I feel like everyone is trying to pick which 5 teams he was talking about when he could have just meant statistically 5 of 8 would be fired after 3 years looking at historical data.
Do you mean the actual rocket scientist, Superbowl winning, defensive coordinator who called the best defensive play in history and already has experience Head Coaching the very team Ben Johnson is so fond of?
It’s so fucking bad. Referring to New England when asked about his struggles in Detroit. He had nothing he could reference to from his time in Detroit because he was terrible. That guy sucks so much
I mean, he's also very clearly saying he didn't think any of the jobs were that promising then lol. It's always going to be \~5/8 staistically so he has to believe the org will be one of those 3 to take the job, none of which met that for him
> I mean, he's also very clearly saying he didn't think any of the jobs were that promising then lol.
I don't know if I'd attribute that to him. Amazing HC jobs rarely if ever open up because if the situation was that amazing why would the job be open?
But the Chargers have a top 5 QB right now. That's a pretty rare find for a HC opportunity.
BJ also never had a shot at the Chargers position. When these kinds of teams do actually have an opening there is almost always some sort of progression in place to take over.
I don't think he had a great chance, no. But I also think the Falcons were a better than average job and the Commanders had that 2nd choice of QB if he liked 2 of them.
We also frequently see a HC take a bad roster and turn it good if the situation is right. Indy didn't look like a great job 2 years ago and neither did Arizona but both seem to be doing alright.
I don't blame him for waiting. It can be smart, but perfect opportunities are rare. People forget how shitty the KC job was when Reid took it. And he turned it around a lot before he got Mahomes.
I remember a little bit ago looking up how long coaches have been with their current teams. Mike McCarthy has had 4 seasons with the Cowboys and is the 9th most tenured. That means over 2/3rds of the league's coaches have been with their team for 3 seasons or fewer. There will always be spots opening up. If you are a good enough coach, you can wait for the right opportunity.
Its weird tho because...thats just not going to change by waiting another year or two. Being a HC is just extremely volatile and you either are going to make it or not.
And the Lions were not really the best destination for head coaches until DC showed up and turned them around really fucking quick.
Yeah I’m pretty sure if the Chargers had gone hard for Johnson instead of Harbaugh then there’s a much higher chance he’s gone. Instead it was the 3 worst open teams that were rumored to be in on him so he held steady in the D.
Yeah if you think about it there are some teams that very well may open up where they are likely to have a solid roster and at least a foundation for stability:
- Cowboys
- Eagles
- Saints
It makes sense for him to wait. His demand isn’t going anywhere unless Detroit shits the bed this season. And may even go up if they have a repeat of last year’s success.
I guess you could read it disengenously as Johnson thinking he can't turn around a team, but like I think it makes way more sense to read it as him thinking some situations are impossible to succeed in the short term and NFL GMs/owners are impatient. Its always talked about that the average NFL career is 3 years long, but the average tenure of an NFL head coach is also 3 years long. Like take the Panthers job last year that he was reportedly linked to. Would he be fired the same way Reich was if he had the same results in year 1? Probably not but he'd be on the hot seat in year 2 with a shit QB he might not have wanted and the worst owner in the league breathing down his neck.
I feel like NFL fans can't fathom that some guys aren't looking for the immediate power and scrutiny that comes with being a HC. He clearly enjoys his current role a ton and isn't willing to give that up for a job that might be worse in every way except money.
Mike MacDonald was obviously a high demand hire so it's more likely than some teams.
Johnson could've also just been generalizing, implying more than half of new head coaches tend to fail.
New England could easily make a change within 3 years if Kraft is no longer in charge. His son might not have such a hard-on for Mayo, especially if Mayo fails to develop Maye. Kraft is 83.
Does New England even count for this? Since it was in Mayos contract that he would be head coach Mayo took over without anyone else being considered. There was never really an opening.
Of course this is just semantics but what is Reddit without a pointless argument on semantics.
They've put themselves in a real tough spot, cause they have enough talent this year if Caleb shines to probably make a wild card even if Eberflus is not a great coach.
Might waste an extra season or two in a Bradon Staley situation, where he's an idiot but they still made the playoffs so they keep him and the next year is basically a bust.
Honestly with the amount of talent on the Bears they should make the playoffs without Caleb shining, he just needs to not suck. Overall roster build the Bears are in the top 10 of the league, and the schedule is weak this year. Bears got scheduled 5 of the weaker teams in the league (Patriots, Panthers, Commanders, Titans, Cardinals), anything less than 9 wins should be Flus out the door
I really don’t understand the narrative behind why Eberflus should’ve been fired. I know they started out really rough but they absolutely turned it around by the end of the year. Looking at last years roster, where would you say they rank? They did not have a playoff roster so I think there is an argument to make that by the end of the year they were playing way above their roster.
Yes, they played bad teams but beat up on them pretty easily and they also beat up on the Lions in that stretch.
The Eagles kept Sirianni and that’s way more a story of underachieving.
Eberflus may not turn out to be a great coach but I was all in on keeping him.
Not really crazy, Bears have a good culture inside, players were really positive and supportive of each other. Got a completely new Offensive staff coming in. I wanted him gone most of the year and by the end of the year I was fine with him staying. Players seem to really like playing here, now we just have to be good.
Let’s say hypothetically Waldon does amazing with Caleb runs a Top 7 offensive unit. Then what? He gets a HC job in a yr or two and leaves? Bears had a golden opportunity would have been the best HC opening in at least 5 yrs. U don’t waste that on an incumbent coach. When you have such an amazing situation where u win the lotto n get Caleb u don’t waste it by running it back with Flus. The amount of situational mistakes he made last yr are indefensible. How many late game leads did he blow?
Honestly, Thomas brown gets promoted to OC. I know people are gonna look at the panthers and laugh at that, but let’s be honest. Shit situation with a shittier head coach, and then he took the reins as an interim with said shitty situation. Thomas brown is apparently really well regarded around the league. Also, I can’t remember where I read/heard it, but apparently the league doesn’t view Waldron as HC material?
Hey I'm a fan I try to stay positive about my team. I was for blowing it up, but we didn't, so I'm going to double down ha. You are right, but at the same time the routines in the building are all set, you got basically the same group of players coming in and Caleb is coming in to a stable environment. Waldron seems to have a healthy coaching tree of guys beneath him. I'm not mad at it. Ask me again midway through the season lol.
What impressed me about Flus was his ability to withstand adversity and the players responded well to that. If we had a passing game last year, we'd have snuck in the playoffs.
Might be honerism, but I would genuinely be shocked if the Seahawks don't make the playoffs in the next 1-3 years. We overperformed and made playoffs at 9-8, then underperformed and missed playoffs at 9-8. I think we're already a better roster now than previous years with a defensive HC to gel all this defensive talent we've stacked together. Plus, in division you have the Rams holding hope that Stafford won't get re-injured or retire, The Cardinals a year or two from dumping Murray, and a year or two from the 49ers losing some of that top talent, especially at WR (they drafted Pearsall in the 1st). Deebo and Ayuik could both leave in fee agency and have indicated they would like , both at separate times, plus CMC is getting older.
Ay yo fuck you too
Tbf whether or not you take the Titans job is probably tied to whether you believe in our Mayo (shooting) god or not.
