GM Candidate: Louis Riddick, ESPN Analyst

[alexwilkins]

Been out of the NFL for a while but has over a decade of experience. Has interviewed for GM jobs as recently as a year ago, and has expressed interest in the Bears job. He said earlier today (1/10/22) that with Pace gone, Chicago is the top job because of Fields, so he’d want to keep him and build around him. He also spoke very highly of Brian Flores who’s easily my top pick for head coach.

https://www.bleachernation.com/bears/20 ... rs-gm-job/

[Grizzled]

Or President of Football Operations to hire the GM. But I'd take him as GM.

[Hiphopopotamos]

If he’s bringing Flores with him I’m sold.

[Artbest]

Good God - no. He's a TV personality

[The Marshall Plan]

No soup for that asshole either.

A TV analyst?

[Otis Day]

Yea, because John Lynch sucks at the job.

I take Riddick all day long.

[Artbest]

And Matt Millen was so awesome at his job.

Yea, because John Lynch sucks at the job.

I take Riddick all day long.

[Hema2.0]

Been out of the NFL for a while but has over a decade of experience. Has interviewed for GM jobs as recently as a year ago, and has expressed interest in the Bears job. He said earlier today (1/10/22) that with Pace gone, Chicago is the top job because of Fields, so he’d want to keep him and build around him. He also spoke very highly of Brian Flores who’s easily my top pick for head coach.

https://www.bleachernation.com/bears/20 ... rs-gm-job/

If you feel like it, sell me on Flores. He would fit the criteria many on this board wanted.

[alexwilkins]

Been out of the NFL for a while but has over a decade of experience. Has interviewed for GM jobs as recently as a year ago, and has expressed interest in the Bears job. He said earlier today (1/10/22) that with Pace gone, Chicago is the top job because of Fields, so he’d want to keep him and build around him. He also spoke very highly of Brian Flores who’s easily my top pick for head coach.

https://www.bleachernation.com/bears/20 ... rs-gm-job/

If you feel like it, sell me on Flores. He would fit the criteria many on this board wanted.

I haven’t kept up with with Dolphins much, but he’s clearly a coach players want to play for. He was able to go 10-6 last year with multiple QBs. And you don’t start 1-7 then finish 9-8 unless your guys are willing to fight for you. Several players, even Eric Ebron who I don’t believe ever played for him, posted their disfavor of the firing.

[Arkansasbear]

He's a guy I kind of like. Which likely means we should steer clear of him. Yeah he's a tv guy NOW but had a decent run as a player and front office guy. He's clearly a "football guy" which is what we need.

At the end of the day I'm not sold on him but don't hate the idea of him.

[IotaNet]

From Wikipedia:

Louis Riddick played in the NFL from 1991 to 1998. He played college football at Pittsburgh. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He also played for the Sacramento Surge, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, and Orlando Rage in his playing career. His brother, Robb Riddick, was a running back with the Buffalo Bills for eight seasons. His cousins, Will Lewis and Tim Lewis, also played in the NFL and hold management positions for professional football teams.

After his playing career ended, Riddick became a pro scout for the Washington Redskins for four years before being promoted to Director of Pro Personnel. He was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as a pro scout in 2008. He was promoted to Director of Pro Personnel on February 3, 2010.

Riddick later joined ESPN as an analyst. In 2020, he became an announcer for ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football.

In December 2020, various sources reported Riddick was being interviewed for the GM vacancies for both the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions.

[wab]

Yeah. To call Riddick just a TV personality is uninformed.

[BearsFanInMN]

Agreed. Guy with connections, experience, and knowledge of the game, plus might be one of the few people who will tell Bears what they need to hear vs want to hear. Doubt he gets it because the latter didn’t work for Chris Ballard.

[bearsoldier]

The following article has some good takes... I think it is interesting to note the author mentions Mike Mayock and John Lynch had less front office experience than Riddick.

I hope we interview him for the job and expect hiring Riddick would be a much better choice than Ireland or some of the others interviewing for the GM job.

https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/news/jag ... ential-fit

Jaguars General Manager Search: Pros and Cons of Louis Riddick's Potential Fit
John Shipley
5-7 minutes

The 2021 offseason is set to be a monumental one for the Jaguars. Not only are they guaranteed a top-2 pick and are stocked with draft picks and salary cap, but the team will also be finding a new front office leader.

Jacksonville has been run by two front office executives since 2013: Tom Coughlin, who called the shots as Executive Vice President of Football Operations, and Dave Caldwell, who had been the team's general manager from January 2013 until through Week 12 in 2020.

Caldwell was ousted following a 27-25 loss to the Cleveland Browns, with Jaguars owner Shad Khan announcing his departure shortly after the game.

Now, the Jaguars are embarking on a new general manager search to find who will be the next executive to decide on the biggest free agency and draft decisions facing the team in the coming months.

