Pat Fitzgerald to the Packers? Hmmmm!
- Thread starter EstronHawkKing
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Chickenlounge
Well-Known Member
His first order of business would be to cut every former Hawkeye from the team.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Fitz will always be able to go back to Northwestern, so I could see him negotiating a GM deal. He'd then do things like trade all the best players from the Packers to the Bears for a few 7th round draft picks and make the Packers absorb 3/4ths of the remaining salary. Then, he'd make the Packers sign Trevor Siemien for like $15 million a year with a $50 million guarantee and draft Thorson in the first round. He'd totally tank them within 2 years and then return to the Cats with God like status in Chicago.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
No it wouldn't. It would be a disaster. Most of the college coaches who make the jump end up inheriting inherently flawed teams that have problems far beyond coaching. Green Bay is exactly that. Rodgers makes too much and it will hinder the team for the foreseeable future. The next coach will be unceremoniously fired after 2 or 3 bad to mediocre seasons.
There have been a lot of college who made the jump and sucked. Pete Carroll (more of an NFL guy) did fine and Jimmy Johnson did fine because he inherited a young team that got a windfall in the Walker trade. But a lot of college guys have gotten totally burned trying to make the job. Even Nick got burned walking into that tire fire at Miami. Nick is arguably the best college coach ever (I say arguably because perhaps Bear was his equal) and he got run out of the NFL right away.
If I were Fitz, the only way I would take a head NFL job is if it was a situation similar to Cleveland, the Rams or Chiefs where I had a good young QB making rookie salary scale money and there was an immediate window to be good.
Denverhawk1
Well-Known Member
I think Fitz is a pretty sharp guy. And an extremely hard worker. He’s won at Northwestern for quite a few seasons now. I think HE could make a better NFL coach than perhaps people realize. To me, personally, there is something to the guy that makes me think he could figure out people, make the adjustments, learn a new role and probably thrive.
Green Bay is probably going to have around 50 million in cap room next year to play with assuming they cut some veterans that aren’t worth their contracts.
If their GM is smart with it and front loads contacts and puts together another solid draft (his first one was decent) Green Bay has a lot more flexibility than people think for the next 2 years.
But the that cap number of his will hit 35 million + in 2021 & 2022 and things will get difficult until 2023 and his cap number drops to 25 million.
If you want to take a shot with a once in a generation QB for about a 2/3 year window, GB might be the job to take if he trusts that GM to bring in talent and he apparently has a good relationship with him.
That being said, I’d be shocked if it happens
I don't disagree that the jump from a successful P5 college program to the NFL can be difficult and has far less job security. On the other hand, he's probably done about all he can at Northwestern and if he ever is interested in trying out the NFL, now would be the time to go because he's a hot commodity. If he tries and fails, he could always go back to a college job and find plenty of takers. You are rarely going to walk in to the perfect position and have perfect timing in the NFL, that's why the previous coach got fired. He is one of the lower paid coaches in the B1G, my guess is he gets a salary bump and stays in Evanston, assuming he has an agent worth his salt.
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It seems Rodgers is running the show in Green Bay so I assume he has nixing capabilities on possible new head coaches. Rodgers might even be in on the interviewing process.
Green Bay is a no win for Fitz who is such a rah rah guy that I dont think it would work. A lot of college coaches take that rah rah stuff to the pros and the players just dont go for it if the coach tries to control them
Pete Carroll had a stint in the NFL before college and then on to the Seahawks and he knows how to mix in the rah rah and still let the players be themselves and not try to control them
iloveyoularrystation
Well-Known Member
the rah rah, worked okay for harbaugh in the nfl
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
He got "run" because in the NFL he was just like anyone else, on a level playing field where "indiscretion" wasn't a regular practice above/beyond the competition.
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
Fitzgerald's name came up immediately due to his connections to Mark Murphy. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but, I doubt he's high on their list.
If they look to the college ranks, my guess would be Lincoln Riley or Dabo Swinney, both of which probably would just use that as leverage to get better deals locally. I don't see them going after Kelly. His personality wouldn't play well in GB. Jeff Tedford is a wildcard. He's got a proven record of success, and Rodgers by all accounts loved playing for him. Also, his name hasn't come up yet, but I'd keep an eye on Brohm.
At the end of the day, I still think it will be a current coordinator, such as Matt LeFleur, Pete Carmichael or Josh McDaniels.
If they look to the college ranks, my guess would be Lincoln Riley or Dabo Swinney, both of which probably would just use that as leverage to get better deals locally. I don't see them going after Kelly. His personality wouldn't play well in GB. Jeff Tedford is a wildcard. He's got a proven record of success, and Rodgers by all accounts loved playing for him. Also, his name hasn't come up yet, but I'd keep an eye on Brohm.
At the end of the day, I still think it will be a current coordinator, such as Matt LeFleur, Pete Carmichael or Josh McDaniels.
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
Although it would thrill me to never have to look at Pat Fitzgerald on the NW sidelines...I don't think it will happen. My only hope would be that he takes his douche strength and conditioning coach wearing only the polo shirt (three sizes too small for him) in 15 degree weather with him. What a moron. I had the misfortune to be seated 15 rows behind the NW bench for that game this year...and his antics were ridiculous. He should be studied in some lab somewhere...to understand narcissistic behavior disorder.
Hey douche...you aren't playing...stop drawing attention to yourself.
Hey douche...you aren't playing...stop drawing attention to yourself.
trj
Well-Known Member
This hire is all about Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have to treat this as if they were hiring a long term NBA head coach. He better be able to get AR respect and get it quickly, otherwise AR will just do his own thing and you are back to where you were with McCarthy. Brian Kelly's resume doesn't scream respect, but he wouldn't be afraid to challenge AR. Who cares about his personality placating well to the fan base and to some local beat writers.
It is a tricky hire, if they can't get Josh McDaniels.
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
McDaniels is the sexy pick. He's a good example of the Peter Principle, though. I'm not sure he has the right make-up for a HC. He's better off having a defined role as a coordinator.
I think narrative of using Aaron Rodgers as the litmus test is being played a bit too much. He's already stated that he's not involved in the process in any way, and I believe him. Certainly, they are going to want to find a coach that melds well with their star QB, but, Packers management historically is very measured in these kinds of decisions, so there's a lot more than just Rodgers that goes into the equation. Saying that Aaron is running the show makes for good hyperbolic fodder on forums, but that's simply not the way the Packers roll (just ask Brett Favre).
As for Kelly, it's not just about placating the fans. It's about cultural fit. His style of treating his players like they are kids wouldn't sit well with NFL veterans. I do agree, though, that he wouldn't be afraid of getting in Aaron's face at times.
I still think IF they are looking at the college ranks, that Riley is the primary target, with Swinney and perhaps Brohm in the mix. They are all task masters that have solid offensive minds, that also quickly bond with players.
trj
Well-Known Member
AR has to be the litmus test, otherwise what's the point? If Ted Thompson was running the show I would 100% agree with you, but that is not the case.
Kelly is a-hole. But he is a smart football coach. He wouldn't go in there approaching the NFL the same way he did in college. Kelly is close to maxing out what he can do at Notre Dame. I disagree with you, I think his mindset is perfectly suited for the NFL after getting worked by Clemson in a couple weeks I think he is coaching in the NFL.
