DC Jesse Minter interviewed for Eagles DC Position
Per Mike Garafolo, my Philadelphia Eagles interviewed DC Jesse Minter for their open position (along with the Rams' Chris Shula).
Among the #Eagles defensive coordinator interviews to date: #Rams DBs coach/pass game coordinator Chris Shula and Michigan DC Jesse Minter, sources say. Shula and Nick Sirianni were together on the #Chargers’ coaching staff 2015-16.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 21, 2023
The position opened up after former DC Jonathan Gannon took the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals.
As an Eagles fan, I get it. Minter has done a fantastic job for Michigan and Gannon was maligned by fans for being too passive and refusing to adapt (even in the Super Bowl). On the other hand, when I kindly asked the Eagles to bring a Michigan defender onto the team to keep Brandon Graham company, this is NOT what I meant.
Anyway, please don't shoot the messenger. Just trying to keep y'all informed.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:00 AM ^
No! We want to keep our nice things, too!
February 21st, 2023 at 10:52 AM ^
It's a blessing and a curse to have this problem. Ohio State's coaching staff doesn't get poached by the NFL. I believe that says something.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
Yeah, when Kerry Coombs got punted to a post-Fickell Cincy DC spot that says a lot about the quality of you as the former DC.
February 21st, 2023 at 12:41 PM ^
pretty sure combs was the DB coach for the tennessee titans when they hired him back.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:02 AM ^
I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:01 AM ^
The coaching changes going on now a days is wild. Not very many coaches are staying anywhere more than 4 years.
Not mentioned but also interviewed was former UW DC Jim Leonhard
February 21st, 2023 at 10:02 AM ^
Shit how about two years, let alone four.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:34 AM ^
Not very many good coaches are staying anywhere more than 4 years.
Fixed it for you. I don't think this is a new phenomenon per se. At least, it's been going on for the last 10+ years. Michigan is just finally hiring good assistants that are in demand.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:10 AM ^
They are also interviewing Vance Joseph today. Let’s hope they find someone other then Minter
February 21st, 2023 at 1:32 PM ^
*THAN!
February 21st, 2023 at 11:41 AM ^
This is precisely why you commit to the school and not the coach. There are no guarantees and the earlier people realize that in life the better.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:53 AM ^
This has always been my beef with negative recruiting. Unless you're committing to the rare head coach with insane job security who also is already at one of the upper tier football programs, there's just too much shuffling and people wanting to rightfully advance in their career. So as a recruit, why would I ever pay attention to a staff telling me another staff isn't going to be at their school long, when you really could be fired/hired away at any given time too.
February 21st, 2023 at 12:19 PM ^
I think it probably has more to do with the support groups that elite recruits have. They're getting a lot of bad advice from people who don't have their best interests in mind.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:02 AM ^
February 21st, 2023 at 10:03 AM ^
Your mouth to Sirianni / Roseman's ears.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:04 AM ^
Not that I don't appreciate Minter, but I think long-term retaining Clink over Minter is far more crucial, as Clink is just a monster on the recruiting trail. Maybe bumping him up to sole DC like they did for Sherrone will keep him on staff longer. Losing Minter wouldn't be ideal though, he did a great job.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:25 AM ^
If Minter leaves, we need to hire a position coach. Probably a DB coach to help Clink. As mentioned above, my minor source at Ravens told me that Shula is most likely the guy.
February 21st, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
I heard George Helow is looking for a job.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:05 AM ^
Whew…thank the lord. I was getting bored with the lack of coaching carousel we had this offseason. Glad it’s not over!
February 21st, 2023 at 10:11 AM ^
John will give us the next prodigy.
we're like the Toledo Ravens
February 21st, 2023 at 10:40 AM ^
Would it not be more like the Ann Arbor Ravens
February 21st, 2023 at 10:47 AM ^
This is where my head was at. Probably a linebacker's coach who has been learning the system for years or whatever have you.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:14 AM ^
Good coaches are constantly moving up. The good - you have them for a while. The bad - others want them too.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:24 AM ^
I’d really love for “awhile” to be longer than one year though. How about 3 years so at least you have a system in place. We were fortunate last time because Minter ran pretty much the same as Mike MacDonald did. A coordinator outside the Ravens would come in with a new system.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:30 AM ^
Me too. But if the Eagles call and ask you gotta go. I think they could find somebody with the understanding that they are coming in to build upon an established system.