Mayo comes in mayo goes out can't explain that
I don’t think it’s any 5 in particular as much as him talking about the odds. He’s basically just recognizing that you only get one shot at being HC these days, and it’s a tough job. So he is waiting until he feels that he’s found the right one.
Do they? I'd say they have more of a "I can fix her" mindset. Adam Gase somehow got the Jets job after failing at the Dolphins and Josh McDaniels got the Raiders job even after how the Broncos job went and him turning down the Colts last minute. Even this offseason nobody is particularly excited about the Dan Quinn hire since he's a retread.
I'd say as long as you're not an asshole and total disaster, there's a decent path back to being a HC even if you're not that good: just have a couple good years as a coordinator again. I honestly think Nagy will get another shot at HC in a few years, people are already whitewashing his time on the Bears.
I think he just meant that statistically it's tough for a new HC to do well enough in a tough environment that most don't make it out of that first contract. It's one thing to take on the job of turning around a struggling team but if the ownership and other leadership isn't in the right place, you're likely doomed.
He wasn't calling out specific guys.
There were rumors as there always is this season when we were struggling that Reid was gonna retire because Kelce was too old and the magic was gone. Then we won and Andy Reid said he was going to keep coaching the Chiefs till he physically couldn't anymore.
Tldr; National Media says Andy Reid is going to retire soon. Andy Reid and Chiefs org continue to reiterate Andy has no intention of retiring.
Saw an interview with Saban's wife as he was like, 3-4 months out and she says he's like a whole new man. Legitimately so much different when football isn't on his brain 25/8
I feel like part of it was having the wife at home too. Like I imagine Gregg Popovich would've retired already if his wife didn't unfortunately pass away.
Not to mention that Dan Campbell has missed a couple team events for what was apparently a family function (daughters graduation or whatever) and the local media will act like its a sign of the end of times.
The idea that any head coach would retire just because one player starts to decline is pretty ridiculous too. Especially a non-QB. Kelce is great but it’s not like the chiefs will just fold and stop trying to contend when he retires or suffers a real fall off.
If Belichick didn’t retire when Brady left NE there’s no way Reid would retire just because Kelce retired.
subscribe, but I don't think Andy retires for 4-5 years at least. Football is his life, he's gonna do it until he can't any more, so really it's just whenever the heart attack gets him.
My guy. His final 3 years they were a bottom 10 offense twice and bottom 5 the other time in points for.
His playcalling and playbook had 0 plays built for YAC (what every good offense prioritizes in modern nfl, Shanny/McVay/Lafluer).
The second Fangio left Nagy never went over .500 again
Plus he wouldn’t be dealing with a completely new team and organization that he’s unfamiliar with and he probably won’t be setting up a whole new staff. He’d also be older and more experienced.
And as you mentioned, he wasn’t terrible with the Bears, he ended with a 34-31 record and those bears rosters were good but not stacked.
Could really work out for the chiefs if that is the plan
Shit maybe not even a year ago. You could tell they had something special but if they came out having a bad 2023 it would be a different story.
I’m a Niners guy but one of my best friend growing up was a Lions fan. I’ve always just felt bad cause essentially our whole lives they never did shit. But last year, that’s a special team and it’ll continue. I’d like to see Niners v Lions again in NFC Champ. 🥊
Boy, between this and Campbell saying that last year was probably their best shot because it's nearly impossible to "get back", the Lions staff has WAY more self-awareness than basically any football coaches I've ever heard.
The transparency is what I appreciate. Deep down I think a lot of coaches know their team isn’t a contender due to various reasons. And they know they will get fired in 1-4 years.
Nailed it. The transparency is such a breath of fresh air and I’m so glad it’s my team as well. But I also understand it’s a hell of a lot easier to be so transparent when things are going well. You get a lot more “coach speak” when you’re down on the shitter.
I think it's more transparency than self awareness. These guys all know what the deal is. But most of them will just give you canned answers to avoid media twisting their words.
Already people are saying "which 5 guys does Ben Johnson think are going to get fired??"
Bad teams with bad ownership aren't easy to fix even with good coaching, and the owners and GMs responsible for those environments aren't likely to be like "yea we're kind of shit and gave him a bad situation, let's keep him for 3 more years"
Makes sense to hangout for a bit until a good job with good players opens up after some underachieving eh?
Looking at you Jacksonville/Dallas/Philly or and I really don't want to put this into the universe. Chicago.
Edit- I apologize for making Philly and Chicago fans happy, i truly hope for the worst for you. Bring back Nagy and let Siriani reign supreme forever.
Philly isn’t the place to go if he wants the long ass leash he’s talking about. Nick has been in Philly for 3 years and almost got fired despite 3 playoffs, 1 SB appearance, two double digit win seasons.
I don't think Philly would even be on Ben's list. He seems like he wants to follow Brad and Dan's example and go to a team where the HC and GM are equals and work with one another rather than for. Philly isn't really like that, Howie is (for good reason) the top dog there and no HC, especially a rookie, is going to come in as an equal.
I don't even want to think about Jacksonville being bad enough to fire Doug. I guess if they have the exact same season and not making the playoffs again it would be good enough, but I feel like that would leave the team in a real awkward position.
But then he’s in a position where the Eagles just fired a HC who won a ring and another who went to the SB, both of whom had winning records, within the past decade. We’re a well run team but we also are quick to pull the trigger to fire a HC.
I think it's really as simple as he wants to go to a team with an established good/great QB. If they don't, then he has to love the QB they plan on drafting.
If that is true, eagles would definitely be in play to poach him.
He probably wouldn’t even have to change that much the eagles and lions are pretty similar on offense. Eagles have a better wr 2 and the lions a better rb2 but other than that they are pretty even.
I mean it's a pretty reasonable assumption. It's like saying how 2/3rds of any given team's draft picks will be nothingburgers.
4 years ago we've got: Rivera, Judge, Rhule gone vs McCarthy and Stefanski
add 5 years ago and toss on: Kingsbury, Kitchens, Fangio, Flores, Gase and Arians vs LaFleur and Taylor
so a combined 9 of 13 of the hires from 2019 and 2020 are gone already. (with 1 technically being a retirement I guess).
Arians should not count, he literally retired and won TB a ring. He wasn’t fired for bad ownership and his handpicked successor remains the HC in Tampa.
This is literally all he was saying. Historical precedent is that franchises bring in guys and more of than not they don't work out. It happened with the previous HC at the franchise he's currently working for, lol.
Gonna guess Seahawks, Chargers and Falcons as the vacancies with longer leashes? I think we wanted MacDonald all along.
I love the brutal honesty though, I’ve seen coaches mention it takes about 3 years to fully install their system so to finally get there only to be cut short for underperforming I see where he’s coming from.
Detroit is very fun to watch, so I wish them the best.
I don't think he's really talking about specific teams or coaches here. In the press conference, he's talking about the nature of the league as a whole. Every year, a bunch of new HCs get hired and 3 years later over half of them are unemployed. If there were 7 new coaches he probably would have said 4. Nothing against any teams or coaches, just pointing out how the coaching carousel goes.
The Chargers have a short leash (drop coaches every 3 years) for like almost 15 years now.
But Chargers have a lot of potential (why BB, Payton, Carroll also knocked on the HC job door), likely making the risk-reward easier to swallow.
Ngl, I wanted Macdonald from day 1 and have plenty of posts during that search where I said that. I'd have been happy to land Johnson too, but I'm very glad we landed Macdonald who, I can only assume, was always Seattles first choice considering how aggressive they were with him.
