INDIANAPOLIS — Once upon a time, back in the mid-1990s when I first started attending the NFL Scouting Combine on a regular basis, the event was more like an intimate little gathering. There would be maybe 20 national football writers hanging around the Holiday Inn attached to the old RCA Dome, and when the draft-eligible players were paraded out for interviews, everybody would just crowd around them in assorted little groups, notepads in hand.
There were no transcriptions made available. The only tweets came from the pigeons outside the building. And as far as head coaches and front-office people were concerned, they were essentially off limits — except after hours, when you could latch on to some pretty interesting stuff while walking the streets of Indy, or hanging out at St. Elmo's.
Fast forward to Day Four at this year's Combine. Heading into what figures to be a relatively subdued Sunday, no less than 37 head coaches and GMs have made their presence felt during interviews ranging anywhere from 10-15 minutes with the national media. For the most part, they are pretty bland. Revelations are few and far between. But to the NFL's credit, it gives my media counterparts and me a chance to get up close and personal with an increasingly large assortment of movers and shakers.
On the first two days of this year's Combine, a combined 34 head coaches and GMs made their way to the podium. I suspect that magnitude signals a new trend, as it would seem dealing with guys like me is way at the bottom of their Combine to-do lists. By the time the weekend rolls around, with workouts starting to push into high gear, their focus is understandably riveted on the cone drills and 40-times going on inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
But beggars can't be choosers, and I genuinely appreciate the opportunity to at least have a little face time with such a large and varied collection of NFL decision makers.
That's especially the case with the new guys on the block. Counting Leslie Frazier and Jason Garrett, who got a bit of a head start in interim roles this past season, all eight of the league's new NFL head coaches took a little time to allow us to get inside their heads.
What follows are some quick impressions on how each of them came across, presented in order of their appearances:
Ron Rivera / Panthers
After coming up short in his fair share of head-coaching derbies, Rivera finally crossed the finish line first in Carolina, where he faces the immediate challenge of making a sound decision with the first overall pick in this year's draft.
"I'm very excited," Rivera said. "It's great to have the opportunity. It may be overdue, but I think the biggest thing to understand is the opportunity and the fit were just right."
Rivera was asked what his biggest adjustment would be in his first year as a head coach.
"It's not being able to be hands-on," he said. "I've kind of gone through the progression. Having been a coordinator, really, it was tough to be involved with a position, and I assume as a head coach, it's going to be like that, but (former Eagles defensive coordinator) Jim Johnson gave me a tremendous piece of advice a long time ago when I was working for Dave Wannstedt (in Chicago). He said, 'if you're going to be a head coach some day, don't ever forget what you do best. Be around that side of the ball.' So, I will be around the defensive side, but every now and then I have to pop in and keep the offensive guys honest.
"I'll do the best I can."
Rivera is already doing the best he can as far as figuring out a plan of attack for this year's No. 1 pick.
"We've evaluated our own roster first and foremost to determine the positions we feel warrant the first pick," Rivera said. "We've eliminated it to a specific number of players, and we'll be watching those players very closely over the next month and a half, evaluating, trying to get as much information as we can and most certainly trying to see which player — regardless of position — fits our needs most urgently."
Another huge challenge facing Rivera is the seemingly staunch competition in the NFC South, with the Saints, Falcons and up-and-coming Buccaneers all looking like legitimate playoff contenders in 2011.
"You look at all three of those teams, and they all have franchise-style quarterbacks," Rivera said. "I think if there is something that has to happen, we have to come up with our own, and then we have to continue to prepare ourselves to be ready to take the challenge on."
The suspicion here is that Rivera will be more than up to the task in a division in which bottom feeders are known for making dramatic turnarounds in short order.
John Fox / Broncos
I couldn't help being struck by the irony of Fox speaking about 15 minutes after Rivera, the man who replaced him as the Panthers' head coach. Predictably, it didn't take long for Fox to land on his feet in Denver, where he genuinely believes he can orchestrate the same kind of quick fix he constructed in Carolina.
"I go into every season wanting to win a world championship," Fox said. "That's the only reason I've gone any place I've ever been, whether as an assistant or a head coach."
I can't help but be intrigued by Fox's alliance with John Elway, a babe in the woods as a pro football figurehead after earning Hall of Fame status as the best quarterback ever in my opinion.
"He's all in," Fox said. "This isn't a PR move. Although, he's very big in the community in Denver. But he's burning the midnight oil, he's working hard, he's very willing to learn. This isn't rocket science. I don't think anyone's going to find the cure for cancer. But he understands what a football player looks like. Standing in the huddle and doing the things he did as a team leader and football player at the quarterback position, I think he understands what a football player looks like. I've been very impressed. He's got a great willingness to learn the things he doesn't know. But he knows football."
A lot of things have to fall into place for the Broncos, but I wouldn't be shocked in the least if Fox has them contending for a division title right away.
Jim Harbaugh / 49ers
I'll let Niners GM Trent Baalke speak for me as far as Harbaugh is concerned.
"As far as how his family background played into it, I am a big believer in pedigree," Baalke said. "Jim has been a football guy his entire life. His father was a well-respected coach, so he grew up playing it and wanting to be a coach. He started coaching, as a matter of fact, while he was still playing. He is a football man. He loves the game. He had a big respect for the game, and I think that's the passion that I saw in him.
"I just have a real good feel that he is going to be successful."
I couldn't agree more. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with Baalke, a 24/7 grinder who also has really impressed me, I predict Harbaugh will hit the same kind of tape-measure home run he did with Stanford.
He really couldn't be a more perfect fit for the Niners.
