General Manager/Head Coach Interview Discussion

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dplank
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Hiphopopotamos wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:53 pm
dplank wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:50 pm

It’s bad process. If you admit you’re just a fan and not qualified to assess “coach stuff”, then why would you trust it even if you are “wowed”. He could be wowed by Marc Trestman and he’s already admitted he doesn’t have skill in this area.
Is Bill Polian qualified? Ultimately George McCaskey is going to sign off on any hire - whether that's for a Football President, or GM, or Head Coach. So if the idea of George McCaskey signing off on a HC hire pisses you off - get ready to be pissed off.
Yes, he is. And if Polian is picking the HC, then that would be fine. Or if Polian was just made GM (I’d be fine with this), that would be fine also. But you’re not accurately reflecting what George said. He said he’s deciding, and Ted, Bill, Soup, and the diversity officer will advise him. And that he would pull the trigger if someone “wowed” him. He didn’t say Polian was deciding, or he’d pull the trigger if someone wowed Polian - he specifically said he was doing it. My ire is based on this reality, but if he was being dishonest then I suppose I’d feel differently. I have no reason to not believe what he said tho.

If he’s the decider, then I only want him deciding on GM. That’s unavoidable.
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He also said he expects to find consensus. He's clearly gonna rely on opinions of others heavily.

The whole fan comment is being blown out of proportional. It was about a player specific question in which he stared he wasn't a football evaluator, but a fan. There's a wide range of football knowledge between making player specific evaluations and a broader evaluation of team leadership/direction. And it has also been obviously clear to me that George wishes to not be seen as a meddling owner.
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The Cooler King wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 1:56 pm Theres also Raiders who are TBD, but I think it's as likely that they are doing the clean sweep than just a coach search.
Bingo!
Raiders fire general manager Mike Mayock after three seasons

https://www.nfl.com/news/raiders-fire-g ... ee-seasons
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We have no idea if it’s just yes men surrounding him. None of which will be responsible for acquiring the talent for whichever HC manages to “wow” George.

The HC should be hired by the GM, it’s that simple. They even agree, then they contradict themselves. If that’s what they believe is right, THEN DO IT and stop tempting yourself to do something you’re literally saying out loud you don’t want to do.

It’s like dieting, the best decision you may make is simply not buying bad food. If you don’t ever buy it, you can’t eat it in a weak moment.

https://www.shawlocal.com/bears/analysi ... -no-sense/

“ The Bears don’t have a general manager yet, and while you may believe chairman George McCaskey is capable of anything, hiring a coach first would be almost incomprehensible after McCaskey just got done promoting his own lack of football expertise.”
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From a Wolverines twitter person:

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dplank wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 1:46 pm… And, last time that happened we ended up getting Pace and forcing a HC on him that he didn't want. We should seek to avoid doing this again, no?
I don’t think the Fox fiasco was about timing. I always believed that was about bringing in an “experienced” HC to offset Pace’s youth. The recent reporting in The Athletic supports that (and added a few wrinkles.)

I reiterate the assertion that while some bad leadership choices have been made, slow timing hasn’t been a major factor.
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crueltyabc wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 7:57 am … Smith would be a good choice because he’ll have absolutely no help from above so he needs to know how to do it all. He’s got the most experience and best chance of creating competent stability …
I’ve had a chance to collect my thoughts on why (beyond my gut) that I’m high on Smith and this is it.

If you accept the premise that nobody at Halas hall knows what the heck they’re doing, then you need to hire somebody who does — preferably, someone who has done it before. Smith is that guy.

He’s got the leadership and organizational chops that we need in Halas hall to build a culture of competence and anti-stupidity.

I’m all-in.
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After reading about him, I agree that his qualifications are solid. He would definitely be okay by me..
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crueltyabc wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 7:57 am Hoge and Jahns did a good job selling the idea that Smith would be a good choice …
I hadn’t read the Hoge article so I checked it out. This quote stands out:

”The consistent mistake made under the leadership of George McCaskey is failing to hire the most obvious candidate. If Smith still has the drive and motivation to jump back into the game as a general manager, there’s little question he’s the most qualified candidate for the job.”

