From Athletic J Person on Caldwell connections and OC

[raleigh-panther]

How Caldwell’s hiring impacts Carolina’s OC search

Again, with the caveat of Tepper’s “who you knew” comment, Jim Bob Cooter was Caldwell’s offensive coordinator for three years in Detroit. Cooter, the Jaguars’passing game coordinator, and Reich were young assistant coaches in 2009 under Caldwell when he led the Colts to the Super Bowl in his first season.

Cooter has already interviewed for the Panthers’ OC job. Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown is set for a second interview Thursday. Reich also is believed to keeping an eye on Eagles assistants Brian Johnson and Kevin Patullo, one of whom could be a candidate to follow Shane Steichen to Indy. — Person

[Soul Rebel]

Forgot about JBC connection to Caldwell....could make him the leader in the clubhouse now. 

 He wouldn't be the worst hire, but seeing how the Lions' offense improved after he left, makes me want Brown more. Combining Reich's tree with Fangio's tree and then tapping into McVay's tree seems like a helluva trifecta.

 

[Mr. Scot]

@raleigh-panther, if you get a chance, @rayzor was looking for a little more info about the Capers article.

I haven't had time to really flesh it out.

[Prowler2k18]

20 minutes ago, Soul Rebel said:

Forgot about JBC connection to Caldwell....could make him the leader in the clubhouse now. 

 He wouldn't be the worst hire, but seeing how the Lions' offense improved after he left, makes me want Brown more. Combining Reich's tree with Fangio's tree and then tapping into McVay's tree seems like a helluva trifecta.

 

Couldn’t agree more. The difference here may be a more collaborative approach to running the offense. Not micromanaged but more input from a staff that’s more experienced until Brown, Cooter or whoever gets familiar with the type system Reich wants to install. JMO

[raleigh-panther]

24 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

@raleigh-panther, if you get a chance, @rayzor was looking for a little more info about the Capers article.

I haven't had time to really flesh it out.

I pulled the non fluff interview with Capers here 

Could you walk me through how this came together?

Number one, I’ve always had tremendous respect for Frank Reich. We were together back there starting in 1995. He was a class guy then, and a really good leader. I’ve followed him through his career and think he did a tremendous job in Indianapolis. Then Ejiro Evero was a quality control guy for me in Green Bay (in 2016). I thought he had a really bright future. He went to Sean McVay’s staff and did a great job there. They won a Super Bowl. When he took the coordinator’s job at Denver, called and asked if I’d be interested in coming in and helping him. He did a tremendous job in Denver this year. I think the world of both of these guys. I couldn’t be working for two guys I think more highly of.

How would you characterize Ejiro’s scheme? And do you see a lot of influences from you and Vic Fangio and others?

Everybody puts their own spin on things. Ejiro worked with Vic in San Francisco (from 2011-13) and that was kind of how I ended up with Ejiro in Green Bay. A lot of common terminology, commonality. He’s very intelligent. He’s a good leader. He’s great with the players. I think the guys will love playing for him, and he does a great job of mixing rush and coverage.

He’s primarily a three-man front (as his base), but how multiple is he?

He’s got enough multiplicity in the scheme, which I think is really important in this day and age. From one week to the next, if you’ve got a key player injured, you’ve gotta be able to have enough flexibility where you can put your best players on the field. He did a great job of that in Denver this year. We battled injuries and he still kept us right up there. Three-quarters of the way through the season, we were in the top five in about everything. We had some injuries (to defensive end Dre’Mont Jonesand outside linebacker Randy Gregory, among others) there at the end (and) fell off just a little bit. We were very competitive and I credit Ejiro for that. There were times that we changed the scheme a lot in one week. So he had enough flexibility there that based on who he had available, he would utilize it.

Have you looked at the Panthers’ personnel enough to know if it will be a good fit with his scheme?

We played them in Carolina this year. That will probably be one of the first things we do when we get in the office this week. We’ll sit down and take a good look at the players. Then we’ll start talking about how we can build the scheme around the players.

Are there a couple guys you’ve watched the last couple of years that you think could really take a jump in their career with Ejiro?

