Matt Campbell

Coaching Rumors: McDaniels, Arians, Marrone

November 25th, 2018 at 10:25am CST by Rory Parks

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels seemed to irreparably damage his future head coaching prospects with every team in the league except New England when he infamously jilted the Colts last offseason. But he has already been mentioned as a candidate for the Browns‘ head coaching job, and as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, there will be no shortage in interest in McDaniels when the head coaching carousel starts spinning in 2019. La Canfora does not specifically name any teams who are expected to pursue the 42-year-old, but his sources indicate that McDaniels will be under strong consideration despite the fiasco in Indianapolis.

Now let’s take a look at other rumors concerning current, and possibly future, head coaches:

Speaking of the Browns, former Colts and Cardinals HC Bruce Arians recently said he would only consider becoming a head coach again if he were hired by Cleveland, but he walked those comments back shortly thereafter. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Arians was serious the first time and that he will contemplate returning to the sidelines if he can become the Browns’ head coach. Arians indicated that he will not consider overtures from any other clubs, but that if he does land the Cleveland gig, he would keep Freddie Kitchens as offensive coordinator and would consider keeping defensive coordinator Gregg Williams — currently the Browns’ interim HC — as well.
It remains to be seen whether Arians’ interest in the Browns is mutual, but La Canfora reports that the team is expected to reach out to Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, who is very much on the NFL’s radar as a legitimate head coaching candidate. We have heard previously that Cleveland GM John Dorsey is a big fan of Campbell.
Although the Jaguars are in the midst of a hugely disappointing season, Rapoport says that head coach Doug Marrone is not on the hot seat and is in no danger of losing his job at the moment (video link).
Despite unceremonious ousters from Oakland and Cleveland, La Canfora writes that Hue Jackson could become a head coach again as soon as next year. Jackson is back in Cincinnati as special assistant to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, and if Lewis were to retire or transition to an upper-management position, JLC suggests that Jackson could take the reins. Team owner Mike Brown, who does things his own way, is a big fan of Jackson, and league sources say they would not be surprised if Brown goes that route.
The Bears‘ defense is excelling in 2018, which means that Chicago defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will once again garner significant interest from teams looking for a new HC this offseason, per La Canfora. Fangio has interviewed previously for the head-coaching jobs in Chicago and San Francisco, and the Bears paid him very well to keep him aboard as Matt Nagy‘s DC when they hired Nagy to be their head coach earlier this year. There is a general bias against defensive-oriented coaches these days, but Fangio is regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the game and has a strong reputation for being able to connect with troubled players and to get the most out of his units.

Browns Fallout: Jackson, Staff, Mayfield

October 29th, 2018 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

In firing Hue Jackson and Todd Haley, the Browns axed the top two voices behind their offense on Monday. This came after reports of friction between the two, accounts that turned out to be very real and ones that could’ve been envisioned for anyone who saw Hard Knocks.

“The message today is we’re not going to put up with internal discord,” owner Jimmy Haslam said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “… We had some concerns going into the game, obviously (Sunday’s) performance was disappointing. We had several of our key people involved in this conversations last night and this morning and did what we think’s best for the organization.”

Haslam said he met with John Dorsey on Sunday night, and actions came down Monday morning. Although Jackson went 1-31 in his first two seasons with the team, Haslam opted to give him a third year because the aggressive rebuild — put forth by former GM Sashi Brown — put Jackson in a “difficult spot” (Twitter link via Cabot). Gregg Williams was the only person the Browns considered to be the interim HC, Haslam said (per Nate Ulrich of ohio.com, on Twitter).

Some Browns began to question Jackson’s credibility, as a result of the third-year HC following through on his intent to give Haley autonomy to run the offense, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. After running the offense in 2016 and ’17, Jackson wasn’t nearly as involved this season. Jackson, in turn, was frustrated Haley would “do his own thing,” Breer adds. Jackson’s message grew stale as the losses mounted, per Yahoo’s Terez Paylor. This is obviously not uncommon for teams in losing situations, and that descriptor might not be strong enough to describe the state of the Browns under Haslam. The seventh-year owner’s now fired four head coaches, and the Browns have won more than five games just once under his watch.

Baker Mayfield‘s development shifts to front and center, and Breer notes the Jackson firing probably won’t bother the rookie quarterback much. They didn’t exactly see eye to eye, per Breer. Though, the No. 1 overall pick now has to finish a season without a proven offensive voice in the building and will have to learn a new offense in 2019.

Williams is technically still defensive coordinator, in addition to becoming a first-time head coach at age 60. But some around the league believe he will promote his son, Blake Williams, to that post, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Blake Williams has been Cleveland’s linebackers coach for two seasons.

As far as a possible Jackson/Williams successor, Breer points out Dorsey has “the highest respect” for what Iowa State coach Matt Campbell‘s done. Campbell, 38, is from the Cleveland area (Massillon, Ohio) as well. While Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley may well get a look, since he’d be a natural fit given his mentoring of Mayfield with the Sooners, he doesn’t envision leaving Oklahoma (video link). Gregg Williams will also be a candidate for the full-time job, Haslam said (via Cabot, on Twitter). But such a scenario would be hard to envision.

Extra Points: Bills, McCoy, Chargers, Texans

September 20th, 2018 at 9:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Delicia Gordon, the ex-girlfriend of Bills running back LeSean McCoy, will hold a press conference on Friday to explain why she is “certain” McCoy was involved in a July home invasion that left her battered and bloodied, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. While Georgia police haven’t yet uncovered any direct evidence linking McCoy to the incident, Gordon is offering a $20K reward for information tying McCoy to the crime. Reports earlier this month indicated McCoy was not expected to face charges stemming from the invasion, while the NFL also hasn’t expressed any interest in suspending him. On the field, McCoy is questionable for Sunday’s contest against the Vikings as he deals with a rib injury.

Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget is suing athletic trainer Ian Danney for $15MM in damages after Danney allegedly injected the former first-round pick with a banned NFL substance, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com details. Danney reportedly told Liuget he was using an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory to treat pain, but Liuget alleges the substance led to his four-game performance-enhancing drug suspension. Liuget ultimately accepted a hefty pay cut from Los Angeles, as his pay was slashed from $8MM to just $935K (with more money available via incentives). As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Danney treats dozens of NFL players, so this case could be crucial on a league-wide basis.
The Texans are open to moving veteran defensive back Kareem Jackson back-and-forth between safety and cornerback, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. Jackson, a longtime corner, shifted to safety this offseason to replace Andre Hal, but moved back to corner against the Titans in Week 2. Now 30 years old, Jackson graded as just the No. 95 cornerback in 2017, per Pro Football Focus, so lining him up in that position certainly has its risks. Houston head coach Bill O’Brien said Jackson’s role will be determined on a week-to-week basis, and where Jackson lines up will affect whether Aaron Colvin (cornerback) or Justin Reid (safety) is viewed as a starter.
Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell is a name to watch in NFL circles, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. A general manager brought up Campbell’s name this summer, per Breer, and another executive mentioned Campbell after the Cylcones competed with Oklahoma last weekend. Campbell, who was highly successful at Toledo before taking over the Iowa State program in 2016, finished with an 8-5 record last year.