NFL Firings (and Eventual Hirings)

[EdRomero]

Lots of twitter chatter about John Fox and his staff being available to other teams after this season. Not sure if this means Elway is unhappy with them, or if they know Manning is retiring and Fox doesn't want to go through a rebuild.

[sancarlos]

Lots of twitter chatter about John Fox and his staff being available to other teams after this season. Not sure if this means Elway is unhappy with them, or if they know Manning is retiring and Fox doesn't want to go through a rebuild.

I read that too. Might just be agent "sources" agitating for extensions/raises.

[Gunpowder]

Who the hell would want John Fox?

[sancarlos]

Who the hell would want John Fox?

If he does become available, I'd think he'd be in demand. He took a so-so Carolina team to the Super Bowl, and he took a Tim Tebow quarterbacked team to the second round of the playoffs.

I don't think he is any great strategist, but he seems to be able to put together a winning structure/environment, and he's got a track record of hiring good assistants.

[Jerloma]

He single-handedly cost a Carolina team a Super Bowl.

FTFY

[degenerasian]

Who the hell would want John Fox?

If he does become available, I'd think he'd be in demand. He took a so-so Carolina team to the Super Bowl, and he took a Tim Tebow quarterbacked team to the second round of the playoffs.

I don't think he is any great strategist, but he seems to be able to put together a winning structure/environment, and he's got a track record of hiring good assistants.

So he's Dusty Baker?

[A_B]

Who the hell would want John Fox?

If he does become available, I'd think he'd be in demand. He took a so-so Carolina team to the Super Bowl, and he took a Tim Tebow quarterbacked team to the second round of the playoffs.

I don't think he is any great strategist, but he seems to be able to put together a winning structure/environment, and he's got a track record of hiring good assistants.

So he's Dusty Baker?

From the look of Peyton Manning's arm yesterday, absolutely.

[Rush2112]

Lots of twitter chatter about John Fox and his staff being available to other teams after this season. Not sure if this means Elway is unhappy with them, or if they know Manning is retiring and Fox doesn't want to go through a rebuild.

and apparently they've "mutually parted ways."

[brian]

I think the more likely scenario is that Manning is staying and wanted Fox out, so therefore Fox is out.

[Rush2112]

I've always been understanding that Fox was more on the defensive side of the ball and let Manning/Gase call the offense. I'd blame the loss on Gase and his crappy play calling than Fox.

Perhaps Peyton is leaving to and this is the start of a complete rebuild.

[Rush2112]

according to sports radio here, it's not just Foxy...it's the entire staff that was let go.

[brian]

according to sports radio here, it's not just Foxy...it's the entire staff that was let go.

I'm not getting why people are so surprised by that. The new coach, whoever it was, was going to hire his own staff anyway.

In any event, I'm not buying that Peyton is done. I think he's a lot more Machiavellian than Petey McButterpants and the rest of the NFL lapdog media portray him. I think they're going to try to build a team around him for at least one more if not two more runs and he's going to basically hand-pick the new coach, not Elway.

[Rush2112]

according to sports radio here, it's not just Foxy...it's the entire staff that was let go.

I'm not getting why people are so surprised by that. The new coach, whoever it was, was going to hire his own staff anyway.

In any event, I'm not buying that Peyton is done. I think he's a lot more Machiavellian than Petey McButterpants and the rest of the NFL lapdog media portray him. I think they're going to try to build a team around him for at least one more if not two more runs and he's going to basically hand-pick the new coach, not Elway.

You'd think that Gase would be the next guy up, as he created that awesome regular season offense. IF Manning does have a tear (the Broncos are saying it's just strained,) and I read one account on how it's a biomechanical injury (I'll let Bronto weigh in on that) it might be a bit harder to come back. Maybe they put him on a "pitch count" or run Anderson 30 times a game.

[sancarlos]

I think we'll get a lot more information shortly. We haven't had a player-coach since George Halas was a young man. Maybe Peyton could do that. (kidding).

