2014 NFL Offseason

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

i like Caldwell, not sure if he would be better or worse then Whisenhunt but i think he is a great coach. no matter who gets the job though, they will have to bring a bit of Discipline. that team is so STACKED with talent on both sides, if the new Coach can keep everyone in check then they should easily be in the playoffs next year

[Chris_H_2]

I actually like Caldwell more and did not get the obsession with Whisenhunt. I am in a very small minority though.

You're drinking Hopslam again, aren't you?

Whisenhunt had one good season with a Hall of Fame QB. Caldwell had two!


Caldwells fall was so sudden, so quick because that team WAS Peyton Manning. When he was suddenly gone, the team really had absolutely no options. Whisenhunt was in AZ for what, 6 seasons with one winning record? Both guys are a risk, but I did not, for the life of me understand why everyone was so hard up for Ken Whisenhunt.

Because he's white (I'm not being racist -- I just think that, sadly, that's why a lot of people prefer him over Caldwell).

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

looks like Caldwell got the job

i think its a good Hire

[Chris_H_2]

looks like Caldwell got the job

i think its a good Hire

What is he, God?

[@SkitchP]

I actually like Caldwell more and did not get the obsession with Whisenhunt. I am in a very small minority though.

You're drinking Hopslam again, aren't you?

Whisenhunt had one good season with a Hall of Fame QB. Caldwell had two!


Caldwells fall was so sudden, so quick because that team WAS Peyton Manning. When he was suddenly gone, the team really had absolutely no options. Whisenhunt was in AZ for what, 6 seasons with one winning record? Both guys are a risk, but I did not, for the life of me understand why everyone was so hard up for Ken Whisenhunt.

Because he's white (I'm not being racist -- I just think that, sadly, that's why a lot of people prefer him over Caldwell).

I think there is some validity to that. So the only team to ever be fined for breaking the Rooney Rule is now the first team in NFL history to team an African American Coach and GM.

As it relates to Caldwell as a coach, I don't love him.. but I didn't love any of the coaching options out there this year. Mostly guys just like Caldwell- had some success, and then regressed and ultimately fired. Lovie was probably the best of the bunch, but the Lions weren't giving him personnel control, so that was never happening. It's become pretty amazing how media speculation and fan interest becomes actual rumor at this point. There is absolutely no evidence the Lions had interest in O'Brien, yet people are acting like they "lost out on him." Rumors are today the Lions never even offered Whisenhunt a contract.. BUT HE WAS THE FIRST CHOICE LOLOMG.

And I kind of want Cowher, Dungy and Gruden's names to stop appearing. They probably aren't coming back folks.. so every fan base needs to stop linking them with every job that appears. Following sports has become pretty exhausting.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

looks like Caldwell got the job

i think its a good Hire

What is he, God?

he might be

[Electromatic]

one of the worst things about reading comments in blogs about coaching hires are the amount of people who pine after coaches who have been out of coaching for years.

I am so sick of hearing about Gruden, for one he's got a better job now, but if he was so great as a coach, he wouldn't have been available for ESPN in the first place. Cowher took FOREVER to win championships, and Dungy seems very happy on the TV and interview circuit.

[Chris_H_2]

Caldwell has received glowing endorsements from former Colts colleagues Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning, but he was their handpicked choice to take over for Dungy in 2009, and while the Colts went 14-2 and made it to the Super Bowl during his first year at the helm, things fell apart quickly. Caldwell was a horrific in-game coach, infamously taking a timeout in the following year’s playoff loss to the Jets that beggared belief. The next year, with Manning injured, the Colts fell to 2-14 behind a dismal season from Curtis Painter, leading to Caldwell’s firing after the season. He took over as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator late in the 2012 season and helped lead it to a shocking Super Bowl victory, with the offense — notably, Joe Flacco — taking a huge step forward in the process.

In his first full year at the helm for the Ravens, Caldwell’s offense fell apart; the Ravens were 25th in points scored, 30th in DVOA, and nearly became one of the few teams since the merger to average fewer than 3.0 yards per carry. Flacco, who had put together an astounding 11-touchdown, zero-interception Super Bowl run, threw 22 interceptions in his worst season as a pro. The basis for hiring Caldwell comes down to his two seasons as a head coach with the greatest quarterback in the history of football under center. In a way, he’s not that much different from Whisenhunt, who looked great with Warner and exhibited little else without him. Sure seems like the path to a great head coach travels through finding a great quarterback first.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

one of the worst things about reading comments in blogs about coaching hires are the amount of people who pine after coaches who have been out of coaching for years.

