There are seemingly limitless names being linked to the Seattle Seahawks’ coach search, however a couple of are developing with extra regularity.
Huard: The unconventional choose for subsequent Seahawks coach
Maybe most notable are three males which have head coach expertise within the NFL already below their belt: former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, present Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and the College of Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter for The MMQB, joined Seattle Sports activities’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday and had a ton to say on many candidates to be the subsequent Seahawks coach, together with prolonged insights on every of Vrabel, Quinn and Harbaugh.
Let’s check out what Breer mentioned about them.
Potential Seattle Seahawks coach candidates
Mike Vrabel
Although Tennessee let Vrabel go final week after six seasons with the Titans, he’s been one of many extra common names accessible with seven groups shifting on from their head coach because the finish of the season.
Breer relates the 48-year-old Vrabel, who was a linebacker within the NFL from 1997-2010, to a number of different coaches who’ve seen success in recent times following enjoying careers within the league, and it certain appears like there are loads of positives he might deliver to Seattle.
I put Vrabel extra within the class of (Texans head coach) DeMeco Ryans, (Lions head coach) Dan Campbell, I feel what the Patriots hope (new head coach) Jerod Mayo will likely be now, (Vikings head coach) Kevin O’Connell. I feel one of many issues with Vrabel that’s so attention-grabbing is you realize you’re gonna get participant engagement immediately. And in an period when it’s more durable to get that than ever earlier than – like, it’s actually, actually arduous due to how youngsters come up at the present time… You need to pursue and get that engagement, (and) Vrabel will get it when he walks by way of the door due to the skins he has on the wall. After which Vrabel brings to you I feel loads of components of what New England was when he was there (as a participant), which is he can coach all three phases of the sport, he’s glorious situationally, he’s going to weaponize your gamers and get them to know the foundations and easy methods to use them within the sport, and he’s going to have the ability to entice good coaches there. If you wish to have a look at what DeMeco has carried out in Houston, what Vrabel himself did over his first a few years in Tennessee, after which what Dan Campbell has carried out in Detroit, that may form of be what you might be shopping for into.
Dan Quinn
Quinn has a powerful observe report, as he was defensive coordinator of the Seahawks throughout their back-to-back Tremendous Bowl journeys, then led the Falcons to a Tremendous Bowl as a head coach himself. However whereas his time in Dallas has been effectively regarded, the Cowboys’ protection was torched by Inexperienced Bay in a playoff loss on Sunday, which might’t be good for Quinn’s inventory.
It’s straightforward to treat Quinn as a protected and even boring selection for the Seahawks because of his connection to the coach the workforce is shifting on from, Pete Carroll. Breer talked about that Quinn’s identify has been tied the Hawks for some time as a result of some questioned if he might substitute a retiring Carroll, however the dialog has modified since Carroll was faraway from the pinnacle coach position.
Breer weighed the professionals and cons of Quinn for Seattle.
I imply, the apparent one is Dan Quinn, and I really feel like I’ve been penning this for 2 months now. … By way of that entire thought course of of individuals on the market saying, ‘Yeah, there’s a risk that the Seahawks have a brand new coach in 2024,’ no matter the way it occurs, Dan Quinn was the No. 1 identify, and I feel it’ll proceed to be the No. 1 identify. I simply assume DQ is form of ready for the proper alternative. He’s had probabilities during the last couple of years to go away, and he simply hasn’t thought this shot or that shot was proper. I feel Seattle strains up as form of excellent for him, and I feel in loads of methods he’s excellent for what Seattle wants proper now. Now, I do know lots of people will likely be targeted on the truth that he doesn’t coach offense, he hasn’t coached quarterbacks and that’s one thing we will get to, however I feel in loads of different methods he’s precisely what the Seahawks will likely be on the lookout for.
