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Hunting

Jan 4, 2009 Curious Coaching, DC Search '09, Fire Richard Smith

Given my intense hatred for Richard Smith’s defense and my corresponding joy at his firing, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a little time and look at some of the most likely candidates to replace Smith.  I figure any in-depth look requires (1) a discussion of the type of system the candidate prefers, (2) a discussion of his track record/resume, (3) reasons why he might be a good fit, (4) any reasons he might be a poor fit, and (5) any random information that doesn’t fit in the first four categories but is still germane to the discussion.  Note:  Some of the info herein will be lifted from other posts I’ve done; if it looks familiar, it probably is.

The following guys are in no particular order other than the order they popped into my head.

Rod Marinelli
System: In Detroit, Marinelli ran primarily a Tampa-2 set.  Quick, slightly-pedantic refresher:  The Tampa-2 is a Cover-2 defense that drops the middle linebacker into that middle-deep zone to fill the hole left between the safeties in a traditional Cover-2.  This system places a very high premium on team speed—the system literally cannot work without speed, especially in key positions like MLB—and is a very aggressive, swarming defense.  This sideline-to-sideline aggression makes the defense susceptible to misdirection plays if the defensive players are not disciplined in their assignments.
Track Record: Spent years as a defensive line coach and assistant head coach in the college ranks for schools like Cal and USC before taking the job as defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Bucs in 1996.  Held that position for 10 years until he was named head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2006.
Reasons For: Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice have credited Marinelli with being just as important in their development as Monte Kiffin was; such an endorsement matters when you look at the regression shown by Amobi Okoye in 2008 and the need for Amobi to develop into a true Under Tackle.  During Marinelli’s time in Tampa, the Bucs had more sacks than any other team.  The Tampa-2 requires a fast, smart middle linebacker (check), puts your corners in press coverage (making the most of Bennett and Molden’s size), and utilizes speed at the OLB spots moreso than size (meaning Adibi and Diles would not be undersized).  Even better, Marinelli’s experience as a D-line guy gives one hope that we’d learn to get pressure with the front four (and would appropriately utilize Mario Williams.  Read: NOT sending him into coverage repeatedly.)  Hard-ass, no nonsense guy (you saw how that approach worked for the O-line under Gibbs…)
Reasons Against: 0-16.  Never been a DC before (though he’s been an HC, so I’m not sure a “lack of experience” argument is real persuasive).  Seriously, 0-16.  That’s a lot of baggage to bring into your next gig and, for a team that just got rid of a failure at DC, it seems like a step in the wrong direction.  The shortness of his leash would be ridiculous just because of his history of EPIC FAIL.
Etc: The biggest problem I see is that there are no real ties between Marinelli and the current Texans staff or between Marinelli and the city of Houston.  While that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, often it seems like it is in the somewhat incestuous NFL.

Gregg Williams
System: Williams runs a 4-3 scheme that gets a LOT of credit for being aggressive.  In reality, though, it’s a read-and-react system that just happens to send more than four rushers on a regular basis.  Unlike a Jim Johnson-style aggression, however, Williams’ defense does not lend itself to any sort of freelancing and, because it is read-and-react, it asks the corners to play press coverage but also to cover for a longer time period while the blitz develops.  So, yeah, it’s aggressive, but it’s not REALLY aggressive.  If that makes sense.
Track Record: Special Teams coach and later linebackers coach for the HOUSTON Oilers under DC Buddy Ryan, 1990-1996.  From 1997-2000, he was DC for the BESFs, where he crafted a pretty stingy defense that played a large role in getting the BESFs to the Super Bowl.  (Long live Mike Jones!)  In 2001, he was named head coach of the Buffalo Bills, where he went 17-31 over three seasons.  After he lost his gig in Buffalo, he was hired by Dan Snyder to DC for the Redskins.  Overall, his Washington defenses ranked in the top 10 in total defense three times and nearly last once.  He spent 2008 as the DC of the Jacksonville Jaguars, where the defense ranked 12th under Mike Smith in 2007 and 17th under Williams.
Reasons For: First and foremost, he’s a “name” that, when combined with Rhodes and Gibbs, gives the Texans staff some serious street cred. (As the kids say.)  When you just fired a guy whose biggest flaw—and that’s saying something—was his complete lack of aggression, even the controlled and overblown reputation for aggressiveness of Williams’ system would seem like a whole new world.  He has one of the best resumes of the possible choices.
Reasons Against: For a detailed explanation, see here.  Long story short, he relies far too much on his corners.  When he doesn’t trust his corners, he goes into the world’s softest zone.  He’s an egomaniac.  He can’t function without an All Pro safety (which, obviously, we lack) over the top of his coverage.  He drops his DEs into coverage a LOT.  His defense is susceptible to edge runs, meaning that your corners and nickelbacks had better tackle very well in the open field.  For all the pressure he supposedly gets, Williams’ Redskins teams never fared very well in generating sacks or creating turnovers, both of which we have got to improve on already.
Etc: This article from a couple years ago details just how big a jerk Williams is.  Highlight?  “Williams was heard bragging that he made more money than the head coaches he was recruiting against, that he carried more lumber than some head coaches in the league.”

