(02-22-2019, 03:33 PM)RunKijanaRun Wrote: That's why I said "on its face." He may end up being a great coach. Just was hoping, maybe, that because we didn't exactly get an A list guy for our DC that we might get a little more of a known quantity in our LB/DL guys. 

Are these kind of guys known quantities to begin with?   Aside from the few former HC's who are now position coaches, how many known quantities are there? 

Not being facetious, just honestly wondering.

(02-22-2019, 02:03 PM)NKURyan Wrote: As long as it's not Joey  JERRY Porter, I'm down!

:andy:

(02-22-2019, 03:38 PM)McC Wrote: Are these kind of guys known quantities to begin with?   Aside from the few former HC's who are now position coaches, how many known quantities are there? 

Not being facetious, just honestly wondering.

Meh, sometimes. You'd hope at least you're pulling someone with experience actually being the coach of of the position (in title and duty). 

(02-22-2019, 03:34 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Sure, I would have been happy had JDR been named DC, but I'm not ready to jump off of a cliff because he wasn't.  All that says is that Taylor wasn't so overwhelmed by a famous name, that he forgot what it was that he was looking for in his ideal candidate.

Precisely. There was something Zac didn't hear what he wanted to hear from JDR and decided it wasn't going to work. I don't know if this will put the whole JDR issue to bed or not, but there were 7 new HC hires this off season, who staffed their staff with new faces and JDR is still unemployed for a reason... I suspect JDR has a friggin ego.

(02-22-2019, 03:01 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: well seems like he knows how to tackle... so worse case he can just show them how lol


Also any named LB coach available is available cause he just got fired for not being great at his job...

Like Jim Haslett?

This guy went from a walk on to starter at a big time school, winning awards for his play.  That seems to be a cerebral guy that made up for a lack of physical talent.....usually good teachers.

(02-22-2019, 03:43 PM)RunKijanaRun Wrote: Meh, sometimes. You'd hope at least you're pulling someone with experience actually being the coach of of the position (in title and duty). 

So an assistant coach will never be anything more an assistant, by your statement?

(02-22-2019, 03:43 PM)RunKijanaRun Wrote: Meh, sometimes. You'd hope at least you're pulling someone with experience actually being the coach of of the position (in title and duty). 

Quite a bit of inexperience, for sure.  Several young guys, a few vets mixed in.  Should be interesting.  Some might call it bold.  Some might call it crazy.  I doubt that it will be boring.

I'm still sticking to my gut feeling that Zac is The One for us.  One thing about him--he ain't afraid to do things his way.  He is not timid.  Here's hoping he coaches that same way. That's what geniuses do.  Of course, that's also what lunatics do, so...

Either way, it's gonna be a helluva ride.  Can't wait to see what FA and the draft bring.  Those two things should at least fill in the picture a bit.

(02-22-2019, 03:48 PM)Wyche Wrote: Like Jim Haslett?

This guy went from a walk on to starter at a big time school, winning awards for his play.  That seems to be a cerebral guy that made up for a lack of physical talent.....usually good teachers.

I thought he would have done better with our LB corps.. but not having a healthy burfict probly didn't help him

Kind of cool that he worked on scouting reports for the Saints. They are a successful team. Their defense was pretty good the 2nd half of last season.

(02-22-2019, 05:29 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: I thought he would have done better with our LB corps.. but not having a healthy burfict probly didn't help him

Who knows? I think Nickerson is just REALLY REALLY bad for a starting LB.

I feel like we could have upgraded by signing someone off the street.

I remember mocking Michael Hodges to the Bengals as a 7th rounder back on the mothership. It doesnt surprise me he went the coach route instead of doing the UDFA thing because he was such a film room junkie.

This might actually be my favorite hire if it happens after digging into what has done as a coach and who he was as a college player.

With the exception of maybe QB coach which we have 3-4 of...this is the most important position coach hire on the team.

We squander too much talent at LB every year.

(02-23-2019, 11:20 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: With the exception of maybe QB coach which we have 3-4 of...this is the most important position coach hire on the team.

We squander too much talent at LB every year.

And that was such a head scratcher too.  Marvin's background was as a LB then a LB coach.  Now, as a HC, he wouldn't be directly coaching the position but you would sure think he could've at least steered someone in the right direction.

And don't get me started on the list of draft picks we wasted on the position.

(02-22-2019, 01:47 PM)pally Wrote: Bengals have asked to interview Saints defensive assistant, Michael Hodges. He played at Texas A&M when Ol coach Jim Turner was there. He's young but has been coaching since graduating from A&M. I don't foresee this interview getting blocked.

https://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/coaches-roster/michael-hodges

Michael Hodges enters his second season as a full-time NFL assistant.

As a defensive assistant, Hodges’ responsibilities include producing self-scout breakdowns reports, compilation of scouting reports, breakdown of Saints opponents, assist in the organization of playbooks and assist in working with Linebackers Coach Mike Nolan and Saints linebackers during practice.