… The energy I feel is the flexibility to unify folks and create a tradition and get probably the most out of each participant who performs for him. I talked to (Cowboys linebacker) Micah Parsons a couple of occasions about enjoying for him, and bear in mind, the protection that DQ ran in Seattle was the standard Pete Carroll cover-3. And Micah is the form of participant the place in the event you use him in only a single method, you’re not going to get probably the most out of him, proper? He’s such a unicorn in that he can play off-ball linebacker, he can play on the road, he can rush, he can blitz, he can cowl, he can do every little thing you need him to do. So utilizing a participant like that only one method is form of losing him, and so in loads of methods when Dan bought his fingers on Micah, it on paper didn’t seem like the best match on the planet, and Dan’s protection modified and he adjusted. They’re doing issues rather a lot in another way there now than he did in Seattle all these years in the past. So I feel it’s an incredible instance of getting probably the most out of anyone, and Micah would let you know himself how a lot he loves enjoying for DQ. And then you definitely see the ascension of different gamers there, proper? Like what (cornerback) Trevon Diggs has turn into below below Dan Quinn. What (cornerback) Daron Bland did this 12 months below Dan Quinn after Diggs bought harm. (Cornerback) Stephon Gilmore’s profession had somewhat little bit of a renaissance this 12 months with Dan Quinn as his defensive coordinator. I imply, proper on down the road he maximizes gamers, and I feel that’s as nice a praise as you may give a coach. The weak point in fact could be clearly quarterback’s gonna be a giant matter of dialog in Seattle over the subsequent 12 months or two and that’s not his space of experience. However he’s so effectively linked within the teaching neighborhood that I do assume he’d discover good folks to care for that a part of it for him.
Jim Harbaugh
Maybe probably the most sought-after coach within the NFL proper now could be the person who simply led Michigan to an undefeated season and nationwide championship win over the UW Huskies. Seemingly each offseason, hypothesis picks up that Harbaugh might return to the professionals for the primary time since he left the San Francisco 49ers after the 2014 marketing campaign, however now that appears extra of an inevitability than ever earlier than.
Seattle could be a, effectively, attention-grabbing place for Harbaugh to make his NFL return contemplating the rivalry he had with Carroll particularly and his Niners groups had with the Hawks typically. However Seattle Sports activities’ Mike Salk has mentioned he believes Harbaugh could be the only option for the Seahawks, so let’s take this risk for a stroll.
When Breer was requested if he thought Harbaugh could be interviewed by Seahawks common supervisor John Schneider, Brock Huard known as him the “most outrageous” candidate for Seattle. After a chuckle, that is what Breer mentioned:
If I’m the Seahawks, I make the decision, sure. And look, it’s somewhat humorous as a result of clearly he was a giant rival there, he and Pete have been at odds in faculty and the professionals at a number of factors. However I feel Jim brings one thing very distinctive in his personal proper, in that, like, it appears precisely the identical all over the place he goes. Stanford appeared just like the Niners appeared like Michigan – all of them look the identical, proper? It’s a singular, at the present time, method of constructing it, but it surely’s labored all over the place I feel in loads of methods. … It’s rather a lot like (Invoice) Parcells. He’s the man that may are available in, he’s gonna shake your program up, he’s gonna be capable to get outcomes immediately, he’s gonna get probably the most out of your workforce, after which three or 4 years down the road he’s in all probability going to have burned all people out. So that you’re in all probability not signing up for a decade of the man. But when I have been the Seahawks, I might positively check out it and undergo the method. And at any price, the Seahawks haven’t carried out this in 14 years. I feel it could be an incredible information-gathering train for the Seahawks. I feel that’s a part of it whenever you’re going by way of one thing like that is you’ve bought the flexibility to information-gather from different applications across the sport. And if I have been (Seahawks chair) Jody Allen and (common supervisor) John Schneider, the possibility to form of look below the hood somewhat bit in how Jim Harbaugh does issues wouldn’t be a foul expertise.
Hearken to the complete Brock and Salk dialog with The MMQB’s Albert Breer within the podcast at this hyperlink or within the participant close to the highest of this put up.
Extra on Seattle Seahawks’ coach search
• Pocket book: What GM John Schneider mentioned discovering his subsequent coach
• A have a look at younger OCs who’re newest Seahawks interview requests
• Michael Bumpus’ straightforward, good and enjoyable picks for Hawks
• Who the Seahawks’ first reported coach interview requests are
• ESPN’s Schefter on if two huge names are in play for Seattle Seahawks coach
