Mr. Scot

Saint fans are asking if the team can somehow trade the rights to Sean Peyton for Mike McDaniel. Far as I know, rules wouldn't prohibit such a trade. Payton would have to want the job, of course. And obviously, that'd be a nightmare scenario for us.

Julius Peppers probably will. Lotsa analysts think Luke Kuechly will too. Smith likely will eventually. It's just gonna take some time.

Been a rough week for football Respect to Hillis though...

Fair point

Same. Are the Dolphins really that stupid?

Don't know what that means, but it sounds bad.

For the last several years, that hasn't happened much anyway, but Matt Rhule has likely made it even more difficult. (could probably also say that of Kliff Kingsbury)

No argument with any of that...

Context is a big deal to me. Gruden had his championship season, then plunged the team so deep into mediocrity that it took over a decade to even start digging out. On the flipside, Mike Tomlin hasn't led the Steelers to a Super Bowl in a while, but he has won two and even outside of that always has the team in contention. Even if it were only one ring though, I'd much rather have a Tomlin than a Gruden. We used to complain that Jerry Richardson seemed "just happy to be included" at the NFL tablr. When I see us talking like someone could come in, hang around for a couple of years, get a ring and then take off, maybe even leaving us worse off, definitely put us in the position of having to search all over again, we sound like the girl that's just happy somebody invited us to prom, even if it was some loser we didn't even like. Are we such a poverty fanbase that someone who gets us a single championship deserves our eternal undying gratitude and devotion? Guess we're the girl you f--- rather than the one you marry. And I suppose for some, that's enough. Just not me...

I'd think the opposite, honestly. If I recall correctly, there was a similar circumstance when Pete Carroll left Southern California.

Is Gruden a successful coach? Would you want him here?

I'm saying I'd like to aim for higher than just that.

Meanwhile...

I hear this a lot. People want to go all in for a single season, max out free agency, trade away a load of draft picks, etc. When I ask "even if that means sucking for a decade after that, the answer is invariably "yes". Me? I'd rather be great for the long term.

One ring and we'll be happy from now on? Not sure I agree. We used to make fun of Buc fans still talking about winning the Super Bowl five to ten years down the road. Now we want to be like them?;

Football isn't the real world.

By year four, a lot of players hated Harbaugh. There was a lot of roster turnover too.

Kaye was asked about Harbaugh in his mailbag... @DONALDC58 ON TWITTER ASKS: WOULD THE TEAM REALLY REACH INTO THE COLLEGE RANKS AGAIN AFTER THE FAILED EXPERIENCE WITH MATT RHULE? AND WOULD JIM HARBAUGH REALLY WANT THE CAROLINA POSITION WITH THE TENUOUS QB SITUATION? The Charlotte Observer confirmed on Tuesday that Panthers owner David Tepper recently spoke with University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. That conversation was not a formal interview. Having said that, Harbaugh isn’t just a “college coach.” In fact, he’s more of a unicorn candidate than anyone else currently making the rumor mill churn. Harbaugh is a former NFL quarterback, who has had notable coaching success in the NFL and the college ranks. He’s also a proven QB developer — Colin Kaepernick with the 49ers and Andrew Luck with Stanford — who has a sharp offensive mind. Essentially, he checks most boxes for what owners are looking for in the modern NFL. On paper, comparing Harbaugh to Matt Rhule is like comparing an entire fruit salad to an orange. Harbaugh’s college success has trumped Rhule’s resume by a mile. And on top of that, Harbaugh is a former NFL player and a head coach who led his team to a Super Bowl matchup. In regards to the follow-up question, Harbaugh has stated that not winning a Super Bowl is unfinished business in the NFL. The Athletic reported earlier this week that multiple sources close to Harbaugh believe he will head to the NFL if offered a job. Harbaugh interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings’ opening last year, but he was passed over for Kevin O’Connell. While Kirk Cousins is a polarizing quarterback, he wasn’t seen as being on solid ground ahead of O’Connell’s hiring. He signed a contract extension after O’Connell — whom he worked with in Washington — was hired. In the interest of the Panthers, another question should be asked: Does Carolina want another overarching program-builder after the way Rhule led the team to failure? Overarching NFL dictators are few and far between in the annals of league success. Just like in the movie business, it’s hard to find a talent who can write, direct and star in a successful venture in the NFL. Harbaugh was let go in San Francisco, at least partially, because of a reported power struggle gone awry. Who is to say he won’t repeat that approach in Charlotte? For as much as Harbaugh might want to be the Bradley Cooper-type and create his own “A Star is Born” success story, Tepper might view that approach as antithetical to the process. For every Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll, there is a Rhule or Chip Kelly. Tepper knows that firsthand, and because of that knowledge, he might be hesitant to go all in on a coach with a history of wanting to own an entire program. Or, he might welcome the opportunity to get that style of operation right this time around. For what it’s worth, Queen City News anchor Will Kunkel, who first reported the conversation between Harbaugh and the Panthers, reported Tuesday that Harbaugh told the outlet that he believes he will be coaching at Michigan next season. Link

As far as the people closest to the situation... The players definitely want Wilks. They may not get what they want, and maybe they shouldn't, but nobody can doubt they would follow him.

And the general consensus on Minshew is that he's not a bad quarterback...

Weren't you on here vehemently defending Matt Rhule?

That's the part that scares me. Trusting in David Tepper's judgment and decision making is...a tall task. No matter who he ends up picking, the first thought that's likely to go through my mind will be "Did we just make a huge mistake?"

Pretty much. Heck, from what I've read, college rivalry talk is pretty near constant in the average NFL locker room.