First Impressions Of Dolphins' Head Coach Candidates | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

First Impressions Of Dolphins' Head Coach Candidates

SkapePhin said:
So far, the Miami Dolphins have expressed interest in interviewing the following candidates:

  • Brian Flores (Linebacker Coach / Functioning DC for Patriots)
  • Kris Richard (Passing Game Defensive Coordinator for Cowboys)
  • Vic Fangio (DC for the Bears)
  • Mike Munchak (OL Coach for Steelers)
  • Eric Bienemy (OC for Chiefs)
  • Darren Rizzi (ST Coach for Dolphins)
Whenever there is a coaching search, the first thing I like to do is watch their media sessions and interviews and any practice footage they might have. While first impressions can sometimes be deceiving, I've found for the most part that first impressions are more accurate that the impression a fan begins to form once they've signed with the team and full-blown homerism takes root for the first year or so.

So I want to use this thread to post interview clips from the candidates the Dolphins are bringing in for interviews and my first impressions of the candidates based on the way they communicate with players/media, the way they command a room, the way they express confidence or lack thereof, the way they discuss strategy and concepts, etc.

Brian Flores





First Impressions:
  • Too timid to be a successful HC. Gives me a Todd Bowles vibe.
  • In the 3rd video at the 1:55 mark says that because of his less boisterous nature he didn't always view himself as a leader. That changed when Belichick told him 10 years ago that "if you work hard and put the team first you are a leader." While that may cut it to lead a unit, I don't think that cuts it to lead an entire team. He just seems to lack confidence to me, which is always a bad sign for a HC candidate
  • Does appear to have a strong work ethic, but IMO does not appear to have the command to lead an entire team. Seems like a career coordinator type to me.

Kris Richard





First Impressions:
  • Commanding presence. When he speaks, you listen. Very motivational, charismatic and natural speaker.
  • Runs a practice with passion, energy and attention to detail. Explains concepts and techniques concisely and in relatable ways to his players. Not a total log like the bubblegum wrapper picker-upper Philbin or the benchwarmer Gase.
  • Fosters a sense of love and respect with players (see clip where he talks about the Legion of Boom - L.O.B. = Love Our Brothers)

Vic Fangio





First Impressions:
  • Calm, steady demeanor. Almost grandfatherly. While that may provide a stabilizing presence after the grumpy guru Gase, will that take the team to the next level? I don't know
  • Seems like a good teacher, has a way of explaining concepts in ways players understand and apply.
  • Seems more like a career coordinator type to me, which is why he might have ever gotten an HC gig in all these years despite his performance as DC
  • My initial impression is that he might have some decent success, but nothing truly special there. Would not elevate team as a manager of men, and would need to rely on his DC expertise too much to win.

Mike Munchak





First Impressions:
  • Looks like a Football Coach straight out of central casting. If you asked me to draw a generic football coach, it would look like Mike Munchak
  • Has a calm, steady, confident demeanor.
  • Does appear to have that air of experience, especially in role as HC, that could be a stabilizing force for this team.
  • Doesn't make you really want to run through a wall, but there looks to be enough there to be a solid - not too exciting, but not too embarrassing - head coach.

Eric Bienemy






First Impressions:
  • Has a cool, comfortable kind of confident demeanor.
  • Still seems to carry himself like a Running Backs coach instead of OC. You can tell he doesn't run the offense, kind of like how Joe Philbin gave that same impression.
  • Might have the mindset and leadership skills to be a decent HC, but still looks to me like he needs some more experience and seasoning to really make the jump.

Darren Rizzi




  • Carries himself with confidence and is comfortable in front of a crowd. Seems to really be able to relate to his players
  • I could see him gaining the respect of most players on the team and having them fight hard, but would be limited in capacity to elevate the performance of the entire team in terms of strategy and vision. Reminds me of Sparano in a way. Would need very strong coordinators to be successful.
  • On a side note that has nothing to do with his fit to be his head coach, but I simply can't stop seeing it, he has Shrek ears. Whoa.
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Nice post and research bro. Thanks for posting.
 
And by the way, I made this thread to share clips so other posters could also share their first impressions. I'm certainly not professing to be some guru who can instantly tell you who will definitively be successful as HC and who will not. I might have a psych degree, which is why I like to analyze things in this way, but it doesn't make me a ****ing soothsayer. Just providing my initial impressions of the candidates and how their personalities and personas could play as HC. That's all.

I knew Joe Philbin was a stump the second I saw his doe-eyed face, and was only reinforced with his performance on Hard Knocks, but many wanted to believe he was the next Shula for 4 wasted years... I recall doing a similar thing for Gase, and I thought his cold demeanor wouldn't play as HC, but he actually won me over a bit after seeing his introductory PC and early work. I guess my first impression ended up panning out in the end.

I'm not pretending to be some genius who can for sure pick the winners and losers here, but it is possible for people to discern how successful certain personality types will be in certain roles. Why do you think businesses make a point to interview people in person in the first place? If it was solely based on results of prior work, there would be no need to interview them at all. HR people would just hire based solely on resume. But instead they place a heavy emphasis on interviews and culture fit, and utilize a bevy of psychological profiles and personality type tools to determine which candidates would work best in certain roles.

Some people are simply not cut out to be in high leadership positions. It's just the way it is.
 
LargoFin said:
Prima facie, already posted in the OP. No need to copy that again.
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----

Prima facie evidence is a legal term used to mean that you have enough evidence to prove something by pointing to some basic facts, but that your proof can be refuted.
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Humor me... how can someone refute an impression?
 