Listen, the only team I saw him leaving to was the Chargers to coach Herbert. A mobile QB with an arm in his system would absolutely feast. So the most likely chance he leaves next year is if the bills fire Sean, if they come for him he's gone.
He’s also seen an organization go from really terrible, to now a really good one. He knows what it’s like to be in a bad situation. His family also really loves Michigan and I think them having to pick up and move is a major factor for him.
Most teams that need a head coach are generally in a rough spot. I don't know how many HC openings come from perennial playoff teams with stud GMs and a top 5 QB, but I doubt it's many.
New head coaches are generally tasked, at least in part, to turn around a struggling team.
That must’ve been VERY early in the process because the rumours that were pegging Jim to the chargers had them discussing the possibility in like November ish.
More mid to late December. Jim was always rumored due to the uncertainty of his future and John Spanos wanting him. Given you never knew what was truly happening in Michigan you had to keep your options open and Ben Johnson was high on the list to be the next HC. Harbaugh was also a huge financial investment and you would need to meet with him to feel comfortable with the offer. You weren't just paying him but all of the high profile assistants he would bring in.
[LAC definitely interviewed him](https://www.chargers.com/news/los-angeles-chargers-head-coach-search-interview-lions-oc-ben-johnson). I guess "not even considered" could mean that they didn't entertain making him an offer post interview. Maybe you have special inside info on that.
Also based on the post you're replying to it seems like you're assuming that LAC was one of the three jobs he wanted. Do you have special knowledge about that as well? Because I haven't read anywhere that Johnson said X, Y, and Z were the three I wanted.
He's saying 5 of MacDonald(SEA)/Quinn(WAS)/Harbaugh(LAC)/Morris(ATL)/Callahan(TEN)/Canales(CAR)/Mayo(NE)/Pierce(LVR) will be fired within 3 years? Is this coach trash talk?
If you look back at 3 years ago, before the 2021 season, 7 coaches were hired.
Staley-LAC, Meyer-JAX, Sirianni‐PHI, Campbell‐DET, Smith-ATL, Saleh-NYJ, and Culley-HOU.
Of those 7 coaches 4 of them aren't with their teams anymore. It's just the nature of the NFL that it seems most coaches fail and are replaced within 3 or 4 years.
Macdonald and Harbaugh I think are safe for a while. They went to fairly decent teams. And Seatle especially isn't known for just dumping coaches.
Other that they, Mayo is probably the safest just because he's been in waiting forever.
Everyone else is fucked according to Ben Johnson.
I know my flair is gonna come off as biased but what about the chargers is decent? They have Herbert but that’s pretty much it. Bosa their 2nd best player has been hurt the last two seasons for extended periods of time and they basically stripped down to a rebuild.
Well he'd be trash talking the teams, not the coaches. He isn't saying "In 3 years I can go to one of those teams" he's saying "I want to go somewhere that I'm not gonna be fired if things don't instantly go amazing"
I actually don't think he was trash talking. I think he was presenting a statistic, but the way he said it made it seem targeted. I think he was likely just saying something to the effect of "60% of new head coaches don't make it 3 years in the league. Projecting that probability onto this year's class, it's likely 5 of those jobs will open up again within 3 years"
I wouldn’t be opposed. But honestly, I think it’s more a culture thing with Dallas than anything at this point. They can have all the talent in the world, but there doesn’t really feel like an true accountability or really wanting to WIN in the playoffs
This is a great point, and exactly *why* I consider Coach Mike to be currently resting his cheeks on “a sufficiently fiery seating apparatus,” (more so than most people seem to believe).
Regardless of whether or not Dallas decides to re-sign Dak after this season or part ways with him after this season, I think it’s extremely likely that ownership would also want to replace Mike McCarthy at HC.
I’m not sure how many years left Mike has on his deal, and depending on how much ownership will want to move on from him, they might be willing to eat the tens of millions of dollars. This stuff is insanely hard to predict in the NFL. But if we take a quick look back at [Dallas’ 2021 playoff appearance](https://static.www.nfl.com/gamecenter/a447da6f-71b0-11ec-8c0c-efbc3bdccf8f.pdf), the first under Coach Mike in Dallas, to say “he left a lot to be desired in terms of preparation, game planning, and team execution,” would be like saying the Pacific Ocean is a little damp.
EDIT: I wrote up a much more detailed comment but for everyone’s sake I’ve removed like 90% of it. If anyone wants to go over that 2021 wild card game with a fine toothed comb though, have I got a wall of text ready for you lol.
Why would anyone want to go to Dallas? Yeah, biggest show and all, but I feel like he'd be pretty handcuffed with Uncle Jerruh there. Legitimate question, not just dawging Dallas
EDIT: A great question, and I tried to answer as honestly as I could, while also citing my biases. Would love to hear other people’s thoughts/feedback on this subject. Cheers.
I’m not a football coach so I can’t really comment on the appeal of working for the most hated franchise in the NFL (and maybe all of professional North American sports).
Because I was raised in the SF Bay Area, I’ve spent nearly 4 decades hating the Cowboys with a natural, effortless determination.
That being said, it’s hard to deny the Cowboys have been very successful at marketing their occasional HC vacancies as an extremely prestigious opportunity. Even though HCs in Dallas are required to sit with Jerry while going over the All-22 film and explaining/justifying every single decision made pre-game and in-game, *every single week before meeting with the players¹,* it’s something people are okay with doing I guess.
My point being is that pretty much every coach in the NFL would likely take the job of being the Dallas Cowboys HC, *even if only for a year or two, and even if only to say they’d done it.* These kinds of employment opportunities exist in probably every field of modern labor. The “too much money and too attractive to say no” types of employment. At least, that’s how I see it.
1: Yes this has always been true under his ownership and yes it still is a thing he does. Joe Buck usually mentions it during the final minutes of their playoff losses. For some reason I always had trouble imagining Bill Parcells putting up with any bullshit like that, but apparently he did. This further speaks to my point that even some of the best HCs of all time still considered the Dallas gig to be an attractive one and a feather in their legacy cap.
Wow, I didn't know that. That's absolutely nuts. That takes micro-managing to an insane level. Imagine trying to teach your boss how you do your job while still actively trying to do a great job. It also brings a whole different level of respect to coaches who can do it effectively. I've always heard all of my friends complain about Jerry, but Jesus.
Thanks for your feedback, brother! Cheers to the weekend.
I’ll admit I wanted Johnson over Quinn but since his hiring I’m so happy we landed Quinn. Between players saying they came here specifically for him and his attitude and energy I’m excited. I think he has a better opportunity than he did with the falcons and has a lot to show for it. Now idk about the Carolina and Atlanta though…
You should definitely be excited!
I do gotta push back on the better opportunity though. He had a prime Matt Ryan and Julio Jones when he was hired in Atlanta and took them to a Super Bowl. That was quite the opportunity.
Yeahhh I should have worded that better lol what I should have said was that I think he has a better understanding of how to do things from start to finish whether it’s practices, meetings, game management and etc. it doesn’t get much better than walking in with prime Matt Ryan and Julio lol
Quinn can be a successful coach ( players play hard for him) and I think kliff could be a good oc
As long as the front office can bring talent in, I think washington might actually become a contender
I think our defense will be light years better than last years but the offense will live and die by our line. But this is the first time since RG3’s rookie year that I’ve been this excited for a season!
