Falcons should stay away from these head coach candidates

The Falcons have submitted requests to interview several head coaches, including Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, and Anthony Weaver.

Johnson is the hottest commodity of the three and maybe of the entire hiring pool. His work with the Lions’ skill group has to interest Atlanta, who features a similar set of players on the offensive side of the ball. The Falcons are going to cast a wide net into the hiring pool, but there are some candidates that Arthur Blank should stay away from; here are mine:

Ryan Nielsen

I love Ryan Nielsen as much as the next guy. He is a primary factor in the defensive turnaround in Atlanta, and his personality seems to resonate with the players, but what qualifications does he have? The guy is a first-time coordinator and is all of a sudden ready to be handed the keys to the kingdom? I don’t need a head coach with 40 years of experience, but let’s pump the breaks on a guy who has coordinated a unit for one season.

Jerry Gray

Gray has been in and around the NFL for longer than I’ve been alive, but once again, that shouldn’t be a pre-requisite. Gray has had many stops along the way, including several as defensive coordinator, but he hasn’t received serious consideration for a head coaching gig in more than 25 years as a coach for a reason.

Eric Bieniemy

The Falcons interviewed Beiniemy during their last head coaching search and passed over him in favor of Arthur Smith. Bieniemy finally got out from underneath Andy Reid‘s shadow and hasn’t really succeeded in Washington. Sam Howell got sacked a ton, threw more interceptions than just about everyone, and wound up getting benched. What exactly did EB prove with the Commanders? He’s said to be a brash personality that creates conflicts, which would be fine if he had some sterling reputation as any offensive mind. It’s okay to just accept he’s not a viable head coaching candidate.

Brian Callahan

I’ll never advocate for hiring a coordinator who doesn’t call the plays, especially one with a star quarterback. Callahan is the Bengals offensive coordinator, where Zac Taylor calls the plays, and he doesn’t even do that well.

Without Joe Burrow, Cincinnati’s offense has been pathetic. Think Nathanial Hacket in Green Bay. The former Packers offensive coordinator parlayed a pair of Aaron Rodgers MVPs where Matt LaFleur called the offense into a head coaching job in Denver, which didn’t last a season. The Falcons could do much better than a coordinater who doesn’t even call his own plays.

Todd Monken

Todd Monken is an experienced coordinator, connects with players, and has shown an ability to fit his scheme to the available personnel. He built an offense around Stetson Bennett and Lamar Jackson and squeezed everything he could out of the Buccaneers and Browns in 2018 and 2019, respectively. With that being said, there’s a difference between a coordinator and a head coach. Monken might be a popular candidate among Falcons because of his success at Georgia, but he’s not my favorite.

Bill Belichick

I saved the best for last! It seems that Bill Belichick is the top target for the Falcons, and how could you blame them? He’s the GOAT and is available for the first time in his career. Well, I can argue it would be a terrible hire.

Firstly, he’s 72-years-old. Don’t the Falcons want a head coach for the next decade? They’re planning for a four or five-year stint? That’s crazy. Moreover, his track record as GM is horrid. Maybe he doesn’t need personnel decision making power, I still hate the hire.

His defensive acumen is second to none, but the offenses in the post-Tom Brady era have been pathetic. And his ability to fill out a staff has become questionable. For god’s sake, he had Matt Patricia, a defensive coordinator, calling offensive plays last year.

Best case scenario? Bill Belichick brings in Josh McDaniels and then he retires in a few years after he breaks Don Shula‘s record and leaves the Falcons in the same spot they find themselves now. The Falcons should be looking for a candidate that will be able to coach in Atlanta for the next decade, but Arthur Blank is 82 years old and wants to win right now. I don’t know if Blank is all that concerned with the long-term health of the organization.

—

Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire