Mr. Scot

Thing is, one of those evaluators he talked to could have been Fitterer, Morgan, Cole Spencer or even McAdoo. He did say all three came from teams that needed a quarterback.

From the same article, here are the scouts comments about Willis... Malik Willis of Liberty didn't hurt his cause, either. Yes, his week was more up and down, but he is a bit more of a feast or famine prospect. And his highs seemed to be high enough to swirl up more interest. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder a bit, and Liberty isn't exactly the biggest of the big time settings for college football, but Willis more than held his own against the best in this draft class and he has the ability to do some things physically that the others cannot. "He did just enough to probably get someone to over-draft him," as one evaluator put it. "He can charm you with some of the things he can do. But I'm not totally sold." Another scout said: "He is a playmaker, but it's what happens between those big plays that makes you worry some." Given the construct of this group – with few if any sure things and questions abounding about all the prospects – Willis is likely to continue to rise. His athleticism will shine through at the combine and his pro day, and in the right hands he could be someone who blossoms a few years from now in a really big way. I like what I saw from the young man and hope he is lucky enough to be "over-drafted" (i.e. pushed up draft boards more because of the need at the position than by the individual's readiness to start) by a shrewd franchise that already has a stable veteran in place and isn't in a hurry to make the investment pay off on game day. Him landing in a Jordan Love-type scenario – minus Aaron Rodgers's ranting and ravings – would be ideal. But of course he can't control that.

I have a hard time imagining someone trading up into the top five for Kenny Pickett.

And Hurney... Speaking of which, some guy on Twitter told Josh Klein that there was a stipulation in the team's sale contract that Marty had to be kept for two years. Don't know if Twitter guy is in a position to know such things (kinda doubt it) but it's an interesting thought.

The angle of Tepper being a big Pitt booster is something I probably wouldn't even have thought of. He and Pickett could have plenty to talk about come interview time. Obviously, that sort of thing shouldn't play into these decisions but ya know...

I think as the offseason goes on, it's only going to become clearer that Rhule should have been let go. Bit late for that now, though.

...in his latest Insider Notes. I spoke to three top evaluators for teams all very much in need of a new starting quarterback, most likely to pursue that end through the draft if possible, and all three said essentially the same thing: Pickett is the most consistent and more ready QB in this draft, and he is quite likely going to be the first selected after a strong week of work at the Senior Bowl. "Coming off last week, you'd have to say that he's the guy," said one NFC evaluator with a long and strong history of selecting quarterbacks. "Pickett was the best of the bunch," said another NFC top executive. "I'm not sure it was all that close. He had a good week. There is a lot to like about him." Indeed, while we can obsess about hand size and such, the kid has a nice body of work at the college level, his hands didn't bother him playing in the elements at Pitt, he has a tremendous makeup, there are no character or off-field concerns and he rose to the occasion with the scouting world watching last week. It wasn't a tour de force or anything like that, just more than enough to cement himself as the safest call as the first quarterback to go in this draft, and to do so in the top third of the first round. In fact, several evaluators said that they could see him going in the top five, possibly, or very close to it. At a time in which DeShaun Watson's future is as murky as ever, and some in ownership circles believe his criminal and civil situation might end up being even more of a cause for concern than what is presently know, one of the former Pro Bowl QB's top former suitors is already being strongly connected to Pickett now, so early in this process. Word is, the Carolina Panthers are taking a strong shine to Pickett, which makes sense on multiple levels. The Panthers own the No. 6 pick. "I don't think he makes it past the Panthers," said one evaluator who has done extensive work on Pickett. "Their owner (David Tepper) is a huge Pitt booster. He hasn't invested draft capital in a quarterback yet. He has to know the Steelers like him (Tepper is a former minority investor in the Steelers). I think that's a fit." One AFC scout said: "We think he's going to Carolina. That where I would mock him." Again, it's very early here. We'll see what happens at the combine and on individual visits and such. But with some of this quarterback class dealing with injuries, or the aftermath of injuries, and few of them coming off truly standout seasons, this could be one of those years that plays out where the consensus top guy coming off the Senior Bowl ends up going top of the class. Right now that certainly looks like Pickett. Draft insight from scouts and execs

Pretty much

Pretty sure Brady said something about that being one of his toughest games. Admittedly, I'm a bigger fan of the double overtime playoff game against the Rams, but it probably has a lot to do with how those respective games ended.

I actually can, and it makes me cringe, but at the moment I'm not even thinking that far ahead. If, over the next month or so, we lose more coaches and replace them with more people who aren't necessarily in huge demand anywhere else, it's likely to become painfully obvious (as if it wasn't already) that the much smarter play would have been to go ahead and fire Matt Rhule this offseason. Of course, by the time that realization reaches the largely unaware mind of David Tepper, it'll be far too late to do anything about it.