February 21st, 2023 at 8:44 PM ^
What sort of candidate do you think you’re going to get if you’re not letting them run the scheme they want to run and telling them they have to run a system they’re unfamiliar with?
If you’re hell-bent on keeping the same system, you’re better off promoting one of the coaches on staff the past two years that coached in it or hiring another Ravens disciple.
You either go get the best possible DC, or you go get the best possible DC that knows this system. You absolutely do NOT square peg in a round hole this stuff.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
Yeah, it would be nice to have a couple of years of consistency. I do sort of assume there's some assistant coach on the Ravens (or some related entity) that would step in and run a similar enough system there wouldn't be a huge drop-off.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
Only concern there would be are we becoming a 1, maybe 2 year, farm system for Ravens up and coming coaches? I don’t think anyone believed MacDonald was going to be a one year rental and I believe less people think Minter would be. I’m not saying these guys need to be lifers but a couple of years for guys their age would probably do them well.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:54 AM ^
It's really hard to put a succession plan in place when the cycle is only a year. We got lucky with the MacDonald/Minter sequence--but I highly doubt there is a third savant in the pipeline with the same system knowledge. This scares me.
Edit: Maybe Michael Barrett is next man up?
February 21st, 2023 at 3:28 PM ^
Agreed... we are 2 seasons into something akin to the Raven's system. Need at least a season or two more before you can build a roster that fits that system and truly see how the system works. Maybe that is a bit shorter now with the transfer portal but generally I think you need 3 years before you can really begin to assess a coach (in all phases, scheme, development, coaching, etc.).
February 21st, 2023 at 10:19 AM ^
Grab Jim Leonhard.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:26 AM ^
He is a candidate for the Eagles, too.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:31 AM ^
Wha?? No!!! Not at this point, with the defense and personnel we have for it! Leonhard, though a great DC, runs a completely different kind of defense. I'd rather not switch schemes again, after only two years (and with good success). It would invalidate a bunch of players that would be out of a job and the recruiting for new positions would have to start over. I mean, it took Michael fucking Barrett two years to figure out how to be a linebacker after switching systems.
Lets not change systems again, please...
February 21st, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
While the system would be different and he would be from outside the MacDonald tree, the scheme Leonard ran at UW would be able to be deployed here with the exact same personnel we have on the roster now. If Minter is lost, it would be a good hire in my opinion.
February 21st, 2023 at 8:50 PM ^
Not entirely true. While there are some differences in the scheme, Michigan has the personnel to run the base 3-4 defense that Jim Leonhard would run.
So I don’t know what “It would invalidate a bunch of players that would be out of a job and the recruiting for new positions would have to start over” refers to, but nobody gets invalidated and recruiting doesn’t have to start over. In fact, if Michigan were to deviate from the Ravens style defense, the 3-4 defense is the way to go.
Benny/Grant at nose, Jenkins and Graham your ends. Four man rotation of McGregor, Moore, Stewart and Harrell at your OLB positions with Colson, NHG, Barrett and Hausmann playing in the middle. Pretty much the same personnel we have now in the same roles. I don’t know who gets invalidated here.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:25 AM ^
Well, if nothing else, we will have established that UM is THE most coveted DC job in the land, producing 2 NFL DC's in 2 years.
That said, I doubt he'll get that job this round. But good for him for being a candidate after being the Vandy DC just a year ago.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:27 AM ^
Make it stop.... Make it stop....
I have a feeling Harbaugh who has been uncanny at hiring really good assistants uses his connections to the NFL as leverage for hiring such great people. I think he sees value in saying our DC was interviewed for the Super Bowl runner up. While it pains us Michigan fans I think Harbaugh honestly believes the NFL is the ultimate coaching stop and having one of your own interviewed is a good reflection of your program. I also think he encourages the "experience" interviews for his staff.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:12 AM ^
This is why I never really got the "Harbaugh wears guys out" meme that was mostly started by SF management when he was leaving and has persisted amongst a piece of this fanbase now. Most coaches are huge assholes - Saban and Smart are notorious for being un-fun to work with and mostly make up for it by winning. Harbaugh seems like a tough boss but he does consistently come across as someone who is looking out for their career interests. His coaches seem to really like working with him and he does seem to encourage guys to go out and strive for advancement. So yeah, it sucks to have guys being looked at for higher-position jobs but that's a sign of desirability that is part of college football now. And it does seem like Harbaugh doesn't shy away from it.