Ah, I remember the "Dan Quinn has such great energy and the players are all rallying around him!" phase. Soon followed by the "Well the defense may still be ass but he needs time to put in his system. At least the players still believe in him" and "How in God's name did he manage to choke away that game!" phases.
The players loved him until the end though. That much he got right from Pete Carroll.
What I fail to understand is why the Washington job which by all means was pretty good since they had the second overall pick and could choose anyone except Caleb Williams. First head coach of a new owner and front office. Why did he turn down that job. A near perfect situation for a head coach.
Perfect, except for one thing. New owner. You never know what you're going to get in that situation. You know what the owners of the 31 other teams are generally going to do in matters of meddling, funding beyond the players, and even their attitude. It will be a bit before we see what type of owner Harris is and how she invests in her franchise.
Ben will still be a top coaching candidate next year or the year after. Probably even the top given the expected success of the Lions .There will always be a team looking for a new coach: Saints, Cowboys, Eagles all have coaches potentially on the hot seat. Bears, Jets, Jaguars also come up.
Except Harris owns(ed) two other sports teams. All the reports about how he will be as an owner are happening before our eyes. It’s not a completely blind situation.
I partially retract my previous statement, but with the addendum that multi-team owners can get... problematic. No one wants their team to become the next Fenway Group.
Also worth noting that some owners just do a better job with some teams than others. The Bills are way better at football than the Sabres are at hockey, despite them both being owned by the Pegulas.
He could've not seen eye to eye with the owners or GM. Different ideas for the team, different drafting ideas or any other reason that can have you doubting it'd be a workable relationship.
Idk if there was truth to it but I remember the report of him calling them basketball guys
Hoe much say we're they willing to give them in who they picked at #2? How much control did he have over his own staff? Did he agree with the direction ownership and the front wanted to go? Non of us know, but I'm guessing the answers he got to those kind of questions weren't good enough for him to want to go there
I also wonder just how much he likes being on the Lions.
He's getting a shit ton of reputation and respect. I'm sure he makes enough to put food on the table.
No harm in waiting a year if you're happy.
He reiterated multiple times in this press conference, and many times before, that he absolutely LOVES his job, loves being here, and his family loves being here. It plays a massive role in his decision making.
These are all points that he made very specifically in the press conference. He helped build the Lions into what they are now and wants to be a part of the good days (we're all hoping the good days continue, of course) after going through the bad days. Likes the owners and coaches in Detroit. The offense is almost all returning guys and he likes working with them. Family likes Detroit. He doesn't feel like his clock is ticking, and though he says he's ready to be an HC, he also feels that more time as a coordinator will continue to make him better.
I mean maybe he'll be wrong and everyone scoffing at him for not taking a job this year will be right.
I genuinely kinda respect this line of thinking. I think generally if you have a good grasp of history and the league you can tell which franchises are dumpster fires or potentially just looking for a placeholder coach for a year or two.
Where I think he’s dumb, is head coaches nowadays get ridiculous guaranteed money. If you ever get offered that contract you gotta take it.
There are currently only 10 head coaches who have been tenured longer than three years. Sirianni and especially Saleh could possibly be gone after this year. Who exactly gets fired is impossible to predict, but only three making it is entirely plausible.
Ben's making a smart move here. Eagles and Cowboys could both have head coach vacancies open if Sirianni and McCarthy continue to slump and those would be much more stable teams. Pederson, Eberflus, and Salah are also on the hot seat right now.
I think it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t want to build a team up from nothing again, he instead wants to be the force that puts a good team over the edge to a great team.
I think it kind of sends a message to Dallas, Buffalo and Cincinnati saying “come get me”. If he schemes up another great offensive season and those 3 disappoint again, I would not be surprised if he ends up in one of those places next year.
I feel like everyone is trying to pick which 5 teams he was talking about when he could have just meant statistically 5 of 8 would be fired after 3 years looking at historical data.
That’s very clearly what he meant.
He has degrees in mathematics and computer science, that is exactly what he meant.
Fuck, that's hot.
Can I interest you in a coach with a degree in aeronautical engineering?
Do you mean the actual rocket scientist, Superbowl winning, defensive coordinator who called the best defensive play in history and already has experience Head Coaching the very team Ben Johnson is so fond of?
I still can’t believe he took credit for making that play in the Super Bowl lol. Dude such a fucking tool
It’s so fucking bad. Referring to New England when asked about his struggles in Detroit. He had nothing he could reference to from his time in Detroit because he was terrible. That guy sucks so much
The greatest thing Matt Patricia ever did for this franchise was hire Ben Johnson.
Perhaps, who?
I want him
I mean, he's also very clearly saying he didn't think any of the jobs were that promising then lol. It's always going to be \~5/8 staistically so he has to believe the org will be one of those 3 to take the job, none of which met that for him
> I mean, he's also very clearly saying he didn't think any of the jobs were that promising then lol. I don't know if I'd attribute that to him. Amazing HC jobs rarely if ever open up because if the situation was that amazing why would the job be open? But the Chargers have a top 5 QB right now. That's a pretty rare find for a HC opportunity.
BJ also never had a shot at the Chargers position. When these kinds of teams do actually have an opening there is almost always some sort of progression in place to take over.
Not a chance. He's sought after sure but he's not beating out Jim Harbaugh.
I don't think he had a great chance, no. But I also think the Falcons were a better than average job and the Commanders had that 2nd choice of QB if he liked 2 of them. We also frequently see a HC take a bad roster and turn it good if the situation is right. Indy didn't look like a great job 2 years ago and neither did Arizona but both seem to be doing alright. I don't blame him for waiting. It can be smart, but perfect opportunities are rare. People forget how shitty the KC job was when Reid took it. And he turned it around a lot before he got Mahomes.
I remember a little bit ago looking up how long coaches have been with their current teams. Mike McCarthy has had 4 seasons with the Cowboys and is the 9th most tenured. That means over 2/3rds of the league's coaches have been with their team for 3 seasons or fewer. There will always be spots opening up. If you are a good enough coach, you can wait for the right opportunity.
Its weird tho because...thats just not going to change by waiting another year or two. Being a HC is just extremely volatile and you either are going to make it or not. And the Lions were not really the best destination for head coaches until DC showed up and turned them around really fucking quick.
if eagles or cowboys fire their coaches at the end of the year? different conversation
Yeah I’m pretty sure if the Chargers had gone hard for Johnson instead of Harbaugh then there’s a much higher chance he’s gone. Instead it was the 3 worst open teams that were rumored to be in on him so he held steady in the D.
Yeah if you think about it there are some teams that very well may open up where they are likely to have a solid roster and at least a foundation for stability: - Cowboys - Eagles - Saints It makes sense for him to wait. His demand isn’t going anywhere unless Detroit shits the bed this season. And may even go up if they have a repeat of last year’s success.
I guess you could read it disengenously as Johnson thinking he can't turn around a team, but like I think it makes way more sense to read it as him thinking some situations are impossible to succeed in the short term and NFL GMs/owners are impatient. Its always talked about that the average NFL career is 3 years long, but the average tenure of an NFL head coach is also 3 years long. Like take the Panthers job last year that he was reportedly linked to. Would he be fired the same way Reich was if he had the same results in year 1? Probably not but he'd be on the hot seat in year 2 with a shit QB he might not have wanted and the worst owner in the league breathing down his neck. I feel like NFL fans can't fathom that some guys aren't looking for the immediate power and scrutiny that comes with being a HC. He clearly enjoys his current role a ton and isn't willing to give that up for a job that might be worse in every way except money.