I totally agree.
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Smith is my pick too. Hoge and Jahns did a great interview with a guy who covers the Texans and he did a great job of making a case for Morocco Brown who wasn't really even on my radar, but Smith is so much of a no-brainer that even the Bears brain trust shouldn't even be able to screw this up.
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The Cooler King wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:36 pm
The Marshall Plan wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:23 pm

There is presently no one residing within Halas Hall whatsoever that is even remotely qualified to hire a HC or GM.

It's most likely why they're interviewing like 50 people for each job.

They have no fucking clue what they're doing.

If it were me I would've called Harbaugh and Day during the season and just be like look I'm 99% sure Nagy is gone. Are you interested in the HC job? Yes or no. What would you want?

If both of those were a "no", then you move down the list and game theory the motherfucker. OK if this guy gets fired. This guy is out there right now. Etc. etc. etc.

But then they had Flores and were supposedly extremely impressed. Flores shouldn't have left town without a job offer because they were extremely impressed.

Like the job market for normal people right now with the labor shortage and The Great Resignation. You get a great candidate walk in the door? That job offer better be there by the time they get home otherwise somebody will snatch them. Unicorn hunting amongst job candidates is the dumbest thing you can do.
The NFL HC/GM market is not the normal job market. We're not talking about an Accounts Payable specialist here.
AP specialists are a dime a dozen compared to quality NFL HC candidates. Gimme a break.

There like maybe 3 realistic people out there that could make a difference to a team next year.
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So George tells us he is not a football guy but he can hire one for sure, but he might just hire a HC first and then go get the "football guy" who will no doubt be thrilled with inheriting the owners brand new guy.
Great way to start yet another forced marriage and undermine the GM's authority to boot.
George may be a nice guy but he shouldn't be managing anything more complex than the fry station at McDonalds.
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Dardango wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:50 am Smith is my pick too. Hoge and Jahns did a great interview with a guy who covers the Texans and he did a great job of making a case for Morocco Brown who wasn't really even on my radar, but Smith is so much of a no-brainer that even the Bears brain trust shouldn't even be able to screw this up.
He is my 1st choice as well but as you said... "Smith is so much of a no-brainer that even the Bears brain trust shouldn't even be able to screw this up."


That is exactly what concerns me... We had Arians at Halas Hall wanting to sign on as HC and the dumb asses passed on him for Trestman... We know all to well how this typically goes for the Bears.
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bearsoldier wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 7:36 am
Dardango wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:50 am Smith is my pick too. Hoge and Jahns did a great interview with a guy who covers the Texans and he did a great job of making a case for Morocco Brown who wasn't really even on my radar, but Smith is so much of a no-brainer that even the Bears brain trust shouldn't even be able to screw this up.
He is my 1st choice as well but as you said... "Smith is so much of a no-brainer that even the Bears brain trust shouldn't even be able to screw this up."


That is exactly what concerns me... We had Arians at Halas Hall wanting to sign on as HC and the dumb asses passed on him for Trestman... We know all to well how this typically goes for the Bears.

Who passed on Arians? Phil Emery was the GM. Did you want the owner to override the choice of his GM? That GM is gone.
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Leming's got a spreadsheet he keeps updated, fyi:

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Grizzled wrote: Sun Jan 16, 2022 3:06 pm 10 members of the Board of Directors. 5 are McCaskeys. 2 are McKenna and Pat Ryan. None have any football experience.
Well: The Fish stinks from the head - thats right - its all about the Ownership!

Believing the bears would know become a favorit SB contender is terribly wrong.
Its the same old vicious circle - firing the hole staff und thinking that new persons will bring success.
Yes, it could be, but its more coincidence!
I Think there s the danger that Bears will fall back into the times of Trestman, maybe for a long time!
Maybe its just reality.

IMO its not only a lack of football knowledge (of the ownership) its even more a lack of
Knowledge +++to treat a football-franchise as a middle class Company+++.
Why middle-class company?
Because there s the knowledge (know how) to analyze the key factors of success in your own industrial sector: here Football sports!
You need it to get better in your operational business!

