Athletic’s Chiefs beat writer: Michigan zeroing in on Joe Cullen for DC
Per The Athletic’s Chiefs beat writer Nate Taylor on today’s Athletic Football Show (at 24:07 in the podcast), U of M is hoping to hire Chiefs D-line coach Joe Cullen for defensive coordinator as early as today. Interesting that an NFL beat writer would single out Michigan despite other reports indicating NFL interest from the Seahawks.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/731Mqk8NlB0wEOVP2IMtKY?si=mRavRqxVQCKXyyf8ol93MA&t=1447
February 7th, 2024 at 2:46 PM ^
I think our last two defensive coordinators who jumped to the NFL worked out quite well for us. Hopefully the next defensive coordinator works out just as well.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:29 PM ^
Yup. A decent DC and keeping the talent together on defense for next season might be a difference of 2-3 wins. We're gonna need that defense to be elite because the offense is going to take a step back.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:36 PM ^
Does this keep the players? The damage is done with the loss of basically everyone except Clink (for now).
Whoever the new DC is will have to re-recruit the guys, as will Moore. And throw in a competitive NIL package please, somehow.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:48 PM ^
TBD. I think bring in a guy that has NFL ties and knows what it takes still has value and is a good selling point, Of course NIL still plays a major roll in this.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:53 PM ^
I'm going to guess, based on the fact that Grant, Graham, and none of the vaunted defense has left (yet) that they weren't all doing so for free and that Michigan has come with a solid NIL package to keep them. I'm not saying they won't move on if they don't like who was hired, but I doubt they stuck around for no money (and if they did, not sure why they would leave for money unless they all really loved Elston enough to turn the bag down).
February 7th, 2024 at 1:54 PM ^
If this is a big reason that Elston left, then I'd rather have had Elston be the DC or Co-DC with Clink.
Right now I'm so worried we're going to lose key guys on defense like Graham and Grant, please re-recruit the hell out of our all American defenders, pretty please with sugar on top.
February 7th, 2024 at 1:58 PM ^
Outside of a co-DC role at Central in 2005, Elston's been a position coach for the last 20 years. I have to believe that if he desired a DC role, he would've had it by now.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:29 PM ^
I have to believe that if he desired a DC role, he would've had it by now.
I feel like I remember hearing that being passed over for the DC job at ND when Freeman became HC was the final straw that led him to come here. Elston seems like he would have been the obvious choice on staff, and yet Freeman hired Al Golden to be the DC instead. It's not like Golden was some slam dunk hire. He hadn't been a DC in 16 years (granted 10 of those years were as a HC), and had been bouncing around NFL position coach jobs since getting fired as HC of Miami.
So I come at it from a different angle, i.e. why was Elston passed over, potentially multiple times? He was a co-DC for one year under Kelly (demoted back to position coach the next year), and Kelly never again elevated him to DC, despite Elston following Kelly from CMU to Cinci to ND. And Freeman preferred to grab what feels like a random retread instead of promoting him. Honestly I'd be a little worried hiring him. It would feel like kind of a panic move, particularly since Kelly and then Freeman didn't see enough in nearly 20 years to give him that job...
February 7th, 2024 at 2:52 PM ^
Sorry old man, but I think I need to re-context your post a bit:
It's not that Elston hasn't "desired" a DC position - word was he left ND for M because he was twice passed over for the role. And he is being passed over again at Michigan.
No, the more accurate way to put this is, after 20 years if he deserved a DC role he'd have gotten one by now.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:01 PM ^
I think I saw it reported that a big reason Elston left was so that he didn't have to recruit or deal with NIL anymore.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:20 PM ^
Gonna be the story with a lot of coaches who have the opportunity to go to the NFL. Similar pay for way, way less work and stupidity. This wont be unique to Michigan
February 7th, 2024 at 2:56 PM ^
Perhaps it won't be unique to Michigan, but not trying to fix it by throwing $ at it will be...🤷♂️
February 7th, 2024 at 2:01 PM ^
This may explain some things, seems reliable: https://mgoblog.com/users/mj14
February 7th, 2024 at 2:24 PM ^
He seems pretty reputable on this. Skimming thru some comments of his I missed
Ben wanted 10 years at S&C, would have settled for 7 and a 10% pay increase. Warde didn’t want to do either. I think if he had offered even an extra year from his last extension and a 10-15% increase Ben would have stuck around.
Man I hope thats not true. Would be a massive, massive blunder by Warde over peanuts
February 7th, 2024 at 2:46 PM ^
Fuck Warde Manuel. Full stop.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:58 PM ^
Hmmm.... "massive" & "blunder".
Why do I feel if you Google that combination of words you'll see Warde's picture?
February 7th, 2024 at 3:26 PM ^
That's the issue with Warde as I see it. It's not "peanuts" to him, it's a reduction in another line item in the budget that will make whatever summary report better.
My warm take is that Warde is most primarily concerned with the AD as a whole making a profit. If he can save a million bucks on football coaches, he's going to do that, because it's just a line item to him.
My hotter take is that Warde doesn't see football as meaning much more than women's rowing. He just assumes it will be a profit driver for the AD and doesn't see it as religion like they do at OSU, Georgia, etc.
Warde is the ultimate admin puke, and to get things the way he wanted for football, Jim had to be uber-assertive. This quite likely damaged Warde's ego and was the source of the friction that was almost certainly there.
February 7th, 2024 at 3:40 PM ^
If Warde is really penny pinching like that then it's peak dumb MBA brain. Assuming you can keep the gravy train rolling and neglect / cost cut the things that got you that gravy train along the way. Then Warde will be in some other job in ten years and his successor will have to clean up the mess he created
February 7th, 2024 at 6:24 PM ^
I agree. He probably thinks that the gravy train rolls just fine at 9-3/8-4. Without Jim pushing him to spend, maybe he figures he can do it this way.