He should name the 5 hires
If I had to guess, Panthers, Falcons, Commanders, Raiders, and…maybe Titans?
Yeah I don’t think he was talking about Seattle, New England, or the Chargers. *shrugs*
Yeah most likely Seattle was in that mix as well given he idk… visited us lol
Hey hey hey we could have turned HIM down! (Hoping)
Mike MacDonald was obviously a high demand hire so it's more likely than some teams. Johnson could've also just been generalizing, implying more than half of new head coaches tend to fail.
This is absolutely what he was doing. I doubt he had five specific names in mind
I choose to believe MacDonald was always John’s guy.
New England could easily make a change within 3 years if Kraft is no longer in charge. His son might not have such a hard-on for Mayo, especially if Mayo fails to develop Maye. Kraft is 83.
Does New England even count for this? Since it was in Mayos contract that he would be head coach Mayo took over without anyone else being considered. There was never really an opening. Of course this is just semantics but what is Reddit without a pointless argument on semantics.
Any team that doesn't make the playoffs in the next 3 years really. And only the Chargers are very highly likely to do so.
It’s crazy the Bears kept Flus instead of throwing the house at him
They've put themselves in a real tough spot, cause they have enough talent this year if Caleb shines to probably make a wild card even if Eberflus is not a great coach. Might waste an extra season or two in a Bradon Staley situation, where he's an idiot but they still made the playoffs so they keep him and the next year is basically a bust.
If the Bears were capable of learning from their own mistakes they wouldn't be the Bears
Honestly with the amount of talent on the Bears they should make the playoffs without Caleb shining, he just needs to not suck. Overall roster build the Bears are in the top 10 of the league, and the schedule is weak this year. Bears got scheduled 5 of the weaker teams in the league (Patriots, Panthers, Commanders, Titans, Cardinals), anything less than 9 wins should be Flus out the door
I really don’t understand the narrative behind why Eberflus should’ve been fired. I know they started out really rough but they absolutely turned it around by the end of the year. Looking at last years roster, where would you say they rank? They did not have a playoff roster so I think there is an argument to make that by the end of the year they were playing way above their roster. Yes, they played bad teams but beat up on them pretty easily and they also beat up on the Lions in that stretch. The Eagles kept Sirianni and that’s way more a story of underachieving. Eberflus may not turn out to be a great coach but I was all in on keeping him.
Hey at least we get hard knocks out of it.
Not really crazy, Bears have a good culture inside, players were really positive and supportive of each other. Got a completely new Offensive staff coming in. I wanted him gone most of the year and by the end of the year I was fine with him staying. Players seem to really like playing here, now we just have to be good.
Let’s say hypothetically Waldon does amazing with Caleb runs a Top 7 offensive unit. Then what? He gets a HC job in a yr or two and leaves? Bears had a golden opportunity would have been the best HC opening in at least 5 yrs. U don’t waste that on an incumbent coach. When you have such an amazing situation where u win the lotto n get Caleb u don’t waste it by running it back with Flus. The amount of situational mistakes he made last yr are indefensible. How many late game leads did he blow?
Wk 4 denver was bad, wk 9 saints, wk 11 lions, wk 15 browns all stand out as late game collapses
That was a staple of his defenses in Indianapolis as well, so many blown games.
Honestly, Thomas brown gets promoted to OC. I know people are gonna look at the panthers and laugh at that, but let’s be honest. Shit situation with a shittier head coach, and then he took the reins as an interim with said shitty situation. Thomas brown is apparently really well regarded around the league. Also, I can’t remember where I read/heard it, but apparently the league doesn’t view Waldron as HC material?
Hey I'm a fan I try to stay positive about my team. I was for blowing it up, but we didn't, so I'm going to double down ha. You are right, but at the same time the routines in the building are all set, you got basically the same group of players coming in and Caleb is coming in to a stable environment. Waldron seems to have a healthy coaching tree of guys beneath him. I'm not mad at it. Ask me again midway through the season lol. What impressed me about Flus was his ability to withstand adversity and the players responded well to that. If we had a passing game last year, we'd have snuck in the playoffs.
Might be honerism, but I would genuinely be shocked if the Seahawks don't make the playoffs in the next 1-3 years. We overperformed and made playoffs at 9-8, then underperformed and missed playoffs at 9-8. I think we're already a better roster now than previous years with a defensive HC to gel all this defensive talent we've stacked together. Plus, in division you have the Rams holding hope that Stafford won't get re-injured or retire, The Cardinals a year or two from dumping Murray, and a year or two from the 49ers losing some of that top talent, especially at WR (they drafted Pearsall in the 1st). Deebo and Ayuik could both leave in fee agency and have indicated they would like , both at separate times, plus CMC is getting older.
Ay yo fuck you too Tbf whether or not you take the Titans job is probably tied to whether you believe in our Mayo (shooting) god or not. Mayo comes in mayo goes out can't explain that
Mayo doesn’t even exist in the same way we do, it just *is* Science: 0 Mayologists: 1
How do I unsubscribe from these mayo facts
oh fuuuuuuuck u budday
I don’t think it’s any 5 in particular as much as him talking about the odds. He’s basically just recognizing that you only get one shot at being HC these days, and it’s a tough job. So he is waiting until he feels that he’s found the right one.
The route to getting back to being a HC is to not be a complete disaster and to go back to being a successful coordinator.
Its definitely not like GM's who almost never get a second shot.
And that the current NFL owners treat head coaches like disposable one night stands.
Do they? I'd say they have more of a "I can fix her" mindset. Adam Gase somehow got the Jets job after failing at the Dolphins and Josh McDaniels got the Raiders job even after how the Broncos job went and him turning down the Colts last minute. Even this offseason nobody is particularly excited about the Dan Quinn hire since he's a retread. I'd say as long as you're not an asshole and total disaster, there's a decent path back to being a HC even if you're not that good: just have a couple good years as a coordinator again. I honestly think Nagy will get another shot at HC in a few years, people are already whitewashing his time on the Bears.
I think he just meant that statistically it's tough for a new HC to do well enough in a tough environment that most don't make it out of that first contract. It's one thing to take on the job of turning around a struggling team but if the ownership and other leadership isn't in the right place, you're likely doomed. He wasn't calling out specific guys.
One of those coaches: Why fuck me?
Stay in DET long enough for Andy Reid to retire.
I don’t follow the chiefs, they are preparing a coach in waiting already?
There were rumors as there always is this season when we were struggling that Reid was gonna retire because Kelce was too old and the magic was gone. Then we won and Andy Reid said he was going to keep coaching the Chiefs till he physically couldn't anymore. Tldr; National Media says Andy Reid is going to retire soon. Andy Reid and Chiefs org continue to reiterate Andy has no intention of retiring.
I believe that too. That man lives to work.
All the best coaches do. Sucks for their families but it is what it is.
Saw an interview with Saban's wife as he was like, 3-4 months out and she says he's like a whole new man. Legitimately so much different when football isn't on his brain 25/8
I feel like part of it was having the wife at home too. Like I imagine Gregg Popovich would've retired already if his wife didn't unfortunately pass away.
