As the Harbaugh Turns: Vrabel interviewing with LA in person,
https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1748059157951832099?s=61
Interesting development as it’s apparent Chargers haven’t made up their mind on the HC spot. Flying in Vrabel to interview tells me that they are pretty serious about the former Buckeye.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
I would like Vrabel to land a long term deal somewhere, hopefully not Carolina, so he is not available next year for OSU's potential opening. He would likely solve their toughness issues
January 18th, 2024 at 2:20 PM ^
No way Vrabel leaves NFL for college football.
Source: my feelings and I heard someone say it once
January 18th, 2024 at 2:25 PM ^
Taylor Lewan on the Rich Eisen show mentioned that he cannot see Vrabel taking a college job. NFL is his thing, but I also remember “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach…”
January 18th, 2024 at 2:27 PM ^
There was also a well-pushed narrative that Harbaugh would never leave the NFL for a college team, too, and we all know how that turned out.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:32 PM ^
Yeah, but recruiting is more of a mess now than it was when Harbaugh was hired at Michigan. I think that has to be one of the biggest benefits of coaching in the NFL over college.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:41 PM ^
Seems like cost sharing could simplify recruiting and coach is leading the charge here.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:50 PM ^
Not having to recruit is a big benefit in the NFL. On the other hand, if you don't have a star QB in the NFL, you're screwed.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:11 PM ^
I’m not so sure control-freak coaches agree. NFL coaches (for the most part) have very little control over even a 53-man roster. They have to make due with whoever the GM signs.
OTOH, college coaches have much larger rosters and lots of control over personnel.
Sure, they have to schmooze high school kids - but there is an upside.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:16 PM ^
One negative aspect of being an NFL coach that many forget to mention is the need to manage the ego's of a lot of multi-millionaires.
I'm sure recruiting is not fun but I bet having to stroke big entitled egos ain't either.
January 18th, 2024 at 4:57 PM ^
Yeah well, they're starting to have that same problem in college now, so...🤷♂️
January 18th, 2024 at 3:24 PM ^
May not be apples/apples though, as Harbaugh had prior experience as a collegiate head coach while Vrabel's only HC experience is in the pros.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:40 PM ^
“I’m not going to be the Alabama coach…”
Eh, not exactly the same. After Vrabel's playing days were over, he spent his first three years as a position coach at OSU, and has been in the NFL for the ten years since. Saban had been coaching for 34 years when he took the Bama job, and only eight of them were in the NFL, with the other 26 in college.
In other words, Vrabel is an established NFL coach, with over 75% of his coaching spent in the NFL, so while anything can happen, it certainly tracks when someone says he has no interest in returning to college. By contrast, Saban was an established college coach, with over 75% of his coaching (at the time; when he retired it was up to ~85%) in college, so when things weren't working out in the NFL, returning to college was the most likely move. Or put another way, Vrabel already has more experience coaching in the NFL (ten years) in a 13-year career than Saban had (eight years) over his 51 year career...
January 18th, 2024 at 4:23 PM ^
I'm guessing Vrabel would be open to the OSU job if he didn't have an NFL job (and would be a flight risk as long as he's there), but probably wouldn't leave an NFL job to go to OSU.
January 18th, 2024 at 4:47 PM ^
Feels like I've heard multiple osu people say Vrabel HATES recruiting. So it seems unlikely, but never say never
January 18th, 2024 at 3:12 PM ^
Reminds me of late 2014 in the final days of Harbaugh's tenure and the speculation that he would coach at his alma mater. I sometimes used to listen to the Mike & Mike Show on my commute into work, and whenever the Harbaugh to Michigan topic would come up, Mike Golic would repeatedly smugly proclaim "No a chance!".
January 18th, 2024 at 4:09 PM ^
Mike Golic would repeatedly smugly proclaim
Technically redundant
January 18th, 2024 at 4:54 PM ^
Our "rivals" used to say that same thing about Harbaugh.
And quoted the same sources...
January 18th, 2024 at 6:00 PM ^
I've heard it said before that Vrabel himself hates recruiting. So it seems unlikely he would go back to the college game.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
We might possibly keep the nice things going potentially?
January 18th, 2024 at 2:49 PM ^
This sure seems to be good news for the good guys.
I hear Seattle doesn't even have plans to interview coach. So, with LA, Atlanta and Seattle possibly out of the picture and New England promoting Mayo that leaves 4 more openings left. Of those 4 Vegas is the next most likely. If we get past that hurdle we might be home free.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:14 PM ^
Isn't Las Vegas favored to remove the interim tag from Antonio Pierce and keep him as head coach?
January 18th, 2024 at 3:18 PM ^
I sure as hell hope so.
But...
https://atozsports.com/las-vegas/raiders-gm-candidate-head-coaching-search-champ-kelly/
Looks like Dodds is a GM candidate and I heard he has history with Harbaugh. Hopefully they promote Kelly and he chooses to promote Pierce.
