Mike LaFleur new head coach 2-1-26

[D-Dogg]

There's always that 1 a-hole who hates a move everyone else loves, right? Guess today that's me.

Gotta feel good for the people who really wanted Mike LaFleur. I just don’t see it.

He didn’t call plays with the Rams, and the last time he did call plays was with the Jets and that offense was brutal. He was only the Rams’ OC for two years, you don’t just “download McVay’s brain” in that time. Before that, he spent four years in San Francisco as the “passing game coordinator,” and the Niners went 29–35 during that stretch(Did make it to 1 Superbowl in that timeframe). I think people see the names “LaFleur” and “Rams” and get excited.

To me this feels like Bidwill chasing the next McVay again. I don’t think this is it. I will have a very open mind about this, and hope he can change my opinion. Welcome to AZ coach.

He isn't calling plays here

 

[Red on White]

Got to admit this guy isn’t afraid of a challenge.

Just accepting the position makes me question his judgement

 

[daves]

This guy has nearly 2000 followers better listen up

I don't see the point of these takes.

If some rando claimed to have dubious inside info not reported on mainstream sites, that would be one thing. But if someone compiles and posts easily corroborated information, who cares how many followers the page has?

Do you decide what to believe based on the popularity of the source?

How many followers do YOU have to make anything you say credible?

 

[Garthshort]

I have a LOT of followers, but, mostly because I head up the Local Chapter of PA.

 

[MadCardDisease]

If you can’t beat them… Join them!

Looking forward to watching the new direction of this team.

 

[Redsz]

Mike Wilson and Trey McBride must be happy. I hope he can figure out the MHJ drama / issues.

 

[Minski]

Very happy with MLF now on board. I wanted Kubiak if we could have got him but Mike is a quality coach and not a runners up prize. I am praying we've lucked into him and that he becomes our Harbaugh/Tomlin etc and he's here for 20+ years having turned us into a perennial playoff team. Regarding Kubiak, I do have a feeling he will either be great or flame out in LV, nothing in between. Good luck Mike. Looking forward to changing my avatar.

 

[oaken1]

I don't see the point of these takes.

If some rando claimed to have dubious inside info not reported on mainstream sites, that would be one thing. But if someone compiles and posts easily corroborated information, who cares how many followers the page has?

Do you decide what to believe based on the popularity of the source?

How many followers do YOU have to make anything you say credible?

Right?
I have 8k+ followers...but if im blowing smoke up your ass for kicks it doesnt suddenly make the position true.

If ESPN's top guy posted...
Arizona Cardinals have decided to not hire any assistant or position coaches in order to maximize Mike LeFleurs player development ability by having him work with each player 1-on-1
....I guess Knone would take it as gospel

 

[oaken1]

Very happy with MLF now on board. I wanted Kubiak if we could have got him but Mike is a quality coach and not a runners up prize. I am praying we've lucked into him and that he becomes our Harbaugh/Tomlin etc and he's here for 20+ years having turned us into a perennial playoff team. Regarding Kubiak, I do have a feeling he will either be great or flame out in LV, nothing in between. Good luck Mike. Looking forward to changing my avatar.

agree...not a consolation prize.

My main concern is the little brother syndrome. Mikes career path indicates nepotism played a large part in getting him opportunities in the NFL...and life experience has shown me that younger brothers are rarely as good at the chosen profession of their older brother... Harbaughs seem to be an exception..
I mean, just look at Peyton and Eli..if you were building a team....how many folks would really choose Eli over Peyton to lead their new team?...Technically, yeah, they both have the same number of rings...but anyone with functional eyes and multiple brain cells can see Peyton is a far superior QB.
But guys who learn under McVey tend to shine. So, lets hope Mike was paying attention while he was in L.A.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

He'd be better off staying with the Rams.

Well at least he can call plays here, better off or not, Sean McVay calls them in LA.

 

[oaken1]

Well at least he can call plays here, better off or not, Sean McVay calls them in LA.

