Coaching search 2022 - Confirmed Interviews and Speculation

[40for60]

https://www.dailynorseman.com/2022/1/11 ... ch-tracker

Here is a pretty good list of the GM candidates they have requested permission to interview. Also the coaches. Looks like Pederson is the only coach but they also list Kiffen. From the description it seems like that is just a rumor on twitter. I will be shocked if he even gets an interview.

It is interesting that two candidates are from Philadelphia and two from Cleveland. One from Philadelphia is a woman which is also interesting.

I am warming up to Pederson. I have heard on the radio that his last year in Philadelphia wasn’t all his fault and the owner is notoriously difficult. Also Ben Leber said he has talked to some of his former players and they loved the guy. I just don’t like that open topped hats he wears — with his hair they look like those joke fake hair hats.

[CharVike]

https://www.dailynorseman.com/2022/1/11 ... ch-tracker

Here is a pretty good list of the GM candidates they have requested permission to interview. Also the coaches. Looks like Pederson is the only coach but they also list Kiffen. From the description it seems like that is just a rumor on twitter. I will be shocked if he even gets an interview.

It is interesting that two candidates are from Philadelphia and two from Cleveland. One from Philadelphia is a woman which is also interesting.

I am warming up to Pederson. I have heard on the radio that his last year in Philadelphia wasn’t all his fault and the owner is notoriously difficult. Also Ben Leber said he has talked to some of his former players and they loved the guy. I just don’t like that open topped hats he wears — with his hair they look like those joke fake hair hats.

I saw the Cleveland stuff. They seem to be the hot ticket. IMO same BS we just fired. Short run but playoffs every other year. Will they be any good next year? It's a toss up. I guess it will come down to how Baker plays. Case is there also. Looks like he was 2-0 this year. Maybe he's the ticket. That team all around is rock solid. It's hard to score on them. But they can't score either. Maybe it's the Zim scheme that is now part of the Browns. At least they got the D straight. The O will probably always struggle regardless of the QB. Hard to score when doing check downs and hand offs all day. I posted the Eagle woman exec. I wouldn't count her out. She has a nice background. Matter of fact with the Wilfs it wouldn't shock me at all. They like to try new approaches. There's nothing wrong with that either. Just don't stick it out 10 years if it's broke. At least they broke the triangle up quickly. So they can move when needed.

[J. Kapp 11]

Mike Garafolo
The #Vikings have requested permission to interview #Eagles execs Catherine Raiche and Brandon Brown for their general manager position, sources say.

Sources say don't mean much but this is what he posted.

I’m going to come right out and say it. I’m sure the more progressive on this board will have an issue, but here goes.

Not sure how I feel about a woman GM.

It’s not that I have anything against a woman being an executive. My wife is one, and there’s no one on earth I respect or admire more. But this is a game played by men who are filled to the brim with testosterone. It’s a violent game played by aggressive men. I’m also not sure that I want our franchise to be the first to break this ground, especially given our current state.

If they end up hiring her, I hope she proves me wrong.

[vikeinmontana]

Mike Garafolo
The #Vikings have requested permission to interview #Eagles execs Catherine Raiche and Brandon Brown for their general manager position, sources say.

Sources say don't mean much but this is what he posted.

I’m going to come right out and say it. I’m sure the more progressive on this board will have an issue, but here goes.

Not sure how I feel about a woman GM.

It’s not that I have anything against a woman being an executive. My wife is one, and there’s no one on earth I respect or admire more. But this is a game played by men who are filled to the brim with testosterone. It’s a violent game played by aggressive men. I’m also not sure that I want our franchise to be the first to break this ground, especially given our current state.

If they end up hiring her, I hope she proves me wrong.

I understand what you're saying but will politely disagree. None of us have played at the professional level (most of us anyway), yet that doesn't change the fact that we all have very strong opinions on what we should be doing? None of us have been a head coach but we have all the answers when it comes to coaching. I don't think just because we are guys, and knocked some other guys around in high school that we're more qualified than women.

Just my personal take but I have no reason whatsoever to believe a woman with a great resume couldn't be an excellent GM in the NFL.

[J. Kapp 11]

I’m going to come right out and say it. I’m sure the more progressive on this board will have an issue, but here goes.

Not sure how I feel about a woman GM.

It’s not that I have anything against a woman being an executive. My wife is one, and there’s no one on earth I respect or admire more. But this is a game played by men who are filled to the brim with testosterone. It’s a violent game played by aggressive men. I’m also not sure that I want our franchise to be the first to break this ground, especially given our current state.

If they end up hiring her, I hope she proves me wrong.

I understand what you're saying but will politely disagree. None of us have played at the professional level (most of us anyway), yet that doesn't change the fact that we all have very strong opinions on what we should be doing? None of us have been a head coach but we have all the answers when it comes to coaching. I don't think just because we are guys, and knocked some other guys around in high school that we're more qualified than women.

