is crazy good. Especially when the 3rd time in one season vs Bill…a GOAT at scheming and you score 7 TD in first 7 posessions. 

Yeah man, I agree, there is nothing more you need to do as a Coordinator. That was the most dominant offensive performance in terms of efficiency, ever. 7 drives, 7 TDs, no punts, no FGs, no INTs. If he can do half for Fields what he did for Allen, the Bears are an instant playoff team. 

[AZ54]

17 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

We are spot on - that was all I could think about. Fields is such a great fit in that offense and Dabol just does such a nice job putting his QB in a spot to excel. And all the work he did to improve Allen’s accuracy. 
 

You hire Dabol and you are getting the guy who built that system. Allen is a stud - but he helped make Allen that good. No Andy Reid he was hiding behind. He was fully in charge of the offense and built it. When the league adjusted this year - he adjusted back. And he just had two straight games vs a Pats D where they didn’t punt (I think). That is crazy good. Especially when the 3rd time in one season vs Bill…a GOAT at scheming and you score 7 TD in first 7 posessions. 

Allen was a raw athletic talent and while he still makes some odd throws he has improved significantly since his first season.  I was especially impressed with his composure in the pocket.   Fields has a better floor than Allen did starting out in the NFL but it'd be great to see similar growth over the next couple seasons.    

[adam]

The Bills are #2 in DVOA, 10th in Offense and 1st in Defense. The Bears have a lot of similarities with the Bills. QB, RB, and TE on offense, so if they can add a true WR1 and upgrade at least at C, they will be very comparable on paper. On defense, the Bills have better CB and S, that's it. If the Bears can add there, they will be a close clone to the current Bills team. 

[Mongo3451]

20 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Allen was a raw athletic talent and while he still makes some odd throws he has improved significantly since his first season.  I was especially impressed with his composure in the pocket.   Fields has a better floor than Allen did starting out in the NFL but it'd be great to see similar growth over the next couple seasons.    

I remember watching Allen, live at the combine, and I've never seen anything like him.  He's big like Roethlisberger and has a cannon like nobody ever.  He was throwing 70 yards off of his back foot.  His release is trigger quick and he's super light on his feet.  Yes, he was raw coming out, but his skill set is off the charts.  The one thing he truly has over Fields is a dominating attitude.  I've seen Fields play some great college football games, but I've never seen if put his team on his back and dominate through pure aggression.  Josh Allen is a corn fed hoss.  Hopefully Fields can develop a little of that mean streak.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

47 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

 He's big like Roethlisberger and has a cannon like nobody ever.  He was throwing 70 yards off of his back foot.  His release is trigger quick and he's super light on his feet.  Yes, he was raw coming out, but his skill set is off the charts.  The one thing he truly has over Fields is a dominating attitude. 

Herbert is similar (and talent wise maybe better) but lacks the aggressive killer instinct you say Allen has.  In watching Herbert play this year (and considering he’s a few years behind Allen) I could see both being the next generation of Roethlisberger and Rodgers.  With Burrow and hopefully Fields rounding out the group.  
 

Thought I’d add this as I just saw it on Twitter.  Pretty cool.

 

[Stinger226]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:36 AM, adam said:

Not a bad group. I am leaning towards Flores and Quinn for previous HCs and Daboll and Eberflus for Coordinators.

Role	HC Candidate Name	Team	Interview Date
DC	Leslie Frazier	Buffalo Bills	Sunday 1/16
HC	Doug Pederson	Ex-Philadelphia Eagles	Wednesday 1/12 (DONE)
OC	Brian Daboll	Buffalo Bills	TBA
OC	Nathaniel Hackett	Green Bay Packers	Saturday 1/15
DC	Todd Bowles	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TBA
OC	Byron Leftwich	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TBA
DC	Matt Eberflus	Indianapolis Colts	Monday 1/17
DC	Dan Quinn	Dallas Cowboys	Late Next Week
HC	Brian Flores	Miami Dolphins	Friday 1/14

Why would Daboll leave for any other reason than as a head coach?

[adam]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:31 AM, Stinger226 said:

Why would Daboll leave for any other reason than as a head coach?

I was saying I was leaning towards the two previous HC's and the two previous coordinators as the leading candidate for our HC position. I didn't mean I wanted Daboll as the OC. 

I would go Daboll - 1, Eberflus - 2, Quinn - 3.  As a previous HC, Quinn got a team to the SB. Daboll is easy based on what he did with Allen and the Bills offense. Eberflus has that defense playing swarming football, but his OC pick would be important.

