Matt LaFleur, 39, landed the Packers job after serving as the Titans offensive coordinatorGETTY IMAGES
The NFL has long been a "copy-cat league," and it now seems that many teams are "trying to find their own Sean McVay -- a young, offensive-savvy coach who relates better to today’s players and isn’t afraid to incorporate college football concepts -- even if the coach is short on top-level experience," according to Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. Two "clear trends emerged" in this year's coaching carousel, and they are "related." The first trend is that six of the eight hires are "offensive coaches, and all six have quarterback backgrounds." The second, which is "troubling for the NFL, is that five minority head coaches were fired, and the only one hired" was Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who is expected to take the Dolphins' head job. If the NFL is "serious about promoting diversity among its coaches, it needs to do a better job of creating opportunities for minorities to develop as quarterback coaches and offensive coordinators" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/13). In Houston, Jerome Solomon wrote this coaching carousel "doesn’t come close to playoff games," but it is "far more entertaining and fascinating than the preseason." What "makes it so fun is NFL owners have little clue about how to hire head coaches." Occasionally one "gets it right, but the failure rate is extremely high." Right now, teams are "enamored with young offensive minds" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/13).
THOUGHTS IN THE PROCESS: Former Jets coach Todd Bowles said many minority assistant coaches "feel like they’re being discriminated against and there are a lot of people that don’t get the chance, regardless of race." Bowles: "You just have to coach your hardest and do your best, the opportunity comes up and you have the chance to grab it, you have to grab it. ... There’s a trend where everybody wants the up and coming signal caller. There’s more of an offensive mentality right now as far as the league is going. Everybody’s rushing to get the next offensive genius, so to speak. I don’t know if it’s a slap in the face one way or another, that’s just the way the league goes" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/12). ESPN.com's Jenna Laine noted new Buccaneers assistant coach Harold Goodwin, who is black, has "interviewed for several head-coaching positions over the years." He said, "I will give credit to two owners -- [the Bills' Terry] Pegula and [the Jaguars'] Shad Khan. They were actually in the interview. I can't say that about the others. So, those were real interviews. I appreciated that opportunity." Fritz Pollard Alliance Chair John Wooten said, "We have seen the league change for the better, but there is still work to be done. ... Teams have the right to do what they want to do, whether we agree with it or not. ... Guys have been fired before that have only been in the league for one year as a coach. We didn't holler then so we're not going to holler now" (ESPN.com, 1/12).
WHAT SAYS THE COMMISH? THE UNDEFEATED's Jason Reid noted if the Dolphins do in fact hire Flores, the NFL "would finish the season with only four minority head coaches," meaning Commissioner Roger Goodell will "lead a league that has its fewest head coaches of color" since '13. For a commissioner who has "stressed his desire to increase diversity in the NFL’s head-coaching ranks, things are trending in the wrong direction for him." Reid: "And especially for assistant coaches of color." Sources said that Goodell has "truly operated in good faith to strengthen the Rooney Rule." However, he is "merely an employee of the owners." He "knows he can go only so far before many owners would revolt against hiring guidelines they deem as being restrictive" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 1/13).
