Coaching search 2022 - Confirmed Interviews and Speculation

[VikingLord]

I agree, but day to day I don’t think the Wilfs are involved with the operations of the team. In fact, part of the problem is that they aren’t in town owners that are often in the building. Do you think they knew Rick and Zim hadn’t talked in 6 months?

Someone on this board posted a recent org chart that showed both Zimmer and Spielman reporting to Mark Wilf.

If Mark Wilf wasn't aware of the state of the relationship between those two, then the organization is more dysfunctional than I even imagined.

However there does need to be someone in charge, and I think that is KAM. During his press conference someone asked something to the affect of if he had final say in personnel decisions. He didn’t come out and say that he did, but he said he knew what his contract says but he doesn’t work that way. I took that to mean there would be much more cooperation between him and the coach then there was between Zim and Rick. And I certainly don’t think KAM has a big ego, and stressed people who work for the organization should place importance to the collective rather than the individual (or something like that).

This is the issue though.

If KAM isn't clearly in charge of the football side of the team, who is? If its a group of people, most of whom don't know anything about what it takes to actually deliver results on the football field on Sunday, there is a very high risk of decisions being questioned and/or made that reduce the team's chances of winning consistently.

While I believe collaboration can have real benefits and produce optimal results, there is a huge underlying assumption that those collaborating possess the experience, knowledge and skills necessary to properly evaluate the questions before them. If KAM has those attributes, but he's sitting in a room of "equals" composed mostly of people who are at best casually familiar with them, I would argue collaboration is far less likely to produce optimal results.

And I would go further and argue that we all have just witnessed exactly that happening with the failure to hire Jim Harbaugh.

I will give it a chance, of course. What choice do I have? But my "spidey sense" is tingling again and telling me that while the people manning the GM and head coach roles have changed, the underlying issue has not. The Wilfs are still too involved in matters they know nothing about, and as a result, the real source of the dysfunction and under-achievement of this team remains.

[J. Kapp 11]

I agree, but day to day I don’t think the Wilfs are involved with the operations of the team. In fact, part of the problem is that they aren’t in town owners that are often in the building. Do you think they knew Rick and Zim hadn’t talked in 6 months?

Someone on this board posted a recent org chart that showed both Zimmer and Spielman reporting to Mark Wilf.

If Mark Wilf wasn't aware of the state of the relationship between those two, then the organization is more dysfunctional than I even imagined.

However there does need to be someone in charge, and I think that is KAM. During his press conference someone asked something to the affect of if he had final say in personnel decisions. He didn’t come out and say that he did, but he said he knew what his contract says but he doesn’t work that way. I took that to mean there would be much more cooperation between him and the coach then there was between Zim and Rick. And I certainly don’t think KAM has a big ego, and stressed people who work for the organization should place importance to the collective rather than the individual (or something like that).

This is the issue though.

If KAM isn't clearly in charge of the football side of the team, who is? If its a group of people, most of whom don't know anything about what it takes to actually deliver results on the football field on Sunday, there is a very high risk of decisions being questioned and/or made that reduce the team's chances of winning consistently.

While I believe collaboration can have real benefits and produce optimal results, there is a huge underlying assumption that those collaborating possess the experience, knowledge and skills necessary to properly evaluate the questions before them. If KAM has those attributes, but he's sitting in a room of "equals" composed mostly of people who are at best casually familiar with them, I would argue collaboration is far less likely to produce optimal results.

And I would go further and argue that we all have just witnessed exactly that happening with the failure to hire Jim Harbaugh.

I will give it a chance, of course. What choice do I have? But my "spidey sense" is tingling again and telling me that while the people manning the GM and head coach roles have changed, the underlying issue has not. The Wilfs are still too involved in matters they know nothing about, and as a result, the real source of the dysfunction and under-achievement of this team remains.

You're assuming not hiring Jim Harbaugh is a failure.

Which is likely because you wanted them to hire Jim Harbaugh.

But you are not in charge of hiring the coach. The search team is.

Has it ever occurred to you that the intention was never to automatically hire Jim Harbaugh, but it went down the way they say it went down ... that he was one of four candidates being equally considered?