I am so sick of hearing about Gruden, for one he's got a better job now, but if he was so great as a coach, he wouldn't have been available for ESPN in the first place. Cowher took FOREVER to win championships, and Dungy seems very happy on the TV and interview circuit.

Dungy has no interest in coming back, Cower might but he has waited WAY too long, i think the game has passed him by.

Gruden could probably do it, but i think he knows that after all this time away that he has been built up so much that the pressure on him to win immediately will be so great that i dont think he wants to try

[Chris_H_2]

Another thing: why couldn't the Lions just wait a little longer at this point and interview more candidates? Caldwell obviously wasn't their first choice, so how could he be better than what's currently out there still coaching?

[Green Habit]

Caldwell has received glowing endorsements from former Colts colleagues Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning, but he was their handpicked choice to take over for Dungy in 2009, and while the Colts went 14-2 and made it to the Super Bowl during his first year at the helm, things fell apart quickly. Caldwell was a horrific in-game coach, infamously taking a timeout in the following year’s playoff loss to the Jets that beggared belief. The next year, with Manning injured, the Colts fell to 2-14 behind a dismal season from Curtis Painter, leading to Caldwell’s firing after the season. He took over as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator late in the 2012 season and helped lead it to a shocking Super Bowl victory, with the offense — notably, Joe Flacco — taking a huge step forward in the process.

In his first full year at the helm for the Ravens, Caldwell’s offense fell apart; the Ravens were 25th in points scored, 30th in DVOA, and nearly became one of the few teams since the merger to average fewer than 3.0 yards per carry. Flacco, who had put together an astounding 11-touchdown, zero-interception Super Bowl run, threw 22 interceptions in his worst season as a pro. The basis for hiring Caldwell comes down to his two seasons as a head coach with the greatest quarterback in the history of football under center. In a way, he’s not that much different from Whisenhunt, who looked great with Warner and exhibited little else without him. Sure seems like the path to a great head coach travels through finding a great quarterback first.

So...I guess it's a good thing that the Lions hired him now, just in case the Browns poach Adam Gase and PFM tried to make a pitch to Fox to replace Gase with Caldwell.

[Green Habit]

one of the worst things about reading comments in blogs about coaching hires are the amount of people who pine after coaches who have been out of coaching for years.

I am so sick of hearing about Gruden, for one he's got a better job now, but if he was so great as a coach, he wouldn't have been available for ESPN in the first place. Cowher took FOREVER to win championships, and Dungy seems very happy on the TV and interview circuit.

Dungy has no interest in coming back, Cower might but he has waited WAY too long, i think the game has passed him by.

Gruden could probably do it, but i think he knows that after all this time away that he has been built up so much that the pressure on him to win immediately will be so great that i dont think he wants to try

I agree that Dungy is legitimately retired for good. He looks like he really enjoys his gig on NBC.

The rumor with Cowher is that the only job he'll take is waiting for Coughlin to retire with the Giants. If that doesn't happen, he's likely retired for good as well, and he looks like he enjoys his gig on CBS.

The one I'm personally worried about is Gruden, because I think he would accept the Raiders job if he got full control from Mark Davis if he were willing to fire both McKenzie and Allen.

[Green Habit]

[Green Habit]

Really? I guess the current crop of NFL owners is still dominated by Silent Generation cohorts who came of age before the 60s....

http://msn.foxsports.com/southwest/stor ... air-011314

If [Rob Ryan] wants to be a head coach, he has to cut his hair. It is about image for these guys. They want a CEO-type. That's what they want.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

its dumb but understandable, and thats coming from someone who used to say he would never cut his hair for anyone

[4/5]

Poor Calvin Johnson.

[Green Habit]

After losing their OC and DC, I'm picking the Bengals as the likeliest 2013 playoff team to miss the 2014 playoffs.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

After losing their OC and DC, I'm picking the Bengals as the likeliest 2013 playoff team to miss the 2014 playoffs.

you would think it would hurt them a lot. hue jackson for OC isnt bad, any talk of who they might have for DC?

[elliseamos]

Personally, I'm just happy to see the brain-drain happen elsewhere.

[Chris_H_2]

The more I think about it, the more depressed I get with the totally uninspired, vanilla hire that is Jim Caldwell.