But, seriously, I think it is ridiculous to think Elway will let Peyton make the selection. I'm sure he'll be consulted, but Elway is the president of the team, has his own ego, and will likely be the only one of the two of them still in Denver in the fall of 2016.

By the way, I bet Jack Del Rio gets the Raider job.

[EdRomero]

Manning would work well with Josh McDaniels.

[sancarlos]

Manning would work well with Josh McDaniels.

Ha ha. They won't let McDaniels in the state, anymore.

[brian]

Manning and Elway have each other over a mutual barrel of sorts, but you're kinda fooling yourself if you think that Elway is going to hire anyone that Manning doesn't completely sign off on. Brock Oswiler is not walking through that door.

ETA: And I'l absolutely grant that there's a lot of stuff yet to shake out. Could well be that Manning is done, has basically told Elway as much and this is the first step of a long, painful rebuilding job.

[DSafetyGuy]

Have seen that the staff is allowed to look for other work while still being under contract for next year, with the new coach getting to hire his own staff.

Have also seen (very unreliable) speculation that Manning wants Gase to be the head coach.

[Giff]

Chicago has hired 37-year-old Ryan Pace as their new GM. Formerly of the Saints front office (spent 14 years there, most recently as their director of player personnel - overseeing both college and pro scouting), he has final say on the roster and the coaching search.

He's the youngest GM in the league and was also a college teammate of Tony Romo. May not mean anything, but he worked with Doug Marrone when they were both in New Orleans (Marrone was offensive coordinator under Sean Payton before taking the Syracuse job) and has a good relationship with him.

My wife graduated high school with him.

[sancarlos]

Multiple media reports now saying Jack Del Rio has the Raider job.

[brian]

Falcons are reportedly strongly considering Detroit DC Teryl Austin. If so, he would be the first Lion coordinator hired as a head coach by another NFL team since...Don Shula. That worked out pretty well for the Colts and Dolphins.

[sancarlos]

Kubiak to the Broncos. Hmm... not sure how I feel about that...

Also, Todd Bowles to the Jets.

[brian]

And Tomsula get promoted by San Francisco. Lots of action today.

[sancarlos]

Not much love in the San Francisco Chronicle for the 49er and Raider hirings. Especially the Tomsula hiring.

...Down in Santa Clara, where 49ers owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke pushed out the popular Harbaugh last month after four turbulent seasons, the choice of Tomsula raises troubling questions. The story line surrounding Harbaugh’s departure centered on York and Baalke’s friction with the prickly head coach. The story goes that the 49ers’ brain trust wanted someone who would work with them more closely, somebody who wouldn’t be as difficult to manage.

If that’s what they were looking for, Tomsula fits the bill. People love the guy. He is wildly popular with his direct reports, the defensive line unit that included stars like Justin Smith, Aldon Smith and the departed Ray McDonald in recent years. These hulking men would walk into a burning house for Tomsula, a fiery type who engenders laughter and respect with his intense personality.

But that same unit garnered more headlines for off-field shenanigans than on-field glory this past season. Both Aldon Smith and McDonald had multiple run-ins with the law, eventually leading to the latter’s release. If York truly wants to “win with class,” as he stated in a recent interview in which he addressed the reasons for Harbaugh’s departure, then Tomsula is an odd choice.

Even more troubling is Tomsula’s reputation as a die-hard company man. His tenure dates back to the Mike Nolan regime. Tomsula was the one coach who was retained from Singletary’s staff, latching on with Harbaugh’s crew for a four-year run that included three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance. The new coach has been a loyal employee, and, apparently, that carried weight with the brass.

But those Harbaugh teams had strong defensive units led by coordinator Vic Fangio, not Tomsula. Why choose one of Fangio’s underlings to run the whole show? Why not Fangio himself? Are York and Baalke simply looking for a willing supplicant?