I'm at a loss as to how we as Vikings fans can consider this a failure. The team interviewed the four people they thought were most qualified. Three of those candidates were names that KAM submitted for consideration (not just Harbaugh). All the interviews were exhaustive, and they were equal. The team did its due diligence. What more can you ask? Do you really believe it would have been better if the other three interviews were "a sham" and Harbaugh was the only candidate truly considered?

Some may not approve of the outcome. That's fair. Most people had the guy they wanted in their minds. But I fail to see how anyone can trash the process.

[VikingLord]

Some may not approve of the outcome. That's fair. Most people had the guy they wanted in their minds. But I fail to see how anyone can trash the process.

I tried to explain my thoughts on that point, both in terms of the process used and in terms of the accountability between positions once the ship pushes off from shore and the waters start to get a little choppy.

Anyway, best of luck to KAM and KOC and I will continue to hope for the best. If the Vikings need a little luck to get to the promised land, IMHO we are all well overdue for it.

[J. Kapp 11]

Some may not approve of the outcome. That's fair. Most people had the guy they wanted in their minds. But I fail to see how anyone can trash the process.

I tried to explain my thoughts on that point, both in terms of the process used and in terms of the accountability between positions once the ship pushes off from shore and the waters start to get a little choppy.

Anyway, best of luck to KAM and KOC and I will continue to hope for the best. If the Vikings need a little luck to get to the promised land, IMHO we are all well overdue for it.

VL, you know I respect the hell out of you. So let me say that first. And I agree that total collaboration never works. Human beings disagree on things, and at some point a decision has to be made. I’m a 14-year military veteran, so I understand the importance of chain of command.

I just happen to believe that KAM actually DID get the man he wanted.

Both KOC and Harbaugh were on the list of potential candidates KAM submitted during his own interview process. So at least by that standard, they were equal in KAM’s mind. However, the media, both mainstream and social, put forth a lot of assumptions when it came to Harbaugh. They made it sound like the interview was a mere formality. Heck, they had ME pining for Harbaugh. Unfortunately it appears they got it massively wrong. When KAM and the team interviewed KOC, they were blown away. As Chad Graff’s excellent article reports, KOC shot to the lead after his interview, meaning Harbaugh was going to have to impress them even more. He didn’t.

That’s my take. I could be wrong, but I trust Graff’s reporting. He’s very thorough and rarely wrong in his facts. Bottom line, I believe KAM got his man.

And yeah … we Vikings fans could use a little luck.

[40for60]

I tried to explain my thoughts on that point, both in terms of the process used and in terms of the accountability between positions once the ship pushes off from shore and the waters start to get a little choppy.

Anyway, best of luck to KAM and KOC and I will continue to hope for the best. If the Vikings need a little luck to get to the promised land, IMHO we are all well overdue for it.

VL, you know I respect the hell out of you. So let me say that first. And I agree that total collaboration never works. Human beings disagree on things, and at some point a decision has to be made. I’m a 14-year military veteran, so I understand the importance of chain of command.

I just happen to believe that KAM actually DID get the man he wanted.

Both KOC and Harbaugh were on the list of potential candidates KAM submitted during his own interview process. So at least by that standard, they were equal in KAM’s mind. However, the media, both mainstream and social, put forth a lot of assumptions when it came to Harbaugh. They made it sound like the interview was a mere formality. Heck, they had ME pining for Harbaugh. Unfortunately it appears they got it massively wrong. When KAM and the team interviewed KOC, they were blown away. As Chad Graff’s excellent article reports, KOC shot to the lead after his interview, meaning Harbaugh was going to have to impress them even more. He didn’t.

That’s my take. I could be wrong, but I trust Graff’s reporting. He’s very thorough and rarely wrong in his facts. Bottom line, I believe KAM got his man.

And yeah … we Vikings fans could use a little luck.

I agree. From what we know this seems to be the most accurate take.

And I don’t think there is a committee that is going to be consulted on every decision. The Wilfs have never had to search for a GM before. Plus they had to get a head start on the coaching search which was smart as, if I understand correctly, if they had not yet interviewed the candidates they would not been able to interview KOC or Morris until after the SB. And as Kapp mentioned, KAM picked the finalists, which also included Graham and Harbaugh.

I really think KAM is in charge, but it is his style to listen and take input from everyone involved. He mentioned in his press conference that this doesn’t mean everyone thinks alike. When it comes time to make a decision, I think it is ultimately KAM’s.

