Grading the 2020 NFL Coaching Hires
- iAmMizz!
- Jan 14, 2020
- 8 min read
Before jumping to conclusions right after each hire, I wanted to let them sink in a bit. There were a total of five vacancies after Black Monday and the 2019 football season… that means five disappointing ends, but also five opportunities for a bright beginning.
THE VACANCIES:
Washington Redskins- This one came quickly. It was almost a foregone conclusion by week two that Jay Gruden would be thrown to the wolves, he didn’t last much longer than that as owner Dan Snyder decided to make a change.
Carolina Panthers- Next out was veteran head coach, Ron Rivera, who finally saw a long tenure with the Panthers come to an end. He had been at the helm in Carolina since 2011 with varied success during that time, including two coach of the year awards (‘13, ‘15) and one Super Bowl appearance in 2015. Despite all this, billionaire owner David Tepper (took control in 2018) elected to clean house and start fresh.
Cleveland Browns- This year’s Black Monday (the day after week 17) only yielded two firings, and one was a job that was open just a year ago. Freddie Kitchens (a running backs coach elevated to offensive coordinator elevated to head coach) was one of eight hires going into 2019, a risky move by a franchise that may have felt they had nothing to lose. Well, they were wrong, again… and let talented DC (and interim coach) Gregg Williams walk in the process.
New York Giants- Pat Shurmur might have been handicapped by a rebuilt roster during his two year stint with the Giants, or maybe he just wasn’t the right leader in his second failed opportunity as head honcho. Part-owner and president John Mara decided on the latter, and I can’t blame him as both season with NY were disastrous. Shurmur was a Monday casualty.
Dallas Cowboys- The long anticipated firing of Jason Garrett took forever and a week, as Jerry Jones seemed reluctant to part ways with his old friend despite another let down season. No excuse could save Garrett in the end this time, as he became the third NFC East coach to be fired.
With eight teams starting anew after 2018, the odds were that less teams would look to make a change one year later. That ended up being the case, as there were only four teams searching for a new leader in 2020, and one repeat offender (another bullet point in the never-ending list of Browns’ ineptitude).
THE GRADES (2018-2019):
First let’s briefly look at last year’s hires in hindsight, because we can.
1. Matt LaFleur- A... age/experience may have been a concern for GB fans, but LaFleur has proven wise beyond his years so far with a propensity for winning close games. The Packers run game has also been better than ever before under the new playbook, with Aaron Jones leading the Cheeseheads to an NFC Championship appearance after a 13-3 season.
2. Brian Flores- A-... the Dolphins record wasn’t all that great this year, but considering the roster Flores was given (one that was created in order to “tank for Tua,” trading any and all talent away for draft picks), his job was admirable. Miami ended the season by upsetting the Patriots for their 5th win. Flores not only proved his mettle, he probably won too many games!
3. Vic Fangio- B… considering the year started with Joe Flacco (a terrible experiment by GM John Elway) and the Broncos used three different quarterbacks throughout, a 7-9 finish with a lack of star power really wasn’t too bad. A few close losses towards the beginning would have helped calm Fangio’s nerves, but in the end the defensive coach’s side of the ball was sturdy, and the team got better as the year went on.
4. Kliff Kingsbury- B... the “college offensive mastermind” hire generally doesn’t work in the NFL, but Kyler Murray and Kingsbury seemed like a match-made in Heaven. The record wasn’t anything special, but Murray showed development and the Cardinals were an improvement. Now they must give Kingsbury some real pieces and see what he can actually do with them.
5. Bruce Arians- B-… the offense in Tampa was prolific, and the defense got better under Todd Bowles (Arians’ partner in crime), yet the team was still only 7-9. The decision to stand by Jameis Winston is where Arians may have faltered, as the QB has a tendency to self-destruct.
6. Adam Gase- C… with all the injuries to a Jets 2019 roster not constructed by Gase or Douglas (his new GM), I actually don’t see the 7-9 finish as a total failure like most fans do (a “Fire Gase” go fund me created by Jets faithful had money flowing in all year). Without Gregg Williams’ defense however, the Jets probably don’t finish 7-9. Gase has to improve the offense in year two, which may be playoffs or bust.
7. Zac Taylor- D… Taylor had a miserable roster to work with, but that doesn’t change the fact that he looked over-matched in year one as a head coach. He will get a second chance adding a first overall pick this time (Joe Burrow most likely), but he probably won’t get a third.
8. Freddie Kitchens- F… the Browns went with Kitchens because Baker liked him, and the offense looked good when he took over. They tried to keep it simple, but they also thrust a man with no experience into a job that is a lot harder than it looks. Next time, probably shouldn’t hire a guy just because the rookie QB approves.
