Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Mike Jurecki was saying on the radio this week that from what's hearing, BA will be back in 2018.
BA and Steve Keim are signed through the 2018 season, with club options for 2019.
Chances are pretty strong that if BA returns in 2018 that will be his final year as head coach.
As for Steve Keim, one gets the sense that he's in good stead with Michael Bidwill.
That being the case, and seeing how Steve Keim is a big fan of familiarity when it comes to signing and re-signing players...and how steadfastly he has supported BA and BA's staff decisions...I imagine there already is a plan in place...and here are some guesses of the parameters:
Todd Bowles...if he gets fired by the Jets this year and right now the odds are probably 50/50...Steve Keim will sign Bowles as Assistant Head Coach in charge of the defense, with the understanding that Bowles will become the head coach in 2019.
Kacy Rodgers...current Jets' defensive coordinator...comes with Bowles and takes the place of James Bettcher as defensive coordinator. If Bettcher doesn't sign elsewhere, he will get re-assigned to his OLB coach role.
Rodgers is being considered for the Tennessee Volunteers' head coaching position, thus, if he is offered that job, look for Bowles to want to appoint Kevin Greene as DC. One of those two: Rodgers or Greene would be Todd Bowles' right hand man on defense.
Ryan Ficken...current assistant STs coach with the Vikings who filled in very well for suspended STC Mike Priefer...and has helped the Vikings become one of the best STs units in the NFL...replaces Amos Jones as STC.
The reason why BA is able to comply with these coaching changes is by virtue of the elation he feels that Todd Bowles will be his successor and that signing new assistants now to multi-year contracts will set Bowles up very well for years to come.
Byron Leftwich...becomes a key figure in the organization moving forward. He will be appointed Todd Bowles' OC in 2019 and thus Leftwich will have a significant role in working with Steve Keim and the scouts in this year's draft. With the opportunity to draft a young QB in Round 1 or 2 in this year's draft, Leftwich will be studying and visiting with all the top prospects.
If Todd Bowles remains the Jets' head coach in 2018, then Steve Keim will wait to see if Bowles becomes available in 2019. Leftwich will remain heavily involved in the QB scouting and selection. And the majority of BA's staff stays in place for 2018, save perhaps for Amos Jones and a couple of position coaches.
If Todd Bowles remains with the Jets long-term...then it's quite possible that Steve Keim will consider Harold Goodwin as BA's successor. Under Goodwin, Leftwich becomes the OC and by then maybe James Bettcher has shown solid enough improvement that he stays on as DC. But, two coaches from within who may be moving up the ladder are LB coach Larry Foote and DL coach Brentson Buckner. If Keim and Goodwin want to move on from Bettcher, Foote or Buckner could get the promotion.
If these scenarios are somewhat accurate, what are your thoughts?
I would be happy with Bowles as HC, Leftwich as OC, Rodgers as DC and Ficken as STC.
While Goodwin could be a better head coach than OC, I wonder if the Cardinals would have stronger HC candidates.
For example, if the Cardinals have a chance this year to sign the Vikings' OC Pat Shurmer as head coach, that would be a major coup, imo. Shurmer is going to be the hottest coach on the market. The job he is doing with Case Keenam as QB is sensational. His offense game plans vary from week to week and are very creative. Teams that covet Shurmer will see it as a positive that he has already had head coaching experience with the Browns (where most head coaches deserve a mulligan).
Also, I believe that Mike Vrabel will be the defensive version of the Rams' Sean McVay. He's a head coach the Cardinals could have for the next decade and beyond. Imagine how dominant the Cardinals' defense could become with Vrabel setting the tone.
Another coach I am very intrigued with is the Rams STC John Fassel. Seeing as John Harbaugh made the successful transition from STC to HC, there is something exceptionally efficient and highly competitive about the way Fassel conducts his business. The son of Jim Fassel (Cardinals' OC in 1996), John Fassel attends to detail, diligent preparation and scouting in a very Bill Belichick kind of way. It would be fascinating to see who Fassel would appoint as his coordinators---and could be a very good thing to let the HC oversee all three phases and not have to call the plays on offense or defense.
