Two things: I think McNair very obviously orchestrated the Phillips hire after more or less giving Kubiak carte blanche to hire his last two DCs. Other than the Carr pick and then certainly the extension, I can't cite for certainity that McNair has ever stuck his nose into the football operations previously (other than, obviously, hiring/firing head coaches - but assisstant-wise, or draft pick-wise, he has kept a very low profile). And he absolutely left Kubiak hanging for several weeks and made him sweat a little, which was very unlike him. (I'm guessing - there was certainly no public declaration in favor of Kubiak and he never acted like he knew for sure he was coming back.) I'm not suggesting either represents earth-shattering moves; but it's certainly different MO, and I think indicates that Kubiak is on thinner ice.
His contract being up after this year - it is up, right? - I think drastically changes the dynamic. It's one thing for McNair to be reluctant to pay two coaches with a possible lock-out looming, quite another to make a decision when your coach is a free agent. Note: He hasn't even discussed, to my knowledge, an extention of any kind with Kubiak - how safe is he if the owner's letting him enter the final season of his contract? BTW, did anyone else see this in this morning MMQB?: Interesting.
What? He made comments every week that seemed to defend Kubiak. The only hint that Kubiak might be in trouble was the local reporters suggesting he should be gone. (SR guys) Never did anyone with any sources say they thought McNair was going to get rid of him and anytime McNair spoke publicly it was clear he was defending the current regime. He then retained Kubiak as soon as the season was over and was almost annoyed at the suggestion he would have fired him.
He's covered through the 2012 season under his new contract he got after year. Saw it. Further illustrating my point that teams weren't making decisions based on the potential lockout. Gruden didn't come back because he didn't want to. As for Cowher, he may not have really wanted to come back for Cleveland, but Cowher to Miami was almost a done deal. It was him refusing to retain the GM that nixed it.
McNair very obviously defended him after the Ravens’ game – but I don’t remember any ringing endorsements after the back-to-back losses the next two weeks, especially after the collapse in Denver. Love or hate Kubiak, he’s always been an honest, stand-up guy, and he sounded anything but confident he knew what was going to happen those final 2-3 weeks of the season. I think you’re adding a little too much commentary here – he didn’t act any quicker than was necessary: As is often customary in the NFL, he made his decision the Monday following the final game of the regular season - it's not like he called a press conference at halftime to breathlessly announce Kubiak's return. And I don’t recall anyone pointing out McNair being annoyed. Look, I’m not defending how he handled things – just suggesting there was definitely a different approach than we’ve seen previously from McNair, IMO. A lot of how he handled Kubiak is conjecture on our part - but the hiring of Phillips, an alpha dog-level coach, was absolutely a departure. Ah, Ok – thanks. Never mind then. Are you suggesting that Cowher lied to a “friend” of his and that you have greater insider knowledge of his Miami negotiations than Holmgrem apparently does?
Ric, go listen to the soundbytes of McNair on the radio shows after he retained Kubiak. He is almost chastising people for calling for Kubiak to be fired, pointing that nobody wanted Kubiak fired after last year (a lie). He totally dismissed the notion that Kubiak's job was on the line. He sounded like the owner of a team that just went 6-10 after 5 straight playoff appearances.
I could very easily see McNair giving Kubes yet another year after another mediocre season as long as the offense is still good. If the blame is still on the defense, the claim will be that switching to a 3-4 was "traumatic" and that Wade just needs another year to get the right players in the system. Plus, I can't see McNair cleaning house and getting rid of Wade, son of Houston icon Bum, after one season. If by chance he does fire Kubes, I think he retains Wade and makes it a condition that whoever comes in as the new HC has to take on Wade as DC. And if that's a case, you can rest assured that Cowher wouldn't be interested.
I would be stunned if McNair doesn't hang an asterisk on next season over the lockout and a shortened preseason/camp for the coaches. No way he wipes the slate clean after handing Wade a multiyear deal. If anything happens, Wade inherits the team in one or two years. Book it.
