The Green Bay Packers are the first of the eight NFL teams
to fill their head coaching vacancy.
They hired Matt LaFleur, the 39-year-old former offensive coordinator for
the Tennessee Titans. LaFleur appears to
be quite emblematic of what everyone in the NFL is supposedly looking for;
which is a young, offensive minded coach that has a connection with
quarterbacks. In other words, the next version
of what they hope will be the Los Angeles Rams’ wunderkid, Sean McVay. Green Bay of course has had a five-week head
start over the competition in their coaching search, ending thirteen seasons of
Mike McCarthy’s service when the team, rather uncharacteristically, fired him
on December 2 -- one month before the regular season ended after a humiliating Lambeau
loss to the 3-13 Arizona Cardinals.
The announcement of LaFleur’s hiring will likely ratchet up
the stakes with the other seven NFL teams still looking to fill their head
coaching positions. Nobody wants to
settle by missing out on the plum candidates, and nobody wants to pretend that
giving Jim Caldwell a third chance will be a charm. Of all the teams looking for a new head coach,
few organizations seem to be under the same level of pressure and scrutiny as
the New York Jets.
On December 31, “Black Monday,” the Jets parted ways with
head coach Todd Bowles after four seasons and a cumulative record of 24-40. This came as no surprise, as it was a forgone
conclusion for many weeks prior to becoming official. Bowles’s departure was widely linked to his
lack of creativity and noticeable lack of energy in his team’s play. His stolid demeanor only exacerbated the
perception of the Jets’ lifelessness by showing little or no emotion regardless
of what the game situation was. His
clock management was abysmal, and his long list of questionable game time
decisions provided ample fodder for local sports talk radio that often lasted into
the middle of the week. But now the Jets
are in a dilemma. They have what they believe is their true “franchise
quarterback” in that of Sam Darnold; even going to the extent that maybe, just
maybe, they’ve finally found their greatest QB since Joe Namath (Yes, yes, we’ve
heard this before haven’t we, but he does show more promise than Browning Nagle
or Glenn Foley don’t you think?). And
because of that, they don’t want Darnold’s talent squandered with the wrong head
coaching hire. The fact that Bowles was
a defensively oriented coach with a potentially “generational” quarterback in need
of proper guidance only accelerated the urgency to show him the door. But now, the thought of taking chances with
first time head coaches like they’ve done in the past with Eric Mangini, Herm
Edwards and Al Groh is looking riskier than ever for the
embattled Jets general manager, Mike Maccagnan.
What will he do? The Jets Nation is
turning their lonely eyes on this grand decision.
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| Todd Bowles in a Rare Action Shot Calling Time Out |
Maccagnan has been under a significant amount of duress in recent weeks as well. Many of his critics said his head should have rolled with Bowles’s. But the drafting of Darnold in 2018, which involved some deft wrangling by Maccagnan with the Indianapolis Colt to get in better position to nab him, has done much to allow him to stay. Nevertheless, the noticeable dearth of talent surrounding Darnold, as well as on the defensive side of the ball, has directed plenty of criticism towards Maccagnan. He can correct this quickly in the off season if he has the gumption to do so. So far, Maccagnan hasn’t come across as that sweeping front office executive that’s indelibly changed the face of his team. But with an ungodly sum of $106 million in free cap space to spend, Maccagnan can quickly cement his name in the pantheon of great general managers if he has the backbone to do so. But what does Mike Maccagnan say to himself when he’s alone looking into the mirror? Does having this much cash at his disposal terrify him, or is this an opportunity of a lifetime to make his mark? He seems tentative when talks to the media, more like a professional survivor that you find in any major corporation who deflects giving real answers when asked. It’s time to see if he’s going to be bold or just play not to lose. The world has a surfeit of managers who play it safe already, and they shouldn’t be working in the front offices of NFL teams.
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| Mike Maccagnan |
Pundits haven’t minced words about what’s at stake with the Jets’ head coaching hire – they can’t screw up…period! And the best way to not screw it up is to go with a known commodity like former Packer’s coach Mike McCarthy. But what does mean for Maccagnan, does he really think McCarthy is the best man for the job, or does he think McCarthy is the best man for the job because it will be easier to explain in case he doesn’t work out? What about Kliff Kingsbury, a McVayesque kind of coach under the age of 40 whom the Jets have just been granted permission to interview? Would such a consideration be too dangerous for not being aligned with the general consensus? A critical hiring decision shouldn’t be based on appeasement. It should be based on instinct.
Take another few minutes to look in the mirror Mike
Maccagnan. But hurry…
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