My waaaayyyy too early GM/coaching search and draft

[bucsfan333]

Welp. Here we are. We're not gonna make the playoffs. Even getting to 8-8 looks like a longshot. That means Koetter is gone. His offensive prowess is great. There's no denying that. But he's in over his head as a HC. He'll go and be an OC somewhere and churn out top 10 (or better) offenses. But he wasn't the answer here. His obsession with "explosives" and whatever messages he's been trying to get across just haven't worked. His use of personnel has been questionable. His loyalty to veterans and refusal adapt are his downfall. We can blame the players all we want but he's the one in charge. You're only as good as your record. And his here stinks. I wish him well wherever he ends up.

All that said, let's get this started.

Licht got an extension this offseason, but it's doubtful he gets a crack at a third HC. It wouldn't surprise me if he somehow did, but I don't think it's likely. So who replaces him?

Brian Xanders. He's the senior personnel executive for the Rams. He was the GM of the Broncos (99-12) before Elway and they won their division every year he was there. He drafted Von Miller. He also drafted Tebow... But I'd imagine (hope) he's learned his lesson since then. It was 2010. But he's been working with McVay and the Rams and no doubt has taken notes from the best offensive mind in the game.

He's gonna need a HC. And it's an easy choice for him. Matt LaFleur interviewed for the Titans’ HC spot before he got passed over for Vrabel and  decided to stick around as their OC. LaFleur worked closely with McVay with the Rams and was the voice in Goff's ear when he broke out. He helped build an exciting, virtually unstoppable offense. And if there's anyone more familiar with what the Rams are doing on offense than Xanders, it's LaFleur.

LaFleur needs an OC. And McVay said he's not gonna block his staff from interviewing and leaving. So we nab their QB coach Zac Taylor to be our OC. LaFleur is gonna want some familiarity with what he wants to do. Taylor has also worked with WRs so his offensive knowledge extends a bit beyond just QBs. 

So what are we gonna do about the ******* mess on the other side of the ball? There's nowhere to go but up from the worst defense of all time. But who's gonna fix it? Kris Richard, the guy who created the Legion of Boom. He's the current DBs coach in Dallas: the 10th ranked pass defense and third ranked scoring defense. We want a more aggressive secondary? Kris Richard is the man for the job.

What about that last part of the team? A unit that has gotten worse every year over the last few years. A unit that has gone through half a dozen kickers in the last few years. Assuming Dan Quinn doesn't get fired after one bad season in Atlanta, Keith Armstrong isn't gonna be available for a lateral position. But Mayur Chaudhari is. He's the Falcons assistant special teams coach. And he's (ironically) gonna help end the Matt Bryant curse.

So that's that. We have our GM and coaches. Now onto the draft.

 

Round One

Ed Oliver, DT, Houston - But we just drafted Vea in the first last year. Yup. Vea is a 340lb+ behemoth. Oliver is the opposite. He's listed at 6'3" and 290lbs. Some reports say he's closer to 280. It doesn't matter. Dude's a monster in the middle who lives in the backfield. LaFleur saw first hand what Aaron Donald can do for a defense. And he tries to do it again.

Round Two

Michael Deiter, G, Wisconsin - You want an offensive lineman , draft from Wisconsin. You can't really go wrong. And he's pretty good. Wisky is rushing for over 260 ypg at over six ypc. And Deiter is a big part of that. At 6'6" and 325lbs, dude's got the size to move guys. He's an OT now but he's gonna be a guard in the NFL.

Round Three

Juan Thornhill, DB, Virginia - He's got experience playing safety and CB. And he's perfect for the Cover 3 type defense that Richard would likely run. At 6’ and over 200lbs he's got great size. He's pretty much Carlton Davis with better ball skills. He's got 11 career INTs and 23 PBUs.

Round Four

Kendall Joseph, LB, Clemson - He's undersized (6’ 225lbs) and rangy. He might get eaten up by guards in the NFL but his instincts are great and he makes plays. He's great in coverage, and that's really more important than anything in the NFL right now.