THE GRADES (2019-2020):
1. Mike McCarthy (Dallas)- A-... I’m really not a guy who loves Mike McCarthy and I wasn't flabbergasted when he didn’t get a job last year, but this match just makes sense for everyone. First off, for McCarthy who took a year off the sidelines (supposedly growing as a coach and discovering where he went wrong), this a dream situation to step into... a win-now team with talent all across the board. For Jerry Jones, it may not have been love at first sight (Jones could have ditched Garrett for McCarthy last season), but the owner/GM does seem overjoyed now that the move has finally been made. McCarthy has a track record for winning seasons, but not only that, he has won IN THE PLAYOFFS. He has even won a Super Bowl. The Cowboys will stop at nothing less than doing just that, and McCarthy has done it before (albeit with great quarterbacks). That is key here. And for those who will say, “well he no longer has Favre or Rodgers to lean on,” I agree with you, but all great coaches have great players. They go hand-in-hand. No coaches succeed without talent and players always perform better in the right systems. Dak Prescott does have talent. He may not be Aaron Rodgers, but he also isn't Marcus Mariota. McCarthy is a great coach. I really can’t see this one going badly for Dallas, barring major injury as always.
2. Joe Judge (New York Giants)- B+... the immediate reaction from Giants fans on Judge was mostly negative. In truth, this had nothing to do with Judge, it had to do with the division rival Redskins and Cowboys snatching up experienced minds and leaders, only to have reports say the G-Men wanted Rhule all along, only to lose out on Rhule to a hefty bid. Whether any or all of this was true, the Giants have stood by their selection, and I’m actually a huge fan of the choice. I always ask myself why special teams coaches don’t get more opportunities as head coaches (Harbaugh and Belichick both came out of that branch originally). They work with players on both sides of the ball, they are generally well-versed in clock management, and they don’t have to put half their focus into calling plays. I can’t stand this new wave of coaching hires that either go with an offensive or defensive coordinator and have them run ONLY that side of the ball, while also attempting to handle the personalities of the entire team! I’ll admit that when it works it looks brilliant, like McVay’s first year in LA or LaFleur this season. It’s more noticeable when it doesn’t work. Shurmur was an example of this, but there are countless O/D coordinators who fail as coaches. At the very least, Judge won’t be that. Add in the fact that he has a glowing endorsement from Belichick and Saban, not to mention his press conference where he amped up all of Giants nation with his fire and intensity… and Judge has the early looks of a sleeper hire.
3. Matt Rhule (Carolina)- B… I was a big supporter of Rhule for a lot of the same reasons I liked the Judge hire. He is more of a coach than an offensive or defensive "genius". Having said that, Rhule went from not getting an NFL job last year to being anointed as a coaching legend this year, with different teams vying for his attention (he didn’t even accept an invite to interview with the Browns, talk about disrespect). I like the overall hire for a transitioning Panthers franchise, but I thought the length of the contract (7 years) and the money they paid (60-70 mill… not that this really matters for a billionaire) was all too much for an unproven college level coach. The pressure will now be on for the Baylor motivator who is known for turning programs around.
4. Ron Rivera (Washington)- B-... Rivera is a top notch head coach who has been around the block, there’s no doubt about that. As mentioned above, he won two coach of the year awards and became Carolina’s winningest coach during his tenure with the Panthers (Rhule will look to change that). Still, this hire happened so quickly and I didn’t necessarily feel the Redskins did their due diligence. They clearly wanted a stabilizer to come in and make this franchise relevant again, and maybe Rivera will do that, but is he really the coach that’s going to win this team a Super Bowl? He couldn't win one with a much more talented Panthers team. I also don’t like when a HC immediately goes from one job to the next with no break in between. Gase just did this with the Jets, and it didn’t seem like he learned enough from his mistakes in Miami. Granted, Rivera has much more experience than Gase or the average dismissal around the league, but something about this one makes me wary.
5. Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland)- C… nothing against Stefanski who did wonders with the Vikings offense this season, but this hire was everything I am against. I want to be clear that I would have felt the same way if they gave full control to Josh McDaniels. Stefanski is a bright young offensive mind, but does that translate to being a good head coach in the NFL? The Browns literally just tried this with Freddie Kitchens calling plays, while managing a ton of personalities at the same time, and it was a nightmare. Now they bring in Stefanski on a five year deal to do the same thing? Maybe I’m wrong and they strike gold here, but I could see this being another error in judgement for a Cleveland franchise that cannot get anything right. One thing I will say, this could be a very good thing for Nick Chubb, as Dalvin Cook excelled in Stefanski’s run heavy system.
So in the end I like the Cowboys and Giants as this year’s big winners, while the Browns continue to make me scratch my head. The Redskins go with the safe hire, and the Panthers put all their stock into maybe the hottest name on the coaching market. What does it all mean? Everything, nothing... in the end it always comes down to the only NFL standard there is, wins and losses.
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