Coaching search 2022 - Confirmed Interviews and Speculation

[mansquatch]

Ha, back from the dead!

I don't care who they hire, just want a winner. No one will care about the rest of the details if they put together success, especially if it is at the QB position. Not sure taking a known quantity at GM is a great idea either. How many extremely successful GMs are out on the market right now? Probably none. So need to take a chance on who the next great one is going to be.

All about hiring process IMO. We won't get clear insight into that, so grab some popcorn (or beers) and see what happens.

OK crawling back into my hole. I missed you guys.

[StanM]

That's just being a Vikings fan though.

I never worried when Bud Grant was coach. Never worried in the early days of Zimmer. Never worried in 2017, even though we were on our third quarterback. When you have good teams, or teams that are on the rise, you don’t worry. Or at least I don’t. And I’ve been at this Vikings fan thing since 1969.

I go back to the beginning. The VanBrocklin/Tarkenton relationship got toxic and both got shipped out. Bud brought Francis back and they had their greatest successful years in the history of the team. Bud Grants arrival was preceded by a toxic situation.

[J. Kapp 11]

I never worried when Bud Grant was coach. Never worried in the early days of Zimmer. Never worried in 2017, even though we were on our third quarterback. When you have good teams, or teams that are on the rise, you don’t worry. Or at least I don’t. And I’ve been at this Vikings fan thing since 1969.

I go back to the beginning. The VanBrocklin/Tarkenton relationship got toxic and both got shipped out. Bud brought Francis back and they had their greatest successful years in the history of the team. Bud Grants arrival was preceded by a toxic situation.

Man, I needed to read this today. Thank you.

I try to be a positive person. An optimist. That's been hard lately.

Maybe history will repeat itself.

[J. Kapp 11]

The first coaching candidate interviewed was Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett.

I wasn't sure how I felt about poaching the hated Packers. But then I realized ... he's only been in Green Bay for 3 years. He's been a coach in the NFL since 2006. That includes stops as OC in Buffalo, where he somehow managed to help coax 9-7 out of Kyle Orton, and in Jacksonville, where he helped get the Jaguars to the 2017 AFC title game with Blake Bortles as quarterback.

Read that again. I had to. Kyle Orton and Blake Bortles.

There can be no doubt that this guy knows what he's doing around the offensive side of the football. But what about Nathaniel Hackett as a man? As a leader?

I've seen video of him speaking in press conferences. He's articulate and incredibly intelligent in his comments. He's respectful to the media, going so far as to use each reporter's first name when talking with them. Hell, just having THAT as opposed to the constantly prickly, combative, Mike Zimmer would be a welcome change. Mike Zimmer use a first name? Only if he's telling you how stupid you are.

Is he smart? Well, he was pre-med before he decided to go into coaching. Yeah, pretty smart.

But what about Nathaniel Hackett the leader? Let's turn to This great article from SI.com.

Here's what David Bakhtiari, one of the most respected leaders of the Packers, has to say about him.

His positivity and energy, it’s infectious. There has never been a day where I have not seen him come in without greater energy and enthusiasm. He’s literally a walking culture.

Bakhtiari also said this.

He talks about teachers, and what defines a good teacher compared to a bad teacher. A bad teacher will always blame the student or the group or the person for not obtaining information rather than reflecting or looking at yourself (I'll interject here ... who does THAT sound like?), finding a way to reach not only the masses but every single person. You can grab their attention and help them learn the material no matter how dry, easy, complicated or in-depth it might be. That personifies his teaching habits.

As for his ability to run an offense and call plays, you have to go back to his days as an OC at Syracuse. Check this out.

He was fearless despite being a first-time play-caller. Once, after a miserable off-location practice at the Fort Drum military base, Hackett decided the offense was getting whooped in practice. So, two weeks before the season, he called a meeting, scrapped the entire playbook and installed a Jim Kelly–era Bills K-Gun offense. Ryan Nassib, the quarterback at the time, set school records for completions and yards, and tied the school record for touchdowns in a season.

See what happened there? His offense wasn't working, so he changed it. He adapted to his personnel. My god, if that's not the polar opposite of Zimmer, then I don't know what is.

Even his meetings are, by all reports, amazing.

To measure himself, Hackett once asked his father, Paul Hackett, to watch him run a meeting in Buffalo.