Football sports is a very strategic thing, and we can see that teams have success after inventing something new.
For example: 46 defense - The bears where top for nearly one decade!
NE invented a new kind of OL-playing with quite new plays (trick plays) Ive never seen before.
They play faster, with better ideas and better strategies to crack decent DLs.
For sure, if you want to fool DLs you need ideas, in each game - against each opponent!
- BTW I dont see good ideas from the bears! -

Im very sure that even Packers and Chiefs found out some strategies to be supreme.
And if you found out something or invented something new, its easier to hire players and staff exactly for That strategy.
So if you need a fast playing QB you dont need to hire a first round pick (if he s to slow), its enough to hire Brady as pick 199!
Even pick 199 can be the GOAT.

What do we know else:
Its even obvious that firing the hole staff is not the right way - because bears just did the same all few years?!
Success? None!
Even obvious: Its normal if one QB fails in your team. Shit happens!
But bears just wasted 4 QBs in two seasons. If a pick 2 (Mitch), even a SB winner (Foles), a new talent (Fields) and
a decent QB (Dalton) are failing all together, we can be sure (its a powerfull signal) that the hole playing strategy of the team is terriby wrong!
Im sure bears would waste Mahomes, Rogers, Montana, McMahon...
IMO the release of Nagy is 1-2 years too late.
But HC is the weakest position - a punching ball.

Please lets dig deeper:
George Mckaskeys profession is: Being son of the owner?
Else Juris doctor (BTW - beware of lawyers, teachers and medics in entrepreneurial positions)
Ted Philipps is at least business man - with accounting experience (Ernst Young (do they work there?Or wearing expensive suits?)), else working in the bears franchise - maybe not enough?
Even without success for many years - but a friend of the family = nepotism?
IMO it is a huge structural problem inside the bears franchise top down!
Last edited by PaulM on Tue Jan 18, 2022 9:38 am, edited 2 times in total.
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The Marshall Plan wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:20 am
The Cooler King wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:36 pm

The NFL HC/GM market is not the normal job market. We're not talking about an Accounts Payable specialist here.
AP specialists are a dime a dozen compared to quality NFL HC candidates. Gimme a break.

There like maybe 3 realistic people out there that could make a difference to a team next year.
Hey you're the one that brought up the current job market. No entry level role is a dime a dozen right now.

But in some ways HC/GM candidates there are actually a strong and deep candidate pool. The historical success rate will tell us there are many that will check the boxes, but fit and circumstance will determine the very few who will be successful. You can't just hire off a paper resume. Expediting the process offers very little, if any, tactical advantage.
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I'm assuming the HC interviews so far are all by Zoom and they're going to winnow the list down to finalists for in-person ones. The GM should (better) be on board already for those. It's ridiculous to have cut out a GM for even the Zoom round but, hey, Chicago Bears.

For an interesting read, The Athletic has an article on how messed up the Giants organization is. Imagine the Bears if McCaskey was also president of football ops and you have it.
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For the record, all stats from '21:

The Bills were 10th in the NFL in passing with 4450 yards, 63.3% completion percentage, 36 TDs to 16 INTS, 6.8 yards per attempt (which was actually only 0.1 yard higher than the Bears). 51 completions longer than 20 yards and 8 longer than 40 (the Bears were 40 and 7). The Bills ranked #6 with 2206 rushing yards 4.8 yards per attempt, 20 TDs (Bears had 2018 yards, 14 TDs, and 4.2 yards per attempt). The Bucs (Leftowich) were #1 in passing but significantly below the Bears in rushing although they injury issues with RBs all season. The Pac (Hackett) were #9 in passing but below the Bears in rushing.
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Grizzled wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:06 am I'm assuming the HC interviews so far are all by Zoom and they're going to winnow the list down to finalists for in-person ones. The GM should (better) be on board already for those. It's ridiculous to have cut out a GM for even the Zoom round but, hey, Chicago Bears.

