DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Head Coach Interviews (Cont'd)

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Shurmers the frontrunner I think.

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What makes you think this?

Don't think anyone can be the frontrunner before the interviews even start, IMO.

I simply want to hear peoples opinions on him. You were the 2nd to bring him up and since I know nothing about the guy I was just trying to get an idea about him.

No ulterior motives, just a little conversation with you.

steve...I don't know how many times you used the words "I want" or how many times you referred to "yourself"...

You and some others need to understand something...

This search is not about "WHAT YOU WANT"...

This search is about what "Holmgren and his search team want"...

Any idea how much combined NFL experience is on Holmgren's search team...Bryan Wiedmeier, Gil Haskell, Matt Thomas, Tom Heckert and Mark Schiefelbein plus Holmgren?

This franchise has not had this kind of NFL experience in the front office since returning to the NFL.

This search is about what these people want in a HC...not what our arm-chair Browns fans want.

All of us need to keep that in mind when start acting like we are running the "big show" for the Browns.

There is nothing wrong with saying you want a particular coach as a fan. C'mon now!

Yep, Harbaugh could come in and interview poorly...

i like billick and cable...

i dont really have a top 5...as long as holmgren takes the time and gets it right. or at least seemingly so.

In any other business, you have a host of interviews. some 50 people could interview for a job...understandably you cant interview that many people, but 5 isnt enough...we should interview around 15-20...then have a round of 2nd interviews where we interview 3-5, and make a decision. Thats really what i hope to hear. I dont wanna see that we interview 5-7 guys and make a decision, thats not enough.

I like the idea of:

Fewell...the guy had his Bills players playing hard for him at the end of last season and his Giants defense (barring that Packers game) playing very good football. And when he was interim in Buffalo he was not afraid to mix things up and make things happen.

Shurmur...being an offensive coordinator that has a philosophy that matches Holmgren, having an uncle that was a DC, and having improved the Rams offense every year is a very attractive prospect. In addition, he helped Sam Bradford seamlessly transition to viable NFL QB and nearly a playoff QB. It seems as though he'd be a good fit in Cleveland

Tom Cable...hard nosed guy that made the Raiders effective. He's used to having a guy above him be involved in the day-to-day football operations. He's an OL coach, and his guys play hard for him. Also he likes to run the ball. imagine him with Hillis and Bell being north south tough guys...mixed in with a healthy Hardesty? furthermore...he ran an efficient passing game offense last year with Jason Campbell, Colt would do great.

guys im on the fence about:
Gruden...He did build the Raiders, but after the first year in TB he didnt do much else that had TB ready to make anything happen. THAT being said...they were one of the best defensive teams in the league while he was there and hes considered a strong offensive mind...and barring his QB disasters at the end, they did do well on that side of the ball too. I dont know what to think.

Billick...i like him, but hes been away from the game. He does know the AFCNorth and has been successful. however...his players felt like they ran the roost and that worries me. he also struggled on offense (strange for an OC in Minny when they were good). but i think i blame Boller and Dilfer.

Mularkey...he's been very good as an OC...and he was kinda crazy in Pitt and Buffalo, but has settled down since then and has actually done a good job there. He's done VERY well in ATL with Ryan...and Turner (except that he gave him 370 carries that first year and he went down the following year)

guys i dont want:
mornhinweg...the debacle in Detroit says enough for me. yea he may have improved, but he hasnt been linked to a head coaching job since...why dont we interview Marinelli too?

John Fox...he was always inconsistent as coach. Theyd win a lot of games one year, then be down the next, then up then down...eh. also...they were notoriously slow starters...how quickly would we want to string him up if we had a couple 0-3 starts.



...I do hope we add more candidates to the search list. That's all i want

Harbough signed with the 49er's.

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we should interview around 15-20...then have a round of 2nd interviews where we interview 3-5, and make a decision.

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In a market where there are plenty HC jobs open and too few truly qualified candidates,, Taking the time to interview 15 or 20 guys to weedle it down to 3 to 5 will cost you the best candidates to teams that can make a decision..

They would be lucky to get 6 interviews all together...That's not to say that phone calls for prescreening aren't taking place.. if you count that kinda thing, then you might be able to make your 15 to 20 guys..,

Just something I know from what I do for a living....

I want Perry Fewell, the guy gets the best out of his players. Even when he was in bufffalo they fought hard.

what are the remaining teams that need a head coach?

Cleveland
Carolina
Denver
Oakland

So out of those.. as far as talent.. we should have the best shot to get Gruden, b/c although oakland has talent, Gruden isn't going back.