As we march toward to team making a hire, we will look at the pros and cons of each potential candidate. Today, we will look at ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who the Jaguars interviewed earlier this week.
Background

Washington Football Team Pro Scout (2001-2004)
Washington Football Team Director of Pro Personnel (2005-2007)
Philadelphia Eagles Pro Scout (2008)
Philadelphia Eagles Director of Pro Personnel (2009)
Philadelphia Eagles Director of Pro Personnel (2010-2013)
ESPN analyst: 2013-present.

A former NFL safety, Louis Riddick quickly moved into scouting following his playing career. Riddick played for Bill Belichick with the Cleveland Browns, and his defensive coordinator was Nick Saban.

In Washington, he worked for teams that were led on the field by Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, and Joe Gibb. Washington made some notable pro scouting mistakes back then, such as signing Adam Archuleta, but other moves such as signing Marcus Washington and Andre Carter paid off.

The Eagles were led by head coach Andy Reid during most of Riddick's time in the front office, but Riddick was eventually replaced under Howie Roseman's regime as his contract ran out.

Read More

Pros

The biggest positives to Riddick's candidacy are the facts that he is well-traveled and has seen how some of the best in the business do it. He has a perspective as a former player that would undoubtedly be key in both evaluations and relationship building with his team.

One of the biggest reasons Tom Coughlin failed in Jacksonville was the disconnect between him and the locker room. The relationships were rocky at best as Coughlin adopted a "my way or the highway" approach. Riddick could potentially bring the opposite approach to this considering he is a younger candidate who is a former player.

Riddick also likely has some great connections in terms of a potential coaching staff and the surrounding front office. He has played for Belichick and Saban and worked with Reid with the Eagles, all positives when factoring in the additional personnel he would potentially bring in. Connections are important, and Riddick has connections to some important trees.

Finally, Riddick would be an attempt at a home run hire by Jaguars owner Shad Khan. The ESPN analyst has interviewed with numerous teams for general manager roles over the last few years but has yet to be formally selected. If the Jaguars wanted to truly make a splash and show they are willing to go in a bold direction, Riddick would certainly fit the bill.

Riddick also wouldn't necessarily be a Mike Mayock-type hire. Mayock was also a television analyst when the Raiders hired him to be their general manager, but he had zero experience in NFL front offices. Riddick is the opposite as he has over a decade of experience in front offices, though primarily on the pro scouting side as opposed to college scouting.
Cons

While the pros with Riddick's potential fit with the Jaguars are obvious, so are the cons. He certainly brings some interesting experience to the table, but there are red flags as well.

For one, Riddick hasn't worked in a front office since his contract with the Eagles wasn't renewed. His years in front offices and on the field likely mitigate this factor to a degree, but making the jump from television analyst to general manager after eight years on the sidelines is a major transition any way you look at it.

Another potential con is Riddick's actual experience. While he has years of working in NFL front offices under his belt, Riddick has never performed the duties of a general manager. He was a high-ranking scout and pro evaluator, but he didn't make decisions in Washington or Philadelphia when it came to the draft, at least not according to some who worked with him.

Ultimately the question is what has Riddick done since 2013 to convince teams he deserves to be a general manager, which would have been a major promotion for him even when he was working in the league. His time on television has been mostly praised and teams are clearly high on him considering he has had several interviews, but every analyst will have their high-profile misses and he is not excluded.

Riddick does have legitimate experience in the pro personnel department. Mayock, John Lynch, and others weren't able to say that when they were hired. But the Jaguars and other teams will have to find out just how valuable he was in those roles and how much of it would carry over to general manager vacancies.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

I don't want a TV star for a couch. I hope the Jaguars take Riddick so the Bears won't be tempted.

[IE]

I don't want a TV star for a couch. I hope the Jaguars take Riddick so the Bears won't be tempted.

Read up the thread here. That's not what he is. Not coach - for GM.

[wab]

I don't want a TV star for a couch. I hope the Jaguars take Riddick so the Bears won't be tempted.

Again. To call him just a "tv guy" is woefully uniformed.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Thanks for the correction, IE.

Yes, WAB, I follow the guy does have an extensive NFL resume.

I guess I'm in the minority who believes that a career in TV pretty much spoils most people for any kind of productive work in the real world later.

Maybe he's an exception - I hope so.

[wulfy]

Didn't he coin the phrase "Maserati Mitch"??

Pretty sure he did ... don't know how to attach a tweet, but see Jul 29, 2019 on his Twitter timeline.

said he was on the way to being a star:

[wab]

Didn't he coin the phrase "Maserati Mitch"??

Pretty sure he did ... don't know how to attach a tweet, but see Jul 29, 2019 on his Twitter timeline.

said he was on the way to being a star:

To be fair he was just coming off a 12-4 season and a trip to the Pro Bowl.

[dplank]

Didn't he coin the phrase "Maserati Mitch"??