Just my personal take but I have no reason whatsoever to believe a woman with a great resume couldn't be an excellent GM in the NFL.

I appreciate you being gentle!

It’s not a hill I’m willing to die on. Whoever the Vikings hire, I’m pulling for them. It’s more of an uneasiness.

[vikeinmontana]

I understand what you're saying but will politely disagree. None of us have played at the professional level (most of us anyway), yet that doesn't change the fact that we all have very strong opinions on what we should be doing? None of us have been a head coach but we have all the answers when it comes to coaching. I don't think just because we are guys, and knocked some other guys around in high school that we're more qualified than women.

Just my personal take but I have no reason whatsoever to believe a woman with a great resume couldn't be an excellent GM in the NFL.

I appreciate you being gentle!

It’s not a hill I’m willing to die on. Whoever the Vikings hire, I’m pulling for them. It’s more of an uneasiness.

Rest easy my friend.

We have two things going for us as fans.

One, a woman is every bit as capable of doing this job as a man. (GM) Unless they are out there hitting dudes, it’s a business. Women are more than capable of running amazing businesses.

Two, the bar isn’t high. Regardless of who they hire, we’re in this position for a reason. The job didn’t get done with the last crew. Not saying these are your thoughts, but to think a woman wouldn’t be able to do the job Spielman has done is laughable.

Finally, it’s all moot anyway. NFL is still in the ice ages. They won’t hire a woman. Hell, they barely employ African American head coaches. Not trying to get political or start a debate but the numbers are what they are.

[vikeinmontana]

Also, am I the only guy that loves Brian Flores for this job?

[CharVike]

Mike Garafolo
The #Vikings have requested permission to interview #Eagles execs Catherine Raiche and Brandon Brown for their general manager position, sources say.

Sources say don't mean much but this is what he posted.

I’m going to come right out and say it. I’m sure the more progressive on this board will have an issue, but here goes.

Not sure how I feel about a woman GM.

It’s not that I have anything against a woman being an executive. My wife is one, and there’s no one on earth I respect or admire more. But this is a game played by men who are filled to the brim with testosterone. It’s a violent game played by aggressive men. I’m also not sure that I want our franchise to be the first to break this ground, especially given our current state.

If they end up hiring her, I hope she proves me wrong.

The Eagles had a woman GM Susan Tose Spencer back in the 80s. Daughter of the owner I think. They are just covering all bases. The guy coming with her is also getting interviewed. IMO she doesn't have enough experience. I think the guy is the one on the radar. In our current environment you better interview across the board. There was probably a 1st class seat open on the flight so the Wilf's said F it book her also. Or I should say the Wilf's advisors booked it. Zygi will be as shocked as anyone with the interview. If she wears the right skirt he might hire her. How's that for old school thought process. After the hire the Wilf brothers will be laughing their a$$es off at the country club bar down in Boca Raton. Zygi will say we will need to go through this again in three years.

[CharVike]

Monti Ossenfort will be interviewed. Minny guy if that means anything.

[J. Kapp 11]

Also, am I the only guy that loves Brian Flores for this job?

I didn’t at first. Belichick guys have not fared well on the whole.

But the more I read and see about this guy, the more one thing comes to the surface. He is a great leader of men.

After the past 3-4 years, I want that for the Vikings.

I do think he needs the right OC. He’s a defensive guy, and you can’t win in this league with just defense. Miami had their problems on offense. A lot of that falls to Tua, I’m sure, but Flores would need the right guy to make the offense hum.

One thing seems certain. Flores is going to get a head coaching job in this league, likely in 2022. He’s already getting interviews.

[Mothman]

This is an interesting read for several reasons but it also includes this:

https://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vik ... s-key-role

Minnesota will first hire a general manager who will then oversee the hiring of a head coach. The Vikings already have eight confirmed interviews with GM candidates that will take place in the coming days, a list that includes Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Browns VP of football operations), Brandon Brown (Eagles director of player personnel), Glenn Cook (Browns VP of player personnel), Monti Ossenfort (Titans director of player personnel), Ryan Poles (Chiefs director of player personnel), Catherine Raiche (Eagles VP of football operations), John Spytek (Buccaneers VP of player personnel) and Elliot Wolf (Patriots player personnel consultant).

Led by chief operating officer Andrew Miller, the Vikings have formed an internal committee to help pick the next GM instead of hiring a search firm. The committee includes members from the business and football sides of the organization with executive vice presidents from legal, marketing, the people & culture department, which includes diversity and inclusion, along with three high-ranking members within the football operations/scouting department.

Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski has been with the Vikings for 23 seasons. Co-directors of player personnel Ryan Monnens and Jamaal Stephenson have spent 20 years each in scouting with Minnesota. Finding a general manager whose philosophy, communication habits and perspective mirrors where the organization wants to go will then ultimately lead the Vikings to their next head coach.