Sean McDermott
System:  A disciple of Jim Johnson, McDermott would almost certainly favor the same aggressive style seen in Philadephia and New York (Giants).  I detailed that system here, but the high points are: 1. The OLBs are interchangeable, meaning that Diles’ lack of size for a true SLB role is not an issue.  (I should note right here that I’m writing this whole post under the (probably incorrect) assumption that Diles will bounce back from his surgery and be the same player he was pre-injury.)  Speed is what matters.  2. The MLB is freed to roam and ad-lib to make plays, allowing us to take full advantage of DeMeco’s range/instincts.  (Seriously, DeMeco was born to play in this system.)  3. Rather than read-and-react at the line when fulfilling gap responsibilities, the initial responsibility for the D-line in this system is to get 1.5 to 2 yards up field, then flow to the ball.  4. The D-line is freed to stunt and twist more than in a standard 4-3.  5. The coverage is extremely fluid and can change to exploit personnel matchups.
Track Record: 10 years with the Eagles, beginning as a scouting administrative coordinator and working his way up.  Most applicable to our discussion, McDermott spent 2004-06 as the safeties/secondary coach, 2007 as the linebackers coach, and 2008 as the secondary coach.
Reasons For: You can’t get more different from Richard Smith’s approach then Jim Johnson’s, so we’d never again have to worry whether we’d be aggressive.  The last long-term Johnson assistant to become a DC for someone was Steve Spagnuolo.  The weakest part of our defense last year, the secondary, would benefit from having a former safeties/secondary coach in charge of the scheme.  Under McDermott’s watch, one of the players he was responsible for was the most productive member of the defense four of the last five seasons.  Johnson’s system would be a perfect measuring stick for whether Travis Johnson could ever be worth his paycheck.
Reasons Against: Rick Smith has said he wants someone experienced as a DC, and McDermott certainly doesn’t fit that bill.  Banking on McDermott to be great just because Spags worked out for the Giants is risky.  The personnel isn’t a perfect fit for this system (though it’s pretty dang close).  He’s one of the “hot” names when it comes to young coaches, so he might cost more than his resume is actually worth.
Etc.: Like Marinelli, McDermott has no ties that I can find to Houston or to the current staff.

Greg Robinson
System: Robinson’s standard alignment at Syracuse was a 4-3 Under.  This is (generally speaking) a pure one-gap variation of the standard 4-3, where the SLB lines up on the line of scrimmage just outside the TE, the MLB and WLB shift over (they line up roughly where the two ILBs do in 3-4), and the FS is responsible for deep middle coverage and help over the top for the two CBs.
Track Record: Defensive line coach and later DC of the Jets, 1990-1994.  DC of the Denver Broncos, 1995-2000 (2 Super Bowl titles).  DC of the Kansas City Chiefs, 2001-2003.  DC of the University of Texas, 2004.  Head Coach of Syracuse University, 2005-2008.
Reasons For: Has ties to the Denver Super Bowl wins and to the state of Texas.  Experienced DC.  One-gap system simplifies things for the defense, removing the read-and-react aspect that seems to kill us.  With a consistent pass rusher from the SLB spot, the Under alignment makes it more difficult to double Mario.
Reasons Against: Our personnel is far from ideal for a 4-3 Under.  SLB is still a big question mark due to Diles’ injury and he was too small for the traditional SLB role in the first place.  As we saw with Richard Smith’s use of the Cover-1 Free (over the 4-6), we don’t have a FS that can consistently play deep help.  The Under neutralizes DeMeco’s impact to a certain extent while requiring that the non-Mario DE have great edge discipline and tackle well in space.
Etc.: I haven’t actually heard this name from anyone other than Chris, but the ties seem strong enough that it’s totally possible.

