NFL Coaching Hirings Grades and Thoughts

 With my Seahawks in the process of hiring a new head coach, I'm more invested in the NFL teams hiring head coaches than ever.  So, I thought I'd react and grade each head coach hiring, including the Seahawks', which I will go more in-depth on than other teams.  In order, chronologically:

Patriots hire Jerod Mayo: B-
NFL Linebackers have done well as NFL coaches in recent history.  Vrabel was good in Tennessee up until his last few seasons.  Demeco Ryans did fantastic in his first year in Houston.  Antonio Pierce did well as an interim coach (see below).  This is what you call a very safe move.  Mayo will keep the team from chaos, futility, and disorder, but I definitely think he may be a bridge coach.  The roster is one of the worst in the NFL and one offseason won't fix it.  Mayo learned from Belichick as a player and a coach, so for the players that remain it will be a fairly easy transition.  Maybe, if they make the right moves in the next couple of offseasons, they can return to contention around 2025-2026, but that is my optimistic view for them.

Raiders hire Antonio Pierce: B+
Could they have done better?  Maybe.  But you had their best player, Maxx Crosby, publicly state if they didn't stick with Pierce that he'd likely request a trade.  That speaks volumes.  Pierce definitely seems like an excellent motivator, but we haven't seen too much of him as an in-game strategist or decision-maker.  It'll be interesting to see.  I could certainly see the Raiders as a potential wild card next year under Pierce.  He's certainly better than McDaniels, and it's good to see Mark Davis learned his lesson.  

Titans hire Brian Callahan: B
I'm always lukewarm on coaches who have never been head coaches before unless they have an amazing pedigree, but Brian Callahan has a few things going for him.  One, he is the son of a coach and obviously learned a bit from him.  Two, he coordinated one of the league's best offenses in Cincinnati, and even made Jake Browning look decent.  But again, I am skeptical on new coaches, but as far as new coaches go, Callahan is a pretty darn good one.

Chargers hire Jim Harbaugh: A
Harbaugh has had success wherever he has gone as a head coach.  He went from bowl success with Stanford, to making the Super Bowl with the 49ers, to winning a national title with Michigan.  Next, Super Bowl win with the Chargers?  Hard to be upset with this hire unless you're a Chiefs, Raiders, or Broncos fan.  I can't give it an A+ because Harbaugh has been away from the NFL for a few years, and it has changed in that time.  We've seen coaches away from the NFL game struggle on a return *cough* Jon Gruden *cough*.  I doubt it'll be Harbaugh, but that is a possibility.  

Panthers hire Dave Canales: C
I don't know why this hire doesn't sit particularly well with me.  You have to give Canales some credit for helping revive the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield.  Can he do the same for Bryce Young?  We will see.  Here's the thing: The Seahawks' offense in 2022 and the Buccaneers' offense in 2023 weren't exactly lighting up scoreboards, and had great receiver talent already in place that helped, and both teams barely snuck into the playoffs.  Does Canales get this job if one thing goes wrong for the Hawks in 2022 or the Bucs in 2023 to prevent them from reaching the playoffs?  And he was an OC for only 1 season.  This is a boom or bust hire, so either Canales will join the ranks of McVay, Shanahan, and LeFleur, or he will get fired in a few seasons.  Good luck.  

Falcons hire Raheem Morris: D+
I can't wrap my mind around this.  This is a guy who was in the Falcons' organization a bit over 3 years ago, and he was even their interim head coach after they fired Dan Quinn, and they easily could've shed the interim tag and made him full-time.  Instead, they went out and got Arthur Smith, which turned out to be a mistake.  Now they've gone full circle and re-hired Morris.  I just don't get it.  I think Arthur Blank, the Falcons' owner, panicked and hired the guy he was most familiar with.  This is an incredibly safe and low-risk hire.  But I can almost guarantee the Falcons won't do any better than a borderline playoff team under Morris, and possibly a weak division winner if the division sucks (like Tampa Bay this year).  There's no way they'll do better than that.  And more realistically, they'll likely hover around 6-8 wins, just like they did with Smith.

