Rating NFL head coaching openings: Raiders, Giants
Mike Florio and Devin McCourty rate the head coaching vacancies in the NFL, discussing how Tom Brady complicates things for the Raiders and explaining why Michael Bidwill's Cardinals are "chronically dysfunctional."
Video Transcript
All right, six jobs are open.
We've discussed the firings that happened after We went off the air yesterday morning.
Let's now apply a number.
Scale of one to 10, rating the six openings.
We're going to start with the Atlanta Falcons.
That was the job that popped up on Sunday, late afternoon or early evening.
Give me a one to 10.
They were 8 or 9, they've got talent.
They got Bijan Robinson.
He's going to be due for a new contract.
Give the man what he wants.
They've got other players on both sides of the Ball that they can build around.
Quarterback situation in flux.
Michael Penix Jr. Coming off his latest torn ACL.
Kirk Cousins is due $45 million next year.
He's played well down the stretch.
But I don't think you're going to pay him $45 million.
They're also looking for a GM in Atlanta, and they have two different search firms involved.
I didn't realize this until last night.
Shireen Williams pointed this out to me.
They got one search firm for the GM, and a different search firm for the head coach.
That, that would, that would cause me to be a little concerned if I'm under consideration to be coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Devin, give me your 1 to 10 rating for this.
Vacancy.
Dang, I didn't know that before.
I thought of this, This is the ranking.
But I'm still going to...
I'm going to stick with it.
I'm high on this one.
I'm going.
I'm going, eight.
I, I likewow.
The Open.
I like the roster, I like what they have going on there.
Have.
And think about being successful in Atlanta, If you win your division, that's successful.
If they would have won one more game, they would have won the division last year.
Like, you fired your coach, and I mean, they played a part in the division winner.
Because it was a three-way tie.
So like, if you get in there and you can change Just a few things to get a couple more wins, you could.
You could own the NFC South.
So, to me, when I think job security, a place to have some success, figuring out the quarterback position would...
It's a real thing, but hey, it's not your money.
If we keep Kirk Cousins and I can go win a division, I'll take that.
So, I wouldn't mind going to work in Atlanta.
Well, I don't think any of these jobs are all that attractive.
Bad jobs become available for a reason, because the teams above the head coach are Dysfunctional.
I'll give this one a five, just because I don't Know who's really going to be in charge.
All we know from yesterday is Rich McKay.
Finally, he has fully graduated out of the Falcons organization and will now just be the CEO of Arthur M. Blank Sports & Entertainment.
He was still the CEO of the Falcons.
Every time they make a change, They make some cosmetic adjustments to what Rich McKay is doing.
All I know is we saw him dead center last Monday night in the Falcons-Rams game.
There you go.
He was still a heavy presence.
And it'll be interesting to see...
I mean, Devin, it was a thing of beauty.
I thought he was the owner.
I didn't know Rich McKay bought the team from Arthur Blank.
Blank, but it'll be interesting to see if he's at the Games next year.
And it'll be interesting to see if he's on the Competition Committee going forward.
He doesn't work for the Falcons anymore.
For the first time in decades, He's not employed by an NFL team.
I don't think he should be on the competition committee, and we'll see if that changes.
But now they're looking to hire Matt Ryan, Who, thanks to the trail blazed by Tom Brady, Matt Ryan wants to keep working for CBS and He wants to be the President of the Falcons' football operations.
Hey Devin, put in your resume in New England.
It's open season.
You can cover the whole league and you can work for one of the teams.
And nobody's gonna say boo anymore.
It's fine.
Do whatever you want to do.
But it goes from Brady to Aikman and now Matt.
Ryan, and maybe they're going to hire him.
I don't know who I'm going to answer to.
I don't know who the GM's going to be.
A different search firm is hiring him.
That's why it's a five for me.
And by the way, By the way, um... Yeah, the quarterback situation isn't ideal, 'Cause I'm entering year three with a top-10 draft pick who's coming off of a torn ACL.
And, you know, I don't know how we're going to resolve this.
And I don't know how quickly we're going to be competitive before I'm the next guy to be fired.
I do think, though, that this is one that had been weeks in the making.
They finished with a four-game winning streak.
I don't think it mattered.
They've had a consulting group around for a while.
I think Arthur Blank decided weeks before the end of the season that they were going to do this.
And they implemented it right away, on the same day that the season ended.
I would say the kiss of death would be one of the few teams this year that managed to lose to the New York Jets.
That may have been the moment that Arthur Blank decided, "I'm gonna get rid of everybody, and we're gonna try to turn this thing around."
All Right, the Cleveland Browns.
I think you already gave them a two.
Is that your number?
Yeah, uh, yeah.
I'm going to stick with my two for Cleveland.