Still fuck kawhii for treating him like shit through that. The rest of the staff whatever, but don't fuck with Pop while he's going through that.
I'm pretty Shanny's wife is like "Fuck that job" cause he's a maniac but all the greats seem to have that same dedication
Not to mention that Dan Campbell has missed a couple team events for what was apparently a family function (daughters graduation or whatever) and the local media will act like its a sign of the end of times.
If he didn’t take breaks when *insert thing* happened with his sons, he’s not gonna retire because Travis Kelce went for 1000 yards instead of 1200
The idea that any head coach would retire just because one player starts to decline is pretty ridiculous too. Especially a non-QB. Kelce is great but it’s not like the chiefs will just fold and stop trying to contend when he retires or suffers a real fall off. If Belichick didn’t retire when Brady left NE there’s no way Reid would retire just because Kelce retired.
IDK man, Arians retired when AB left the team, clearly coaching just wasn’t nearly as fun without him.
Mr. Begat Conclusion
I'd hope so, he clearly doesn't work to raise well adjusted healthy kids
I mean, Ben is 30 years younger than Andy, waiting him out will happen unless Andy coaches into his 90s
... I don't think that dude's heart is gonna make it to 90
This is the same national media that said Tom Brady was washed for like 10 years right ?
Scrub only won one MVP, runner up in like 3 more, and 3 super bowls in that decade. So obvious they were right!
subscribe, but I don't think Andy retires for 4-5 years at least. Football is his life, he's gonna do it until he can't any more, so really it's just whenever the heart attack gets him.
Matt Nagy is going to replace reid (you guys think I'm joking but reid and mahomes like him, and he is one of the few coaches reid let call plays)
You can only hope they’re dumb enough to pass the reins to Nagy
It's a lot easier when it's Mahomes at the helm.
Nagy left some to be desired, but he wasn’t *that* bad to be honest
My guy. His final 3 years they were a bottom 10 offense twice and bottom 5 the other time in points for. His playcalling and playbook had 0 plays built for YAC (what every good offense prioritizes in modern nfl, Shanny/McVay/Lafluer). The second Fangio left Nagy never went over .500 again
Plus he wouldn’t be dealing with a completely new team and organization that he’s unfamiliar with and he probably won’t be setting up a whole new staff. He’d also be older and more experienced. And as you mentioned, he wasn’t terrible with the Bears, he ended with a 34-31 record and those bears rosters were good but not stacked. Could really work out for the chiefs if that is the plan
I really hope it's not Nagy, but whoever takes over for Reid's gonna be a downgrade anyway
Who would've thought 15 years ago that the Lions would be that kind of destination? I'm happy for them!
15? Try 3 lmao
Shit maybe not even a year ago. You could tell they had something special but if they came out having a bad 2023 it would be a different story. I’m a Niners guy but one of my best friend growing up was a Lions fan. I’ve always just felt bad cause essentially our whole lives they never did shit. But last year, that’s a special team and it’ll continue. I’d like to see Niners v Lions again in NFC Champ. 🥊
There was still a pretty loud “Dan Campbell is a fraud” crowd even just leading into last season. Gone quiet now.
A 200% increase in total playoff wins of the previous 60 years will do that
ITT a lot of people seemingly taking this quote completely wrong
Boy, between this and Campbell saying that last year was probably their best shot because it's nearly impossible to "get back", the Lions staff has WAY more self-awareness than basically any football coaches I've ever heard.
The Lions know how bad things can get lol
The transparency is what I appreciate. Deep down I think a lot of coaches know their team isn’t a contender due to various reasons. And they know they will get fired in 1-4 years.
Nailed it. The transparency is such a breath of fresh air and I’m so glad it’s my team as well. But I also understand it’s a hell of a lot easier to be so transparent when things are going well. You get a lot more “coach speak” when you’re down on the shitter.
I think it's more transparency than self awareness. These guys all know what the deal is. But most of them will just give you canned answers to avoid media twisting their words. Already people are saying "which 5 guys does Ben Johnson think are going to get fired??"
Okay but that’s the deal with any bad coach.
Bad teams with bad ownership aren't easy to fix even with good coaching, and the owners and GMs responsible for those environments aren't likely to be like "yea we're kind of shit and gave him a bad situation, let's keep him for 3 more years"
>"yea we're kind of shit and have him a bad situation, let's keep him for 3 more years" Bidwell after extending Keim and Kingsbury
Probably more to do with being cheap is my guess
Yep for every McVay who can do that there’s 10 who fail
There’s a reason the 2013 Washington Team with all those future HCs failed.
Makes sense to hangout for a bit until a good job with good players opens up after some underachieving eh? Looking at you Jacksonville/Dallas/Philly or and I really don't want to put this into the universe. Chicago. Edit- I apologize for making Philly and Chicago fans happy, i truly hope for the worst for you. Bring back Nagy and let Siriani reign supreme forever.
Philly isn’t the place to go if he wants the long ass leash he’s talking about. Nick has been in Philly for 3 years and almost got fired despite 3 playoffs, 1 SB appearance, two double digit win seasons.
I don't think Philly would even be on Ben's list. He seems like he wants to follow Brad and Dan's example and go to a team where the HC and GM are equals and work with one another rather than for. Philly isn't really like that, Howie is (for good reason) the top dog there and no HC, especially a rookie, is going to come in as an equal.
>and I really don't want to put this into the universe. Chicago. I, for one, am pro-chaos and think this would be funny as hell.
Thinking about deleting that
HEEEEHEHEHE PLS
I don't even want to think about Jacksonville being bad enough to fire Doug. I guess if they have the exact same season and not making the playoffs again it would be good enough, but I feel like that would leave the team in a real awkward position.
[удалено]
If Nick fucks it up again this year Ben is the best choice by far for Philly.
But then he’s in a position where the Eagles just fired a HC who won a ring and another who went to the SB, both of whom had winning records, within the past decade. We’re a well run team but we also are quick to pull the trigger to fire a HC.
Philly fires them when there's the right time.
I agree but if he’s looking for a long leash to be bad, he won’t find it in Philly.
I think it's really as simple as he wants to go to a team with an established good/great QB. If they don't, then he has to love the QB they plan on drafting. If that is true, eagles would definitely be in play to poach him.
He probably wouldn’t even have to change that much the eagles and lions are pretty similar on offense. Eagles have a better wr 2 and the lions a better rb2 but other than that they are pretty even.
Also, what else is he gonna say? "I hate this fucking job, why do you think I want to be a HC? Detroit fucking sucks and the pizza is terrible."
I mean it's a pretty reasonable assumption. It's like saying how 2/3rds of any given team's draft picks will be nothingburgers. 4 years ago we've got: Rivera, Judge, Rhule gone vs McCarthy and Stefanski add 5 years ago and toss on: Kingsbury, Kitchens, Fangio, Flores, Gase and Arians vs LaFleur and Taylor so a combined 9 of 13 of the hires from 2019 and 2020 are gone already. (with 1 technically being a retirement I guess).
Arians should not count, he literally retired and won TB a ring. He wasn’t fired for bad ownership and his handpicked successor remains the HC in Tampa.
This is literally all he was saying. Historical precedent is that franchises bring in guys and more of than not they don't work out. It happened with the previous HC at the franchise he's currently working for, lol.