BA and Steve Keim are signed through the 2018 season, with club options for 2019.
Chances are pretty strong that if BA returns in 2018 that will be his final year as head coach.
As for Steve Keim, one gets the sense that he's in good stead with Michael Bidwill.
That being the case, and seeing how Steve Keim is a big fan of familiarity when it comes to signing and re-signing players...and how steadfastly he has supported BA and BA's staff decisions...I imagine there already is a plan in place...and here are some guesses of the parameters:
Todd Bowles...if he gets fired by the Jets this year and right now the odds are probably 50/50...Steve Keim will sign Bowles as Assistant Head Coach in charge of the defense, with the understanding that Bowles will become the head coach in 2019.
Kacy Rodgers...current Jets' defensive coordinator...comes with Bowles and takes the place of James Bettcher as defensive coordinator. If Bettcher doesn't sign elsewhere, he will get re-assigned to his OLB coach role.
Rodgers is being considered for the Tennessee Volunteers' head coaching position, thus, if he is offered that job, look for Bowles to want to appoint Kevin Greene as DC. One of those two: Rodgers or Greene would be Todd Bowles' right hand man on defense.
Ryan Ficken...current assistant STs coach with the Vikings who filled in very well for suspended STC Mike Priefer...and has helped the Vikings become one of the best STs units in the NFL...replaces Amos Jones as STC.
The reason why BA is able to comply with these coaching changes is by virtue of the elation he feels that Todd Bowles will be his successor and that signing new assistants now to multi-year contracts will set Bowles up very well for years to come.
Byron Leftwich...becomes a key figure in the organization moving forward. He will be appointed Todd Bowles' OC in 2019 and thus Leftwich will have a significant role in working with Steve Keim and the scouts in this year's draft. With the opportunity to draft a young QB in Round 1 or 2 in this year's draft, Leftwich will be studying and visiting with all the top prospects.
If Todd Bowles remains the Jets' head coach in 2018, then Steve Keim will wait to see if Bowles becomes available in 2019. Leftwich will remain heavily involved in the QB scouting and selection. And the majority of BA's staff stays in place for 2018, save perhaps for Amos Jones and a couple of position coaches.
If Todd Bowles remains with the Jets long-term...then it's quite possible that Steve Keim will consider Harold Goodwin as BA's successor. Under Goodwin, Leftwich becomes the OC and by then maybe James Bettcher has shown solid enough improvement that he stays on as DC. But, two coaches from within who may be moving up the ladder are LB coach Larry Foote and DL coach Brentson Buckner. If Keim and Goodwin want to move on from Bettcher, Foote or Buckner could get the promotion.
If these scenarios are somewhat accurate, what are your thoughts?
I would be happy with Bowles as HC, Leftwich as OC, Rodgers as DC and Ficken as STC.
While Goodwin could be a better head coach than OC, I wonder if the Cardinals would have stronger HC candidates.
For example, if the Cardinals have a chance this year to sign the Vikings' OC Pat Shurmer as head coach, that would be a major coup, imo. Shurmer is going to be the hottest coach on the market. The job he is doing with Case Keenam as QB is sensational. His offense game plans vary from week to week and are very creative. Teams that covet Shurmer will see it as a positive that he has already had head coaching experience with the Browns (where most head coaches deserve a mulligan).
Also, I believe that Mike Vrabel will be the defensive version of the Rams' Sean McVay. He's a head coach the Cardinals could have for the next decade and beyond. Imagine how dominant the Cardinals' defense could become with Vrabel setting the tone.
Another coach I am very intrigued with is the Rams STC John Fassel. Seeing as John Harbaugh made the successful transition from STC to HC, there is something exceptionally efficient and highly competitive about the way Fassel conducts his business. The son of Jim Fassel (Cardinals' OC in 1996), John Fassel attends to detail, diligent preparation and scouting in a very Bill Belichick kind of way. It would be fascinating to see who Fassel would appoint as his coordinators---and could be a very good thing to let the HC oversee all three phases and not have to call the plays on offense or defense.
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