Albert Breer’s Nfl Takeaways: The Patriots Don’t Want To Be Called Cinderella

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1. New England Patriots
2. Los Angeles Rams
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Denver Broncos
5. Buffalo Bills
6. New York Giants
7. Atlanta Falcons
8. Miami Dolphins
9. Green Bay Packers
10. Quick-hitters

Sunday’s convention title games, and a full batch much successful nan takeaways.

New England Patriots

The Patriots don’t want to beryllium anyone’s Cinderella. But it was difficult not to spot it that way—in a Gillette Stadium snowfall globe—as nan timepiece ticked down and nan crowd belted retired Bon Jovi’s Livin’ connected a Prayer. In truthful galore ways, nan infinitesimal illustrated really Mike Vrabel’s first squad successful New England has been viewed from nan outside: A scrappy, talent-deficient bunch, leaning connected its caller coach and a second-year backmost playing astatine an MVP level.

How could a squad that went 4–13 successful 2023 and ’24 beryllium successful this spot? The conception of this scene, punctuating a breezy 28–16 triumph complete nan Texans and their vaunted defense, seemed excessively far-fetched to moreover believe for 5 months ago.

Yet, present were Vrabel’s Patriots, 16 wins later, headed for nan AFC title game. And they’ll beryllium nan first ones to show you that they’ve arrived astatine this constituent of nan NFL play connected a full batch much than fairy dust. All along, nan players connected a roster that Vrabel and unit main Eliot Wolf, on pinch lieutenants specified arsenic Ryan Cowden and John Streicher, built into a contender saw a squad that was amended than astir of america (my hand’s up) imagined possible.

In a quiet infinitesimal astatine nan extremity of nan locker room, pinch a achromatic hoodie connected and a backpack slung complete his correct shoulder, fresh to caput retired into a achromatic wintertime New England night, nan team’s 23-year-old superstar backmost wasn’t acrophobic to opportunity arsenic much. He knew what group were saying astir their schedule. But he besides knew his squad wouldn’t wilt arsenic nan title stiffened.

“We’re not trying to beryllium anybody incorrect aliases anybody right,” Drake Maye told me. “And erstwhile we’re successful games, we’re playing bully defense, trying to show bully teams that we tin play pinch them. I deliberation we’ve done that each year. I don’t deliberation we’ve shied distant yet.

“We haven’t really gotten our butts kicked by anybody.”

It was a subtle measurement for Maye to constituent to nan obvious—maybe we’ve each underrated what we’ve been watching. Because if nan talent were still deficient, arsenic it truthful intelligibly was nan 2 years earlier this one, personification surely would’ve exposed that by now.

The reality is that it’s really been nan opposite. Seven of nan Patriots’ 14 wins came by double-digit margins, and some of their playoff wins person arsenic well. New England’s 3 losses, each one-possession games, were by a combined 18 points. Their constituent differential for nan play was plus-170, which classed down only nan Seahawks (191) and nan Rams (172).

Yes, nan schedule was a factor. But that doesn’t mean nan Patriots aren’t good.

“I don’t deliberation we bargain into what everyone other [says],” Stefon Diggs told me, arsenic he was leaving Gillette Stadium. “Everybody that comes into activity each and each time present ain’t complete present saying we sewage a Cinderella story. Like, nah, we travel successful and activity hard, we do what we are expected to—and we effort our champion connected Sundays. It’s not excessively overmuch of a story. Everybody other tin bargain into that narrative. For us, we effort to beryllium a bully shot team, a well-coached shot team, and do nan correct things consistently.”

So overmuch of that is owed to nan near-spotless offseason overhaul that Vrabel, Wolf, nan coaching unit and unit section orchestrated. Diggs was a big-ticket point that hit, arsenic was Milton Williams. Mid-level free agents specified arsenic K’Lavon Chaisson and Khyris Tonga, copy terrors connected nan protect statement connected Sunday, are portion of it, too. As has been a bumper harvest of draftees, headlined by Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson and Craig Woodson.

But connected this day, it was arsenic overmuch astir nan guys Vrabel inherited.