I’ve always been intrigued by Burns as an outside rusher. This defense over the years, we’ve had great success with the outside people and a lot of production out of them. And the production he had last year (12 1/2 sacks and 22 quarterback hits, both career highs) speaks for itself. (Derrick) Brown was one of the top guys coming out in the draft. I think he’s a very talented guy, as well as (Jaycee) Horn from a coverage standpoint. So it’ll be fun going in and really taking a good look at the defensive personnel. I’ve always believed that you’ve got enough flexibility in your scheme that you try to feature your best players. You don’t fit guys into the scheme. You fit the scheme around the players. I think Ejiro did a great job of that last year. Pat Surtain was one of the top two or three corners in the league.

What do you think of the staff Frank’s put together?

I’ve been very impressed, but it doesn’t surprise me. Knowing Frank, he’s gonna think things through thoroughly and make the decision he feels is gonna be best for the team and give the Panthers the best chance of winning. I had the good fortune to work with James Campen for nine years in Green Bay. I think he does a great job with the offensive line. I worked with Duce Staley in Detroit for a year. I think Duce brings a lot of energy and obviously played for a while. He’ll do a great job with whatever he ends up with his role. Peter Hansen was with us in Denver. Does a really good job with the linebackers, understands Ejiro’s scheme. They were together back in San Francisco, so they’ve known each other for a while. Those two guys are on the same page. That always helps if you’ve got guys that have worked together.

What will your responsibilities be?

I would assume my role with Ejiro will be very similar to what it was this year. That’s basically just to try to help him in any way that I can, whether it’s organizationally. Just a lot of things to try to streamline things for him to where he can spend as much time zeroing in on the opponent. I enjoy that. This will be 37 years for me. I had some great mentors that were tremendous helping me along the way. I get more pleasure now helping my guys that I’ve been around trying to have success.

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by raleigh-panther

[Mr. Scot]

13 minutes ago, raleigh-panther said:

I pulled the non fluff interview with Capers here 

Could you walk me through how this came together?

Number one, I’ve always had tremendous respect for Frank Reich. We were together back there starting in 1995. He was a class guy then, and a really good leader. I’ve followed him through his career and think he did a tremendous job in Indianapolis. Then Ejiro Evero was a quality control guy for me in Green Bay (in 2016). I thought he had a really bright future. He went to Sean McVay’s staff and did a great job there. They won a Super Bowl. When he took the coordinator’s job at Denver, called and asked if I’d be interested in coming in and helping him. He did a tremendous job in Denver this year. I think the world of both of these guys. I couldn’t be working for two guys I think more highly of.

How would you characterize Ejiro’s scheme? And do you see a lot of influences from you and Vic Fangio and others?

Everybody puts their own spin on things. Ejiro worked with Vic in San Francisco (from 2011-13) and that was kind of how I ended up with Ejiro in Green Bay. A lot of common terminology, commonality. He’s very intelligent. He’s a good leader. He’s great with the players. I think the guys will love playing for him, and he does a great job of mixing rush and coverage.

He’s primarily a three-man front (as his base), but how multiple is he?

He’s got enough multiplicity in the scheme, which I think is really important in this day and age. From one week to the next, if you’ve got a key player injured, you’ve gotta be able to have enough flexibility where you can put your best players on the field. He did a great job of that in Denver this year. We battled injuries and he still kept us right up there. Three-quarters of the way through the season, we were in the top five in about everything. We had some injuries (to defensive end Dre’Mont Jonesand outside linebacker Randy Gregory, among others) there at the end (and) fell off just a little bit. We were very competitive and I credit Ejiro for that. There were times that we changed the scheme a lot in one week. So he had enough flexibility there that based on who he had available, he would utilize it.

Have you looked at the Panthers’ personnel enough to know if it will be a good fit with his scheme?

We played them in Carolina this year. That will probably be one of the first things we do when we get in the office this week. We’ll sit down and take a good look at the players. Then we’ll start talking about how we can build the scheme around the players.

Are there a couple guys you’ve watched the last couple of years that you think could really take a jump in their career with Ejiro?

I’ve always been intrigued by Burns as an outside rusher. This defense over the years, we’ve had great success with the outside people and a lot of production out of them. And the production he had last year (12 1/2 sacks and 22 quarterback hits, both career highs) speaks for itself. (Derrick) Brown was one of the top guys coming out in the draft. I think he’s a very talented guy, as well as (Jaycee) Horn from a coverage standpoint. So it’ll be fun going in and really taking a good look at the defensive personnel. I’ve always believed that you’ve got enough flexibility in your scheme that you try to feature your best players. You don’t fit guys into the scheme. You fit the scheme around the players. I think Ejiro did a great job of that last year. Pat Surtain was one of the top two or three corners in the league.

