Adam Caplan article on Potential GM's

[FuzzyPanther]

Covers quite a few candidates from around the league, and gives a pretty good background on each. Here's just a few:

Tom Gamble/San Francisco 49ers/Director of Player Personnel: In my 14 years of covering the NFL, I don’t recall getting as many strong comments about a potential GM candidate from high-ranking personnel executives and NFL player agents as I’ve received about Gamble in doing research for this piece. In fact, one NFL GM said my list should start with Gamble for the very fact that he’s about as well-rounded of a candidate as you’ll find.

Eric DeCosta/Baltimore Ravens/Assistant General Manager: The veteran personnel evaluator received his latest promotion in May of this year. DeCosta turned down several interviews with other teams earlier this year because it’s a well-known fact that he’ll eventually take over the entire football operations once (GM and Executive VP) Ozzie Newsome retires. What makes DeCosta one of the strongest personnel executives is due to his extensive pro and college scouting background, which spans over 16 years. And he has worked alongside of Newsome for many seasons. It also doesn’t hurt that DeCosta has been part of one of the NFL’s most successful scouting departments in regard to the NFL Draft for many years.

Marc Ross/New York Giants/Director of College Scouting: Ross joined the Giants in his current role in 2007. He got started as a college scout back in 1997 with the Philadelphia Eagles and was promoted to team’s college scouting director in 2000, at the age of just 27. And after working as a college scout for the Buffalo Bills after leaving the Eagles, he moved up the ladder again with the Giants. As one former NFL executive who worked with him for many years told me, Ross is one of the most organized and forthright people he’s come across in his years in the league. Ross, over the past few years, has interviewed GM jobs with the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and Seattle Seahawks. And it’s widely believed that he’ll get an interview for the vacant Carolina Panthers GM opening since former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi is advising the team in their GM search as a consultant.

http://www.thesidelineview.com/columns/caplans-nfl-corner/next-nfl-general-managers

[rayzor]

the ones with ties to accorsi somewhere down the road are the ones to take seriously, esp. if they are young.

[Kurb]

Gamble is my guy.

I think we will hire Ross tho.

[rayzor]

yeah, that gamble guy does sound very attractive for the job.

[Bj-Monster23]

Tom Gamble worked as a part time scout for the Carolina Panthers.

[mwright350]

Gamble is my pick if I had to make one...with the limited amount of time I've spent looking into candidates anyway.

I think with his ties to Acorsi Ross has the inside track if the wants the job.

[UNCrules2187]

Don't know anything about Gamble until this piece, but he sounds like a great candidate. Would be happy with either him or Ross.

[philp]

Tom Gamble worked as a part time scout for the Carolina Panthers.

do you remember when? at work don't have the time to look it up

[UNCrules2187]

do you remember when? at work don't have the time to look it up

Looks like it was right as the franchise was beginning:

From 1995 to 1996, Gamble served as a defensive assistant/quality control coach with the New York Jets. He later worked as a part-time college scout for the Carolina Panthers before serving as a pro scout for the Baltimore Ravens in 1997.

http://www.highpointpanthers.com/news/2011/2/7/Baseball_0207113900.aspx

[rayzor]

do you remember when? at work don't have the time to look it up

95-96

nothing recent or really noteworthy other than that was where he was first noticed by polian whom he worked under for several years with the colts.

[rayzor]

from the article...

Tom Gamble is a rarity in NFL scouting departments these days: He not only has extensive pro and college scouting experience, he has experience with contract negations and the salary cap, and even has coaching experience (defensive assistant/quality control coach with the New York Jets for two seasons: 1995-1996) on the NFL side. While Gamble was promoted to his current role nearly two years ago, other teams have also been interested in him in recent years (St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders on more than one occasion).

Now in his 25th NFL season, Gamble has worked for five teams over that time period and has touched just about every possible aspect on the personnel side. He has helped build 10 playoff teams (four with the Eagles, five with the Indianapolis Colts, and one with the 49ers—and very likely another one this season).

Before taking a job with the 49ers back in 2005, Gamble worked for seven seasons as a college scout under former Colts GM Bill Polian, who is widely recognized as one of the best personnel evaluators in NFL history.

“He’s got a complete grounding in the game. He grew up in the game,” Polian explained to me recently about Gamble. “This is exceedingly important when you consider there are a lot of issues that you have to deal with when becoming a general manager that will come up with a team. You’re at a big disadvantage if you don’t have this experience in dealing with everything. That’s why non-football people have a harder time succeeding. Because Tom has so much experience and grew up around the game with his dad, he’s going to be more prepared than most. That’s a huge advantage.”

[bigdog10]

Wouldn't be upset with any of these three guys.

They each obviously have an eye for talent, especially on the defensive side of the football.

[Rags]

I'd personally still prefer Ross, but wouldn't mind Gamble either.

[FuzzyPanther]

Wouldn't be upset with any of these three guys.

They each obviously have an eye for talent, especially on the defensive side of the football.

There's about a dozen more in the article, and a lot more information than I included in the first post.