[adam]

Updated list:

Role	HC Candidate Name	Team	Interview Date
DC	Leslie Frazier	Buffalo Bills	Friday 1/21
HC	Doug Pederson	Ex-Philadelphia Eagles	Wednesday 1/12
OC	Brian Daboll	Buffalo Bills	Sunday 1/16
OC	Nathaniel Hackett	Green Bay Packers	Saturday 1/15
DC	Todd Bowles	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Saturday 1/22
OC	Byron Leftwich	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Thursday or Friday
DC	Matt Eberflus	Indianapolis Colts	Monday 1/17
DC	Dan Quinn	Dallas Cowboys	Saturday 1/22
HC	Brian Flores	Miami Dolphins	Friday 1/14
HC	Jim Caldwell	Ex-Detroit Lions	Saturday 1/15

Eberflus getting 2nd interview on Monday the 24th, which is also the same day they interview Morroco Brown for GM. Both are from the Colts. Coaching list also doesn't include college interviews as those do not need to be disclosed.  

[Mongo3451]

I know this is unorthodox, but if we hire a guy like Daboll, is there any precident to have another coach run the sideline while the HC focuses on play calling?

Also, how much would we have to pay Ryan Day to be an OC?  

Just spit balling out of boredom.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Per Hub, Jim Harbaugh had a brief conversation with the Bears.  

I think if he were a realistic candidate, their would be more to the leak.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

17 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Per Hub, Jim Harbaugh had a brief conversation with the Bears.  

I think if he were a realistic candidate, their would be more to the leak.

I think with Harbaugh - it really is probably some back channels to understand what is out there and than it just comes down to at some point if they want to - there will be no leak - it will just happen really fast and we will see - breaking news Bears hire Jim Harbaugh.  But at this point - I also don't think Bears want to give any perception they were always going to go with Jim and my guess is Polian has advised them that no matter who they hire - going through a depth of candidates is a good thing because you will get a depth of insights and perspectives to help better inform you and quite frankly educate Bears ownership.  

[ASHKUM BEAR]

33 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I think with Harbaugh - it really is probably some back channels to understand what is out there and than it just comes down to at some point if they want to - there will be no leak - it will just happen really fast and we will see - breaking news Bears hire Jim Harbaugh.  But at this point - I also don't think Bears want to give any perception they were always going to go with Jim and my guess is Polian has advised them that no matter who they hire - going through a depth of candidates is a good thing because you will get a depth of insights and perspectives to help better inform you and quite frankly educate Bears ownership.  

I have a feeling if Harbaugh was to return to the NFL, he would go to Vegas.  I would be shocked if the Bears make an announcement and if they did, it would probably be McGinnis 2.0.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

35 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I have a feeling if Harbaugh was to return to the NFL, he would go to Vegas.  I would be shocked if the Bears make an announcement and if they did, it would probably be McGinnis 2.0.

I think if he goes to Vegas - it is because they give him a Gruden(esque) contract.  Bears aren't going to offer Harbaugh some crazy 10yr 100M deal (but Raiders might).  

[AZ54]

5 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

 my guess is Polian has advised them that no matter who they hire - going through a depth of candidates is a good thing because you will get a depth of insights and perspectives to help better inform you and quite frankly educate Bears ownership.  

I say yes to the mess ... of interviews for exactly this reason.   Coaches come and go.  Let's say we get the right HC but some of these other guys wander off to their own pasture for a few years.  Coaches get fired and if we're doing well then our staff may get poached.  There is nothing wrong with keeping notes on people who weren't at the top of your HC list but still left a positive impression in their coordinator roles.  Just keep things moving crisply.  

I see around the web some fans are fully ready for the fast decision but IMO we have one of the top HC or GM jobs available, if not the absolute best.  Top candidates will wait for this opportunity if they have to.  We've seen that happen around the league in past years although usually the Bears are on the other end of the spectrum.    

[Mongo3451]

7 hours ago, AZ54 said:

I say yes to the mess ... of interviews for exactly this reason.   Coaches come and go.  Let's say we get the right HC but some of these other guys wander off to their own pasture for a few years.  Coaches get fired and if we're doing well then our staff may get poached.  There is nothing wrong with keeping notes on people who weren't at the top of your HC list but still left a positive impression in their coordinator roles.  Just keep things moving crisply.  

I see around the web some fans are fully ready for the fast decision but IMO we have one of the top HC or GM jobs available, if not the absolute best.  Top candidates will wait for this opportunity if they have to.  We've seen that happen around the league in past years although usually the Bears are on the other end of the spectrum.    

I getting ready to nightlight the same thing before I discovered I hadn't read the whole thread yet.  

If I were a fly on the wall, I would love to hear potential GM's dance around how bad Ryan Pace was.  How do you politely tell an owner how they couldn't been so much better if Pace didn't trade away 2 drafts worth of players or that he should've ended Nagy's reign of terror on the offense two years ago.  Or a HC candidate that tells you how easy it was to beat the offense and that they knew it years before you did.  Do George and Ted get pissed or do they self reflect?  I would really love for mother McCaskey to hear it all secretly from another room.  Or does Polian simply give them a knowing wink as a sign to lay off the carnage?