I dunno...I am thinking he should hire an OC and let them call the plays...that way he can focus on game management

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

I mean, the other three coordinators who never called plays under McVay are doing fine I’d say

The only concern about Lafleur is the fact when he called plays the Jets offense was horrible, a lot plays into that though, QB (they never have a good one) OL etc etc. However, he'll probably have an OC that calls plays in Arizona & he will hopefully be a better HC than OC.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

I dunno...I am thinking he should hire an OC and let them call the plays...that way he can focus on game management

That will be best because when he called plays the Jets offense sucked lol.

 

[mojorizen7]

LaFleur called the plays for the game vs AZ in December. McVay had an illness and missed a couple days in prep and handed the playbook to his OC.

Honestly it was one of the better called Rams gm’s of the season. McVay is a good play caller but not great. He’s a great culture builder and leader above all.

If LaFleur can bring that McVay culture he’ll be successful.

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/onsi/los-angeles-mike-lafleur-saves-day-against-cardinals

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

Coen left for the Buccaneers to be a play caller. It’s an impressive list tho no doubt.

No, Coen left to be the OC for Kentucky a 2nd time, after that season he left for the Buccaneers. Both years the Kentucky offense was good.

 

[Phrazbit]

If he is the architect for the wild ways the Rams run plays for Puka, then I would be impressed.

Teams know that he is the primary target every passing down and he still ends up wide open on a ton of plays.

 

[Gandhi]

I already wrote a couple of posts in the head coach-search-thread about potential coordinators for LaFleur, but they are buried somewhere among more than 100 pages, so I guess I should write it here too. I actually thought it would be Raheem Morris for DC.

Keep in mind that coaches usually come from the head coach’s connection, which often means who he has worked with in the past. It was that way with Whisenhunt, Arians, Wilks, and Gannon. It was different with Kingsbury, but he also came directly from the college ranks. Also, there are old videos out there where LaFleur talks about how impressed he is with McVay’s and Shanahan’s eyes for coaching talents. Could it mean that he will take from those two staffs? Anyway, this is obviously not a rule, so I have also included some other options.

Defensive coordinator:

Anthony Weaver was among the Cards’ finalists, so I guess he should be mentioned. Actually, on LaFleur’s first job in the NFL (2014), Weaver was on that staff.

Mark Rutenberg had a DC-interview with Titans and Robert Saleh some days ago. Last year he was the passing game coordinator with the Falcons, but since they hired a new head coach a couple of weeks ago, Rutenberg is probably out. He and LaFleur worked together with the 49ers and the Jets.

Aubrey Pleasant is right now the assistant head coach from the Rams, and thus it would not be a promotion to follow LaFleur. However, just last week he interviewed with the Chargers to become their DC, so maybe he is available.

Ossenfort worked with Jim Schwartz when they were in Tennessee. Schwartz is my biggest hope for a new DC, but it doesn’t seem likely.

Al Harris doesn’t have any connection to LaFleur or Ossenfort, but he seems to be one of the most sought after DC-candidates this cycle, so I just wanted to mention him. He is with the Bears now.

Offensive coordinator:

John Benton is right now the offensive line-coach with the Seahawks, but he has been together with LaFleur for many years, first with the 49ers and then with the Jets.

Adam Stenavich is the offensive coordinator with the Packers. He has had several OC-interviews in this cycle, but I don’t know if he would leave for an identical role where he doesn’t call plays. However, he and LaFleur worked together with the Niners, and now he is obviously working for the other LaFleur.

Thomas Brown was one of the candidates the Cardinals wanted to interview. I don’t know if it ever happened, though. Brown is the passing game coordinator with the Patriots, so he cannot be hired before the Super Bowl. While he doesn’t have a history with LaFleur, they have both worked for McVay and the Rams.

Ryan Wendell does not have a long background in coaching, but he has done very well as the Rams’ offensive line-coach the last three years. And Ossenfort was part-responsible for bringing him into the NFL while working for the Patriots.

Dave Ragone is the QB-coach with the Rams, and have previously been the offensive coordinator for the Falcons for three years.