Hue Jackson / Raiders
Things are definitely looking up in the Bay Area. Enthusiastically taking on every question, Jackson was one fired-up dude, immediately establishing a very un-Raider like rapport.
Jackson was asked what the biggest change was for him as a head coach as opposed to being an offensive coordinator.
"The biggest thing for me is finding time so I can work out," he said with a smile that lit up the room. "It's amazing. You just don't have any time. You look up, and you want to go work out and you don't have the time to do it. I think the fun part for me has been hiring our staff."
Jackson really does look like he's having fun, even though he works for a man in Al Davis known for being difficult to an extreme.
Jackson was asked about the widely held perception that a job with the Raiders is, according to the guy who asked him the question, the "worst job you can have in the NFL."
"That's not true," Jackson said emphatically. "I can't speak for the men before me. My relationship with coach Davis is probably different than everybody else's. This guy knows football. I can actually sit down and have a conversation about the power play, about the gap play, about the zone play, a pass play, and that's different. And that's not putting down any of the other owners I ever worked for, but he was a coach in this league.
"All the stories that I hear about this and that and the other, I haven't experienced that yet. If it's coming, when it does come then I'll deal with it, but I don't see it."
What I see in Jackson is a surprisingly refreshing guy who really has his act together. Whatever happens, the Raiders are going to be fun to watch.
What a difference from the undeniable tension that marred the Tom Cable regime!
Mike Munchak / Titans
Is there a new head coach more under the gun than Munchak? I think not. Not only is he taking over for Jeff Fisher, who had been the longest-tenured head coach in the league by a wide margin with a great league-wide reputation, but the Titans' QB situation is a total mess!
That said, Munchak, who previously excelled as the Titans' offensive line coach, looks like he can handle anything that comes his way.
"When this opportunity came with the Titans, I felt I was the perfect fit," Munchak said. "I had been with the organization for almost 30 years, and with the situation we're about to go into, I felt I knew exactly what needed to change. Also, I feel my leadership style and the way I do things, hopefully, will be attractive to the players, the way I approach the game, the way I love the game, and I think that is contagious.
"So I am looking forward to the opportunity to finally be the guy to surround myself with the type of coaches I want to be surrounded with and go forward with all this."
So far so good.
Jason Garrett / Cowboys
Unlike Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who attracted the biggest crowd of any of the head coaches this year, Garrett was not quite ready to make any brash predictions about winning the Super Bowl.
But he did predict that his revamped coaching staff will keep the Cowboys on the right track, with new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, Rex's burly brother, leading the way.
"I feel great about the staff," Garrett said. "One of the big things you have to do in order to be successful is pick good people. Each of these guys I have some connection to in my past. I think they've been at different times in their careers at the top of their field. I have a great comfort level with each of them, and I'm excited to have them be a part of our staff."
It wasn't surprising Garrett's audience wanted to hear more about Rob Ryan, and the Cowboys' head coach did not disappoint them.
"I'll tell you a quick story about Rob," Garrett said. "We had an interview. I believe he came in on a Friday. He came into my office and he had on a coat and tie and his hair was nicely combed. He looked good. But we started talking football, and about three minutes into our conversation, I'd never seen a guy who wanted to get out of a coat and tie more than this guy, and so I said, 'Rob just take the thing off,' so literally he went boom and got rid of the tie, grabbed a pen and started going on the board. And it didn't take long.
"I was impressed by the effort. I was impressed by the coat and tie, and I was equally as impressed with him getting rid of it and getting going and really being who he is."
Good story, Mr. Garrett.
Leslie Frazier / Vikings
Frazier picked up where he left off this past season after taking over for Brad Childress, looking like he had a great grip on the challenges facing the Vikings in the months ahead.
"Without question, we have a much better feel for our football team after going back and looking at the 2010 season and just trying to ascertain what pieces we need to fit in order for us to close the gap on the teams in the NFC North," Frazier said. "We feel good about the evaluation process we've done with our current roster."
Settling on a new quarterback is Frazier's top priority.
"Well, we're going to try to be as thorough as we can be," Frazier said. "We're going to try to find the right guy. As you know, there are guys who have been free agents, who weren't even signed to teams who end up starting in the National Football League. We know one in New England who was a sixth-round pick who has done some good things in our league.
"I don't know if you want to limit yourself to five or six quarterbacks to evaluate. We're not going to do that. We're going to take a look at every draft-eligible guy and those that aren't draft-eligible. Even some potential veteran NFL quarterbacks to try to determine which guy best fits our situation."
Look for Frazier to find the right man under center. And whatever happens, look for him to be a really class act who will consistently command his players' attention, which will obviously be a lot different than the vibe under Childress.
Pat Shurmur / Browns
I'll be honest. After the way Shurmur coordinated the Rams' offense in their final game last season in Seattle, I'm still scratching my head over the Browns' decision to make him their new field general.
And after checking him out in Indy, I'm still scratching.
But allow me to defer to Rams GM Billy Devaney, whose opinions on everything I respect a great deal.
"You know, you hear the stuff about players and coaches 'getting it,'" Devaney said. "More than anything, Pat gets it. He's got a great way with players, relating to 'em, understanding. Knowing when to push, when to back off. He's got a really good offensive mind, but besides that, just the way he relates with players I think is fantastic."
Shurmur was asked how the Rams' rebuilding experience compared to the Browns' rebuilding challenge.
''I think each team's different, but I am impressed with the foundation that's there in Cleveland," he said. "I was very impressed with how hard the guys played throughout the season. I'm very impressed by some of the players that are still there, and I feel good as we move forward that we're gonna add players to our roster that are gonna make us better."
Stay tuned.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/02/27/new-head-coaches-headline-combine-interview-sessio
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