I've read the sound bites - he defended his decision; I don't personally recall it being contentious. (I've also blocked much of that out of mym memory - we went to the playoffs, right? Wait, what?) He made no comment on Kubiak's status after December 15. Every week thereafter, when Kubiak was asked about his job status, he sounded like a guy that genuinely had no idea what was going to happen. Maybe McNair knew all along - but it certainly didn't sound like it was something he relayed to Gary. Again, I'm not arguing it was handled properly - but it was a far cry from last offseason when he handed Kubiak an extension after a 9-7, non-playoff season. He let him hang for a 2-3 weeks, he took away his hiring autonomy, he brought in a superior head coach to run the defense, and then he said this, which, again, is very uncharacteristic of him: "We absolutely have to see better results next season. There’s no way we can tolerate having this kind of season again. Everyone should know that.” I think he's absolutely shortened Kubiak's leash. Maybe he gets a 2011 pass if the lockout wipes out crucial parts of the offseason. But if not, and Kubiak posts anything less than 9 wins... I'll be surprised, and disappointed, if he brings Kubiak back again.
I actually remember a similarly-toned statement coming from him when he gave the extension, something about expecting better results and that another 8-win season wouldn't cut it. We were all giddy when we saw it.
He did. And then he proceeded to say how hiring a new coach sets your franchise back "several years." He talked about how the team no longer needed to build a foundation because now it was in place. He said Kubiak was the man to lead the team to the SB. He wanted to give Kubiak a contract through 2013, but Kubiak opted to only sign through 2012 (lolwut) in order to be on the same timeline with his assistants and his GM. Nothing suggests this man is on a short lease. After 1 winning season and no playoffs, McNair was so giddy about Kubiak he wanted to give him a "long term deal" lol. Edit: he also had comments similar to the ones from this year about being excited about the new coaches being brought in as assistants.
And Kubiak, gosh darn it, has not turned in an 8-win season since! Look, if you guys think its SOS, fair enough. No one has any reason to believe in anything this organization is doing. But he definitely took hiring power away from Kubiak and bringing in a guy with Phillips' resume (which is infinitely more impressive than Kubiak's) absolutely, positively sends a message and falls neatly into McNair's belief in continuity. I think Kubiak is on much thinner ice than ever before.
I agree. "Making him sweat" is totally meaningless IMO if the end result is another year of employment. I think as long as Kubiak wins his last game of the season (no matter what our record is), he's safe because McNair interprets that as a sign that "we're on the right track" for next season. Doesn't matter that the team we "beat" held out their 2 best players (MJD and Garrard). A win is a win and it bodes well for the future. McNair is all about the future, not the present. I also don't think McNair would have brought in Wade as DC if not for his last name. Perhaps I'm too cynical (can you blame me?), but I honestly think the only reason Wade was hired is because McNair is hoping he can somehow revive the ol' Luv Ya Blue days. If he happens to turn the defense around next year, great. But I don't think Wade was brought here to make some powerful statement to Kubiak. He was brought here because 1) he is Bum's son and 2) he just happens to be an unemployed DC. In that order. Just my flea bitten opinion.
That was the case last year too. And yet, if the ice started out really thick, that doesn't mean a lot. Maybe next year, they'll take away his personnel power. And then the following year, they can take away his timeout responsibilities. And then maybe in 2014, they can take away his playcalling duties. Each year, you can make the claim that he's on thinner ice than ever before. Meanwhile, all the talent that he brought into the franchise ages and wastes away the prime of their careers in the hope that somehow Kubiak will magically transform into a really good head coach instead of a really good offensive coordinator.
Oops, sorry about the massive pic.....I meant to spoiler that, and prematurely hit submit. If someone has editing powers, I would much appreciate a spoiler tag be added. Sorry friends!!
Hey guys, finally some good news... Kareem Jackson went to a cockfight and was dumb enough to tweet about it and post pictures. Wait, thats bad news...