[J. Kapp 11]

Vikings since 2014:

Against Losing Teams = 5th-best record in the NFL
Against Winning Teams = 22nd

I’d be wanting to know, from any potential GM or coach: How do you plan to fix THAT?

[40for60]

Also, am I the only guy that loves Brian Flores for this job?

I didn’t at first. Belichick guys have not fared well on the whole.

But the more I read and see about this guy, the more one thing comes to the surface. He is a great leader of men.

After the past 3-4 years, I want that for the Vikings.

I do think he needs the right OC. He’s a defensive guy, and you can’t win in this league with just defense. Miami had their problems on offense. A lot of that falls to Tua, I’m sure, but Flores would need the right guy to make the offense hum.

One thing seems certain. Flores is going to get a head coaching job in this league, likely in 2022. He’s already getting interviews.

You wonder why Miami fired him. Their GM said it was “communication issues.” If true that would be a red flag for what the Wilfs say they want in a HC.

[J. Kapp 11]

I didn’t at first. Belichick guys have not fared well on the whole.

But the more I read and see about this guy, the more one thing comes to the surface. He is a great leader of men.

After the past 3-4 years, I want that for the Vikings.

I do think he needs the right OC. He’s a defensive guy, and you can’t win in this league with just defense. Miami had their problems on offense. A lot of that falls to Tua, I’m sure, but Flores would need the right guy to make the offense hum.

One thing seems certain. Flores is going to get a head coaching job in this league, likely in 2022. He’s already getting interviews.

You wonder why Miami fired him. Their GM said it was “communication issues.” If true that would be a red flag for what the Wilfs say they want in a HC.

Steve Wyche of the NFL Network says that coaches rarely get fired for coaching reasons. It's almost always politics, or The Game within the game. (Of course, in Mike Zimmer's case, it may have been both.)

Flores is an intense dude. He's a Belichick guy, and he doesn't suffer fools. One of the reasons I believe Belichick guys fail is that they try to act like Belichick ... only they're not Belichick. It's almost as if they think their coaching-tree pedigree entitles them to something extra.

I have no idea if this is the case with Flores. But there's no doubt that a huge rift between Flores, GM Chris Grier and owner Stephen Ross helped expedite his firing. He also didn't like Tua, which leads me to believe that Grier and Ross drafted Tua against Flores' will. In fairness, while it's the GM's job to acquire talent, it's an impending disaster if he does that without some sort of agreement with the head coach, who has to coach and play these guys.

It's also fair to say that Brian Flores can flat-out coach some football. If you remember the Dolphins his first season, they were terrible. Talk about cupboard bare. When Flores took over, the Dolphins were the only team in the entire NFL without a single offensive player who had ever made a Pro Bowl. Their leading rusher was Ryan Fitzpatrick. They opened the season with a 49-point loss to the Ravens and a 43-point loss to the Patriots, then couldn't cover a 21.5-point spread against the Cowboys. But somehow, this sinking ship of a team won 5 of its last 9 games, including a win over New England to knock the Patriots out of the No. 2 seed. The man got the most out of a substandard roster and put together a team whose performance was much, much greater than the sum of its parts. It's a lie to say that every player loved him — Minkah Fitzpatrick wanted out of Miami, by his own admission because of Flores — but the ones who liked Flores LOVED him. They would do absolutely anything for him (which actually scares me because it's exactly what they all said about Mike Zimmer).

The future looked bright in Miami. Then the Dolphins drafted Tua.

As we all know, when you have a chance to make something happen with the QB position, you gotta get it right. Tua was selected four picks after Joe Burrow ... and one pick BEFORE Justin Herbert. By any measurement, they got it wrong. Now they're paying for it, and Flores lost his job. Not saying Tua cost Flores his job, but Brian Flores had major public blowups with both Tua and Grier. I'm speculating here, but something tells me Flores didn't want Tua. Given that they could have had Herbert without even making a trade, it just seems too much for it all to be a coincidence.

I like Flores as a coach. It's apparent that he can really get a team to play. For them to start the season 1-7 and finish 9-8 says a lot. He also mixed in a 10-6 season in Year 2. But his demeanor and his inability to play The Game (the politics) worries me. The NFL is a complicated business these days. Coaches have to be able to get along with their bosses.

If Flores came to Minnesota, I would be conflicted. The optimist in me would believe he could coach the hell out of this team and get them back to winning. But the pessimist in me worries that his prickly personality, especially with the brass, would doom him to repeat his experience in Miami ... and leave us Vikings fans right back here in purgatory 3-4 years down the road. Flores probably has the highest ceiling of any coach out there. And the lowest floor.

I'd be on board with hiring him. But I'd be worried every day.

[Barry]

But I'd be worried every day.

That's just being a Vikings fan though.