I mean, We went deep into Cleveland.
Uh, young talents there, But the level of just what you're going to have to deal with, Chaos?
I- I'm gonna stay at a two for Cleveland.
Yeah.
You know, I'm going to go even lower.
I'm going to call it a one.
I only want that job if I have nothing else going on.
And even if I've got nothing else going on, unemployment may be more attractive than stepping into this mess where you're stuck with Deshaun Watson for another year.
We don't know what's going to happen with Shedeur Sanders.
The guy that built the team that wasn't good enough and hasn't been good enough since.
He arrived and is still there.
And the owner is going to be part of what I have to navigate around.
Jason Garrett talks about the challenges of Managing up.
As a head coach, you always have to manage down.
If you can get a job where all you have to worry about is managing down, The job's a hell of a lot easier than when you have to manage up and you have to worry about What the owner wants, and how do we navigate around him?
And how do we keep him from... You know, Jerry Jones was the one that they Management kept from drafting Johnny Manziel.
It didn't work in Cleveland.
That's where the owner, who tried to blame it on a homeless guy, decided Johnny Manziel was the right answer.
That's what you're dealing with if you take the job in Cleveland.
I'm giving it a one.
Uh, I'll go one and a half.
Because I think that I would be attracted by the tradition.
Asterisk, the fan base, the opportunity to get to a Super Bowl for the first time.
That's never happened for the Browns.
I just think right now, As long as Jimmy Haslam is the owner of the team... And I'm sorry, I know, I, I know... Hey, man, I'm sorry, but you can't be fired; you can be criticized.
I wouldn't want anything to do with working for Jimmy Haslam.
So, I'll give it a one and a half.
The fanbase gets it the half.
Okay, uh, Raiders.
Give me your number there.
The Raiders, I'm going.
I'm going with a five.
I think for the Raiders' job, I think their number one overall pick, it has to be attractive.
And I'm grading these on, "Hey, they're open."
I want to be a head coach.
Now, I'm going to rank them.
So for me, I wouldn't mind going there.
You have some young talent.
You have some draft capital that you can decide what you turn that into.
That's all up to you.
Now, you've got to navigate, You know exactly what that looks like, and how involved different people are.
Yes, all of that.
But it just feels like if there's a plan that Goes in, you're in Vegas, like you can do some things.
I think it'll be attractive to free agents if you can start to build a culture.
I think it's a place that you can turn around.
There might be some things evolving in the AFC West.
Yes, Denver came in and Denver took over this year, but with the Ch- with the Chargers coming And Harbaugh, like, you can now say, "Hey, maybe I can get in here."
Turn this thing around, and we can make this one of the better divisions if Kansas City can get back."
But, um, I'm not, I'm not too against the Raiders' job.
I mean, a lot of it depends upon how I feel about Fernando Mendoza or whoever else I would take with the first overall pick.
Because having that first overall pick is a Positive.
It explains why they tanked.
They risked alienating Maxx Crosby to get that first overall pick.
Because that becomes a selling point if you're trying to hire a coach who has options.
Elsewhere.
For me, I got two numbers for the Raiders.
Okay?
Well, I may have three numbers.
I've got three numbers for the Raiders.
And I'm hesitating here, but look, I mean, we're paid to give our honest opinions.
Okay?
My first number is two, if Tom Brady's going to continue to do this, "You know, I'm gonna call you a couple times a week and tell you what to Do.
I'm not really going to be around.
I'm not really invested, but I'm still in control.
"I reserve the right to tell you what to do."
I think that's a horrible management scenario.
Anywhere.
The guy who shows up with a drive-by when Everyone else is there working; that is a toxic situation that is not ideal.
And if that's what I'm going to be dealing with, if I'm going to be dealing with part-time, A cameo appearance by Tom Brady, it's a two.
Okay?
If I'm going to be dealing with all-in Tom Brady, he's going to, He's gonna roll up his sleeves and take off the expensive watch and not wear one glove, and he's Gonna be there working elbow-to-elbow with me all the time and see what the grind is and Embrace it, and I'm going to have the benefit of his expertise as I coach this team.
I'll give it a five.
Okay?
Now, if he's going to get out entirely and not bother me at all, I'll give it a seven.
So those are my three numbers for the Raiders.
Seven... You, you have the highest number for a no-Tom.
Brady's presence?
I, I, I'myes.
Yes.
You're... you're... No, I disagree with that.
What has Tom Brady done?
Those should be, those last two... To make you think he can run a football team?
...
It should be flipped.
No, no.
I'm not saying run a football teamI've seen Nothingbut if he's willing to work with me, I'll take that.
Yeah.
Well, I just think that if I'm going to be the As coach of the team, I need to be the face of the franchise and the person in charge.