He does love Tebow

I dont think Gruden will talk to anyone until after the bowl game. Honestly if he doesn't come to Cleveland I doubt he will coach anywhere this year. Its like the stars have aligned. You have a President who gave you your first job and continue to share correspondence with. You have a GM who appears completely in sync in giving a coach the kind of players he likes. Look at the picks that were made:
1) Haden- Had an outstanding rookie year will be our starter.
2) Ward- Probably was the best safety drafted besides Eric Berry and then that can be debated since we got Ward in the 2nd round
2) Hardesty- Cannot fault a player for getting injured.
3) Colt McCoy- For a third round pick this turned out to be great. Colt appears to be our starting QB next year and let's be honest you don't find many starting players in the third round let alone QBs.
After that the players are all a crap shoot and developmental. Speaking of Colt it seems that Gruden had private discussions with Holmgren about him and we still drafted him. That proves that Gruden saw some something in Colt (notice we didn't draft Clausen)

Finally he grew up rooting for this team. He is from Ohio and loved the Browns. If he can turn down coaching his childhood team with a President he is close with, a GM who acquires talent, a QB he said he liked behind closed doors to Holmgren(in public he says he likes everyone), a team his dad said he should coach than I cannot see him coaching anywhere in 2011.

Seriously if he can turn all that down and then go and coach somewhere else then I don't know...seriously...it would almost be too surreal.

Kinda interesting. I forgot that Harbaugh in Baltimore was a special teams coach before getting his head coaching gig.

So .... recycled guy or newbie?

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2011/01/whats_the_best_background_for.html

What's the best background for next head coach of the Cleveland Browns? Who knows?: Terry Pluto
Published: Friday, January 07, 2011, 8:38 PM Updated: Friday, January 07, 2011, 10:14 PM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

Cleveland -- Of the 12 NFL coaches who have their teams in the playoffs, guess how many have been head coaches with another NFL team?
Try two -- New England's Bill Belichick (Browns) and Seattle's Pete Carroll (Patriots and Jets).

So what does that mean for the Browns as they search for a new head coach?

You can say that previous head coaching experience isn't necessary, although most of us would love to see Jon Gruden hired after his success in Oakland and Tampa Bay.

Former Carolina head coach John Fox also should be interviewed.

But think about that statistic: Only two of the 12 playoff coaches were head coaches with another NFL team.

One of the best head coaches is Philadelphia's Andy Reid. Before taking over the Eagles, he was the quarterbacks coach at Green Bay. He wasn't even the offensive coordinator.

John Harbaugh has done an excellent job in Baltimore. He was a career special teams coach before Ozzie Newsome hired him.

That's right, special teams! This is not a knock on special teams coaches, and the Browns would be out of their minds to replace Brad Seely. But you don't exactly think about special teams coaches when looking for a head coach.

Sean Payton has done a great job in New Orleans. His previous position? Quarterbacks coach at Dallas.

Jim Caldwell took over for Tony Dungy in Indianapolis, and has kept the Colts in contention.

He was a head coach at Wake Forest, then Dungy's quarterbacks coach.

Let's mention that before Dungy won a Super Bowl with the Colts, he was the head coach at Tampa Bay. I'd hire him yesterday, but so far, Dungy has expressed no interest in returning to coaching.

When it comes to defensive coordinators-turned-playoff head coaches, here's the list: Mike Smith (Falcons), Rex Ryan (Jets), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Lovie Smith (Bears).
Offensive coordinators? Just two: Mike McCarthy (Packers) and Todd Haley (Chiefs).
Quarterbacks coaches? Reid, Payton and Caldwell.

So we have two previous head coaches, two offensive coordinators, four defensive coordinators, three quarterbacks coaches and one special teams coach.

Where is the pattern?

There is none, other than it sure helps to be hooked up with the right quarterback.

You can say Drew Brees made Payton a Super Bowl-winning coach. It's doubtful Belichick would be headed to the Hall of Fame without Tom Brady. Surely Payton Manning made life easier for Dungy and now Caldwell in Indianapolis. The rise of Joe Flacco in Baltimore made
Harbaugh appear to know a lot about the passing game.

Here is something else to consider: Of the 12 playoff teams, nine have quarterbacks rated in the top 12.

The only exceptions are the Bears' Jay Cutler (No. 16), the Jets' Mark Sanchez (No. 27) and the Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck (No. 29).

As for the Browns, rookie Colt McCoy ranked No. 28.

So when the Browns pick a coach, it better be a guy who can squeeze the most out of McCoy because it seems a good quarterback can impact a coach just as much as a coach can help a quarterback.

j/c


Bedford grad and St. Louis Rams lineman Rodger Saffold believes Pat Shurmur is good fit for Cleveland Browns


January 08, 2011

BEDFORD, Ohio — At Bedford High School, a hulking offensive lineman held court with awestruck teenagers who barraged him with questions about how he went from Cleveland to the St. Louis Rams.