It was DeMario “Pop” Douglas, sixth-round prime successful 2023, taking a slant connected fourth-and-1, 28 yards to nan location to commencement nan scoring. It was Marcus Jones, a ’22 third-rounder, picking disconnected a C.J. Stroud propulsion that had popped successful nan aerial connected a Chaisson deed and moving it backmost 26 yards for a touchdown aft nan Texans took their only lead of nan game, 10–7, and had a chance to adhd to it. And it was Kayshon Boutte, different ’23 sixth-rounder, notching a spectacular drawback connected third-and-4 pinch 13 minutes near for a 32-yard touchdown to push nan lead to 28–16.

That, by nan way, came against a historical Texans defense, which had a very clear and concise talent separator coming in. Or truthful everyone thought.

“This has go a really bully team,” different holdover, Rhamondre Stevenson, said. “We cognize what nan Texans’ defense brought and what they were going to bring passim nan week—great defense, particularly erstwhile you look astatine nan numbers and stats. They’re up location successful everything. So we knew it was going to beryllium a difficult fight. But we knew we’re good, too. Our discourtesy is good, too. We cognize really to get nan shot rolling bully up front. We’re disciplined.

“So, nary Cinderella stories astir here.”

This communicative whitethorn not beryllium dissimilar 1 Vrabel was a portion of a procreation ago, successful his first twelvemonth arsenic a subordinate pinch nan Patriots. That year, 2001, nan Patriots came retired of obscurity to triumph a Super Bowl, and that group was considered a ragtag outfit, pieced together pinch underdog draught picks (like nan feline who wore No. 12) and mostly forgotten free agents.

That squad had Tom Brady, Matt Light, Troy Brown, Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Ted Johnson, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy and Adam Vinatieri. That instauration won 2 much championships and was overmuch amended than anyone thought astatine nan time.

And it was a group that was famously together, insisting connected being introduced arsenic a squad astatine nan Super Bowl, nan measurement this group has become.

“We’re conscionable trying to play for ourselves and play for each other,” Maye said.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams had to propulsion retired each nan stops successful frigid Chicago. And 1 of nan measures they went to successful bid to woody pinch nan acold was, arsenic mentioned connected nan NBC broadcast, uncovering nan spiciest rootlike imaginable.

“There were immoderate guys connected nan squad pouring cayenne capsicum connected their feet,” information Kam Curl told maine postgame. “That’s thing I’ve ne'er seen before. I didn’t effort it this time, but they said it worked. So I’m going to deliberation astir it. But I mightiness not do it. That was beautiful crazy.”

So, too, was nan game, and it took that benignant of resourcefulness for L.A. to eke this 1 out.

The last was 20–17, and location were excessively galore large moments to count successful a crippled that felt for illustration it was being played connected nan Blackhawks’ ice, alternatively than nan Bears’ grass, because each play felt magnified by nan conditions.

There was a fourth-down touchdown from nan Bears connected their 2nd drive, mixed successful pinch 3 fourth-down stops by nan Rams’ rugged defense—the first a prime by Cobie Durant, nan 2nd pinch Curl starring a group of Rams to hide Kyle Monangai successful nan backfield, and nan 3rd an Omar Speights walk breakup pinch 3:03 to go, and L.A. up 17–10.

There was past a 5th fourth-down effort from nan Bears, which produced nan wildest play of nan playoffs: pinch 4 yards to gain, nan shot astatine nan Rams’ 14 and 27 seconds left. On nan play, Williams retreated to nan 40, and launched a moonshot that Cole Kmet ran nether and caught successful nan backmost area of nan extremity area to unit overtime.

“Nothing went wrong,” Curl said. “That’s conscionable a free play. Caleb makes those types of plays; that’s nan type of feline he is. Throwing it up to a large feline for illustration Kmet—he benignant of pushed my canine Cobie Durant astatine nan extremity to get nan ball, but nan ref didn’t telephone anything. So erstwhile that happened, we conscionable had to reset and hide everything.”

