Underhill: Saints are interviewing probably 12 coaches [Tracker: 8 confirmed candidates] (27 Viewers)

I appreciate the additional info on Kafka. About all I knew of him is that he's been with the Giants, and neither the Giants O nor Daniel Jones have been impressive. I was also wondering "WTH?!" Is it safe to say he's "on the map" due to his work with Mahomes; but hasn't duplicated that without Mahomes? I don't want to turn my nose up to ANY candidate, but I'm honestly trying to understand what this guy brings to the table besides "worked with Pat Mahomes in his early years of being an NFL QB." What else am I missing?
I’m not sure what else to offer up aside from “many people, since his college days, saw coaching in his future” and “prior to taking a promotion at a talent-poor team, he was the position coach for the guy many of us would argue has played the best and most successful stretch of quarterbacking we’ve seen this generation”

In a comparable manner, I remember reading a 2000 Peach Bowl preview for the game between LSU & Georgia Tech. There was a section offering random tidbits about both teams, and for some reason “LSU safety Ryan Clark, who has a future in broadcasting once his playing career is over, looks to lead the Tigers secondary blah blah blah” and for some reason the broadcasting part stuck with me. Clark would up not being drafted but still made a lengthy career for himself, and now he’s a well-regarded broadcast host.

Sometimes people around the game know stuff. Instead of dismissing Kafka simply because his most recent employer is low on player talent, it helps to go look at the whole picture - and that includes quotes well-regarded coaches have said about him spanning back about two decades now. I know this fan base has talked itself into one of two candidates (Joe Brady, Aaron Glenn) and can’t fathom why the front office would even bother talking to anybody else, but the race to be pettier than the next fan is just tacky in my opinion. In the rise of the social media era, the Saints were a stable franchise, and now that the team is undergoing a legitimate coaching search for the first time in this noisy social media “everybody gets a voice” time, people are just looking to be snarky and petulant for likes (they saw how it worked for their Fire Dennis Allen diatribes and are going to keep tapping that well, hence the ill-guided Fire Mickey Loomis movement) instead of crediting the team for doing diligence to find the next coach.
 
I’m not sure what else to offer up aside from “many people, since his college days, saw coaching in his future” and “prior to taking a promotion at a talent-poor team, he was the position coach for the guy many of us would argue has played the best and most successful stretch of quarterbacking we’ve seen this generation”

In a comparable manner, I remember reading a 2000 Peach Bowl preview for the game between LSU & Georgia Tech. There was a section offering random tidbits about both teams, and for some reason “LSU safety Ryan Clark, who has a future in broadcasting once his playing career is over, looks to lead the Tigers secondary blah blah blah” and for some reason the broadcasting part stuck with me. Clark would up not being drafted but still made a lengthy career for himself, and now he’s a well-regarded broadcast host.

Sometimes people around the game know stuff. Instead of dismissing Kafka simply because his most recent employer is low on player talent, it helps to go look at the whole picture - and that includes quotes well-regarded coaches have said about him spanning back about two decades now. I know this fan base has talked itself into one of two candidates (Joe Brady, Aaron Glenn) and can’t fathom why the front office would even bother talking to anybody else, but the race to be pettier than the next fan is just tacky in my opinion. In the rise of the social media era, the Saints were a stable franchise, and now that the team is undergoing a legitimate coaching search for the first time in this noisy social media “everybody gets a voice” time, people are just looking to be snarky and petulant for likes (they saw how it worked for their Fire Dennis Allen diatribes and are going to keep tapping that well, hence the ill-guided Fire Mickey Loomis movement) instead of crediting the team for doing diligence to find the next coach.


Additional info on Kafka:

 
Interview Requests List
( ) = scheduled interview date


1. Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver (Wed. January 8th)
2. Giants AHC/OC Mike Kafka (Thu. January 9th)
3. Lions DC Aaron Glenn (Fri. January 10th)
4. Saints STC/IHC Darren Rizzi
5. Bills OC Joe Brady
6. Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury
7. Eagles OC Kellen Moore
8. former Titans HC Mike Vrabel
9.
10.
11.
12.



Something to keep in mind to try to not overreact to every report. Every interviewee in the search isn’t meant to be a big name or slam dunk candidate. A wide open search will have supposed underwhelming candidates to have a legitimate process. That can allow them to select the best hire after gathering as much information as possible.




I wouldn’t mind seeing Doug Pederson on this list. I know he failed in Jax, but he brought Philly their only Lombardi, he has La ties, he was probably one of the best candidates when DA got it, and I’m not sure his failures in Jax were predominantly his fault.
 
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I wouldn’t mind seeing Doug Pederson on this list. I know he failed in Jax, but he brought Philly their only Lombardi, he has La ties, he was probably ine of the beat candidates when DA got it, and I’m not sure his failures in Jax were predominantly his fault.

Liam Coen and Todd Monken are the ones I’d like to see added to the list. Obviously Ben Johnson but I’m guessing he doesn’t want to come here.
 
Ben Johnson probably ends up with the Raiders if what is being said about Brady being the one who is pretty much running the football operations show there now. Greatest player to ever play the game has some serious cachet, he knows what it takes from an organization to be successful.
 
Ben Johnson probably ends up with the Raiders if what is being said about Brady being the one who is pretty much running the football operations show there now. Greatest player to ever play the game has some serious cachet, he knows what it takes from an organization to be successful.

Having a former player who has a full time job as a broadcaster basically running your football operations from afar seems like a recipe for disaster. I get that Brady's cache might convince Johnson, but that's a huge unknown. Nobody even knows if Brady has any idea how to evaluate players or run a team. And, you never know when Mark Davis is going to order him ignored even if Brady is good at running a team and picking players.

That being said, I think Johnson ends up in Chicago.
 
Ben Johnson probably ends up with the Raiders if what is being said about Brady being the one who is pretty much running the football operations show there now. Greatest player to ever play the game has some serious cachet, he knows what it takes from an organization to be successful.

I don't think so. A guy with his options waits three years to go to that mess with no QB and no guarantee he's going to be able to get one this year? Mark Davis is still majority owner there. And you're in the divison with Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton…and they have their QBs. I can't see it. That's a 4th place team for the foreseeable future.
 
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May want to grab brady when we can. He will be locked down soon as a coach and i think has the it factor it.
 
I wouldn't be shocked if Gruden ended up coaching the team given his history here. Could be great, could be a failure, hard to say.

I know I don't really want to see Carr back at QB, but will we have a better option next year? Hard to say.

I gotta agree, 12 does sound like an Art Vandelay type number,good call Judge Smails 👍

All I can do is hope they leave no stone unturned and make smart decisions that will equal success and give us an exciting team to watch.
 
I have to say that I really like what Kingsbury has done with the Washington offense. Not that I think we have the QB to do the exact things they are doing, but Kingsbury has totally changed from the scheme he used to run, to adjust to Daniels. That's the kind of thing a great offensive mind does and can do.
 

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