Seahawks hire Mike Macdonald: A+
A young coach being installed in a place with a support system and decent owners?  That usually works out.  The only time it really hasn't was with Brandon Staley and the Chargers, although you could argue the "decent owner" front.  Let's hope we don't have another Brandon Staley, but something tells me we don't.  I love John Schneider's willingness to go young, and I wonder (we will never likely know) who his plan B would've been.  Macdonald had some amazing defenses in Baltimore, and he made stars out of Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey.  I think he fits in very well in Seattle, and I, as well as many fans, will be willing to give him time.  I'm betting we'll see a quick turnaround on our defense, but the offense might be a work in progress, depending on who he picks for offensive coordinator.  I fully believe he was chosen due to the success his defense had against the NFC West last season, and JS is hoping he replicates that with the Hawks.

Commanders hire Dan Quinn: C-
His defenses have done very well in recent years, and I'll say this: we have seen coaches have success when given a 2nd or 3rd shot.  Look at Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick (although, to be fair, DQ is no Carroll or Belichick).  I can see why Commanders' fans would not be too happy.  But hey, they poached him from a division rival, so DQ is certainly familiar with the opposing offenses in the division.  The key to his success will be the OC hire and if they can get a star quarterback.  Sam Howell is a fairly capable starter, but defensive-minded coaches need star QBs, which Howell is not.  This hiring can end up being a success, but so can all of these.  DQ will need to prove he can win without Kyle Shanahan as his OC.

Seahawks Position by Position Overview for 2019-2020

The Seahawks season is over, finishing with a 28-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.  We can argue about the officiating or the defense's or offense's lack of consistency, but I'm just going to go over each position group for the Hawks and how they did for the 2019 season.  The common theme is that the Hawks were hit heavily with injuries.  The silver lining to that is that it gave the backups and rookies experience, most of them playoff experience, too.  I'll also discuss how much of a need the position is in the offseason on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being a dire need and 1 being something we could basically ignore.  And then finish up with a letter grade.

Quarterback: I think Russell Wilson had his best season.  He carried the team more than ever, especially when injuries hit late in the season and we could no longer run the ball effectively.  For this reason, he deserves MVP, because there is literally no other player that is more valuable to their team.  There's really only one thing about his game I wish he'd improve, and that's throwing the ball away instead of taking sacks.  He took a ton of sacks this year, which largely (but not entirely) can be attributed to the offensive line.  But late in the year, you can see he occasionally held the ball too long and had opportunities to either find a receiver or throw the ball away.  I don't think Geno saw the field at all this year, which is fine with me.
Need: 1
Grade: A

Running Back: Boy it is unfortunate Carson, Penny, and Prosise all went down within a few weeks.  Before they went down, Carson and Penny were really doing well.  The silver lining to them going down is that it gave us an opportunity to see Marshawn Lynch again and Travis Homer.  Homer is a very capable back, and he could very easily be a #2.  I think the Hawks consider trading Penny in the offseason.  They don't have to, however.  Seeing the injury bug hit this position hard will probably make John Schneider want as much depth as possible.  I don't think Marshawn returns.  And I think the Hawks finally part ways with Prosise.  If the Hawks trade Penny, they'll bring in an undrafted rookie to compete for a backup role.
Need: 2
Grade: B

Wide Receiver: Lockett's not a true #1, but he doesn't have to be.  With the emergence of D.K. Metcalf, I think the Hawks finally found a #1 guy.  Boy was he a steal, and he should only get better.  The rest of the group leaves a lot to be desired.  Moore, Turner, and Brown all had just ok seasons.  I think the Hawks only keep one, maybe two of those guys.  I wish John Ursua had gotten more of a shot, but I expect him to in 2020 (Let him work the slot like Doug Baldwin did!).  This unit was one of the healthier all year, which is mainly why Ursua was mostly inactive in 2019.  I think the Hawks draft a mid-late receiver, hoping he can develop into a legit #3 some day.  Overall, this group was criticized for their failure to get open at times, despite Wilson prolonging plays with his scrambling.
Need: 2
Grade: B