So it's more attractive.
The least attractive is I'm gonna have to deal with Tom Brady periodically telling me what I'm doing wrong when he's not there all the time.
Like Carly, Irsay Gordon's on the sidelines, listening in, being engaged, and having full Data and information before decisions are made.
If it's just going to be part-time Tom Brady, I don't want it.
If it's gonna be Tom Brady there all the time, then I'm undermined because Tom Brady's really The guy in charge of the team.
If I can get a situation where Tom Brady just He's up in the luxury suite hanging out with Mark Davis for the game.
You know, one or two games per year that he can actually be at the game because he's working.
For Fox, the rest of the time, that's the most attractive to me.
And I don't think that's going to happen, as I don't think Tom Brady is ever going to be in a position where he's part owner of the team and he has no input whatsoever in the football.
Operation.
All right, Cardinals.
Give me your number there.
Cardinals, I'm going with a four.
The Cardinals are a team I think you can, You can fly a little bit under the radar.
Um, tough, It's a tough division they're in right now, but there's a newness to it.
So, I would rank it higher than some of the other ones.
I don't think it's as much of a chaotic environment as you might think.
It's just not high because the upside...
I just don't see a lot of upside to taking over.
So for me, it's a four.
You know, I already piss off enough people.
But again, They don't pay me to be, you know, I don't know, delicate with my Opinions.
I know from when I first discovered football in the 1970s.
Thanks to the Immaculate Reception game, I remember seeing that there was a team in the The NFL called the Cardinals and said they had this white helmet with this bird on it.
Side that doesn't even look pissed off.
Like, at least the Louisville Cardinal is pissed off, like, "Grr."
You know, he's got that...
He's angry.
This one's, like, mildly perturbed.
And I mean, for 50 years I've looked at the Cardinals and I think, That's not...
Uh, I mean...
I mean, is that really going to intimidate the opponent when you come running out with a Mildly perturbed cardinal?
So, I've always had a bad association with the Cardinals.
I'm sorry, I have a nephew who became a Cardinals fan, went to a Super Bowl in Phoenix, and he's been a Cardinals fan thick and thin.
I've got a ton of respect for him, as bad as they are.
Every time he comes over to the house, he's wearing Cardinals gear.
It's amazing, mainly because they send it to him, and he wears it.
But I just can't, I just can't... And look at the NFC West right now.
Look how good the other teams are.
I'm sorry, It's a... it's a one for me.
If I... if I have any other option, I don't want to work for the Cardinals.
And look, Michael Bidwill has been one of the dysfunctional owners that you're stuck with.
And it goes back to his father.
Like, this has been a team... At least they don't have the same reputation for being cheap like they did years ago.
Like, the story that, I think it was Robert Griffith, when he signed a free agent deal with the Cardinals in what would've been the late '90s, early 2000s, They sent him his signing bonus, Devin, and they deducted from the signing bonus the cost of the FedEx envelope to send him the signing bonus.
That was the story that he told to Michael Silver.
They would lock the Gatorade cooler on the players' days off.
So, no free Gatorade if you happened to show up on your day off.
So, this is a team that has just been chronically dysfunctional.
I don't want anything to do with it.
Oh, and by the way, And this was one of the themes that came up during the press conference yesterday.
How is it that the team is so bad that Jonathan Gannon has to go?
But Monty Austin-Forth, the guy who built the team, stays?
I'm not a fan of half measures.
I'm not a fan of them.
Of, you know, accountability that isn't the same for both of the key positions.
So, I'm sorry, Cardinals.
And please, I know they're gonna be mad at me, But I, I... Rebrand, rebrand.
Let's rebrand the Cardinals.
I know it's a name that's been around for Part of the NFL for 105 years.
How many championships have the Cardinals won?
In the modern era, it may not be a coincidence.
Uh, frankly, at least give me a pissed-off bird on the side.
Of the helmet.
I know I'm going to have some pissed-off Cardinals fans, my reaction will be, "Tell them to put that attitude on your logo and maybe you'll turn it around."
All right, The Giants.
Give me your number for that one.
You... And now we're attacking freaking logos.
Oh my goodness.
For me, the Giants would be just below the Cardinals.
For me, I'm thinking if I'm a coach, I'm going for job security.
If I go to Arizona, I can go there.
I'm supposed to finish last in the division.
I have one good year, I'm good.
You go to the Giants?
Right away, they're going to expect you to win.
You get the New York media, You get all of that.
Like, the Giants for me, It's better than Cleveland because you found Jaxson Dart.
And if you love Jaxson Dart, that's why it's not a two.
So for me, it's just a three because, like, you know what it is.
Like, maybe in two years you'll get on the Giants and then forget the owner and him making ACthe fans are gonna want you out of there if you're not winning.
