# NFL coaching carousel 2018 season edition **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 30, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949 "2018-12-30T23:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/61 "2019-01-09T19:06:43Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Oftentimes, a college HC who is highly prized is recognized as someone who has a good football mind, but who is, for whatever reason, poor at the recruiting aspect of college coaching. USC certainly liked him; they not only hired him immediately to take their OC spot, but they refused to let him talk to NFL teams originally, desperate to hang on to him. Still, making the jump directly to HC in the NFL will probably be a stretch; he likely won’t have the credibility to impress the Cardinals’ veterans. I was pretty shocked at the Kingsbury hire. He’s a college coach who has a losing record (his predecessor at TT had a much better record) and zero experience coaching in the NFL. He went 16-21 with Patrick Mahomes, thought more of Davis Webb than Baker Mayfield, and had a consistently awful defense. Maybe give him a shot as OC, but head coach surprised the hell out of me. I think it will not go well for the Cards for the next few years. Chasing the next great offensive mind is hard enough. Giving the reins to one with no NFL coaching experience is a recipe for failure. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/62 "2019-01-09T19:53:02Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > I was pretty shocked at the Kingsbury hire. He’s a college coach who has a losing record (his predecessor at TT had a much better record) and zero experience coaching in the NFL. He went 16-21 with Patrick Mahomes, thought more of Davis Webb than Baker Mayfield, and had a consistently awful defense. Maybe give him a shot as OC, but head coach surprised the hell out of me. I think it will not go well for the Cards for the next few years. Chasing the next great offensive mind is hard enough. Giving the reins to one with no NFL coaching experience is a recipe for failure. As a Seahawks fan I can certainly live with continued Arizona struggles. We have it tough enough being in the same division as the Rams. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/63 "2019-01-10T04:29:03Z")
Jets sign Gase. That could end up being some drama. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/64 "2019-01-10T06:40:24Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Jets sign Gase. That could end up being some drama. Which would appear to leave Mike McCarthy off the sidelines for 2019, as he had said that he was only interested in the Jets position. ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/65 "2019-01-10T07:11:30Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Kind of a shit sandwich for him, though. He takes over the team in mid-season and presides over a massive turnaround, then gets the boot a few months later. Yeah, that big of a turnaround deserves a shot at a full season. As for Kitchesn, it sounds to me like a case of someone hired to ensure a lot of excitement (i.e. offense). The trouble with that is that success in the league means “defense”. So probably a lot of highlight real stuff, but ultimately a 500 season, and a bunch of clueless fans complaining about bad luck and officiating. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2019, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/66 "2019-01-10T07:29:01Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Kind of a shit sandwich for him, though. He takes over the team in mid-season and presides over a massive turnaround, then gets the boot a few months later. On the other hand, you could also view it as maybe helping him to further rehabilitate his image within the league, and maybe set himself up for another head coaching gig next year. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/67 "2019-01-11T00:39:17Z")
Looks like the reports are that the Bengals are hiring the Ram’s Zac Taylor, QB coach. TBA after the playoffs are over. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/68 "2019-01-11T02:44:00Z")
Another white guy. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/69 "2019-01-11T03:05:39Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Another white guy. ??? What does that have to do with anything? ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/70 "2019-01-11T03:12:50Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > ??? > > What does that have to do with anything? Despite efforts and rules to make the coaching more racially representative (especially considering the balance among the players) the head coaching situation is rather pale-skinned right now. The race of the coach is in fact an issue in the NFL these days, whether we agree with it or not. ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/71 "2019-01-11T03:19:42Z")
[The Rooney Rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/72 "2019-01-11T04:42:44Z")
Yeah I’m the last person to make an issue of skin color (one way or the other) but I can’t help but notice how much the HC situation is shifting in a racial sense. I’m tempted to say, “Who cares just hire the best person for the job,” but you know these decisions are always political and the Rooney Rule _is_ a thing. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/73 "2019-01-11T06:55:59Z")