Paul is one of the game’s true good guys, a generous soul who, like Nathaniel, built a career out of listening to others and being personable. But afterward, he was confused.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” he told his son. “I didn’t know if you were yelling or screaming or laughing or telling jokes or what was happening.”

Nathaniel smiled. Exactly what he was going for. This is not just a meeting. This is an experience. This is a stage. You’re here to learn. You’ll learn better if you’re having a good time.

Doubt me. See for yourself. Watch this.

And finally, we have Erin Rodgers — who, as we all know, hates everybody. This is from a recent Pat McAfee podcast.

This is a little overdue, to be honest. He’s been around the game a long time. What he did in Jacksonville, I think, was pure magic, getting them within a quarter of the Super Bowl. He’s a great coach. I love spending time with him. He’s a fantastic teacher. He’s incredible in front of the room.

If the Vikings get this guy, I'm gonna get excited. Seriously. Read the article. You're welcome.

[40for60]

The first coaching candidate interviewed was Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett.

I wasn't sure how I felt about poaching the hated Packers. But then I realized ... he's only been in Green Bay for 3 years. He's been a coach in the NFL since 2006. That includes stops as OC in Buffalo, where he somehow managed to help coax 9-7 out of Kyle Orton, and in Jacksonville, where he helped get the Jaguars to the 2017 AFC title game with Blake Bortles as quarterback.

Read that again. I had to. Kyle Orton and Blake Bortles.

There can be no doubt that this guy knows what he's doing around the offensive side of the football. But what about Nathaniel Hackett as a man? As a leader?

I've seen video of him speaking in press conferences. He's articulate and incredibly intelligent in his comments. He's respectful to the media, going so far as to use each reporter's first name when talking with them. Hell, just having THAT as opposed to the constantly prickly, combative, Mike Zimmer would be a welcome change. Mike Zimmer use a first name? Only if he's telling you how stupid you are.

Is he smart? Well, he was pre-med before he decided to go into coaching. Yeah, pretty smart.

But what about Nathaniel Hackett the leader? Let's turn to This great article from SI.com.

Here's what David Bakhtiari, one of the most respected leaders of the Packers, has to say about him.

His positivity and energy, it’s infectious. There has never been a day where I have not seen him come in without greater energy and enthusiasm. He’s literally a walking culture.

Bakhtiari also said this.

He talks about teachers, and what defines a good teacher compared to a bad teacher. A bad teacher will always blame the student or the group or the person for not obtaining information rather than reflecting or looking at yourself (I'll interject here ... who does THAT sound like?), finding a way to reach not only the masses but every single person. You can grab their attention and help them learn the material no matter how dry, easy, complicated or in-depth it might be. That personifies his teaching habits.

As for his ability to run an offense and call plays, you have to go back to his days as an OC at Syracuse. Check this out.

He was fearless despite being a first-time play-caller. Once, after a miserable off-location practice at the Fort Drum military base, Hackett decided the offense was getting whooped in practice. So, two weeks before the season, he called a meeting, scrapped the entire playbook and installed a Jim Kelly–era Bills K-Gun offense. Ryan Nassib, the quarterback at the time, set school records for completions and yards, and tied the school record for touchdowns in a season.

See what happened there? His offense wasn't working, so he changed it. He adapted to his personnel. My god, if that's not the polar opposite of Zimmer, then I don't know what is.

Even his meetings are, by all reports, amazing.

To measure himself, Hackett once asked his father, Paul Hackett, to watch him run a meeting in Buffalo.

Paul is one of the game’s true good guys, a generous soul who, like Nathaniel, built a career out of listening to others and being personable. But afterward, he was confused.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” he told his son. “I didn’t know if you were yelling or screaming or laughing or telling jokes or what was happening.”

Nathaniel smiled. Exactly what he was going for. This is not just a meeting. This is an experience. This is a stage. You’re here to learn. You’ll learn better if you’re having a good time.

Doubt me. See for yourself. Watch this.

And finally, we have Erin Rodgers — who, as we all know, hates everybody. This is from a recent Pat McAfee podcast.

This is a little overdue, to be honest. He’s been around the game a long time. What he did in Jacksonville, I think, was pure magic, getting them within a quarter of the Super Bowl. He’s a great coach. I love spending time with him. He’s a fantastic teacher. He’s incredible in front of the room.