I also believe the Wilfs are hands off owners for the most part. Sure they are going to want input on head coaches and probably be informed on big trades or cuts, but day to day they aren’t around. By the way, has anyone even seen Zygi recently? And you are right, as they didn’t know Rick and Zimmer hadn’t talked in months that is very dysfunctional. I suspect that led to both Rick and Zim getting fired.

[JJBreaksRecords]

Its on Mackey and Judd. They wanted Harbaugh here as much as any of us did, but still told it. And I think it was even worse then that. And the shouting matches between JH and the Gm Trent were horrible for everyone.

How did you hear it?

I hear it that his players loved him. When you say his vets didn't how many of his vets are you talking about? 1/10%/50%/ all of them. Alex Boone was one of his vets and he sure loved him.

Boone was on the show when Mackey said the vets wearnt happy with JH at at, and told the GM they wanted him gone. The young players loved him.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Someone on this board posted a recent org chart that showed both Zimmer and Spielman reporting to Mark Wilf.

If Mark Wilf wasn't aware of the state of the relationship between those two, then the organization is more dysfunctional than I even imagined.



This is the issue though.

If KAM isn't clearly in charge of the football side of the team, who is? If its a group of people, most of whom don't know anything about what it takes to actually deliver results on the football field on Sunday, there is a very high risk of decisions being questioned and/or made that reduce the team's chances of winning consistently.

While I believe collaboration can have real benefits and produce optimal results, there is a huge underlying assumption that those collaborating possess the experience, knowledge and skills necessary to properly evaluate the questions before them. If KAM has those attributes, but he's sitting in a room of "equals" composed mostly of people who are at best casually familiar with them, I would argue collaboration is far less likely to produce optimal results.

And I would go further and argue that we all have just witnessed exactly that happening with the failure to hire Jim Harbaugh.

I will give it a chance, of course. What choice do I have? But my "spidey sense" is tingling again and telling me that while the people manning the GM and head coach roles have changed, the underlying issue has not. The Wilfs are still too involved in matters they know nothing about, and as a result, the real source of the dysfunction and under-achievement of this team remains.

You're assuming not hiring Jim Harbaugh is a failure.

Which is likely because you wanted them to hire Jim Harbaugh.

But you are not in charge of hiring the coach. The search team is.

Has it ever occurred to you that the intention was never to automatically hire Jim Harbaugh, but it went down the way they say it went down ... that he was one of four candidates being equally considered?

I'm at a loss as to how we as Vikings fans can consider this a failure. The team interviewed the four people they thought were most qualified. Three of those candidates were names that KAM submitted for consideration (not just Harbaugh). All the interviews were exhaustive, and they were equal. The team did its due diligence. What more can you ask? Do you really believe it would have been better if the other three interviews were "a sham" and Harbaugh was the only candidate truly considered?

Some may not approve of the outcome. That's fair. Most people had the guy they wanted in their minds. But I fail to see how anyone can trash the process.

Agreed Kapp. I'm not going to sit here and say I didnt want Harbaugh during this process but I also knew there was a big risk there and I didnt entirely trust him. Some fans are really freaking out over us not hiring him. Me on the other hand, I've been calling for O'Connell's name since Zimmer was fired. He was one of my top 3 from the jump. So I cant complain. Harbaugh would've been cool and all but I'm just as happy with O'Connell.

But to your point, no passing on Harbaugh is not a "failure". Some people are acting like we had the choice of Bill Belichick or Adam Gase and chose Gase. I know I have a buddy that was intrigued by O'Connell but then Harbaugh enters the convo, we dont hire him and now he's completely turned his back on O'Connell saying we're doomed. We've got to let this play out people.

[VikingLord]

VL, you know I respect the hell out of you. So let me say that first. And I agree that total collaboration never works. Human beings disagree on things, and at some point a decision has to be made. I’m a 14-year military veteran, so I understand the importance of chain of command.

The feeling is mutual Kapp. The fact that you and others I greatly respect are OK with the decision gives me a reason to be more optimistic about it.

I just happen to believe that KAM actually DID get the man he wanted.

The more I read about the way things went down the more convinced I am that your take is correct. It does sound like KAM and the Wilfs connected more with KOC than with Harbaugh.