And that’s erstwhile Curl made an moreover bigger play successful overtime, stopping a Bears thrust that had moved from nan Chicago 16 into Rams territory, giving nan hosts a changeable to extremity it pinch a section goal. On nan play, Williams tried to lead DJ Moore crossed nan field. Moore slowed down. Curl, recognizing nan play, didn’t slow down, fundamentally moving nan receiver’s way for him and snaring nan ball.

“There was a small spot of tell—the shots they for illustration to take, they spell successful a definite direction,” Curl said. “We saw that connected film. And erstwhile nan play started, I could spot what routes were developing. And I knew I had my area backside to thief me, and I was successful nan post, arsenic nan station safety. So I went to return nan shot, he threw nan shot and I made nan play.”

Matthew Stafford did nan rest, pinch big-time throws to Colby Parkinson, Davante Adams and Puka Nacua mounting up Harrison Mevis’s 42-yard game-winner and sending nan Rams backmost to Seattle, wherever they mislaid different overtime thriller successful December.

So what this 1 lacked successful shot aesthetics, nan Rams made up for successful guts, scratching past nan Bears to get different changeable astatine nan Seahawks.

As for what they’re expecting erstwhile they get that shot, it could beryllium much of nan same.

“It’s going to beryllium a crippled of nan defenses for illustration today—both defenses were hooping today,” Curl said. “I consciousness for illustration that’s going to beryllium nan sanction of nan game— whichever defense plays nan champion is going to triumph nan game.”

That was nan Rams connected Sunday, barely.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are pushing each nan correct buttons—and person nan astir complete squad successful shot correct now. This isn’t conscionable that they perfectly blew nan wounded 49ers into a cardinal pieces connected Saturday night. It’s really quickly they did it, and really just astir each shape and facet of nan cognition was successful connected it.

How do you people 41 points pinch your backmost throwing for 124 yards? Here’s how: 

• You person your midseason acquisition/big-play machine, Rashid Shaheed, return nan opening kickoff backmost 95 yards for a touchdown.

• You extremity your force connected fourth-and-1 adjacent midfield connected their first possession, and past person Ernest Jones IV (a waste and acquisition acquisition past year) wrestle nan shot loose from Jake Tonges connected their 2nd possession to group up short fields for your offense.

• Your discourtesy turns that turnover-on-downs and that turnover into 10 points, possessing nan shot to support your defense, playing pinch a ton of momentum, fresh.

And if it’s 17–0 successful nan blink of an eye, now you tin thin into your tally crippled (175 yards connected 33 carries) and get much exotic connected defense because your force gets much predictable (Brock Purdy vanished pinch a 54.6 passer rating). Which is really Seattle’s virtuoso capacity astatine an electrical Lumen Field beautiful overmuch defined nan well-worn complementary shot cliché.

“I deliberation it’s adjacent to opportunity that this was a crippled wherever each 3 phases of shot were really firing connected each cylinders. Really complementary football,” all-pro protect lineman Leonard Williams said complete nan telephone an hr aft nan game. “The kickoff squad was doing its thing, putting america successful a awesome position connected defense. The discourtesy was capitalizing connected violative turnovers. It’s easier said than done, but I deliberation each squad says it wants to beryllium a squad that performs good successful each 3 phases of football.

“And it’s genuinely 1 of nan [first] times I’ve ever been connected 1 that has been capable to do that.”

So really did they get there?

It’s beautiful interesting. I’ve mentioned successful this abstraction complete nan people of this play that nan Seahawks really felt like, successful Mike Macdonald’s 2nd season, they’d worked nan roster to a constituent wherever it fresh his imagination for nan team.

Asked to sum up what that looks like, Williams said Macdonald wants a squad that’s “loose and focused,” which has been a mantra astir that spot for nan past 2 years. “It makes it nosy to beryllium astatine work,” he continued. “And erstwhile you make it a nosy situation to beryllium astatine work, guys activity hard, guys are much connected, and guys are much locked in.”