Round Five

Marlon Davidson, DE, Auburn - He's got good size (6’3” 280lbs) but his biggest contribution will be on special teams. He went three straight weeks with a blocked kick: Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. He's decent again the run but could use a lot of work as a pass rusher. But it's the fifth round. So why not take a special teamer?

Round Six

J.R. Reed, S, Georgia - He's athletic and rangy. There's a theme with this draft. He's not quite 200lbs but he's 6’1”. He's another special teams guy with the tools to maybe develop into a contributor on defense.

Round Seven

Brock Ruble, OT, Toledo - He's a large man (6’8” 320lbs) that moves guys in the run game. His pass pro needs work but that's the case for pretty much every offensive lineman that comes out every year.

 

Tl;dr - GM Brian Xanders, HC Matt LaFleur, OC Zac Taylor, DC Kris Richard, STC Mayur Chaudhari

Draft - DT Ed Oliver (HOU), G Michael Deiter (WIS), CB Juan Thornhill (VA), LB Kendall Joseph (CLEM), DE Marlon Davidson (AUB), S JR Reed (GA), OT Brock Ruble (TOL)

[ravishingone]

This is a good job.  I love the irony of Mariotta s 3rd OC becoming Winston s next HC.  The only piece I can t see happening is the DC.  Richards is already the play caller in Dallas, I doubt Jerry let s him leave, he ll pay him to stay.  Marinelli will leave or be elevated to some type of Assistant Head Coach.  I like the draft.

[bucsfan333]

6 minutes ago, ravishingone said:

This is a good job.  I love the irony of Mariotta s 3rd OC becoming Winston s next HC.  The only piece I can t see happening is the DC.  Richards is already the play caller in Dallas, I doubt Jerry let s him leave, he ll pay him to stay.  Marinelli will leave or be elevated to some type of Assistant Head Coach.  I like the draft.

Richards was my biggest stretch in terms of coaching connections. 😂 But I feel like finding a coach who excels at coaching the secondary would be the best route.

[Lil' Shorty]

No problems at all with the GM and coaches. I like it. It’s an offensive league and the connections make sense. I just hope we can get defense back on track. (Defensive HC doesn’t guarantee we get the defense back on track tho.) LeFleur is young so I hope he can bring discipline and accountability to this team.

Draft is solid. Hopefully Xanders does better than Licht. Licht’s drafts are overrated.

So what about off-season cuts and free agent signings @bucsfan333 ??

[bucsfan333]

24 minutes ago, Lil' Shorty said:

So what about off-season cuts and free agent signings @bucsfan333 ??

I'm not sure about those yet. They'll probably come later.

[REDandPEWTER]

How about zimmers son in Minnesota? He’s the LBs coach and he might be a good defensive coordinator. 

[REDandPEWTER]

44 minutes ago, Lil' Shorty said:

No problems at all with the GM and coaches. I like it. It’s an offensive league and the connections make sense. I just hope we can get defense back on track. (Defensive HC doesn’t guarantee we get the defense back on track tho.) LeFleur is young so I hope he can bring discipline and accountability to this team.

Draft is solid. Hopefully Xanders does better than Licht. Licht’s drafts are overrated.

So what about off-season cuts and free agent signings @bucsfan333 ??

There’s some in One buc via joe bucs fan podcasts feel that he struck out in 2016 completely and aren’t confident (yes that includes Carlton Davis) this class was even any good ) considering the talent he passed on at the same positions. 

Also 2014 was a complete wash. 

Lichts been slightly better than dom but that doesn’t make him good. 

[bucsfan333]

14 minutes ago, REDandPEWTER said:

How about zimmers son in Minnesota? He’s the LBs coach and he might be a good defensive coordinator. 

I considered him but couldn't find any connections. The coaching side of the league is almost 100% nepotism.

[REDandPEWTER]

I don’t want Ed Oliver. This next regime is to find guys who won’t quit on their coaches. And we’ve gotten players who’ve done it to Rah lovie koetter and Greg Schiano.