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Gary Kubiak

Mr. Scot

By Mr. Scot,
in Carolina Panthers

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator and former Houston Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak should be considered as a highly plausible option if the Panthers wind up looking for a new head coach next year.

 

And given his history and reputation, he could very easily be thought of as the top candidate.

 

Kubiak was the Quarterback Coach for the last three of Panthers GM Dave Gettleman's four seasons as a scout with the Denver Broncos.  He also has one of the best win percentages of the 'retread' coaches and is getting loads of buzz as a head coaching candidate again this season thanks to what he's done for the Ravens offense.  Add in that he's widely considered to be a quarterback guru, which is certainly something the Panthers could use for Cam Newton.

 

It's worth noting that Ravens quarterback coach Rick Dennison was also with the Broncos for that same period, so Gettleman would know of him too.  Dennison has worked extensively with Kubiak over the years.  He'd likely be Dennison's first choice for offensive coordinator (assuming the Ravens gave permission, which is sadly not a given.

 

(as an aside, given the Gettleman connection, Dennison could conceivably be an OC candidate if Ron Rivera stays and Mike Shula is fired; some have even speculated on Dennison as a head coaching candidate, though that seems far less likely)

 

The hiring of Kubiak (and possibly Dennison) would likely mean the Panthers switching to a West Coast Offense.  It's been hotly debated as to whether that would be better or worse for Cam Newton, but Kubiak's had success with less talented QBs than Newton before.  Kubiak comes by his WCO roots honest as he's a Mike Shanahan disciple from Shanahan's last year with the 49ers forward.  Shanahan was the Broncos head coach during most of Dave Gettleman's time in Denver (again, 95-97) and Gettleman's first Super Bowl ring was acquired as a member of the 1997 Broncos team that Shanahan led to victory over the Green Bay Packers.

 

Now, you could take from this the possibility that Browns OC Kyle Shanahan would also be a solid potential Head Coach candidate.  And while that may well be true, Kubiak has been coaching for 21 years.  That's more than twice as long as the younger Shanahan, who's only been coaching since 2004.  With either Kyle or Kubiak on board though, a role for the elder Shanahan (maybe as a consultant or some such) would be distinctly possible.

 

For the interested, you can check out Kubiak's Ravens coaching bio here (link) and read more about Kubiak's current head coaching buzz here (link).

 

So does this sound like a good idea, or do you think there are better options?

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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Didn't think he did so well in Texas.  Maybe I'm missing something.

 

The article linked in the OP addresses some of that (people thought his offense became predictable) but also says this season has gone a long way toward rebuilding his reputation.

 

Some excerpts...

 

Gary Kubiak is on his way to becoming a hot head coaching candidate this offseason after what he's done in turning around one of the worst offenses in the league.

In Kubiak's first season as their offensive coordinator, the Ravens have gone from the 29th-ranked offense last year to the No. 8 one through six games this year. The Ravens are on pace to shattering team records for points (27.3 per game), total yards (389.8) and passing yards (257) despite losing running back Ray Rice and tight end Dennis Pitta.

Joe Flacco has never played better. The running game has been the most explosive in the NFL. The offensive line has gone from the league's worst to one of the best.

 

How have the Ravens done it? Kubiak's fingerprints are all over the new-look offense. His emphasis on more efficient passing and his style of zone blocking has the Ravens on track to ending a stretch of 16 straight seasons without a top-10 offense. That's tied for the fifth-longest streak in NFL history.

It's even more remarkable when you consider the quarterback threw the second-most interceptions in the NFL last year, the leading receiver is a 35-year-old salary-cap cut (Steve Smith) and the top running back is a journeyman on his fourth team in four seasons (Justin Forsett).

 

This last passage is especially interesting...

 

Here are the three biggest improvements to the Ravens' offense:

Flacco's efficiency: Flacco has produced the two best passer ratings of his career in the past three games. He's completed over 70 percent of his passes in three games after only doing it once in his previous 23 games. Flacco's three interceptions are the fourth-fewest among quarterbacks with at least 120 attempts (only Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady have fewer). He's also on pace for his first 4,000-yard passing season. It has the makings of a career year for the former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.

Explosiveness in ground game: The Ravens' nine runs of 20 yards or longer is the most in the NFL. That's nearly double the number of what the Ravens produced all of last season (five). Forsett has had a run of 20 yards or longer in his past five games. Not bad for a running back who had six carries last season for four-win Jacksonville Jaguars team. Forsett's 56-yard run on Sunday was the Ravens' longest in 21 games. The Ravens are averaging 4.7 yards per carry (No. 6 in the NFL) after managing a league-worst 3.1 yards per carry a year ago.

Blocking by offensive line: The Ravens have not allowed a sack in four of six games this season, and they are averaging 3.1 yards before contact (sixth-best in the NFL). That's a reflection of the job being done by the offensive line. Flacco is barely getting hit, and running backs aren't getting touched at the line of scrimmage. This is much different from a year ago, when Flacco was sacked a career-worst 48 times and running backs averaged two yards before contact (30th in the NFL).

 

That's eye opening.

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ThPantherFan Grand Master

ThPantherFan

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The article linked in the OP addresses some of that (people thought his offense became predictable) but also says this season has gone a long way toward rebuilding his reputation.

 

Some excerpts...

 

 

 

This last passage is especially interesting...

 

 

That's eye opening.

 

 

That's some good information.  I appreciate the thought you give to your post.  We're lucky to have you on here.  YOU THE MAN!

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