Along those lines, location was a full-circle infinitesimal for nan protect players astatine nan squad edifice connected Friday. Going backmost to OTAs, Macdonald would propulsion players up to nan beforehand of nan room to explicate why they play football. The answers were beautiful standard—for family, for a precocious schoolhouse coach, for their faith. It was what you’d expect.

So nan evening earlier nan game, protect coordinator Aden Durde had his players look astir nan room and told them that he believed they were doing it for each other.

“We’ve adapted different why,” Durde said, “and that’s this room correct here.”

It was evident again Sunday, pinch different capacity that showed a squad playing arsenic Macdonald wanted—loose and focused. And for each other, pinch each portion picking up nan next. It’d been coming for a while, manifesting nan exemplary arsenic nan play coiled down. “We started peaking toward nan extremity of nan play astatine nan correct time,” Williams said. “I felt for illustration we conscionable started getting amended and better.”

And by nan looks of Saturday, if that keeps happening, Seattle’s gonna beryllium reliable to beat.

Denver Broncos

Denver is successful a fascinating and challenging spot. It was astir an hr aft nan Broncos’ unthinkable 33–30 overtime triumph complete nan Bills that a trainer entered Sean Payton’s agency astatine Mile High to find nan Denver coach and GM George Paton to present nan news. Payton had already surgery nan squad down, done his property conference, and was preparing to move nan page erstwhile he sewage nan connection that Bo Nix had fractured a bony successful his ankle and needed surgery.

This benignant of point isn’t unprecedented, of course. But examples for illustration Jeff Hostetler successful 1990, Kurt Warner successful ’99, Tom Brady successful 2001 and Nick Foles successful ’17 came pinch quarterbacks getting wounded during nan regular play or, successful Warner’s case, moreover earlier that.

The Broncos mislaid their backmost connected nan doorstep of nan AFC title game, connected nan last bid of nan divisional round, leaving their backup, Jarrett Stidham, pinch only a azygous threat played this play to thin on, arsenic he settles successful arsenic nan team’s starter going into nan NFL semifinals.

So this will either beryllium nan extremity of this year’s Broncos aliases a communicative without precedent.

Is location immoderate logic to believe nan second will play out?

To get there, you person to person immoderate level of belief successful Stidham, and nan Broncos do. There’s a logic why Denver outbid nan Raiders—who wanted to support their backup to push Jimmy Garoppolo successful 2023—for Stidham, moreover pinch Russell Wilson and his monolithic statement successful place. Payton and Paton wanted a contingency scheme astatine backmost successful lawsuit things didn’t activity retired pinch their big-money starter. Stidham was a fresh because they knew—given his acquisition pinch Josh McDaniels some successful Las Vegas and New England—that he could grip a analyzable offense.

That’s why they signed him to a two-year, $10 cardinal woody successful 2023. And he did capable successful his first 2 years arsenic a Bronco, including a short-but-solid stint starting aft Wilson was benched, to gain a two-year, $12 cardinal hold successful March of ’24. He followed that up arsenic PFF’s apical preseason backmost this summertime (yes, I know, that’s for illustration touting a feline being an International League all-star earlier his MLB debut), pinch a 5–1 big-time-throw-to-turnover-worthy-play ratio.

Here’s really I’d adhd each this up: I think, for 3 and a half quarters, Denver mightiness beryllium capable to assimilate what Nix brought to nan position. Stidham’s a bully athlete, though not nan runner Nix is. He’s sewage existent limb talent, and ever has. What we don’t cognize is whether he’ll beryllium nan subordinate Nix was erstwhile it mattered most. Remember, nan Broncos’ starter led 7 fourth-quarter comebacks successful nan regular season, and different against nan Bills (plus a game-winning thrust for a section extremity successful overtime).

Can Stidham make nan high-difficulty propulsion Nix did to Marvin Mims Jr.—the 26-yard onslaught to put Denver up pinch 55 seconds left—when nan chips are pushed to nan mediate of nan table? It’s difficult to say. But based connected what they cognize astir Stidham, nan Broncos consciousness O.K.

“We were devastated for Bo, but nary one’s flinching,” said 1 staffer. “It’s like, ‘O.K., it’s Stiddy now. We deliberation he’s a starter successful nan league.”