Hodges came to New Orleans after serving on the coaching staff at Eastern Illinois University from 2014-16. From 2014-15, Hodges tutored the linebackers. In 2016, he was elevated to co-defensive coordinator, while also coaching the team’s safeties. Hodges came to Eastern Illinois after serving two seasons as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Fresno State, where he coached the inside linebackers and assisted with film breakdown, scouting and game preparation.

Hodges played linebacker at Texas A&M where he earned second team All-Big 12 honors as a senior when he led the Aggies in tackles and honorable mention as a junior after beginning his career as a walk on. He was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and was named a first team Academic All-American in 2010. He graduated in 2010 and earned his master’s from Texas A&M in 2011. He was presented with the 2010 Heart Award, which is the highest honor for a Texas A&M senior football player.

PLAYING CAREER: Texas A&M, 2008-11.

COACHING CAREER: Fresno State, 2012-13; Eastern Illinois, 2014-16; New Orleans Saints, 2017-.

Sounds much better than Haslett, we won't know how good these coaches are until we see their guys on the field but you have to start somewhere. I suspect Hodges worked with Demario Davis a lot who really impressed me last season and in the Playoffs. Whoever the Linebacker coach is we will need to give him atleast 2 more starter caliber Linebackers to work with and the coach needs to coach these guys to come down hill and stick RB's, TE's and WR's on those screens and dump offs that killed us last season. Make them pay when they do that shit.

(02-22-2019, 03:30 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: i think the perception that Taylor was slow to select a willing DC and the non-hire of JDR was a buzzkill for some on these boards.  

It would be equivalent to drafting a player with 3rd or 4th round grade in the first round.  

The draft isn't that far away and you never know. Mike Brown might have one of his panic moments and take over the draft room and select every one of the sleeper prospects Sporting News lists in their magazine hoping to find a hidden gem. 

All kidding aside, we have to trust that Taylor and staff and Tobin make good picks that will improve this team.

 

(02-23-2019, 11:27 AM)McC Wrote: And that was such a head scratcher too.  Marvin's background was as a LB then a LB coach.  Now, as a HC, he wouldn't be directly coaching the position but you would sure think he could've at least steered someone in the right direction.

And don't get me started on the list of draft picks we wasted on the position.

He had HOF guys with the Ravens. IF we had Ray Lewis here, I'm sure our other guys would have looked better. Their D-Line was pretty stout too.

But, I wonder IF he just wasn't good at scouting them? Seems to be the most plausible explanation here. That the Ravens were just better at identifying and drafting guys.

(02-23-2019, 04:36 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: He had HOF guys with the Ravens. IF we had Ray Lewis here, I'm sure our other guys would have looked better. Their D-Line was pretty stout too.

But, I wonder IF he just wasn't good at scouting them? Seems to be the most plausible explanation here. That the Ravens were just better at identifying and drafting guys.

TBH, he had a pretty damned good bunch of LB's in Pittsburgh to coach too.

(02-23-2019, 05:21 PM)McC Wrote: TBH, he had a pretty damned good bunch of LB's in Pittsburgh to coach too.

Yep. The Ravens defense he coordinated was pretty loaded.

Which illustrates that guys get a reputation as a defensive genius, but with a loaded roster...it's fairly hard to screw that up as a coach.

It's kind of why the Patriots coordinators flop when they go to other teams. They don't have Tom Brady or the Patriots System or the Patriots Scouting.

Overall, Marvin was a good coach, but there is a ton of evidence that they had trouble drafting LB's when he was here and coaching them up. People will point to undrafted Burfict then as a counter, but Burfict was a projected 1st Round talent that went undrafted because of on-field issues. It isn't like he was your typical undrafted free agent LB from some D2 school that no one heard of.

Now whoever coaches the Rams and got Corey Littleton playing that well did a fine job. Converting Mark Barron from S to LB. Ogletree was pretty good there in years past before he went to the Giants.

(02-23-2019, 09:13 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yep. The Ravens defense he coordinated was pretty loaded.

Which illustrates that guys get a reputation as a defensive genius, but with a loaded roster...it's fairly hard to screw that up as a coach.

It's kind of why the Patriots coordinators flop when they go to other teams. They don't have Tom Brady or the Patriots System or the Patriots Scouting.

Overall, Marvin was a good coach, but there is a ton of evidence that they had trouble drafting LB's when he was here and coaching them up. People will point to undrafted Burfict then as a counter, but Burfict was a projected 1st Round talent that went undrafted because of on-field issues. It isn't like he was your typical undrafted free agent LB from some D2 school that no one heard of.

Now whoever coaches the Rams and got Corey Littleton playing that well did a fine job. Converting Mark Barron from S to LB. Ogletree was pretty good there in years past before he went to the Giants.

And it was also Guenther who coached up Burfict.

I will say that when Marvin took over the defense last year, he had them playing a helluva lot better than Austin.  So there is that.

(02-22-2019, 03:01 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: well seems like he knows how to tackle... so worse case he can just show them how lol


Also any named LB coach available is available cause he just got fired for not being great at his job...

Which explains why Jim Haslett is avaliable.