The proof will be in the pudding, and this particular pudding is a little over-baked right now with the salary cap situation and the QB taking up such a large percentage of that cap. Both KAM and KOC will have their work cut out for them out of the gate. Be interesting to see how they handle things and whether they can keep this team competitive over the next 1-2 seasons as Mark Wilf seems to believe is possible.

[IIsweet]

I think that KOC is more willing to take on the dismantling of a bad salary stricken roster than Harbaugh would.
Something that KAM obviously is aware of what needs to be done. KOC can then look for pieces on the same vision as KAM in reloading for the future. They will obviously be relying on each other much more than a veteran HC would, I believe.
Curious as to the style of offense we run and also what type of defense.

[VikingLord]

I think that KOC is more willing to take on the dismantling of a bad salary stricken roster than Harbaugh would.
Something that KAM obviously is aware of what needs to be done. KOC can then look for pieces on the same vision as KAM in reloading for the future. They will obviously be relying on each other much more than a veteran HC would, I believe.
Curious as to the style of offense we run and also what type of defense.

One of the most interesting things I'm looking at will be how they decide to proceed at QB. Do they keep Cousins this coming season and just allow his contract to expire? Do they try to trade him, and if they do, what do they do at QB this coming season? Or do they extend him, which would indicate to me they feel they can win with him at QB?

I'm also very interested to see how KAM and KOC handle this upcoming draft. Spielman was known for a lot of trading and taking big swings at players with lots of potential, but also lots of question marks? Does KAM continue that trend, or will we see him be even more aggressive or more conservative in the draft. Lastly, how will KAM approach FA? Are we going to see more of an emphasis on developing young drafted talent (which probably necessitates a step back or two in terms of immediate on-field results), more stop-gap type FA acquisitions on short term contracts to fill immediate needs, or more plays for long-term free agents who can slot in on multi-year deals and become an integral part of the plan?

Apparently one of the most attractive aspects of how KOC interviewed was his vision for the team. That suggests to me he not only displayed a strong understanding of the current roster's strengths and weaknesses, but he was able to articulate a plan for how he wants that to evolve over the short and long term that made sense to the interview committee. If so, that is encouraging, as this team is beyond the need for that type of vision and plan.

While I still think Harbaugh would have been the better choice personally, I'm excited to see how this plays out. If the Vikings interview committee ends up being right and these GM and head coach hires pan out, we could finally get to see some sustainable success from the Vikings, which is something we haven't seen in a long, long time.

[Texas Vike]

Jeremy Fowler
@JFowlerESPN
Soon-to-be Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell conveyed a firm belief in Kirk Cousins during the interview process, I'm told. He's high on him. The front office must decide on Cousins' future due to his $45M cap hit, but many coaches interviewing for job liked Cousins, O'Connell included

[Texas Vike]

A worthwhile listen:

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cH ... IAhAF&ep=6

The Vikings' coaching search ended this week after a winding path. Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer and Michael Rand discuss how the team landed on Kevin O'Connell over Jim Harbaugh, and what that means moving forward. They also open up the mailbag and answer some of your questions.

[JJBreaksRecords]

Jeremy Fowler
@JFowlerESPN
Soon-to-be Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell conveyed a firm belief in Kirk Cousins during the interview process, I'm told. He's high on him. The front office must decide on Cousins' future due to his $45M cap hit, but many coaches interviewing for job liked Cousins, O'Connell included

This scares the hel! out of me. Too much cap and he will never be able to play in the big games. EVER

[VikingsFan84]

Jeremy Fowler
@JFowlerESPN
Soon-to-be Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell conveyed a firm belief in Kirk Cousins during the interview process, I'm told. He's high on him. The front office must decide on Cousins' future due to his $45M cap hit, but many coaches interviewing for job liked Cousins, O'Connell included

This scares the hel! out of me. Too much cap and he will never be able to play in the big games. EVER

Kirk is not that bad, he had a good year this year, no team is going to want Kirk’s expensive contract so it is no surprise Kirk is staying

[VikingsVictorious]

Jeremy Fowler
@JFowlerESPN
Soon-to-be Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell conveyed a firm belief in Kirk Cousins during the interview process, I'm told. He's high on him. The front office must decide on Cousins' future due to his $45M cap hit, but many coaches interviewing for job liked Cousins, O'Connell included

As well they should. Cousins has always been a better QB than Stafford and Stafford was good enough to get the Rams to the SB this year.