If the Vikings get this guy, I'm gonna get excited. Seriously. Read the article. You're welcome.

Thanks Kapp, that is an awesome article that has me hoping they get him too. And why not poach from the Packers—one less quality person on their staff. That’s a bonus!

[VikingLord]

Ha, back from the dead!

....

OK crawling back into my hole. I missed you guys.

Hopefully there will be good reason to come back more often now that things are finally getting shaken up a little. For those of us who stuck it out all this time we are more than ready for some positive change and something to get excited about.

[VikingLord]

If the Vikings get this guy, I'm gonna get excited. Seriously. Read the article. You're welcome.

Great read and video. Thanks for sharing that!

Getting someone who is as willing to learn (and even more importantly, admit from the start he doesn't know everything) as he is to teach is *key* to a leadership position. Nobody knows everything. On functional teams, good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, anytime. Being willing to listen and to be flexible and recognize when something isn't working should be a mandatory trait in anyone under consideration for the head coaching job of the Minnesota Vikings.

Hackett has that trait in spades. It's probably one of the reasons he was so adept at getting the most out of the personnel he had. Instead of expecting Orton or Bortles to be players they weren't, he adapted to maximize the strengths they had. Give a guy like that a really talented team and I bet he can work some magic.

Not sure how I feel about the Vikes hiring a HC before the GM, but Hackett is a guy I might consider an exception to that general rule.

[J. Kapp 11]

If the Vikings get this guy, I'm gonna get excited. Seriously. Read the article. You're welcome.

Great read and video. Thanks for sharing that!

Getting someone who is as willing to learn (and even more importantly, admit from the start he doesn't know everything) as he is to teach is *key* to a leadership position. Nobody knows everything. On functional teams, good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, anytime. Being willing to listen and to be flexible and recognize when something isn't working should be a mandatory trait in anyone under consideration for the head coaching job of the Minnesota Vikings.

Hackett has that trait in spades. It's probably one of the reasons he was so adept at getting the most out of the personnel he had. Instead of expecting Orton or Bortles to be players they weren't, he adapted to maximize the strengths they had. Give a guy like that a really talented team and I bet he can work some magic.

Not sure how I feel about the Vikes hiring a HC before the GM, but Hackett is a guy I might consider an exception to that general rule.

Well, the Bills hired Sean McDermott as HC before they hired Brandon Beane, and that’s worked out pretty well. In fact, McDermott recommended Beane. And the 49ers hired Lynch, but already knew they were hiring Shanahan. So it wouldn’t set a precedent if the Vikings did it.

[40for60]

FWIW, Ryan Poles impressed Vikings:

https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/2022/0 ... interview/

[Cliff]

Current List:

sofar.png (133.23 KiB) Viewed 487 times

[IIsweet]

Current List:

sofar.png

My short list from those lists...
Poles or Spytek for GM
Bowles, Hackett, or Ryans for HC

[vikeinmontana]

Current List:

sofar.png

My short list from those lists...
Poles or Spytek for GM
Bowles, Hackett, or Ryans for HC

Hackett is my favorite so far if for no other reason he's on the offensive side of the ball. Right or wrong, flawed reasoning probably, but I'm a bit jaded with defensive head coaches.

[StanM]

I go back to the beginning. The VanBrocklin/Tarkenton relationship got toxic and both got shipped out. Bud brought Francis back and they had their greatest successful years in the history of the team. Bud Grants arrival was preceded by a toxic situation.

Man, I needed to read this today. Thank you.

I try to be a positive person. An optimist. That's been hard lately.

Maybe history will repeat itself.

They’re going to make these hires regardless of my opinion or how many stats I come up with to justify it. Might as well sit back and watch the whole thin unfold. I worked in offices for forty years and had women as supervisors and managers. Guys have run this team and failed to produce a super bowl win since 1961. If they hire her maybe things will work out differently.

[CharVike]

Giants interviewing the guy I want. Adam Peters is interviewing for the Giants GM job today. He isn't on our list.

[JJBreaksRecords]

Two straight defensive HC's have not been good for us, shout or long term. I would go after Hackett, full steam ahead. He could really help whoever our new OC is. That would mean we have to go after a qualified DC that know how to do the job alone.