February 21st, 2023 at 12:36 PM ^
I always took the SF position that Harbaugh wears on you to mean Harbaugh doesn't kiss ass and front office want coaches that will kiss ass. It's different in college football where the head coach is mainly the front office too.
February 21st, 2023 at 10:32 AM ^
can we get leonard if they take minter? for 6 months, then we can get the next guy. then the next. wtf.
why not pick georgia and bama clean?
February 21st, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
Because you're looking for a coach, a guy that clearly punched above their weight given the talent on hand.
Michigan has a lot of talent but if you aren't in the top-10 on Offense and Defense while a OC/DC at UGA and Bama you're not a good coach. Period. You have such a talent advantage that you only stand out of you have a runaway group. If your group is by far and away the best in the country or if you not only met but exceeded what you had on paper. Etc. Anything less is a sign that you aren't really doing the best job and it's kinda just talent beating less talent.
Saban assistants have been hit-or-miss once deprived of the talent they had at Bama. For every Smart you have a dozen dudes that fell off the planet once they were hired away, replaced or moved on. Even after championship years they have replaced guys that just disappeared the second they didn't have that talent to coach.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:08 AM ^
I think there's also a perception that Saban and Smart are the architects of those defenses and some of their DCs are there to recruit and follow the script. That's not necessarily reality but as you noted a bunch of these guys sort of fall off the face of the earth once they leave the Tide or the Bulldogs. Pete Golding just got fired at Alabama and there were rumors he got Kerry Coombs'd because he didn't get the defense they were trying to run, and so Saban went back to the Keven Steele well which maybe works out but could also be a bit dry. And that was after kicking the tires with Jeremy Pruitt, a former DC who was awful as HC at Tennessee and has a show-cause penalty hanging over him with how many recruiting violations he tried to pull off at UT. As for Georgia, Will Muschamp was a mediocre HC before he came to Georgia his co-Dc Glenn Schumman has been there for the entire Kirby run.
So yeah, they're not bad coaches but I'd be nervous at this point trying to pull one of their major coordinators (jury is still out on Dan Lanning at Oregon) and expecting similar success.
February 21st, 2023 at 12:08 PM ^
While Muschamp was a mediocre head coach, he's always been thought of as an elite DC. If I recall, he was in the coach-in-waiting at Texas until he got tired of waiting for Mack Brown to retire.
February 21st, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^
Definitely true about Muschamp, though it does seem like he's viewed as an elite DC for college but not beyond. And while his teams were fine defensively at Florida and South Carolina, they weren't world-beaters by any means.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:48 AM ^
Those are good points - and I thought about that after I posted. Here's where I disagree.. in the NFL, you're not looking for a coach to take average talent and turn them into all pros. That just isn't going to happen. I agree that our coordinators do more with less, when compared to OSU, Bama, Georgia, etc...
But I dont think that alone makes someone a good NFL candidate - because again, the NFL, though there are haves and have nots, has far more parity and has skill at every position on every team.
Saban and Kirby can't be experts at offense, defense, DBs, QBs, DL, OL, etc... at some point, the guys they are getting are doing an amazing job. Many guys probably are taking advantage of playing with athletes that nobody else has.. but... these guys don't lose much at all.
This isn't a case of being 10-2, 9-3... so if its just a talent advantage, youre going to lose more. The coaching and level of athlete are so elite that its nearly impossible to bring them down.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:32 AM ^
Georgia just lost their OC to the Ravens, Bama had to replace both coordinators this offseason. Coordinators don’t stay very long anymore especially if the NFL comes knocking.
February 21st, 2023 at 11:42 AM ^
Fair - but there are different types of head coaches and coordinators. Guys that dabble, guys that want to go, and those that have 0 interest.
Guys like Dabo have shown no interest. ever.
So, yes, you're right - some do go if the NFL comes knocking, but others have made a good living and are experts at the college game and stick to it. When we raid the Ravens cupboard, though, I suppose that its pretty clear they're going to head back to the NFL at some point. Wish it wasnt every year