It's just a tough place to be successful.
Like, you've gotta hit it right away.
Like, we forget Brian Daboll took the Giants to the playoffs in his first year.
He took a team with Daniel Jones at quarterback that nobody wanted, went to the playoffs and they couldn't wait to get him out of there.
Fired him during the season.
Coach of the Year, and he beat the Vikings in the 2022 Wild Card round.
I'm going to do another multi-number.
I'm not going to do three.
This one's simple.
If I'm a Jaxson Dart guy, If I love Jaxson Dart, if I was waiting for the opportunity last year for my team to get Jaxson Dart, and they just missed out because the Giants moved up to get him.
It's an eight for me.
I get a chance to work with Jaxson Dart, who He's shown plenty of potential, even though he does need to learn how to protect himself.
If I'm not a Jaxson Dart guy, it's a two.
I don't want to step into a spot where I'm be expected to work with a quarterback that I don't want to work with.
And then you've got to go through the process of trying to convince the ownership, the front office and the fan base to move on from Jaxson Dart.
Then who's the quarterback going to be?
And you're right back where you were.
And it is a tough market.
It adds to the pressure.
And you've got a GM who may not last another year or two.
And then in comes a new GM, and that GM may want to get rid of me.
Again, if I'm... And usually guys on their first jobs, They look at it and say, "The window's open."
"I better jump through it while I can."
Second job, you're going to be a lot more selective.
Because you know it's your last chance.
So, I, I don't...
I think they're going to look for a guy with head coaching experience.
That guy's going to have to be very selective and Very careful, because if he's already been fired as a head coach, This may be it, and the deck may be stacked against you with the Giants.
We'll see.
Last one, the Tennessee Titans, who have Cam Ward, they have Jeffery Simmons, they've got some pieces there to work with.
What number would you give to that one?
I came in at a five, just because of what you just said.
They have Cam Ward.
I like Cam Ward, and I think if you were a coach, I think you'd... You would look at Cam Ward and say, "I can work with this."
And again, I'm basing this off job security.
I'm shocked you went eight for the Giants.
Tennessee's another team that, to me, you don't have to have ultimate success to continue to be there and try to build and do the things that you want to do.
There's no expectation to be in the AFC Championship for the Tennessee Titans.
You can go there, you can be there for a while, you can try to.
To figure it out, you just can't be horrible.
That is why I like the Titans.
I think you have a chance to actually get Something's done.
The AFC South looks a lot different now.
A year ago, you were trying to go in there and being successful.
But for me, it'd be right in the middle of the road for the openings.
...that are available.
And just to be clear, Jaxson Dart makes it an eight, if I love Jaxson Dart.
I have to be all in with Jaxson Dart.
I have to be.
You know, the black streak on my face, emulating him emulating Anakin Skywalker.
That's how I have to feel about Jaxson Dart to call it an eight.
If I'm not all in with Jaxson Dart, I'm not in at all with that job.
With Tennessee, I'll agree with you on the five.
And here's my reservation about Tennessee.
There's this non-stop Game of Thrones between The head coach, the GM, and whoever they have in charge... Of football operations.
And we saw an adjustment last week.
And, you know, Amy Adams Strunk, the owner of the team, The reputation is, and I've heard this from multiple different people, Like, all it takes is the right person that... That's the person she's listening to now.
Year.
And then someone else, "Oh, now this is the person I'm listening to this year," this person's out or this person's minimized.
Like, Chad Brinker had his moment and now, oh wait, Mike Borgonzi, The guy who was hired as GM last year, now he's in charge of the football operations.
And then a coach is going to come in and say, "Oh, well, this person is the person."
And it's This maneuvering to try to be the one that the owner likes, And then once the owner doesn't like you, you get the Mike Vrabel treatment.
And the fact that they fired Mike Vrabel.
Now, I also think that Mike Vrabel may have wanted it.
I think he wanted to get back to New England.
And maybe he knew how to press the buttons to win the Game of Thrones and get his ouster so He could go to the place where he wanted to go.
But just the fact that they didn't make it work and make him want to be there for his entire coaching career.
That's a check against the Titans job.
But I think Cam Ward can be special.
They have a new stadium coming.
They have a very active and involved fan base.
And I see a lot of positive there, but you gotta be able to figure out how to properly Navigate the owner, and you've got to ensure the other people in the operation... And this is the big concern when you're the coach and you're down on the sideline.
The other people in the operation are up there in a position to whisper to the owner, And that's how, in a lot of these dysfunctional teams, the GM survives.
The President of Football Operations survives, 'cause they're up there telling the owner all The stuff you're doing wrong during the game and the owner sours on you 'cause you can't Defend yourself in real time.