Mike Nolan
System: Ostensibly, at least if you go by the depth chart alignments for the 49ers, Nolan is a 3-4 guy.  That said, if you watched the Niners’ D this year, it more closely resembled a traditional 4-3, with four DLs providing most of the rush.  This is probably because Nolan ran a 4-3 during his stay in Baltimore.  So, for now, let’s just pencil him in as a standard 4-3 with a Cover-2 shell.  Vanilla.
Track Record: 1987-1992, linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos.  1993-1996, New York Giants DC.  1997-1999, Washington Redskins DC.  2000, New York Jets DC.  2001-2004, Baltimore Ravens DC (2001, he was actually WR coach).  2005-2008, Head Coach San Francisco 49ers (18-37 career record).
Reasons For: Like Williams above, Nolan is a name.  He’s had the 3rd, 6th, and 5th-ranked defenses in the league at various points during his various tenures as DC.  His base 4-3 would require the least amount of re-learning of any of the systems mentioned, but his fascination with the 3-4 might allow for some creativity in our defensive packages.  (Something we’ve sorely lacked during the Smith years.)
Reasons Against: Other than Baltimore, where he inherited a monster D from Marvin Lewis and did not have to build anything himself, Nolan’s Ds have gotten progressively worse at most of his stops and have failed to show any real improvement at the others.  He inherited a Parcells-built D that would rank 5th in 1993.  In the following three years, that D ranked 11th, 17th, and 14th.  He took a Washington D that was already poor (it would rank 16th in 1997) and then made it worse (24th in 1998, 30th in 1999).  In San Francisco, despite bringing in big name free agents (Nate Clements, Justin Smith, Walt Harris, Takeo Spikes) and doing well in the draft (Patrick Willis, Manny Lawson), Nolan’s D’s ranked 32nd, 26th, and 25th in his three full seasons.  Also, there are some who suggest that his insistence on fighting the league so he could wear a suit on the sideline is evidence of a headcase/prima donna.
Etc.: Nolan is part of the Dan Reeves coaching tree, so I suppose that’s enough of a tie to meet that criteria.

Wade Phillips
System: Phillips has run both the 3-4 (New Orleans (?), San Diego, Atlanta, Dallas) and the 4-3 (Philadelphia, Denver, Buffalo).  I take this to mean that, for whatever faults he might have, ego is not really one of them—he’ll build a defense to fit the personnel instead of insisting that his system is flawless and the players need to change.  On top of which, if you’ve watched the Cowboys much, they use DeMarcus Ware almost entirely as a 4th down lineman, so envisioning Phillips moving back to the 4-3 is not hard.
Track Record: Defensive Line coach for the Houston Oilers, 1976-1980.  1981-1985, DC for the New Orleans Saints (also interim HC in 1985).  Eagles’ DC, 1986-1988.  Broncos DC, 1989-1992, and HC, 1993-1994.  1995-1997, Buffalo Bills DC and, 1998-2000, HC.  2002-2003, Atlanta Falcons DC.  2004-2006, San Diego Chargers DC.  2007-present, Dallas Cowboys HC.
Reasons For: Seems most likely to create system design to maximize Mario and DeMeco while minimizing Jacques.  Best resume by far.  Regardless of alignment, favors a blitzing, aggressive defense.  One of those “great coordinator, poor head coach” types.  Son of Bum.
Reasons Against: Currently still under contract at Dallas, so we’re not even sure he’ll be available.  Hiring a Dallas castoff didn’t work real well in the Reeves deal…just sayin’.  Hiring him probably means we draft DE/LB in the first even if Taylor Mays is available.
Etc.: Fun Fact:  Phillips still holds the career record for solo tackles at the U of Houston.  And if you can picture that fat tub as a college linebacker, you have a better imagination than I do.