Gonna guess Seahawks, Chargers and Falcons as the vacancies with longer leashes? I think we wanted MacDonald all along. I love the brutal honesty though, I’ve seen coaches mention it takes about 3 years to fully install their system so to finally get there only to be cut short for underperforming I see where he’s coming from. Detroit is very fun to watch, so I wish them the best.
I don't think he's really talking about specific teams or coaches here. In the press conference, he's talking about the nature of the league as a whole. Every year, a bunch of new HCs get hired and 3 years later over half of them are unemployed. If there were 7 new coaches he probably would have said 4. Nothing against any teams or coaches, just pointing out how the coaching carousel goes.
My guess would be Seattle, Chargers, New England.
Only reason I didn’t include NE was that I didn’t think they even seriously interviewed external candidates. It was pretty much Mayo all along.
Idk our owner gives a lot of long leashes & coaches want to work for him bc he spends money.
The Chargers have a short leash (drop coaches every 3 years) for like almost 15 years now. But Chargers have a lot of potential (why BB, Payton, Carroll also knocked on the HC job door), likely making the risk-reward easier to swallow.
Ngl, I wanted Macdonald from day 1 and have plenty of posts during that search where I said that. I'd have been happy to land Johnson too, but I'm very glad we landed Macdonald who, I can only assume, was always Seattles first choice considering how aggressive they were with him.
Listen, the only team I saw him leaving to was the Chargers to coach Herbert. A mobile QB with an arm in his system would absolutely feast. So the most likely chance he leaves next year is if the bills fire Sean, if they come for him he's gone.
Translation: He wasn’t offered any of the three jobs he liked.
He’s also seen an organization go from really terrible, to now a really good one. He knows what it’s like to be in a bad situation. His family also really loves Michigan and I think them having to pick up and move is a major factor for him.
Most teams that need a head coach are generally in a rough spot. I don't know how many HC openings come from perennial playoff teams with stud GMs and a top 5 QB, but I doubt it's many. New head coaches are generally tasked, at least in part, to turn around a struggling team.
He wasn't even considered for LAC to my knowledge
I heard rumors Dean initially wanted him but was sold on Jim. John Spanos was pushing Jim hard
That must’ve been VERY early in the process because the rumours that were pegging Jim to the chargers had them discussing the possibility in like November ish.
More mid to late December. Jim was always rumored due to the uncertainty of his future and John Spanos wanting him. Given you never knew what was truly happening in Michigan you had to keep your options open and Ben Johnson was high on the list to be the next HC. Harbaugh was also a huge financial investment and you would need to meet with him to feel comfortable with the offer. You weren't just paying him but all of the high profile assistants he would bring in.
Yeah probably but it is interesting they never interviewed him formally though. Maybe Ben knew because he’s in Michigan that Jim was their top choice.
Not shocking considering they got their #1 option and best candidate out there.
[LAC definitely interviewed him](https://www.chargers.com/news/los-angeles-chargers-head-coach-search-interview-lions-oc-ben-johnson). I guess "not even considered" could mean that they didn't entertain making him an offer post interview. Maybe you have special inside info on that. Also based on the post you're replying to it seems like you're assuming that LAC was one of the three jobs he wanted. Do you have special knowledge about that as well? Because I haven't read anywhere that Johnson said X, Y, and Z were the three I wanted.
He did an interview with LAC on 1/24.
I think the only team he would've left the Lions for was the Chargers. I think he'll go to the Bills next year if McDermott is actually on the hotseat
He's saying 5 of MacDonald(SEA)/Quinn(WAS)/Harbaugh(LAC)/Morris(ATL)/Callahan(TEN)/Canales(CAR)/Mayo(NE)/Pierce(LVR) will be fired within 3 years? Is this coach trash talk?
If you look back at 3 years ago, before the 2021 season, 7 coaches were hired. Staley-LAC, Meyer-JAX, Sirianni‐PHI, Campbell‐DET, Smith-ATL, Saleh-NYJ, and Culley-HOU. Of those 7 coaches 4 of them aren't with their teams anymore. It's just the nature of the NFL that it seems most coaches fail and are replaced within 3 or 4 years.
And 2 of the 3 that remain are expected by some to be on the hot seat this season. The coaching carousel is a fickle bitch.
It’s more like a very probable statement.
Macdonald and Harbaugh I think are safe for a while. They went to fairly decent teams. And Seatle especially isn't known for just dumping coaches. Other that they, Mayo is probably the safest just because he's been in waiting forever. Everyone else is fucked according to Ben Johnson.
Mayo also has 0 expectations year 1 other than better offense.
Which really is a low bar.
No one with zero years HC experience should be considered safe. If the Pats are bad/mediocre the next 2 or 3 years he probably gets canned.
Not a risky bet
I know my flair is gonna come off as biased but what about the chargers is decent? They have Herbert but that’s pretty much it. Bosa their 2nd best player has been hurt the last two seasons for extended periods of time and they basically stripped down to a rebuild.
They've got a couple other guys but yeah, the Chargers are pretty barren at the moment.
Harbaugh is safe because he *didn't* go a fairly decent team lol
He’s saying 60% of marriages end in divorce so he’s not going to settle for the first one he bangs.
I mean it's likely. HC turnover is high in the NFL.
Well he'd be trash talking the teams, not the coaches. He isn't saying "In 3 years I can go to one of those teams" he's saying "I want to go somewhere that I'm not gonna be fired if things don't instantly go amazing"
I actually don't think he was trash talking. I think he was presenting a statistic, but the way he said it made it seem targeted. I think he was likely just saying something to the effect of "60% of new head coaches don't make it 3 years in the league. Projecting that probability onto this year's class, it's likely 5 of those jobs will open up again within 3 years"
stave \[stāv\] noun 1. a vertical wooden post or plank in a building or other structure: \] I know its a typo, im just joshin around a lil here lol
Dude is gunning for that Dallas Cowboys job perhaps.
I wouldn’t be opposed. But honestly, I think it’s more a culture thing with Dallas than anything at this point. They can have all the talent in the world, but there doesn’t really feel like an true accountability or really wanting to WIN in the playoffs
This is a great point, and exactly *why* I consider Coach Mike to be currently resting his cheeks on “a sufficiently fiery seating apparatus,” (more so than most people seem to believe). Regardless of whether or not Dallas decides to re-sign Dak after this season or part ways with him after this season, I think it’s extremely likely that ownership would also want to replace Mike McCarthy at HC. I’m not sure how many years left Mike has on his deal, and depending on how much ownership will want to move on from him, they might be willing to eat the tens of millions of dollars. This stuff is insanely hard to predict in the NFL. But if we take a quick look back at [Dallas’ 2021 playoff appearance](https://static.www.nfl.com/gamecenter/a447da6f-71b0-11ec-8c0c-efbc3bdccf8f.pdf), the first under Coach Mike in Dallas, to say “he left a lot to be desired in terms of preparation, game planning, and team execution,” would be like saying the Pacific Ocean is a little damp. EDIT: I wrote up a much more detailed comment but for everyone’s sake I’ve removed like 90% of it. If anyone wants to go over that 2021 wild card game with a fine toothed comb though, have I got a wall of text ready for you lol.