That will be the overwhelming impression from this choice. Baalke won the power struggle with Harbaugh. Now the 49ers have a head coach that will let Baalke and York impose their will. It will be Tomsula’s struggle to dispel that perception.

[rass]

And Tomsula get promoted by San Francisco. Lots of action today.

Just noticed the vine tags, and this is pretty great...
https://vine.co/v/hlzZtvDeODh

[Rush2112]

So Marrone going back to college or looking to be an coordinator? Seems like he misjudged the market.

[Pruitt]

So Marrone going back to college or looking to be an coordinator? Seems like he misjudged the market.

An ego that walks like a man.

[DSafetyGuy]

So Marrone going back to college or looking to be an coordinator? Seems like he misjudged the market.

I think he thought he had a good shot at the Jets' job because Casserly was a consultant there. He's now going out for offensive coordinator gigs because he has neither have the cache to sit out a year and be a hot candidate nor the personality to go to TV for a year.

[tennbengal]

He's getting $4 million. I think he's fine for next year.

[sancarlos]

He's getting $4 million. I think he's fine for next year.

Sure. But, like DSG said, he needs to get a job now, because he's not a big enough fish to be confident he could get one next year after taking a year off.

[DSafetyGuy]

He's getting $4 million. I think he's fine for next year.

Sure. But, like DSG said, he needs to get a job now, because he's not a big enough fish to be confident he could get one next year after taking a year off.

Exactly, he takes a year off and he's "out of sight, out of mind" an six months.

[tennbengal]

Or, he becomes a mysterious guru that teams will want to have. Who the hell knows what works in any given NFL off-season?

[sancarlos]

And, now, reports saying John Fox to the Bears.

[Pruitt]

Or, he becomes a mysterious guru that teams will want to have. Who the hell knows what works in any given NFL off-season?

True. After all, Eric Mangini got a second gig.

But Marrone is a weird case - I am too close to the Bills (and Buffalo) to have perspective on this, but is he highly regarded around the league? My feeling is that until he walked away, he was barely a blip on the national radar.

[DSafetyGuy]

Or, he becomes a mysterious guru that teams will want to have. Who the hell knows what works in any given NFL off-season?

True. After all, Eric Mangini got a second gig.

But Marrone is a weird case - I am too close to the Bills (and Buffalo) to have perspective on this, but is he highly regarded around the league? My feeling is that until he walked away, he was barely a blip on the national radar.

He comes from the Parcells coaching tree through Sean Payton, came up as an offensive line coach. Beyond that, who knows.

[sancarlos]

The 49ers are having a tough time filling out their coaching staff. Seems potential offensive and defensive coordinators aren't jumping at the chance to work for a first-time NFL head coach who himself was never a coordinator, and is widely seen as a puppet for the owner and GM. Now, the team is even getting trolled about it on Craigslist. Frankly, the owner and GM deserve this, as they have tried to backhandedly blame Harbaugh for the bad behavior of such players as Aldon Smith and Ray McDonald, saying they wanted to get a new coach who would "win with class". But, incongruously, they replaced Harbaugh with the guy who was the position coach for those bad actors. Poor Tomsula didn't help himself with the media, by being an absolutely awkward trainwreck in his first news conference as head coach.

As the San Francisco 49ers continue to seek an offensive coordinator, one football fan turned to Craigslist to mock the search.

The 49ers have not been able to complete their coaching staff after promoting defensive line coach Jim Tomsula as head coach two weeks ago, with several rumored candidates for offensive coordinator either staying with their current teams or joining other teams.

The Craiglist posting under “gigs” asks potential candidates, “Do you like to win with class? Are you excited about a job in which you will have almost no voice and will be a puppet to the CEO and GM? Are there absolutely no other teams in the NFL who are interested in hiring you? If you answered yes to all of these questions, then keep reading!”

Applicants are asked to be a “scapegoat” and an unknown with preferably no NFL experience, among other traits. The coach is also asked to always agree with general manager Trent Baalke and to be awkward at news conferences.