On this installment of Colts’ Coaching Carousel, we will cover the latest news in regarding the Colts’ staff. I’ll dive into the situation with Josh McDaniels, and potential offensive coordinator prospects.
Josh McDaniels: A Done Deal?
After the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss, the organization is in a state of chaos. Because of this, Rumors of Belichick’s retirement, Rob Gronkowski hanging it up, and why the Pats benched Malcolm Butler are swirling about. If Belichick does retire, Josh McDaniels is the most likely candidate to take over. The Lions just announced the other candidate, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, as their head coach.
Unlike Patricia, the Colts have not officially announced anything. Per Mike Chappell, the Colts are expected to announce McDaniels Tuesday, and hold a presser Wednesday or Thursday.
Chris Ballard and Co. are confident that McDaniels will be the Colts’ next head man. . If the Colts do not hire McDaniels, they will need to quickly look elsewhere, as teams have hired some of their previous targets, such as Matt Nagy. If McDaniels bails on the Colts, some other coaching targets will include people such as Dave Toub and Frank Reich. Despite the rumors that McDaniels is not coming to Indy, it seems that McDaniels to the Circle City is all but confirmed
Who Will Be The Colts’ Next Offensive Coordinator?
On the day that the world found out about the Colts’ supposed hiring of Josh McDaniels, people reported his future coordinators. Jason La Canfora brought two names to the table: Cowboys LB Coach Matt Eberflus, and for the Colts’ OC, Raiders’ QB Coach Jake Peetz.
Recently, many reported that the Colts have interest in former Seahawks’ OC Darrell Bevell.
Keep in mind, it is fairly likely that McDaniels will be the one calling the majority of the plays. Despite this, the OC is still a very important position.
Jake Peetz is less likely to be hired, but still is a name that has been thrown around.
The case for and against Bevell
Darrell Bevell started coaching in the NFL in 2000, and has been apart of the Packers, Vikings, and Seahawks’ staff. His experience alone makes him an enticing candidate. Bevell was the one who calls the plays in Seattle, not Pete Carrol. That being said, Bevell is infamous for his decision to pass the ball on the goal line in the Super Bowl. Besides this disaster, Bevell has done a solid job, working with an elite quarterback, a general lack of offensive talent, and an an abysmal offensive line (sounds familiar?). Russell Wilson’s inhuman mobility definitely makes Bevell look very good at times. Bevell could be blamed for the faults of the offensive line, but that is most likely out of his control.
Chris Ballard already has a relationship with Bevell (heck, who doesn’t Ballard have a relationship with?). Ballard and Bevell were college teammates at Wisconsin. Coincidentally, former Colts’ QB coach Brian Schottenheimer is the current Seahawks’ OC. At this point in time, Bevell seems like the favorite to land the Colts’ OC job.
With the hiring of Bevell, the Colts’ staff looks like this:
Head Coach: Josh McDaniels
Offensive Coordinator: Darrell Bevell
Defensive Coordinator: Matt Eberflus
Offensive Line Coach: Dave DeGuglielmo
Stay tuned for more coaching news.
Ben Pfeifer is the Managing Editor of the Colts for Full Press Coverage, and the AFC South Division Editor. Want to continue the discussion? Contact Ben Pfeifer on Twitter @Ben_Pfeifer_ and @FPC_Colts.