He’ll surely person a changeable to beryllium it connected Sunday.

Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen will move 30 this offseason, and that’ll put unit connected a batch of folks successful Buffalo. In fact, I could consciousness a small spot of that already successful really Sean McDermott aggressively addressed Saturday’s officiating (and I really work together pinch him), first successful his property convention and past again successful an impromptu excavation study pinch Jay Skurski of nan Buffalo News.

McDermott sounded for illustration a feline who knows really precious these opportunities are pinch Allen, who will move 30 connected May 21. And he was crushed that nan Bills couldn’t return advantage.

There was nary Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow aliases Lamar Jackson successful this year’s AFC bracket. Yes, nan Bills had immoderate reliable injuries, including 1 that took their champion protect player, Ed Oliver, retired for astir of nan season, and past again for astir of Saturday’s loss. But they besides had nan NFL’s rushing champion (James Cook II), a mates of fantabulous tight ends (Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox), a coagulated statement and a defense performing successful large moments.

It wasn’t nan champion squad Allen’s had astir him. However, Buffalo recovered itself successful a drawstring of comeback wins—over nan Buccaneers, Steelers, Bengals and Patriots—during which nan Bills took afloat bid successful nan 4th quarter. It happened again successful nan wild-card information successful Jacksonville. And astir again successful Denver.

Instead, Allen and his teammates, and McDermott and his coaches, are done for 2025 alternatively of finishing nan occupation and going connected nan roadworthy for a matchup against nan Patriots successful nan AFC title game.

And there’s plentifulness to lament from nan Denver game. There was Allen missing Knox connected what might’ve been nan game-winning touchdown, and nan walk interference calls (one of which was fine, nan different terrible), and Joey Bosa’s roughing flag. But location was besides nan emotion that nan Bills could’ve kept themselves retired of that spot if Allen had played a small cleaner, which astir apt would’ve happened if Buffalo had a small much astir him.

There were points Saturday, and passim nan season, erstwhile things conscionable looked excessively difficult for that offense, pinch nan champion subordinate connected nan satellite nether center. That’s not to exonerate him for his mistakes (the fumble astatine nan extremity of nan first half successful Denver was arsenic disfigured arsenic it gets), it’s conscionable what nan Bills’ reality was this year.

The Bills missed connected Keon Coleman, Band-Aided nan problem pinch Brandin Cooks, and became excessively reliant connected Khalil Shakir. It’s put them successful a position, arsenic I spot it, to person to get imaginative to find Allen much thief this offseason.

There’s going to beryllium a costs to that, of course.

But it won’t beryllium arsenic costly arsenic missing nan model to triumph pinch talent astatine nan astir important position successful sports.

New York Giants

The Giants’ committedness to getting John Harbaugh is evident successful nan logic for nan hold connected nan contract. By now, everyone knows what that was about.

New York is undergoing a very existent restructuring successful shot operations.

Dating backmost to George Young and Bill Parcells, nan coach has reported to nan GM, and nan GM has reported to nan owner. It moreover worked that measurement erstwhile Tom Coughlin was there, and Jerry Reese was promoted to GM aft Ernie Accorsi walked distant successful early 2007. That aforesaid setup has been successful spot nether nan authorities led by Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, which worked to modernize galore different aspects of nan shot team.

Landing Harbaugh meant going a measurement further. In nan caller model, Harbaugh and Schoen will some study to John Mara. Seeking alignment and committedness from nan organization, nan caller coach besides had to person different things successful place.

One was making judge he could activity pinch nan group connected hand, and he sewage to that constituent pinch Schoen complete nan past 10 days. (Schoen was a important portion of nan team’s recruitment of Harbaugh.) Harbaugh knew, too, that it'd beryllium important to get to cognize Chris Mara, pinch John’s younger relative taking connected much wrong nan statement arsenic nan elder related has been successful nan throes of a crab fight. “He was great,” Harbaugh told maine when we said Saturday.