Across town, Rodger Saffold's offensive coordinator was contemplating a move from St. Louis to the place that produced the offensive tackle, talking to the Browns about their open head coaching position.

Saffold, who completed his rookie season with the Rams on Sunday, returned to the school from which he graduated in 2006 to speak to students about the importance of education.

At the same time, Saffold's offensive coordinator with the Rams, Pat Shurmur, was talking to Browns president Mike Holmgren about what type of head coach he could be.

A good one, Saffold believes.

"He's the kind of guy who really tries to motivate his players and fight through adversity," Saffold said. "He takes you back to the simple game so you can understand completely the schemes before you start getting technical. That's something you really need."

Saffold started all 16 games for the 7-9 Rams during his rookie season, allowing just two sacks while protecting rookie quarterback Sam Bradford, the top overall draft choice. After watching Shurmur motivate St. Louis' offensive unit throughout the season, Saffold saw that the coach could be a good fit with his hometown Browns.

"He's really loyal to the fans and he's just the type of guy people would trust in," Saffold said. "If he did come, everybody will love him. He'll fit in just fine."

Then Saffold hesitated.

"I kinda want him to stay with the Rams," he said, "but if this is the place where he's supposed to be, he'll be great."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jvalade@plaind.com, 216-999-4654

web page

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I've been out of it all afternoon. Anyone else interviewed?

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Mularkey interviews today and is my top choice. Methinks he can develop Colt and I don't hold anything in Buffalo against him.

He's who I want, and that's my opinion, and it may or may not be the same as MH and his search team. [end disclaimer for mac]

I can't find anything I don't particularly like about Shurmer.. nothing sticks out.

He's had a good career so far.. had success in Philly and now with St. Louis.

Works well with QB's (Kolb, McNabb and now Bradford)

We could do much worse....

I wonder if they have a spy watching the entrance to see who goes in and out,....

Mularkey did get more out of Buffalo that anyone since. I wonder how he would have done if not for "philisophical differences"?

With Harbaugh off the market, (and always a slim to none chance anyway,) Mularkey is my top choice as well. I like what he did with Buffalo, and love the fact that he knows the division. He knows how to put up points. Wish there was a way to keep Ryan and continue to develop the D under him, but that ain't gonna happen, so I hope we get a hell of a D coord too.

What happened to all the posters that wanted a proven NFL coach now we are suppose to settle for this crap?

Mike doesn't have a prayor of getting a good NFL coach, because nobody wants to be his puppet we are screwed....

On a good note Mike will be gone as soon as the fans figure out he lied to them and we can't get good help with him standing over someone........Great

BTTB

Of the coordinator candidates, Mularkey would be my choice too. He has HC experience, is an offensive-oriented coach, and has a background in the AFC North with the team that has dominated that division.

Mike doesn't have a prayor of getting a good NFL coach, because nobody wants to be his puppet we are screwed.... On a good note Mike will be gone as soon as the fans figure out he lied to them and we can't get good help with him standing over someone........Great

I am speechless. This may be the best setup in the NFL for a head coach to succeed. Owner willing to spend whatever it takes and he is completely hands off. You have a superbowl winning HC as Team president. You have an experienced general manager that has an eye for talent.


So when did Holmgren lie to anyone? This is being spouted by more than you and I am just wondering where it is coming from? Is this just the normal make stuff up because you are pouting or is there some actual substance to your accusation?

the more i think about it...

i really see Shurmur being a good choice, everything i read about him is good...pair him up with a Wade Phillips at DC and we could be very good

How is Wade Phillips going to be our DC and the Texans' DC at the same time? lol

Remember this is a first year player speaking.

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A good one, Saffold believes.

"He's [Pat Shurmur] the kind of guy who really tries to motivate his players and fight through adversity," Saffold said. "He takes you back to the simple game so you can understand completely the schemes before you start getting technical. That's something you really need."

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I think any good head Coach has to also be a good 'Teacher'.
One that can also motivate a player to get the most out of him on an individual basis.

Sounds like he is a pretty sharpe offensive minded younger (45) Coach.

He's going to get his shot at a head Coaching position with or with out us I think.

If anyone has said Holmgren was going to leave to coach SF, they obviously didn't listen to his presser, or they think he is a flat out liar.

Someone asked him if he would leave to coach another team and he said clearly "no. I'm not going to do that."

Peter King just said on NBC that Pat Schurmer is the favorite.