For an interesting read, The Athletic has an article on how messed up the Giants organization is. Imagine the Bears if McCaskey was also president of football ops and you have it.
All are done remotely, as far as I'm aware. Zoom has expedited this process tremendously. I think it's a good thing.

Once people start flying into Chicago, that's when you're gonna have some finalists.
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UOK wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:21 am
Grizzled wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:06 am I'm assuming the HC interviews so far are all by Zoom and they're going to winnow the list down to finalists for in-person ones. The GM should (better) be on board already for those. It's ridiculous to have cut out a GM for even the Zoom round but, hey, Chicago Bears.

For an interesting read, The Athletic has an article on how messed up the Giants organization is. Imagine the Bears if McCaskey was also president of football ops and you have it.
All are done remotely, as far as I'm aware. Zoom has expedited this process tremendously. I think it's a good thing.

Once people start flying into Chicago, that's when you're gonna have some finalists.
I think they have a GM by Friday. Hopefully he'll be in on narrowing the list of HC candidates. If not...Bears....
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UOK wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:21 amZoom has expedited this process tremendously. I think it's a good thing.
Thats something that we need to keep in mind.

I've noticed a lot of agita around the fact that we're talking to so many people. Well, it's not like we are bringing these people to Chicago (with all of the attendant timing, logistical, travel, and other issues) for these discussions. They're just Zoom meetings. Most of us are having 5-10 Zoom meetings a day so we know the drill. While it's no-doubt exhausting, it's a very effective way to do screening interviews.

As @UOK points out, when people start flying in for F2F meetings, that's when we'll know who the serious candidates are.
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You're not supposed to say this, and I may be a troglodyte, but does anyone else have discomfort that Daboll is so obviously out of shape?

It isn't supposed to matter but he definitely doesn't cut the figure. (Neither does Andy Reid or Matt Patricia but still ...)

Feel free to flame away. :backout:
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Grizzled wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:23 am
UOK wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:21 am

All are done remotely, as far as I'm aware. Zoom has expedited this process tremendously. I think it's a good thing.

Once people start flying into Chicago, that's when you're gonna have some finalists.
I think they have a GM by Friday. Hopefully he'll be in on narrowing the list of HC candidates. If not...Bears....
Friday feels very optimistic. I think they'll be flying people into town by then, and maybe make an announcement by the end of next week.
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I would hope they wouldn't have one picked by this Friday. I think they need to get more in depth with a few of the candidates after the initial interviews.
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Keep in mind for logistical purposes. They will need to fly out to the coach/GM candidate city if their team is still in the playoffs. So that could be a limitimg factor trying to stack interviews. May well be one a day when they're at the finalize stage. I'm sure if they can get someone in Halas Hall that would be preferred. After all HH is now supposed to be a sales point in attracting talent to them.
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Otis Day wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:53 am I would hope they wouldn't have one picked by this Friday. I think they need to get more in depth with a few of the candidates after the initial interviews.
With them interviewing Brown and Wolf today, I believe they still have Khan, Smith, Carthon, and Mackenzie to interview.

They’ve been usually doing two interviews a day, so unless they add more or I’m missing some it looks like they’re on pace to be in a position to announce finalists on Friday.
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TheWorldBreaker wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:10 am
Otis Day wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:53 am I would hope they wouldn't have one picked by this Friday. I think they need to get more in depth with a few of the candidates after the initial interviews.
With them interviewing Brown and Wolf today, I believe they still have Khan, Smith, Carthon, and Mackenzie to interview.

They’ve been usually doing two interviews a day, so unless they add more or I’m missing some it looks like they’re on pace to be in a position to announce finalists on Friday.
There have been a few days they got 3 in. But yea that sounds realistic.

Then hopefully next week the finalist interviews. I'd imagine it's a least 3 finalists. I believe at least 2 in person interviews will need to be minority candidates to meet Rooney Rule (believe I had seen that Zoom interviews won't count) and the new rules from last year now require 2 instead of 1. So depending on how winnowing has gone, even 5 finalists wouldn't be out of question.
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