The 2nd was ensuring that things were formatted correctly. After 18 years successful Baltimore, moving successful 1 of nan NFL’s astir built-out shot operations, Harbaugh had a beautiful bully thought of what he’d want from a assets standpoint. In immoderate areas, nan Giants were wherever they needed to beryllium (sports science). In others (analytics), they had a ways to go. Harbaugh wasn’t asking anyone other to put this for him. He conscionable wanted to propulsion it disconnected himself.

The Giants’ committedness assured him that he’d get what he needed. And now, successful his words, “We gotta spell successful and build it.”

In nan end, I would opportunity everyone’s bosom was successful nan correct place. Harbaugh wanted nan champion chance to triumph wherever he went. The Giants wanted nan champion coach they could get, and personification who could—as Coughlin did 2 decades ago—set nan reside for an statement that’s fallen connected reliable times. And now, we get to spot wherever that goes.

What I tin say, having talked to capable group successful nan Giants’ organization, is that everyone is connected committee pinch Harbaugh’s imagination going forward.

Which is simply a awesome spot for them each to start.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons sewage what they were looking for successful Kevin Stefanski. When nan study that Arthur Blank ordered from nan consultants astatine Sportology adjacent nan extremity of nan regular play came back, nan Atlanta proprietor had a beautiful bully thought of what he had to do. They advised him to prosecute a elder serviceman to oversee nan shot broadside of his franchise, which turned retired to beryllium Matt Ryan. Blank had to find ways to create greater accountability crossed his team, and Ryan’s domiciled fresh nan bill.

The shortcomings had festered complete nan years. They were location earlier nan now fired GM Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris took over. Seeing Ryan request accountability among his teammates arsenic a subordinate gave Blank assurance he was nan correct fit. And they needed a coach to brace pinch him who’d beryllium capable to bring that aforesaid benignant of value to lead nan on-field product.

They didn’t person to hold agelong to find it successful Stefanski. 

After meal astatine Blank’s location connected Saturday night, Stefanski really suggested to Ryan that nan 2 spell backmost to nan squad installation to activity done staffing. Ryan reminded him that nan team’s office were astir an hr thrust distant from Buckhead, successful Flowery Branch, which sits successful nan city’s northernmost suburbs. So they recovered different spot to retreat to, distant from nan others, to person nan discussion.

That was aft a nighttime of ceremony astatine nan owner’s estate. It started pinch Stefanski having an hour-and-a-half gathering pinch Blank, his son/VP Josh, squad president Greg Beadles and Ryan. After that, Blank had a steak and murphy barroom for dinner. He cooked nan ribeyes himself. And aft everyone ate, Blank offered Stefanski nan job.

What nan Falcons saw successful Stefanski’s first interview, and again successful this past one, was a coach reenergized by nan chance astatine a caller start, and 1 pinch a clear scheme for really to onslaught it.

That power was apparent, too, pinch nan coach’s chomping astatine nan spot to commencement identifying assistants. Atlanta blocked DC Jeff Ulbrich, who sewage unthinkable maturation from a young defense this year, from interviewing for coordinator jobs during nan search, and he’ll apt enactment aboard nether Stefanski. Ex-Titans coach Brian Callahan and Browns OC Tommy Rees are considerations connected nan violative side.

And aft that, they’ll move onto nan GM search. I’d expect some Chicago’s Ian Cunningham and San Francisco’s Josh Williams to beryllium successful nan running, aft interviewing for nan president of shot occupation that Ryan landed. Detroit’s Mike Disner and Carolina’s Brandt Tilis, connected nan different hand, were much conscionable candidates for Ryan’s job, pinch their existent roles parallel pinch nan GMs wrong their teams.

Cunningham’s been nan presumed front-runner for nan job, successful portion because his leader successful Chicago, Bears GM Ryan Poles, is 1 of Ryan’s champion friends. There’s besides a nexus to Stefanski, pinch Cunninghaming having worked pinch Browns GM Andrew Berry successful Philadelphia. Berry still has beardown relationships pinch some Stefanski and Cunningham, which could activity successful Cunningham’s favor.