January 18th, 2024 at 5:02 PM ^
I think Dodds to the Chargers means Jim goes as well.
Dodds to the Raiders isn't nearly as sure a thing, because the players are banging the table for Pierce. They did the same for the last interim coach but Mark went with McDaniels.
The way that turned out may make Mark more amenable to promoting the players' guy this time 🤷♂️
January 18th, 2024 at 4:30 PM ^
Not to rain on your parade, but Harbaugh to the Chargers is still a very, very real possibility. May just want to emotionally hedge there so you don't get crushed if he still leaves.
Sherrone will be an outstanding coach here
January 18th, 2024 at 2:18 PM ^
Hes a better option for the Chargers.
Also it's looking like Belichick to Atlanta.
https://twitter.com/nflrums/status/1748024618483355935?t=CpMymqVrXDMlX1xmt5Yu7A&s=19
January 18th, 2024 at 2:20 PM ^
Flying him in to interview, as opposed to like a zoom call? I'm pretty sure interviewing your candidates in person is standard practice for NFL head coaching searches!
January 18th, 2024 at 2:23 PM ^
A lot of interviews are done by zoom these days. Flying in a guy indicates a level of significant interest. Could be just a ploy to push Harbaugh to accept. We’ll see.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:28 PM ^
The lesser lights get Zoomed as a formality. The serious candidates get multiple in person interviews
January 18th, 2024 at 2:52 PM ^
I have not seen it reported anywhere that Harbaugh travelled for his interviews.
I am making the assumption that if he had travelled that would have been reported. I am also assuming it is because Harbaugh wanted to do it over zoom.
January 18th, 2024 at 5:40 PM ^
Sounds exactly like what a dictator would say!!!
January 18th, 2024 at 3:30 PM ^
My assumption is that any serious candidate would get an in-person interview.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:26 PM ^
Pretty sure they can't do in-person for coaches with current NFL jobs until next week.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:31 PM ^
Vrabel doesn't have a current NFL job.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:50 PM ^
That's right. I misread GRBluefan's comment as expressing surprise that they weren't just doing Zoom like all the coordinators. No such restrictions on Vrabel.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:22 PM ^
Jim is staying in Ann Arbor.... I'm saying that with 50% conviction.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:03 PM ^
half-raback it
January 18th, 2024 at 3:39 PM ^
I would give my left nut for Harbaugh to stay in Ann Arbor.
Oh, wait. I gave that up for the Natty.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:54 PM ^
Do you not have two?!
January 18th, 2024 at 6:38 PM ^
Your comment reminds me of what Red Sox fans had to give up to win in '04.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:24 PM ^
I also read somewhere that they hadn't fulfilled the Rooney rule and won't be able to do so until 1/22? Not sure if that's true or not.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:26 PM ^
I thought they interviewed Frazier.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:27 PM ^
they've interviewed i think 3 black coaches per their twitter feed. however i don't know if they were in-person interviews and i'm not sure if a zoom interview counts toward the rooney rule
January 18th, 2024 at 3:29 PM ^
update, just saw they interviewed david shaw. i think they are fine on the rooney rule
January 18th, 2024 at 2:28 PM ^
They interviewed Leslie Frazier last week.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:30 PM ^
They have a meeting with Raheem Morris schedule too. His season is done.
.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:30 PM ^
They just interviewed David Shaw per Schefter, that may be the last step in vetting Harbaugh. This would seem to be a very random interview since he was retired. It fulfills their Rooney rule obligation while also speaking to someone that was on Jims staff at Stanford. I hope I’m reading the tea leaves wrong here.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:40 PM ^
You think they interviewed David Shaw to ask about Harbaugh? That seems extremely unlikely to me.
January 18th, 2024 at 3:48 PM ^
I think it kills multiple birds with one stone for them. Shaw has been OC for Harbaugh before at Stanford. Shaw was out of coaching entirely for the last year and has never been a HC in the NFL before. For an interview with Shaw to be conducted by the same team that just interviewed Harbaugh seems like a not so great coincidence for us.
If I were to guess, Harbaugh has spoken with Shaw about his interest in being OC when/if the Chargers offer him the HC job. So the Chargers fulfill Rooney rule, further vet Harbaugh, and get to hire Harbaugh as HC and Shaw as OC all in one shot with this interview. Again, I hope I’m entirely wrong about this…but Shaw interviewing there doesn’t seem random to me.
January 18th, 2024 at 6:08 PM ^
Seriously, who the hell would choose Shaw when you can get Harbaugh? Shaw has no NFL experience that I am aware of, and was far less successful at Stanford then the guy whose tree he came from. Seems a bit insulting to Show to me but I am thinking he has a freind in the Charger organisation to have agreed to interview.
January 18th, 2024 at 2:33 PM ^
O- H- I- O- GoooOOOoooo poop in a cooler!
One of the few times I get to root for Ohio State!