Admittedly, this is speculation, but he sure makes it seem like he doesn't care any more about football than he does about men's tennis. And he cares about the budget more than both of those.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:02 PM ^
Can someone tell me where this worry is coming from? I keep seeing people mention concern about losing Grant to Texas and Graham to USC, but outside of people on this board saying they're worried I don't know anything else about it.
February 7th, 2024 at 3:23 PM ^
I do think the source is primarily BPONE.
February 7th, 2024 at 3:31 PM ^
He followed a bunch of Texas and USC players and coaches on Twitter
February 7th, 2024 at 2:23 PM ^
Elston called plays at ND for a game and it was a disaster and they immediately decided not to promote him. If keeping him was conditional on him being the DC, well that's a shame
February 7th, 2024 at 2:39 PM ^
My understanding based on things I've read here and elsewhere is that Harbaugh really wanted Elston and was willing to pay him a ton to be his DL coach, and Moore also wanted a guy who had called plays as a DC. So that's the type of combo that's likely to lead a guy to go to the NFL
February 7th, 2024 at 1:55 PM ^
Cullen seems like a good hire. We can all joke about the Wendy's but it sounds like he got sober and turned his life around to become a Super Bowl champion coach and an NFL DC (albeit under Urban in J'ville which lol). Seems like a way better bet than Wink, who people hate.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:22 PM ^
Exactly right.
I mean who among can honestly say they havent had a few too many, stripped buck-naked and gone out for a delicious Wendy's double, large fries and a Diet Coke? Or gotten loaded and needed to sleep it off in a cozy plastic booth while enjoying a Subway footlong with all the toppings (toasted of course). It's almost a right of passage in some circles.
I know I cannot cast that first stone.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:42 PM ^
I can say that I haven't. I mean, who would get a diet coke when a frosty is on the menu.
February 7th, 2024 at 3:00 PM ^
Urbz may be the ultimate dbag, and loyal to sleazoids like Zach Smith, but dude knows some football!
If he wanted Cullen as DC I'll take that as a good sign.
That Cullen was willing to work with him, not so much maybe!
February 7th, 2024 at 1:58 PM ^
What are the odds of success in this? Does Vegas have a line on where he’ll be next year?
February 7th, 2024 at 2:02 PM ^
Crazy what you can bet on. We have come a long way in a few years. Nearly every Podcast you listen to starts with an Ad on where to get help with gambling addiction
February 7th, 2024 at 2:01 PM ^
OMG Bottomless?
February 7th, 2024 at 2:05 PM ^
If a defensive NFL guy wants to come here for a couple of years and build their resume as full time play callers and we get the benefit by having a pass defense scheme that is complex enough to slow down the Ohio State's and Washington's of the world, I'm all for it.
February 7th, 2024 at 3:04 PM ^
You forgot Iowa's & Alabama's too!
February 7th, 2024 at 2:09 PM ^
I like this. If for no other reason that we need to move forward. Now you all know and can continue with your day.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:14 PM ^
Great hire from a scheme NFL pedigree stand point. He is coaching the defending Super Bowl champs D line.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:16 PM ^
Cullen aside, who seems like a good schematic fit, to me it doesn't seem like we're hiring at a U of M , National Championship , world class university level.
Campbell as OC and some of the other hires/promotions seem like hires that middle or lower tier Big Ten teams would do. Maybe it's tight purse strings budget or the potential NCAA riff raff, but we should have our pick of assistants, or head coaches who want to come here as the OC or DC or other staff positions. I.e. for OC, Moorhead, Jason Candle, Tom Herman (ducks), Josh McDaniel (duck) and others.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:33 PM ^
I am underwhelmed by the Campbell hire too, but seeing as Sherrone has a fixed idea of what he wants from his offense I doubt HC’s would leave their jobs to take a job where they have little control over the offense.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:57 PM ^
It seems like Sherrone has prioritized continuity on offense which makes sense but also is not what I would've preferred.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:16 PM ^
Peter Pantsless. Fantastic.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:16 PM ^
Supposedly he would bring along some ace recruiters too according to MJ14.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:24 PM ^
Any names?
February 7th, 2024 at 2:28 PM ^
He mentioned one person: Sterling Lucas, who would be coaching linebackers. Lucas currently coaches outside linebackers at South Carolina, where he's coached for two years and has punched above his/their weight class on the recruiting trail, luring in some good recruits, including two five stars. Lucas is a NC St. grad who had stints coaching in the NFL before landing at USC (not that USC).
February 7th, 2024 at 2:51 PM ^
I like the sounds of Lucas! What are his ties to Cullen?
February 7th, 2024 at 2:59 PM ^
Assistant DL coach in Baltimore when Cullen was there.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
I can't wait until Michigan obliterates OSU again in Columbass so that I can tell OSU fans, "We were naked and drunk, but not afraid."
February 7th, 2024 at 2:25 PM ^
Call me crazy but this would be an excellent hire
February 7th, 2024 at 2:25 PM ^
I don't know if I love Cullen, but I sure as hell want him more than Wink. Some of the football brains I follow and trust on twitter are sounding alarm bells on Wink
February 7th, 2024 at 3:08 PM ^
Yeah?! Well ya know what Wink would say to them?
"Go Fuck Yourself!" His parting words from his DC job with the NYG, if reports can be believed!
February 7th, 2024 at 2:33 PM ^
Seems like a good potential hire to me, especially with our (presumably) returning D-line.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:43 PM ^
Waiting for the "despite showing interest in the Michigan DC job, Cullen has quadrupled his salary to stay with the Chiefs"