Mr. Scot

Punt

Worse than Scottie Montgomery? Eeehhh... I don't really know whether McAdoo is going to be good or not.

I'd take Cousins over Jimmy Garoppolo. (in a "lesser of two evils" scenario)

I was making a joke about Matt Rhule's mentality.

Both teams had four quarters. The game ended in a tie. That's why you have overtime, and it's why the "well, they should have stopped them during regulation" argument is silly. The question is what you do after the game ends in a tie. And at least for the playoffs, where the game can't end in a tie and double overtime is a possibility (Panther fans of all people should know that) it makes way more sense to ensure that both teams have a shot.

Still hoping they take Quinn. Aaron Wilson believes Quinn getting hired somewhere will start the ball rolling on other jobs.

Good grief Again, I like McCown and I think he's got a bright future as a coach, but this is just way too soon.

Occasionally they also have a set of brass balls on their desk.

You don't necessarily need to throw the ball all over the field when you've got a dominant run game. That comment doesn't have anything to do with us, by the way. I'm just sayin'...

Honestly I think the simpler and more logical explanation is that Tepper doesn't have a damn clue what he's doing.

Also on the GM front... That they retained him in the first place doesn't exactly sound like the brightest decision.

Well, it certainly means they won't be getting Matt Rhule. (dammit)

Aaron Wilson confirmed that a lot of the league views this coming season as a lame duck, "one and done" year for Matt Rhule. You gotta figure that feeling extends to players just as much as it does coaches and staff. And again, that makes me question why Tepper thinks it's a smart decision to keep Rhule around.

Bad news for fans of James Campen (me among them). Aaron Wilson says the Texans are looking to hang on to Campen as part of their next head coach's staff. Since he signed a three year contract with them last year, they do have that option. As we previously heard, they're also wanting to keep Pep Hamilton along with DC Lovie Smith and ST Coach Frank Ross.

Coaching updates from a few different sources: Albert Breer (The Monday Morning Quarterback), Peter King (Football Morning in America) and Aaron Wilson (Pro Football Network) The Giants GM choice came down to Joe Schoen vs Adam Peters. Along with Brian Daboll (2nd interview) new GM Schoen will be interviewing Dan Quinn, Brian Flores and team DC Patrick Graham for the head coaching position this week (Breer) The Jaguars are expected to start conducting in-person second interviews for their head coaching job shortly. Expected candidates include Matt Eberflus, Byron Leftwich, Todd Bowles, Jim caldwell and interim head coach Darrell Bevell (Wilson) Dan Quinn is the "big domino" that everyone is waiting to see fall. Once his new home is decided, a lot of other jobs could be finalized quickly (Breer) Quinn is still the betting favorite to win the Broncos job, but Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett is also considered a "finalist". With Hackett, the Broncos are pondering whether he might help them land Aaron Rodgers (Wilson) The Raiders might be looking to pair Jim Harbaugh with Colts Assistant GM Ed Dodds. Both have a "no nonsense" approach and are seen as a good fit for a rethought "franchise model" in Vegas (Breer) The head coach hiring cycle is going slower than usual, with part of the reason being the opinion that there are no real "superstar" candidates. Quinn and Flores are the closest, but even they have "zits" (King) Despite the head coaching change, the Texans are apparently wanting to retain a number of current assistants from David Culley's staff. That list includes DC Lovey Smith, ST Coach Frank Ross, OL Coach James Campen and potential OC Pep Hamilton (Wilson) The next GM candidate to be hired will likely be Chiefs Executive Director of Player Personnel Ryan Poles, either by the Bears or the Vikings (Breer) Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon is said to be nailing his interviews and could become a hot name (Breer) And finally, there's a sense around the league that Matt Rhule is a lame duck head coach in Carolina. It's reportedly one of the reasons Pep Hamilton declined to interview for the OC spot and others could pass on opportunities in Carolina for similar reasons (Wilson)

We're not exactly well positioned on that front, either. Hell, if this were a beauty pageant, I'm not sure we'd even rate as Miss Congeniality.

Rhule never really had what you'd call long term success anywhere because he never stuck around. Hell, plenty of mediocre NFL coaches can pull teams out of the gutter but damn few of them seem able to maintain that success once it's achieved.

Yet Todd Bowles is being talked about as a hot head coaching candidate

They just started interviewing a few days ago

Haven't seen jack. Ellis has been lobbying for us to go after Brenston Buckner. That'd make sense for us but it'd be a lateral move to a worse team for him. That, plus as I recall he didn't necessarily depart on the best of terms here.