Pretty sure he did ... don't know how to attach a tweet, but see Jul 29, 2019 on his Twitter timeline.

said he was on the way to being a star:

Yikes

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Didn't he coin the phrase "Maserati Mitch"??

Pretty sure he did ... don't know how to attach a tweet, but see Jul 29, 2019 on his Twitter timeline.

said he was on the way to being a star:

Now you are rating his ability based on what he said as a TV personality. Rate it on his entire resume, not just what he said after Mitch came off of a 12-4 season.

[AZ_Bearfan]

I think he's interested for sure

[bbaker]

Didn't he coin the phrase "Maserati Mitch"??

Pretty sure he did ... don't know how to attach a tweet, but see Jul 29, 2019 on his Twitter timeline.

said he was on the way to being a star:

Now you are rating his ability based on what he said as a TV personality. Rate it on his entire resume, not just what he said after Mitch came off of a 12-4 season.

That Clip was from BEFORE Mitch was drafted. And to be fair, he said he would need to go to a team that could develop him… “introduce him to the NFL game in increments…” he suggested Andy Reid and the Chiefs.

[dplank]

I dunno, he was a key voice that created the narrative that Mitch was the #1 guy. Some believed it was Mitch, some Watson, some Mahomes. I’d prefer a guy who preferred Watson or Mahomes, it’s a big, big miss that ultimately cost Pace his job, so I’m not inclined to look over it for Riddick.

[The Cooler King]

I dunno, he was a key voice that created the narrative that Mitch was the #1 guy. Some believed it was Mitch, some Watson, some Mahomes. I’d prefer a guy who preferred Watson or Mahomes, it’s a big, big miss that ultimately cost Pace his job, so I’m not inclined to look over it for Riddick.

I'm not gonna stress too much about a single missed eval, especially one thats so emotionally close to me. I'm hyper focused on it.

I'm had kind of joking but kind of serious said anyone who said Lamar Jackson should be a WR was in my blackball list though. Lol, so of course the most prominent member of that club is the consultant. Hoping his contributions are more high level and on a leadership basis. Although maybe I can use him as my antithetical to the candidates lol.

That said I really have no interest in Riddick. I think his hype is just name recognition. The mass public loves people they see on TV.

[thunderspirit]

I dunno, he was a key voice that created the narrative that Mitch was the #1 guy. Some believed it was Mitch, some Watson, some Mahomes. I’d prefer a guy who preferred Watson or Mahomes, it’s a big, big miss that ultimately cost Pace his job, so I’m not inclined to look over it for Riddick.

I'm not gonna stress too much about a single missed eval, especially one thats so emotionally close to me. I'm hyper focused on it.

I'm had kind of joking but kind of serious said anyone who said Lamar Jackson should be a WR was in my blackball list though. Lol, so of course the most prominent member of that club is the consultant. Hoping his contributions are more high level and on a leadership basis. Although maybe I can use him as my antithetical to the candidates lol.

That said I really have no interest in Riddick. I think his hype is just name recognition. The mass public loves people they see on TV.

I've disagreed plenty with Bill Polian — maybe never as much as with regard to Lamar Jackson — but the guy hired Marv Levy, Jim Mora, and Tony Dungy as three of his four head coaches (4th was Dom Capers). Dude knows something about hiring successful head coaches.

[Arkansasbear]

Didn't he coin the phrase "Maserati Mitch"??

Pretty sure he did ... don't know how to attach a tweet, but see Jul 29, 2019 on his Twitter timeline.

said he was on the way to being a star:

Pretty much everything he said was correct:

Looked good in college with his ball placement on all levels - check

Have to be concerned about only 13 starts - check

Needs time to develop, expectations need to be low early on, needs a coach to develop him - all the things we didn't do.

We've all seen guys forced to start to early for bad teams and it's ended poorly - CHECK.

I know I'm in the minority, but I think the guy could still be like Gannon and be a solid starter later in his career when he gets with team / coach that knows what they are doing.

If we are going to throw people out for one bad choice, then we can't have faith in anyone. The Manning and Leaf were coming out the only debate was who was one and who was two. Both were projected to be franchise QB worthy of going 1 and 2.

That didn't age well.

[wulfy]

Fair points, Ark. Quite honestly, if Poilan had the second pick instead of the first that year .... my assumption is that he would have drafted Leaf. And then he's a moron and not being asked to consult for front offices at 79 years old.

Interesting that ol' Jerry wasn't on board with Leaf back in the day:

Leaf's draft prospect profile described the player as "self-confident to the point where some people view him as being arrogant and almost obnoxious". Leaf gained about 20 pounds between the end of his junior season and the NFL Combine in February, which Jerry Angelo, one of six experts Sports Illustrated consulted on the choice, described as "a [negative] signal" about his self-discipline.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

I consider Riddick's TV career to be similar to a graduate school for BS artists.

Would someone please point out an ESPN talking head who went back into football and won a SB?

Please.