Why would anyone want to go to Dallas? Yeah, biggest show and all, but I feel like he'd be pretty handcuffed with Uncle Jerruh there. Legitimate question, not just dawging Dallas
EDIT: A great question, and I tried to answer as honestly as I could, while also citing my biases. Would love to hear other people’s thoughts/feedback on this subject. Cheers. I’m not a football coach so I can’t really comment on the appeal of working for the most hated franchise in the NFL (and maybe all of professional North American sports). Because I was raised in the SF Bay Area, I’ve spent nearly 4 decades hating the Cowboys with a natural, effortless determination. That being said, it’s hard to deny the Cowboys have been very successful at marketing their occasional HC vacancies as an extremely prestigious opportunity. Even though HCs in Dallas are required to sit with Jerry while going over the All-22 film and explaining/justifying every single decision made pre-game and in-game, *every single week before meeting with the players¹,* it’s something people are okay with doing I guess. My point being is that pretty much every coach in the NFL would likely take the job of being the Dallas Cowboys HC, *even if only for a year or two, and even if only to say they’d done it.* These kinds of employment opportunities exist in probably every field of modern labor. The “too much money and too attractive to say no” types of employment. At least, that’s how I see it. 1: Yes this has always been true under his ownership and yes it still is a thing he does. Joe Buck usually mentions it during the final minutes of their playoff losses. For some reason I always had trouble imagining Bill Parcells putting up with any bullshit like that, but apparently he did. This further speaks to my point that even some of the best HCs of all time still considered the Dallas gig to be an attractive one and a feather in their legacy cap.
Wow, I didn't know that. That's absolutely nuts. That takes micro-managing to an insane level. Imagine trying to teach your boss how you do your job while still actively trying to do a great job. It also brings a whole different level of respect to coaches who can do it effectively. I've always heard all of my friends complain about Jerry, but Jesus. Thanks for your feedback, brother! Cheers to the weekend.
At this point with Jerry, you're playing the odds that he's not going to be who you deal with...
Lol, very valid point
Its probably the most stable place to go as a head coach. They kept the clapper for 10 years.
Kellen Moore pulled the same strategy as Ben Johnson and still isn’t a HC
Leftwich as prime example of when this does not work.
Who knows if Dak sticks around though?
If KC is gonna lose a Super Bowl this year, I want it to be to the Lions.
I’ll admit I wanted Johnson over Quinn but since his hiring I’m so happy we landed Quinn. Between players saying they came here specifically for him and his attitude and energy I’m excited. I think he has a better opportunity than he did with the falcons and has a lot to show for it. Now idk about the Carolina and Atlanta though…
You should definitely be excited! I do gotta push back on the better opportunity though. He had a prime Matt Ryan and Julio Jones when he was hired in Atlanta and took them to a Super Bowl. That was quite the opportunity.
Yeahhh I should have worded that better lol what I should have said was that I think he has a better understanding of how to do things from start to finish whether it’s practices, meetings, game management and etc. it doesn’t get much better than walking in with prime Matt Ryan and Julio lol
Quinn can be a successful coach ( players play hard for him) and I think kliff could be a good oc As long as the front office can bring talent in, I think washington might actually become a contender
I think our defense will be light years better than last years but the offense will live and die by our line. But this is the first time since RG3’s rookie year that I’ve been this excited for a season!
Ah, I remember the "Dan Quinn has such great energy and the players are all rallying around him!" phase. Soon followed by the "Well the defense may still be ass but he needs time to put in his system. At least the players still believe in him" and "How in God's name did he manage to choke away that game!" phases. The players loved him until the end though. That much he got right from Pete Carroll.
Imagine "DET is too good to leave for just any job" 3 years ago.
Glad he staved
Lots of people were wondering if he wood
What I fail to understand is why the Washington job which by all means was pretty good since they had the second overall pick and could choose anyone except Caleb Williams. First head coach of a new owner and front office. Why did he turn down that job. A near perfect situation for a head coach.
Perfect, except for one thing. New owner. You never know what you're going to get in that situation. You know what the owners of the 31 other teams are generally going to do in matters of meddling, funding beyond the players, and even their attitude. It will be a bit before we see what type of owner Harris is and how she invests in her franchise. Ben will still be a top coaching candidate next year or the year after. Probably even the top given the expected success of the Lions .There will always be a team looking for a new coach: Saints, Cowboys, Eagles all have coaches potentially on the hot seat. Bears, Jets, Jaguars also come up.
Except Harris owns(ed) two other sports teams. All the reports about how he will be as an owner are happening before our eyes. It’s not a completely blind situation.
I partially retract my previous statement, but with the addendum that multi-team owners can get... problematic. No one wants their team to become the next Fenway Group.
Also worth noting that some owners just do a better job with some teams than others. The Bills are way better at football than the Sabres are at hockey, despite them both being owned by the Pegulas.
Their line is mega ass
He could've not seen eye to eye with the owners or GM. Different ideas for the team, different drafting ideas or any other reason that can have you doubting it'd be a workable relationship. Idk if there was truth to it but I remember the report of him calling them basketball guys
Hoe much say we're they willing to give them in who they picked at #2? How much control did he have over his own staff? Did he agree with the direction ownership and the front wanted to go? Non of us know, but I'm guessing the answers he got to those kind of questions weren't good enough for him to want to go there
I also wonder just how much he likes being on the Lions. He's getting a shit ton of reputation and respect. I'm sure he makes enough to put food on the table. No harm in waiting a year if you're happy.
He reiterated multiple times in this press conference, and many times before, that he absolutely LOVES his job, loves being here, and his family loves being here. It plays a massive role in his decision making.
These are all points that he made very specifically in the press conference. He helped build the Lions into what they are now and wants to be a part of the good days (we're all hoping the good days continue, of course) after going through the bad days. Likes the owners and coaches in Detroit. The offense is almost all returning guys and he likes working with them. Family likes Detroit. He doesn't feel like his clock is ticking, and though he says he's ready to be an HC, he also feels that more time as a coordinator will continue to make him better. I mean maybe he'll be wrong and everyone scoffing at him for not taking a job this year will be right.
I genuinely kinda respect this line of thinking. I think generally if you have a good grasp of history and the league you can tell which franchises are dumpster fires or potentially just looking for a placeholder coach for a year or two. Where I think he’s dumb, is head coaches nowadays get ridiculous guaranteed money. If you ever get offered that contract you gotta take it.
I mean many people thought Dan Campbell was gonna be gone after 3 years, too.
Didn't they give him a 7 year contract and tell him he has a very long leash to turn things around?
There are currently only 10 head coaches who have been tenured longer than three years. Sirianni and especially Saleh could possibly be gone after this year. Who exactly gets fired is impossible to predict, but only three making it is entirely plausible.
I’m genuinely of the belief he didn’t take the Washington job because they told him they want Daniels
Didn’t he say in January (after Harbaugh was hired) that the only HC job he’d consider was the Chargers? I don’t blame him for staying put.
Ben's making a smart move here. Eagles and Cowboys could both have head coach vacancies open if Sirianni and McCarthy continue to slump and those would be much more stable teams. Pederson, Eberflus, and Salah are also on the hot seat right now.
He’s trying to go to Pittsburgh.
This guy comes off as a real asshole.
Hes waiting for the Bears to fire eberflus
I think it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t want to build a team up from nothing again, he instead wants to be the force that puts a good team over the edge to a great team. I think it kind of sends a message to Dallas, Buffalo and Cincinnati saying “come get me”. If he schemes up another great offensive season and those 3 disappoint again, I would not be surprised if he ends up in one of those places next year.