Jay131866 said:
Does anyone know why Richard was let go from Seattle if their defense was so dominant and he was so great of a DC? Seems weird he hasn't gotten another DC job since.
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Even Seattle people are confused. Also while he is not DC in name Rod Marinelli said Keis does call the defense for Dallas
 
I'm in the belief of you need a top notch GM or a top notch qb or a top notch coach to have continued success. We struck out at GM, no qb on the horizon so that leaves coach. I'm just not seeing a homerun with this list. Continue the hunt.
 
Great stuff, Skape. I agree that Richard and Munchak are the top guys.

I’d probably be disappointed with the next three. Hopefully someone else will emerge. I’d love to hear either of Matt Campbell’s or Pat Fitzgerald’s names come up. That would show insight.
 
SkapePhin said:
If I were to rank the candidates solely based on my first impressions, I'd rank them as follows:
  1. Kris Richard (Has the potential to be truly special IMO)
  2. Mike Munchak (A steady veteran that could compete for the playoffs, but never dominate. Think Wannstedt)
  3. Darren Rizzi (Sparano type, would need very good coordinators to be successful. Already has relationships and respect from players on the team)
  4. Vic Fangio (Seems to be a very good teacher and defensive mind, but doesn't come across as a commanding figure you'd want in a HC)
  5. Eric Bienemy (Reminds me too much of a candidate that is getting looks simply for his role in a prolific offense, but isn't really responsible for it. Not ready yet IMO)
  6. Brian Flores (Doesn't seem to have what it takes to lead an entire team at this point. Way too timid to lead a team. Todd Bowles 2.0)
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Really??

Opposite, for me. His players refer to him as The Godfather for a reason. His command, knowledge, general demeanor...the guy's an Old Head and the players all respect the hell out of him.

And I'll be damned if he doesn't work a press room with the best of them.

I think there's one clear choice here if you want a guy who will command the respect of the players immediately, and that's Vic Fangio. Perhaps Darren Rizzi could do that as well, because he has a head start.

I could totally understand if you want to take a shot on Kris Richard, Eric Bieniemy, or Brian Flores, as you hope they are able to grow into the role. With Bieniemy, you're hoping he can bring some of that Kansas City offensive expertise to the Dolphins, obviously. With Flores, you're hoping he knows the blueprints for how to set up the organization from top to bottom like the New England Patriots.

But all of that is hope. Just lots and lots of hope. There's one sure thing in the group and that's Vic Fangio, his command of players, and what you're pretty positive he will do for your defense if given time and resources.
 
LargoFin said:
garbage, as expected
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I don't think this list is garbage. It's not the best list you're going to find for a head coaching job, but it's not garbage.

Fangio and Richard are both high caliber assistants with good resumes that span multiple NFL organizations. Rizzi is actually pretty good as far as in-house candidates go. I wouldn't be mad if he wound up with the job... in a year where I'm fine with tanking, selecting Rizzi is a win-win situation, in my opinion. I'd have no objection to any of those choices.

I do agree that Mike Munchak is a rather uninspiring choice, but we could do worse. At least we can expect that if he gets hired, our long national nightmare with the OL will be fixed. I'm averse to Brian Flores just because I think Patriots assistants are a bunch of limp dicked blowhards in general. Bienemy, I'm not sure he has enough of a resume outside of one season as the hot coordinator under Andy Reid that I'd want to roll the dice on that. I think that's a guy who needs to go take a job in another city and prove his chops away from the boss.
 
ckparrothead said:
Really??

Opposite, for me. His players refer to him as The Godfather for a reason. His command, knowledge, general demeanor...the guy's an Old Head and the players all respect the hell out of him.

And I'll be damned if he doesn't work a press room with the best of them.

I think there's one clear choice here if you want a guy who will command the respect of the players immediately, and that's Vic Fangio. Perhaps Darren Rizzi could do that as well, because he has a head start.

I could totally understand if you want to take a shot on Kris Richard, Eric Bieniemy, or Brian Flores, as you hope they are able to grow into the role. With Bieniemy, you're hoping he can bring some of that Kansas City offensive expertise to the Dolphins, obviously. With Flores, you're hoping he knows the blueprints for how to set up the organization from top to bottom like the New England Patriots.

But all of that is hope. Just lots and lots of hope. There's one sure thing in the group and that's Vic Fangio, his command of players, and what you're pretty positive he will do for your defense if given time and resources.
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Valid insights. Again, these are real quick first impressions based on like 10 minutes of interview footage and practice videos. I think you can definitely discern something about the candidates from this, but certainly isn’t a deep dive. Im not seeing how they interact with players one on one, how they run a meeting room, the administrative things they do, etc.

But career coordinators who finally get a HC gig late in their careers make me wary a bit. The ones that come to mind are Zimmer and Ariana. While both solid coaches, they are not what I would consider upper echelon coaches and have had mixed success.

Fangio definitely gives that grandfatherly aura and mentor vibe which I think can be a positive, but will it elevate the team to new heights? I don’t know.

IMO, there are four flavors of successful NFL HCs.

1. The Field General (The hyper motivational commanding types)

2. The Wizard (Make hay based on their innovative game plans)

3. The Teacher (exceptional at developing players and mentoring coaches)

4. The CEO (exceptional organizational and management skills with the ability to develop systems that foster the growth of top notch staff)

Ideally, a coach would have multiple of these flavors to some degree.

Some examples of top flight coaches:

Belichick: Wizard/Teacher/CEO
John Harbaugh: Field General/CEO/Teacher
Tomlin: Field General/CEO
Reid: Wizard/Teacher/CEO
Carrol: Field General/CEO

Looking at Fangio, I see him as Teacher, but does he have any of the others?

To me Kris Richard is the moonshot candidate. I already see at least Field General/Teacher in him... can be develop the CEO skills?

I certainly wouldn’t hate a Fangio hire, but to me his ceiling is much lower than Richard’s overall. But then again, if Richard is incalapable of putting together and fostering a top notch staff he could bust
 
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