Tabor's a Dave Toub disciple. I actually think he'd be a good hire. Kinda surprised they were more interested in McCaughey, to be honest.

Matt Rhule - Michigan rumors, coaching staff updates and tight end talk On the Rhule-Michigan rumors... I’m told Rhule has neither inquired about nor been contacted by Michigan, which would have been on an informal level since Harbaugh is still employed there. The idea that Rhule would be a fit for a big-time college opening is certainly plausible, given both his rough start in Carolina and his success at Temple and Baylor. As I reported in December, Rhule — around the time the USC and LSU jobs were open in the fall — told his players during a team meeting he could get one of the top college jobs and make more money, but he believed in what they were doing in Charlotte. Even if Rhule had interest in Michigan, there would be other factors to consider. First, he just hired an offensive coordinator and has been interviewing candidates for the special-teams coordinator position (more on that below). Like Josh McDaniels with Indianapolis a few years ago, it would be an extremely bad look for Rhule to hire assistant coaches and then bolt for Ann Arbor. That kind of move tends to leave a stain. Also, the Michigan job first has to be available. And some in league circles maintain there’s a surprising lack of interest in the former 49ers coach, whom they expect to stay with the Wolverines (after getting a raise). Until Rhule proves he can win in the NFL, he will continue to be connected to college jobs. But he’s on record saying he wants to be in Charlotte and is committed to seeing the process through. ______________________________ On the search for a special teams coach... Rhule has interviewed several candidates to replace Blackburn, the ex-Panthers linebacker who was the last remaining holdover from Ron Rivera’s staff. (Al Holcomb also was an assistant under Rivera before leaving for Arizona with Steve Wilks.) Former Panthers special-teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey was offered the job before the negotiations hit a stumbling block, according to sources. Chris Tabor, who’s led the special teams in Chicago and Cleveland, has a second interview (this one in-person) with the Panthers on Monday, a source said. The Bears were ninth in Gosselin’s special-teams rankings this season under Tabor, who had a Chicago return specialist make the Pro Bowl in each of the past four seasons. Rhule has also spoken with former Broncos special-teams coordinator Tom McMahon. ______________________________ On whether the tight end will be used more next year... McAdoo ran predominantly 11 personnel (one back, one tight end) sets in New York, and he definitely liked throwing to the tight end. And it’s not like the Giants had the second coming of Mark Bavaro at the position. So, should fantasy owners be bullish on Tommy Tremble next season? Potentially, although expect McAdoo to shape his offense around the personnel. If Christian McCaffrey stays healthy, he’s going to take targets away from the tight ends — whether McCaffrey is lining up more often in the slot or not. Panthers tight ends had the second-fewest targets in the league in each of Joe Brady’s two seasons, although that 2021 number likely would have been significantly higher had they not sent Dan Arnold to Jacksonville in the C.J. Henderson trade. Ian Thomas, who’s eligible for free agency for the first time, has not developed into a consistent threat in the passing game following Greg Olsen’s departure. But the Panthers like Thomas’ blocking ability and would like to re-sign him. ______________________________ On whether Sam Darnold could be better behind an improved offensive line... Serviceable is a good word for Darnold, whose first season in Charlotte was not unlike his three in New York. Darnold showed off a strong arm and an ability to make the occasional play with his feet. But the positives were too often outweighed by turnovers and a tendency to rush things in the pocket, which threw off the timing of the offense. Would Darnold look better behind a stronger offensive line and with McCaffrey healthy most of the season? No question. I think with those two things and a top-five defense, the Panthers could probably make the playoffs if Darnold cut back on his turnovers. But that feels like the ceiling. The Panthers will try to upgrade at the position — whether it’s Garoppolo, Deshaun Watson or someone else. That would make Darnold an $18.9 million backup, assuming no one will take him off their hands. ______________________________ On Matt Paradis, Haason Reddick and the cap... Paradis is a free agent, although the Panthers will carry $8.29 million in dead money related to Paradis — $3.6 million from the voidable years and $4.69 million that resulted from a restructure last year that was done for cap relief, according to Over the Cap. Haason Reddick is in the same situation after the Panthers included four voidable years on his one-year, $6 million contract last offseason. In fact, if the Panthers re-sign Reddick, they would have both new money and dead money tied to Reddick on the 2022 salary cap.

FYI: Person is reporting that former Bears ST coach Chris Tabor has a second interview with the Panthers today.

I watched all of the Panthers in 2021. We're not a good defense, not at all.

General consensus still has Quinn as the favorite.