Tight Ends: Dissly gets hurt...again.  If he hadn't, I think the Hawks win the NFC West and are still in the playoffs.  He's a legit all-around tight end, but he just has to stay healthy.  Jacob Hollister had his moments, but he also had drops and fumbles.  I think the Hawks need to acquire a tight end for depth in case Dissly gets hurt yet again.  Wilson to Dissly sure was fun to watch while it lasted in 2019.
Need: 3
Grade: C+

Offensive Line: The shakiest position group on the team, and it has been for years.  They weren't as awful as past years, but injuries to Britt, both guards, and Brown really hurt this unit.  The Hawks have to address this group in the offseason and make it a primary concern.  Depth is needed, as well as a new right tackle, with Ifedi probably on his way out.  The Hawks also need more youth at the guard positions and will soon need to find Duane Brown's successor.
Need: 5
Grade: C-

Defensive Line: I have to start out by saying boy LJ Collier has been a disappointment so far.  He was mostly inactive all year, and I don't think he made any big plays.  Acquiring Jadeveon Clowney was huge, but will he remain a Hawk?  I like the rest of the guys in Green, Jefferson, and Reed.  Ziggy Ansah was largely a disappointment.  This unit did not get enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2019, and it will have to improve somehow in 2020.  Unless they expect Collier to live up to his first round status, they need to address this position in the offseason with a fairly significant addition.
Need: 4
Grade: C

Linebackers: Bobby was All-Pro and KJ was pretty solid himself.  Kendricks was doing ok, but Carroll/Norton asked him to cover routes more than anything, which included covering wide receivers.  Cody Barton had a very solid rookie campaign, and he could be given a starting role in 2020.  Ben Burr-Kirven was only seen on special teams but did well.  Shaquem Griffin was used in pass rush situations to some effectiveness.  This is a group I'm not concerned about going into 2020, but they'll need better coaching next year.
Need: 2
Grade: B

Defensive Backs: Shaquill Griffin had his best season in 2020.  He only got flagged once in the regular season, a remarkable achievement for a starting cornerback.  Tre Flowers, however, got burned multiple times, got flagged a lot more, and missed more tackles.  Most Hawks fans don't think he should be starting in 2020.  Quandre Diggs was an excellent addition, and he reminded me of an Earl Thomas/Kam Chancellor hybrid.  Bradley McDougald did well, especially with tackling.  We'll see what role Tedric Thompson has next year after being hurt for most of the season.  I expect more out of this unit as it is Coach Carroll's specialty, and I grade them harshly as a result.
Need: 4
Grade: D+

Special Teams: Myers was certainly shaky at times, but with kicking the way it is in today's NFL, that's honestly about average and the Hawks would be foolish to move on from him.  Dickson had a decent season, although not quite as good as his rookie campaign.  The coverage was mostly good all season, except for perhaps the Saints game.  The return game left a ton to be desired, as I don't think we had an electrifying return all season.  I think the Hawks have sorely lacked a return specialist for a while, and with Lockett getting older, he cannot be relied on anymore.  The Hawks need to draft some kind of return specialist, maybe KJ Hamler out of Penn State.  But otherwise, they are set on ST.
Need: 2
Grade: C-

Coaching: This was both a great and terrible coaching job by the Seahawks coaching staff this season.  Being able to get to the divisional round despite a ton of injuries is at least partly indicative of a good coaching job.  However, Ken Norton Jr's schemes were largely exposed and he was often left adjusting and trying to fix things, rather than being the aggressor and making offenses adjust to him.  Schottenheimer had an up and down season as coordinator, and he did fairly well late in the year given the circumstances.  Carroll had some questionable coaching decisions, most notably not going for certain fourth down attempts.  I really think this defense needs a different leader, but I can see Carroll wanting to stick with KNJ, unfortunately.
Need: 3
Grade: D+

Overall GPA: 2.33 (C+)

Overall, this team did better than most people expected, and most position groups did a good job.  If certain areas are addressed, mainly the lines and secondary, and we can stay relatively healthy next season, I can see this team doing really well.  Coordinators aside, if you have good enough players, they will succeed.  I think a certain strength and conditioning coach should be fired (Ivan Lewis), even though he was hired less than a year ago.  There's a reason they call him "Ivan the Terrible".  Let's hope Pete and John address the right needs in the offseason, and there are far less injuries in 2020.