Based off how everyone wants to get their own version of Sean McVay, clearly the Rooney Rule should be updated to require that all of McVay’s offensive assistant coaches are black. The situation will then sort itself out after a couple seasons. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/74 "2019-01-12T14:13:40Z")
The Fish are hiring Brian Flores, the Patriots’ (acting) DC. That adds a black Hispanic to the ranks, if nothing else. Comments are already being made that the coach they fired, Gase, is of higher stature than anyone they interviewed. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/75 "2019-01-12T14:34:42Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Browns are seriously considering Freddie Kitchens, the guy who took over as OC when Todd Haley was fired. > > My preference is to leave the interim staff in place. 6-2 in the second half of the season. I don’t want to disrupt the chemistry. Greg Williams gets a lot of shit, but it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t successful. The guys play hard for him and he seems to set a good atmosphere of accountability to the team. > > But Kitchens is arguably more directly responsible for the team’s resurgence, with night and day differences in offensive game planning. He may be one of the great upcoming offensive minds, I don’t know. If we do retain the interim staff, and the Browns offense does really well, then Kitchens probably leaves for a HC job next year. > > If the Browns think they’ve found someone special, I’d be okay with that. There’s a difference between being a coordinator and being a generalist. Some head coaches might be outperformed as coordinators, and some coordinators aren’t good at managing personnel. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/76 "2019-01-12T14:39:14Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Yeah I’m the last person to make an issue of skin color (one way or the other) but I can’t help but notice how much the HC situation is shifting in a racial sense. > > I’m tempted to say, “Who cares just hire the best person for the job,” but you know these decisions are always political and the Rooney Rule _is_ a thing. An even bigger problem than the lack of black head coaches is that there should be more black executives and assistant coaches. I can’t say I follow the transactions that closely, but it seems like a lot of NFL hiring is ‘flavor of the month,’ which is true not only for black assistants but white ones as well. However, I think the spotlight is magnified when black coaches are under consideration. I sometimes wonder if teams are under pressure to make a signing with a black coach once a name has been rumored to be under consideration. In reality, it’s best for the black candidate and the team to have an interview and decide that this individual isn’t quite what they’re looking for, provided that they can document the reasons why in objective terms and apply the criteria to all candidates during the interview process. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/77 "2019-01-12T14:44:55Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > I was pretty shocked at the Kingsbury hire. He’s a college coach who has a losing record (his predecessor at TT had a much better record) and zero experience coaching in the NFL. He went 16-21 with Patrick Mahomes, thought more of Davis Webb than Baker Mayfield, and had a consistently awful defense. Maybe give him a shot as OC, but head coach surprised the hell out of me. I think it will not go well for the Cards for the next few years. Chasing the next great offensive mind is hard enough. Giving the reins to one with no NFL coaching experience is a recipe for failure. The Kingsbury hire just boggles the mind. I guess the Bidwills have decided to go full on Bidwill. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/78 "2019-01-12T15:40:01Z")
I am well aware of the Rooney rule, I just thought it odd that another poster said “another white guy” when I posted that the Bengals were likely hiring Zac Taylor…after firing an inept black coach…I don’t know, I just find the skin color thing to be irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/79 "2019-02-04T19:27:00Z")
Just an FYI that the Bengals are officially hiring Zac Taylor as head coach: > **[Taylor named 10th head coach in Bengals' history](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25924806/bengals-name-zac-taylor-10th-head-coach-franchise-history)** > > The Bengals have hired Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as their head coach, the team announced Monday. They had to wait until the Super Bowl was over since he was the QB coach for the Rams, and the Rams’ season didn’t officially end until yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949/80 "2019-02-04T20:40:42Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Just an FYI that the Bengals are officially hiring Zac Taylor as head coach: > [Bengals name Zac Taylor 10th head coach in franchise history - ESPN](http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25924806/bengals-name-zac-taylor-10th-head-coach-franchise-history) > > They had to wait until the Super Bowl was over since he was the QB coach for the Rams, and the Rams’ season didn’t officially end until yesterday. Wasn’t this hiring mentioned by Nantz and Romo during the game (it was “official, but not official”)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-coaching-carousel-2018-season-edition/826949.md?page=5)