How an NFL team approaches hiring a coordinator
Matt LaFleur might go through a hiring process again. There's more and more pressure over defensive coordinator Joe Barry, and the Green Bay Packers haven't given public assurances that they will keep their DC beyond 2023. Since LaFleur took over as the Packers head coach in 2018, he's made multiple coordinator hirings. Nathaniel Hackett and […]
Matt LaFleur might go through a hiring process again. There's more and more pressure over defensive coordinator Joe Barry, and the Green Bay Packers haven't given public assurances that they will keep their DC beyond 2023.
Since LaFleur took over as the Packers head coach in 2018, he's made multiple coordinator hirings. Nathaniel Hackett and Adam Stenavich on offense; retaining Mike Pettine, plus hiring Joe Barry on defense; Shawn Mennenga, Maurice Drayton, and Rich Bissacia on special teams.
But how does that happen? What's the first step? To help us understand how an NFL team organizes its process to select a top assistant coach, we talked to former New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller, who currently is an NFL analyst for The Athletic and a director of player personnel for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL.
Step 1: Vision
The team should be above whoever the coordinator will be. So, it's important for the franchise to establish a vision of the identity the unit has to have. That includes the system, the attitude, how the ideal circumstances would look like.
"As a franchise," Mueller stressed, "it should be sustainable regardless of who the coordinator is."
That might have been a problem in 2021. Reportedly, the Packers wanted to hire former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, and he ran a system more similar to what Mike Pettine used to run in Green Bay. When he rejected the offer, LaFleur's two other options were Rams position coaches, who would presumably run a version of the Vic Fangio/Brandon Staley scheme: Joe Barry and Ejiro Evero.
Step 2: Personnel
Look at this graphic below. Every cornerback on the Packers roster is better suited to play man coverage — Rasul Douglas, the only Green Bay corner that was better in zone, was traded to the Buffalo Bills before the deadline. But Joe Barry runs a zone-heavy scheme.
That doesn't apply only to the cornerbacks, but to the defensive front and to any part of a unit. Peter Bukowski, from Locked on Packers and The Leap, has frequently mentioned how the Packers front is better suited to play a 4-3 base — the contrast between 4-3 and 3-4 isn't as pronounced nowadays, but there are still marked differences in style.
"We must match what we currently have", Mueller adds.
If that applies to the Packers defense, does it make sense to change coordinators, but to keep the same philosophy? Would a coach like Ejiro Evero or Brandon Staley extract the most out of the current personnel with a similar schematic approach?
Step 3: The list
With steps 1 and 2 out of the way, the third one is to make a list of coaches who fit the plan. If the Packers want to start running a San Francisco 49ers-like defense, they can list New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh (if he’s fired), Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, and 49ers linebackers coach Johnny Holland. If they want a New Orleans Saints-style, head coach Dennis Allen (if fired) and Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen (if let go) would be options. According to Mueller, the ability to teach has to be the first criteria.
"It's not how much a coach knows, it's what he can get his players to know".
And that seems to be a problem with the Packers. Communication, Matt LaFleur said after the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the biggest issue blocking players from executing their assignments.
Step 4: Interview
The last step before hiring is the interview. The chosen one has to show he can be aligned to the vision and adapt his scheme to what the players do best.
"Teams must be disciplined to follow the process," Mueller mentioned.
Hiring NFL coaches is not an exact science, and Matt LaFleur has had problems doing so. But a strong operation is the first and most important step to make a wise decision, and the Packers might be in the middle of another process soon.
Countering every argument to keep Joe Barry as the Packers’ DC
Matt LaFleur decided to retain his assistant