What do you think of the staff Frank’s put together?

I’ve been very impressed, but it doesn’t surprise me. Knowing Frank, he’s gonna think things through thoroughly and make the decision he feels is gonna be best for the team and give the Panthers the best chance of winning. I had the good fortune to work with James Campen for nine years in Green Bay. I think he does a great job with the offensive line. I worked with Duce Staley in Detroit for a year. I think Duce brings a lot of energy and obviously played for a while. He’ll do a great job with whatever he ends up with his role. Peter Hansen was with us in Denver. Does a really good job with the linebackers, understands Ejiro’s scheme. They were together back in San Francisco, so they’ve known each other for a while. Those two guys are on the same page. That always helps if you’ve got guys that have worked together.

What will your responsibilities be?

I would assume my role with Ejiro will be very similar to what it was this year. That’s basically just to try to help him in any way that I can, whether it’s organizationally. Just a lot of things to try to streamline things for him to where he can spend as much time zeroing in on the opponent. I enjoy that. This will be 37 years for me. I had some great mentors that were tremendous helping me along the way. I get more pleasure now helping my guys that I’ve been around trying to have success.

 

Thanks, dude

[Mr. Scot]

 

[MHS831]

what is exciting about this--Capers, Caldwell, Reich, Ejiro Evero--retaining some awesome coaches, etc.  There seems to be a dedication to being a champion.  Not the Rhule, "look at what I did at Temple..."  preacher son BS---these guys are established.

Edited February 14, 2023 by MHS831

[top dawg]

21 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

what is exciting about this--Capers, Caldwell, Reich, Ejiro Evero--retaining some awesome coaches, etc.  There seems to be a dedication to being a champion.  Not the Rhule, "look at what I did at Temple..."  preacher son BS---these guys are established.

Tepper shouldn't have to do anything but write checks now. I think that's all he really ever wanted to do. This staff is chock full of experience.

[rayzor]

59 minutes ago, top dawg said:

Tepper shouldn't have to do anything but write checks now. I think that's all he really ever wanted to do. This staff is chock full of experience.

hire/promote the best people possible so you have to do as little as possible to succeed.

it's not laziness, it's realizing that there's better people at their job than you could do their job and you put them in a position to do their job and you let them do their job. All you have to do is set expectations and monitor the results.

[Mr. Scot]

53 minutes ago, top dawg said:

Tepper shouldn't have to do anything but write checks now. I think that's all he really ever wanted to do. This staff is chock full of experience.

 

1 minute ago, rayzor said:

hire/promote the best people possible so you have to as little as possible to succeed.

it's not laziness, it's realizing that there's better people at their job than you could do their job and you put them in a position to do their job and you let them do their job. All you have to do is set expectations and monitor the results.

Totally agree 

[rayzor]

basically if you have to micromanage, you've hired the wrong people.

if you want to micromanage, then why bother hiring anyone at all? instead just get therapy. it's going to be cheaper.

[raleigh-panther]

The Panthers players have to be excited

they have never played for this level of coaching 

I was struck by something  g Steve Smith said on WFNZ after Wilks wasn’t selected…paraphrasing  ‘showing up against your boss’s former company like you are sleepwalking’ referring to the loss to the Steelers at home with Mitch Trubisky at QB

i somehow don’t think there is going to be any sleep walking tolerated with this staff. 

[thefuzz]

21 hours ago, rayzor said:

basically if you have to micromanage, you've hired the wrong people.

if you want to micromanage, then why bother hiring anyone at all? instead just get therapy. it's going to be cheaper.

Yup.

My boss (if you call him that) says 1 thing to me.  "Don't make your problems my problems."

That's it.  Meaning, I don't want to know if you are sick, don't care when you come and go, don't want to hear about your day or the tough time you are having, just get the work done.

I've worked for micromanagers, I'll never do it again...this job is the opposite, but you better be good at it, and you better be able to handle that freedom...or it can get gone real quick.

Maybe Tep wanted to micromanage?  Maybe he really trusted Marty?  Either way, I know he's over one of those, and may be over both.  Trusting those in the building now?  Best thing he could ever do.