I’d expect nan coaching unit to return privilege complete nan adjacent mates of days, pinch nan squad diving successful connected uncovering a wide head astatine immoderate constituent this week.

It’s adjacent to opportunity that pinch Ryan and Stefanski in, nan Falcons are disconnected to a bully start.

Miami Dolphins

Jeff Hafley whitethorn beryllium nan adjacent domino to autumn successful nan coaching cycle. Hafley will meet pinch nan Dolphins connected Monday afternoon, arsenic Miami kicks disconnected its 2nd shape of interviews. And this 1 could power up quickly, arsenic location is immoderate title there.

The Packers’ protect coordinator is scheduled to spell to Tennessee for a 2nd question and reply pinch nan Titans connected Tuesday, and nan Raiders and Cardinals are besides looking to bring Hafley backmost for 2nd interviews. So while this isn’t a don’t-let-him-leave-the-building business for illustration John Harbaugh, location would surely beryllium immoderate level of consequence (if Hafley is their guy) successful allowing him to committee nan level to Nashville.

The fit’s there, too, for respective reasons. Among them:

• The Dolphins are looking for a coach who tin collaborate, chiefly pinch caller GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and SVP of shot and business management Brandon Shore, who’ll beryllium portion of a three-headed exemplary pinch nan caput coach—rather than going and uncovering a Bill Parcells–type ruler of shot ops. Hafley’s inheritance and very powerful ties to Sullivan, built complete nan past 2 years successful Green Bay, make him an easy prime connected that count.

• First and foremost, Miami wants to amended astatine identifying and processing young talent. Over nan past 4 years, nan Dolphins person had nan fewest draught picks of immoderate squad successful football, and nan results person shown connected a roster lacking successful cornerstones. Landing Sullivan was a precise onslaught astatine fixing that. Hafley’s not only from nan aforesaid draft-and-develop instrumentality successful Green Bay, but was besides capable to place and create talent successful his erstwhile occupation arsenic caput coach astatine Boston College.

• Hafley’s expertise to get nan astir retired of guys is simply a large portion to that puzzle, and it’s thing that’s going to beryllium important for a coach moving successful South Florida (given each nan distractions for young players there). He sewage nan astir retired of guys for illustration Micah Parsons and Xavier McKinney, who’d worn retired their welcomes elsewhere, and he built a beardown capable enslaved pinch Zay Flowers to support him astatine Boston College, without nan NIL resources of different schools.

So Miami makes sense. But I’d besides opportunity there’s a beardown communal liking betwixt Hafley and nan Titans, which could make for an absorbing day connected Monday.

Green Bay Packers

​​The Packers did nan correct point successful reupping coach Matt LaFleur, and successful moving to do nan aforesaid pinch GM Brian Gutekunst. To me, this was a no-brainer each along—but successful today’s Fire Everybody environment, sometimes group person problem seeing nan bigger picture.

So let’s laic this out, successful black-and-white terms:

• Over LaFleur’s 7 years successful charge, nan Packers person gone 76-40-1. That’s a winning percent that ranks 16th each time, up of Andy Reid, Sean Payton and Mike Tomlin, arsenic good arsenic LaFleur’s ain adjacent friends/old coworkers Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. It’s besides 4th among progressive coaches, down only Nick Sirianni, Jim Harbaugh and Sean McDermott.

• LaFleur successfully helped nan Packers navigate nan extremity of nan Aaron Rodgers era, getting 2 MVP seasons retired of nan early Hall of Famer, successful 2020 and ’21, while he was astatine likelihood pinch nan beforehand office. LaFleur’s domiciled arsenic buffer successful those years was perfectly invaluable—and came aft location were a batch of questions complete whether his scheme, which successful nan past hadn’t fixed overmuch power to nan quarterback, would moreover activity for Rodgers.

• LaFleur helped to identify, draught and create Jordan Love, putting nan Packers successful a spot wherever they could seamlessly move from 1 era to nan next, nan aforesaid measurement they had gone from Brett Favre to Rodgers (though location was a small play successful some cases).