Nate Scheelhaase is the new offensive wonderkid in the NFL. He is 35 and has coached in the NFL for two years, but still he got several head coach interviews this cycle because teams knew they would lose their chance if they did not take him now. He will most likely become LaFleurs’ replacement with the Rams.

After posting this list, it started annoying me that I did not include any former head coaches as OC-candidates. Okay, Thomas Brown has been an interim, but not for long. I just think it is important to have a former head coach as support for LaFleur, and it could obviously also come on the defensive side. That is one reason that I favor Jim Schwartz over Weaver and Pleasant. However, if it is Weaver, Pleasant or another DC, it would need to be on the offensive side or as some sort of consultant. So I looked at some options, and I will caution that they are not very exciting. I expect that it would not be in a playcalling role.

Brian Callahan was the head coach of the Titans. He was a bad playcaller with them, but he was obviously good enough as a non-playcalling OC with the Bengals to get the head coaching job. He is a disciple of Zac Taylor, who is a disciple of Sean McVay.

Matt Nagy went from being the leading candidate for the Titans head coaching job some weeks ago to seemingly being completely out of the hiring cycle. He was head coach of the Bears some years ago, and one time Head Coach of the Year. He has not called plays since then, but is very well versed in Andy Reid’s offense.

Frank Reich works at Stanford these days, but was previously head coach with the Colts. Some days ago he interviewed for the Jets’ OC-position.

P.S. On the original list I forgot to mention Jake Peetz. He is the passing game coordinator from the Seahawks, and has worked with LaFleur several years with the Rams. He is a hot OC candidate out there.

 

[Minski]

Interesting to think what would have happened in the alternate universe where Chicago hire Putzing as their HC at the start of the season. I reckon JG would still be here, Bears would have a top 3 pick and we'd be picking mid draft. He was a disaster!

That being said I am happy with our new path and the MLF.

 

[Stout]

I feel a whole lot better about the coaching search and the coach himself than last time. Please no pew pew pew "I love you Kyler Murray" moments lol Dare I say Monti and Bidwill, M. did okay with this coaching search?

 

[BullheadCardFan]

So let's agree for initials

MB Michael Bidwill
MO Monti Ossenfort
ML Mike LaFleur

 

[BullheadCardFan]

I feel a whole lot better about the coaching search and the coach himself than last time. Please no pew pew pew "I love you Kyler Murray" moments lol Dare I say Monti and Bidwill, M. did okay with this coaching search?

Yes, better this time around

JG started out goofy and finished up losing the team

 

[az jam]

Why all the concerns about who calls the plays? I'm from the generation when the QB called all the plays.

 

[kerouac9]

I don't see the point of these takes.

If some rando claimed to have dubious inside info not reported on mainstream sites, that would be one thing. But if someone compiles and posts easily corroborated information, who cares how many followers the page has?

Do you decide what to believe based on the popularity of the source?

How many followers do YOU have to make anything you say credible?

I mean he admitted his first post used dubious AI-aggregated data that turned out to be wrong.

Yes, the scope of the source (essentially popular reach) is one factor I use to evaluate the quality of the source. That’s been the way internet validity has worked since almost the very beginning.

Twitter has made it really hard to look back at someone’s post history to see if they’re putting good stuff out there consistently. So followers is a rough heuristic.

I dont post on Twitter, haven’t in a decade. So if you want to evaluate the credibility of my posts here, look at my posting volume, history, and quality of my analysis.

You’ll find I have very little, obviously.

 

[pemory09]

Mike Wilson and Trey McBride must be happy. I hope he can figure out the MHJ drama / issues.

Let’s face it, figuring out MHJ is going to be a major focus of his work.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

I feel a whole lot better about the coaching search and the coach himself than last time. Please no pew pew pew "I love you Kyler Murray" moments lol Dare I say Monti and Bidwill, M. did okay with this coaching search?

I feel good about it also but our cheap ass owner had better give him what he asks for or it isn't gonna matter.