Larry Coyer
System: Cover-2/Tampa-2.  More often than not while in Denver, Coyer ran a 4-3 with two deep safeties, splitting his coverage pretty evenly between zone and man.  Fairly vanilla as such things go.  He spent 2007-2008 learning from Monte Kiffin, however, so one assumes he would carry some of that Tampa-2 with him.
Track Record: Extensive record as college coach/coordinator and USFL experience.  2000-2006, linebackers coach/defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos.  2007-2008, defensive line coach/assistant head coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Reasons For: Under Coyer, the Denver defense was consistently among the league’s better units (aside from a late-season meltdown in 2006).  They were in the Top 7 in RUN DEFENSE (something we haven’t seen much of) every year while Coyer was there.  The Broncos were very good in total defense and scoring defense from 2003-most of 2006, ranking in the Top 5 in each multiple times and never finishing outside the top-10 in scoring.  Coyer’s system takes advantage of speed at linebackers and uses them to clean up most of the tackles, which could play to our advantage if Adibi is the tackle machine he looks like he could be.  In Tampa, Coyer’s defensive line was part of a defense that was 2nd in yards/game and 3rd in pts/game in 2007.
Reasons Against: He’s old (65).  His comments when he left Tampa–that he wanted to “pursue other things”–don’t sound like the words of a man who is looking to take on the pressures of being DC again.  (He might make a great line coach for us, however, if he’s wanting a job in the Alex Gibbs mold.)  He’s not overly aggressive, at least compared to some of these other guys, so we might have the same issues with our secondary being exposed if we’re not getting the pressure up front.  Success in Denver aside, Coyer doesn’t strike me as a much better choice than Frank Bush and at least Bush brings continuity and familiarity.
Etc.: We can look at Coyer as the ultimate “we hired him because Gary knew him in Denver” choice.

Frank Bush
System: Honestly, I’m not 100% sure.  My guess is that you’d see a defense that look a lot like last years’, except it would have fewer linemen in coverage, would be more aggressive with the linebackers, and would not hang us out to dry with ridiculous coverage shells.  In short, it would be the non-shortbus version of the Richard Smith defense.
Track Record: 1987-1992, Scout for the Houston Oilers.  1992-1994, Linebackers Coach for the Houston Oilers.  1995-1999, Linebackers Coach for the Denver Broncos.  2000, Secondary Coach for the Broncos.  2001-2003, Special Teams Coach, Denver Broncos.  2004-2005, Linebackers Coach for the Arizona Cardinals.  2006, Asst. HC/Linebackers, Arizona Cardinals.  2007-2008, Senior Defensive Assistant, Houston Texans.
Reasons For: Continuity and familiarity.  The players already love him.  Would probably be open to letting Kubiak and Rhodes help him pick his position coaches (could we get Coyer for the DL under Bush?).  If this is to be beleived, he’s already exerted some influence over the defensive scheming.
Reasons Against: No experience as a DC—if you are going to hire him, despite saying you want experience, it makes little sense to dismiss McDermott out of hand.  No clear picture of what his philosophy is (though we can guess).  Chance that some of the bad habits from the old regime remain if there isn’t a new, outside face brought in.
Etc.: A pretty strong case can be made that Bush is more of an unknown from a philosophy standpoint than anyone else on this list.

Jerry Gray
System: Most likely, a 4-3 that would closely mimic Gregg Williams’ system, as Gray came of age as a position coach under Williams.  Gray’s Buffalo squads ran a 4-3 heavy on blitzing, including zone blitzing, but that also featured Cover-2 shells from time to time.  He was a natural fit for Gregg Williams’ squad.
Track Record: 1997-2000, Defensive Assistant/Defensive Backs Coach for the BESFs.  2001-2005, DC for Buffalo Bills.  2006-2008, Secondary/CB coach for Washington Redskins.
Reasons For: Strong Houston ties.  Experienced.  If anyone could teach Jacques Reeves proper technique, it would be Gray.  Gray’s Buffalo squads finished in the Top-5 in total defense twice while he was there.  Gray’s secondary was probably the best overall unit on Washington’s D last this year.  Does not have the ego of Williams, so you could get Williams’ system (if you wanted it) without the extra baggage.
Reasons Against: Williams disciple means that many of the same problems I laid out with Williams’ scheme could pop up with Gray.  Zone blitzing is not evil per se (I actually kind of like it), but if it leads to more Nading or Mario in coverage, we’ll probably all lose our minds.  The three seasons in Buffalo where his squad wasn’t top-5, it was downright atrocious despite having quite a bit of talent on D.
Etc.: Defensive back of the year in 1989 and Pro Bowl MVP in 1990.  Seriously, if he can’t develop Fred, Jacques, and Antwaun, NO ONE can.

*****

So, what’s the moral here?  Well, if I were grouping the coaches, I’d put McDermott, Marinelli, and Phillips in the “Definite Yes” column; Bush, Coyer, and Gray in the “Well…OK” column; and Williams, Robinson, and Nolan in the “No Thanks” pool.  Really, though, Gregg Williams is the only one on this list that I am adamantly against for all the reasons detailed above.