Nothing against Mayo, but if he has even half a clue, Tepper will let someone smarter than him make that choice. I'm not confident that David Tepper has half a clue

Thats who's left so far. Person did say other assistant coaches are reportedly "exploring their options elsewhere" as well.

I don't know what Tepper realizes. My gut says not a lot. But if more guys leave and we continue to have a tough time finding people who want to come here, I'd like to think he might at least start to suspect that something's wrong.

Person mentioned this regarding the departures of Jackson and Simmons... Jackson was an assistant at both Northern Illinois and N.C. State alongside Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada, while Simmons and new Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham were together for a season in Green Bay. Graham and Canada both got their new jobs just recently.

Remember that play quite well

I'd agree he wasn't great. Arguably deserved to be fired but was probably too closely connected to Rhule for that to happen. Then he leaves on his own

Read above. He could, and apparently in the case of Brian Angelichio he did. As I understand it, the difference is that other teams were looking at Angelichio whereas (apparently) Jackson and Simmons expressed a desire to go elsewhere. And if Person is correct, they might not be the last to do so.

The coaches I'd consider "Rhule's guys"... - Defensive Coordinator Phil Snow - Runningbacks Coach Jeff Nixon - Linebackers Coach Mike Siravo - Cornerbacks Coach Evan Cooper - Assistant Special Teams coordinator Ed Foley - Strength and Conditioning Coach Jeremy Scott - Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Matt Lombardi Mind you, up till today that list would have included Frisman Jackson. Of the coaches not on this list, outside of the new hire is most have some sort of connection to Rhule, but generally not as deep or as far back as these guys. Snow, Nixon and Cooper are the ones I would say most likely remain "friends to the end". They're the ones with the strongest ties. Still, at this point who knows?

I'd have figured Rhule's loyalists (i.e. the guys who followed him from Temple to Baylor to Carolina) would stick around, but with Jackson leaving who can say?

Person's latest article in The Athletic has some interesting insights, including the possibility that the staff exodus may not be over. Abandon Ship? Two assistants leave Matt Rhule's Panthers staff for lateral moves Excerpts follow... Owner David Tepper might have signed off on a third year for Rhule, but the rest of the league — and some of Rhule’s own staffers — aren’t banking on him getting a fourth. ... Because Jackson and Simmons made lateral moves, Rhule could have blocked them from leaving — as he did with tight ends coach Brian Angelichio, according to sources. Angelichio drew interest from other teams, but Rhule did not grant them permission to interview him. There are rumblings that other coaches also are exploring their options elsewhere. ... The replacements Rhule is bringing in also speak to the widely held view among NFL coaches and executives that Rhule is a lame duck. Of Rhule’s four hires, three were coaches who’d been on staffs that had been fired and the fourth is a 72-year-old coaching lifer who spent the past two seasons as a special assistant to former Florida coach Dan Mullen. ... Rhule is having a hard time convincing folks to join him, including Charlotte native Pep Hamilton, who turned down the chance to interview for Carolina’s offensive coordinator job and ended up staying in Houston in that same capacity. None of this is a good look for the Panthers, who have gone 10-23 since Tepper made Rhule one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches with a seven-year, $62 million contract in January 2020. ... Rhule surrounded himself with a bunch of his former Temple and Baylor assistants when he arrived in Charlotte two years ago. His initial staff included only a handful of coaches with significant NFL experience and no one who had been a head coach. To his credit, Rhule has gone outside of his comfort zone with his hires — offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor, offensive line coach James Campen and defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni. None has previously worked with Rhule. ... Between the 72-year-old Pasqualoni and Phil Snow, the Panthers’ 66-year-old defensive coordinator, the defensive staff room will have the look of an AARP potluck. But senior moments aren’t always a bad thing: Pasqualoni and Snow have forgotten more football than some coaches ever knew. ... McAdoo was in Green Bay with Campen, who was the longest-tenured assistant coach in Packers history after lasting for 15 seasons. Unfortunately for Campen, his subsequent jobs were all one-year stopovers when he joined doomed head coaches Freddie Kitchens (Cleveland), Anthony Lynn (L.A. Chargers) and David Culley (Houston). Campen probably shouldn’t mention that to any prospective job candidates who are considering joining Rhule, who’s having a hard enough time filling his staff.

I can. I'll post some excerpts.

Good one from Ellis...

Guys that might be available from staffs in transition... Bears Secondary Coach Deshea Townsend (former Steelers DB) Bears Assistant Secondary Coach Mike Adams (yeah, the guy that played for us a few years back) Giants Secondary Coach Jerome Henderson (one of the more experienced DB coaches; started with the Jets) Raiders Defensive Backs Coach Ron Milus (coached here under John Fox during his last two seasons)

Interestingly enough, the guy who was the secondary coach during Snow's last year in Detroit was most recently head coach at the University of Washington. He got fired last year for shoving a player on the sideline. So...he's available?

How old is Phil Snow again?