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Hypothetical Leadership Combos

Mr. Scot

By Mr. Scot,
in Carolina Panthers

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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The Panthers are probably going to be looking for a new head coach next season but may also be looking for a GM at the same time.  Assuming both jobs do come open, the team is likely going to have to move fast to fill the positions. There won't be time for the typical approach of letting the GM go through the process of hiring a coach because by the time you got that far, most of the best candidates would be gone.

But what if the team were to look for a combination of head coach and GM who already shared some level of connection?

The process could then be done simultaneously and wouldn't have to run so long, essentially killing two birds with one stone (yeah, I hate that metaphor, but it applies here).

Supposing the Panthers were to use this approach, here are some possible GM/Head Coach combos you might see:

 

KEVIN COLBERT - GREG ROMAN

Colbert's connections to David Tepper make him, in my mind, the most likely GM candidate, but who would he hire as a head coach?

Why not Greg Roman? Colbert's certainly in a prime position to see the work that Roman has done in Baltimore over the past few seasons. It'd probably make sense that he'd give him a look. I'd add there's nobody on the current Steeler staff that makes much sense there, especially given the rumors that Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin might be something less than the best of friends.

Even so, it's probably worth noting here that while this combo involves two strong candidates, it's also technically the one with the weakest connection between the two.

 

JEFF IRELAND - DAN CAMPBELL

While his first GM stint was nothing to write home about, Jeff Ireland has been absolutely killing it since joining the Saints front office a few years ago.  GM Mickey Loomis gave Ireland immense credit for the draft a few years back that put them back on the Super Bowl path. And while Ireland doesn't have a connection to Tepper that I know of, he's significantly younger than Colbert and his star is one the rise.

As far as his coach, I'd say it's all but guaranteed that if you get Ireland as GM, Dan Campbell is your head coach. Not just because they're both in New Orleans right now, mind you. If you look back at their respective histories, you'll see their paths have previously crossed in Dallas and Miami. Of particular interest is the Miami connection where Ireland was one of the guys on the leadership team that brought Campbell aboard under head coach Joe Philbin.

If Colbert / Roman is the weakest connection, this one is easily the strongest.

 

RYAN COWDEN - GREG ROMAN

Ryan Cowden already has a history with the Panthers, though not with David Tepper. For that reason, I wouldn't consider him as likely a candidate, though the general consensus is that he's done a good enough job in Tennessee to merit consideration for any GM jobs that might come available.

Should that happen, perhaps Cowden might reach out to someone else with a history in Charlotte. Granted, their respecive times here weren't completely concurrent (Roman was part of the Panthers staff from 1995 to 2001; Cowden didn't join the team until 2000).  Still, there's enough crossover to believe they could indeed be acquainted or at the very least familiar with each other. And for certain, Cowden is going to know of Roman by reputation.

 

TRENT KIRCHNER - KRIS RICHARD / ROBERT SALEH / GREG ROMAN

Another guy with an old Panthers background is Trent Kirchner.  The current Co-Director of Player Personnel in Seattle (one of the weirdest front office arrangements in the league) is also a Panther veteran.  Kirchner was actually part of the scouting staffs that selected Thomas Davis and Julius Peppers in the Draft.

Thanks to his time in Seattle, Kirchner has connections to both of the top defensive candidates for a head coaching job this year. Most people probably remember that Kris Richard got his start with the Seahawks before joining the Cowboys, but you might not know that Robert Saleh was also on staff in Seattle for three years himself. The question there though is "Do you want another defensive coach?" And if the answer is no, it's okay. Kirchner would likely be acquainted with Greg Roman too.

 

ED DODDS - KRIS RICHARD / ROBERT SALEH

Dodds is a hot GM prospect too. He's currently the Assistant GM in Indianapolis but spent a prior ten seasons in Seattle.

Outside of his having no connection to the Panthers or Greg Roman that I know of, he's basically a "ditto" to Trent Kirchner.  Making him the GM probably gets you Saleh or Richard as your head coach.

 

LAKE DAWSON / BRIAN DABOLL

I've said before that at the very least, I'd like to see previous Panther GM candidate Lake Dawson get an interview where he actually had a chance at the job.  Beyond that though, Dawson is part of the resurgence up in Buffalo alongside former Panther employees Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane. It was Beane who recommended Dawson as a GM candidate the last time around.

Who would Dawson take as a head coach? Perhaps Bills OC Brian Daboll.  Daboll's been speculated as a head coaching candidate before, and his history included stints working for both Patriots head coach Bill Belickick and Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Unlike many of Belichick's other coaching proteges though, Daboll has shown he can have a measure of success in other places besides Foxboro.

 

Those are the obvious possibilities to me right now. I'm open to suggestions on others if you have them.

What combo strikes you as bringing us the best of both worlds?

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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1 minute ago, Harbingers said:

Why are you so up on Greg Roman? He sucked far worse than Rivera in his tenure as a head coach? 

I'm not. Dan Campbell would be my choice.

Greg Roman is a legitimate possibility though. Not my favorite, but a lot of other Huddlers want him.

1 minute ago, chknwing said:

I dont  want a gm or head coach learning their jobs.  I want an experienced gm/head coach.

The "Steeler Way" that David Tepper came from doesn't hire retread head coaches.

GMs maybe, but not coaches.

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Harbingers

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1 minute ago, Mr. Scot said:

I'm not. Dan Campbell would be my choice.

Greg Roman is a legitimate possibility though. Not my favorite, but a lot of other Huddlers want him.

The "Steeler Way" that David Tepper came from doesn't hire retread head coaches.

GMs maybe, but not coaches.

We need a experienced GM and a defensive coach. With Payton and Bruce, and who knows what will happen in Atlanta. We don’t have the offensive high flying attack coach. We simply don’t have the personal for it. 

I hate to say it but a new coach will be mediocre at best. GM is the spot that needs to be changed. 

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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Just now, Harbingers said:

We need a experienced GM and a defensive coach. With Payton and Bruce, and who knows what will happen in Atlanta. We don’t have the offensive high flying attack coach. We simply don’t have the personal for it. 

I hate to say it but a new coach will be mediocre at best. GM is the spot that needs to be changed. 

Changing coaches and GMs means pretty significant personnel changes as well. Also worth noting that we only have about 40% of our current roster under contract next year.

I'd throw in that if you get Dan Campbell as head coach, you've immediately got two extremely strong candidates for the DC job.  The first being current Saints linebacker coach Mike Nolan and the other being Cowboys DC/DL Coach Rod Marinelli.

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Harbingers

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Just now, Mr. Scot said:

I'd throw in that if you get Dan Campbell as head coach, you've immediately got two extremely strong candidates for the DC job.  The first being current Saints linebacker coach Mike Nolan and the other being Cowboys DC/DL Coach Rod Marinelli.

Neither of those teams have ever been a defensive powerhouse in the past few years. 

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