• And nan group skills LaFleur displayed successful those situations—managing Rodgers’s issues wrong nan organization, and nan modulation to Love—have been evident of late, successful helping to alteration nan acquisitions that we cited successful discussing Hafley earlier. Xavier McKinney and Micah Parsons person fresh into LaFleur’s program, and that’s a in installments to nan coach.

Now, is location going to travel a constituent wherever conscionable making nan playoffs (and nan Packers person done that successful six of LaFleur’s 7 years, including Love’s first 3 years arsenic starter) won’t beryllium enough? Sure, that could yet happen. But for now, he has what looked for illustration a Super Bowl squad astatine points earlier successful nan season—that mislaid Parsons, Devonte Wyatt and Tucker Kraft—coming backmost adjacent twelvemonth pinch 1 of nan NFL’s champion rosters.

Pulling nan plug connected that, to beryllium frank, would’ve been malpractice.

And we each cognize nan Packers are a batch amended than that.

Quick-hitters

And pinch that, we’ll dive into nan quick-hitters. Let’s go!

• My workfellow Conor Orr had a coagulated file connected really defenses person made quarterbacks look disconnected successful nan playoffs—and I deliberation that’s much than fair. It’s besides reflected successful nan number of defense coaches (Hafley, Chargers DC Jesse Minter, Rams DC Chris Shula) who person received galore question and reply requests from teams.

• Mike McDaniel has made nan rounds, and if I had to guess, he’ll astir apt upwind up arsenic an violative coordinator successful nan adjacent week aliases so. I’ve heard Tampa Bay could beryllium a bully spot for him, and that, if he does a bully job, he could beryllium group up to beryllium Todd Bowles’s eventual successor.

• I for illustration nan imaginable fresh of Steelers OC Arthur Smith pinch either nan Chargers aliases Lions, wherever he could bring nan powerfulness tally crippled that some caput coaches crave, mixed pinch immoderate Shanahan-McVay principles that could thief springiness nan quarterbacks a amended chance.

• I ever for illustration to inquire teams astir nan coaches they didn’t hire because it tin thief cognize who’s doing good connected nan question and reply circuit. Along those lines, had nan Falcons grounded to onshore Stefanski, they were hoping to bring Hafley and Minter backmost for 2nd interviews.

• The beingness of Jim Schwartz successful Cleveland is interesting. While I don’t deliberation nan adjacent Browns coach will needfully beryllium forced to support him arsenic DC, based connected really nan defense has played and really nan unit connected that broadside has developed talent, it’s intelligibly nan penchant of nan folks location to person him connected nan coaching unit successful 2026. And if things break a definite way, possibly it’ll beryllium arsenic caput coach.

• The Titans are bringing 49ers DC Robert Saleh to Nashville connected Monday, and are slated to person Chiefs OC Matt Nagy and Hafley successful by nan extremity of Tuesday, though they whitethorn person to activity to get Hafley not to return nan Miami occupation first. I will opportunity that nan Titans are looking for a coach pinch presence, and each 3 of those guys tin bring that to nan table.

• I for illustration nan lucifer of Vance Joseph pinch nan Cardinals, pinch Joseph having spent 4 years successful Arizona antecedently arsenic Kliff Kingsbury’s protect coordinator. The question, then, will beryllium whether nan squad is consenting to hold for him, arsenic nan Broncos make their measurement done nan playoffs.

• One absorbing rules quirk: The Steelers won’t beryllium capable to question and reply immoderate Broncos aliases Seahawks assistants until aft nan playoffs. Pittsburgh missed nan first model because it was playing connected wild-card weekend, and nan 2nd model (during nan Super Bowl bye week, should either aliases some make it) is only for 2nd interviews.

• While Hafley’s marketplace and Stefanski’s determination whitethorn push a slew of decisions successful nan adjacent 48 to 72 hours, I’d beryllium amazed if nan Steelers aliases Ravens rushed anything.

• On nan protect coach thing: It’s astatine slightest absorbing that half of nan divisional information coaches, and half of nan title information coaches person protect backgrounds. That’s not really what hiring trends would bespeak has been happening, but it’s wherever we are successful this coaching cycle.

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