The Patriots offensive coordinator search is attracting all the attention, but Mike Vrabel has a lot of work to do to fill out his staff. Despite his defensive background, Vrabel must find a coordinator capable of implementing his scheme and returning that unit to prominence after a massive drop-off under Jerod Mayo and DeMarcus Covington.
Terrell Williams's name has come up often as I speak with league sources. Currently the Lions' run game coordinator and defensive line coach, Williams is now eligible to interview in person after Detroit's surprising divisional-round loss to Washington. Of course, Dan Campbell may elevate Williams should Aaron Glenn get a head coaching job.
"I think he's the best d-line coach in the league," said Campbell of Williams back in the spring. "I think he knows how to develop. He's got experience in game planning and he's going to be beneficial for our guys up front."
Lions general manager Brad Holmes overlapped with Williams in college (North Carolina A&T) and raved about the 50-year-old.
"He's a great teacher. He's a straight shooter," said Holmes. "He's really the first coach that really taught me the nuances of achieving what you want to achieve on the field, behind the scenes. He's the one that used to bring me in and sit me down and watch tape with me all summer and kind of learn those ins and outs and develop a relationship so you can build that trust with the coach.
"And then when he was a great coach in terms of holding us accountable, and so you built that trust. When we didn't do the right thing, he held us accountable. And we didn't like it all the time, but he's an excellent teacher."
Williams joined the NFL in 2012 as a defensive line coach with the Raiders. Then moved on to Miami in 2015 before joining Vrabel's staff in Tennessee in 2018. In 2023, Vrabel added the title of assistant head coach for Williams.
The Titans were stout against the run during his tenure, including yielding the fewest rushing yards per game (76.9) in 2022, the lowest rushing average (4.0), and the fourth-fewest rushing yards (10,044) in the NFL. What's Williams' philosophy? I found this gem from the off-season.
"Violent. That's it. I'm not going to give you a dissertation about, 'Hey, we have to do this and that.' We have to play violent, and we have to play with effort," he said. "The violent element of it is a big part of playing that position. You want guys that accept that. You have to accept that.
"That's just what that position is. It's a violent high-collision position, and you have to play with effort, and if you can't do that, then you're going to have a hard time playing. I haven't seen very many high-level starters that aren't violent players. That just doesn't work. It doesn't go hand in hand."
NOT THAT FAR AWAY
I was critical of the Houston Texans in this space and on my podcast (All 32) primarily because of the reluctance or inability of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to make adjustments. The team had issues in pass protection all season long, struggling with their interior offensive line. There have been conflicting reports about whether or not quarterback C.J. Stroud is allowed to adjust said protections, and you saw how Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo was able to eventually determine blocking patterns and exploit them in the second half of Saturday's win. That Slowik thought it was suitable to have tight end Dalton Schultz be one-on-one with a healthy George Karlaftis was mind-numbingly stupid.
In the end, Stroud was sacked eight times, the Texans committed eight penalties, missed three kicks, and blew coverage on Travis Kelce (leading to his longest gain of the season and an eventual touchdown). If you're going to take the leap, and Houston isn't that far off, you just can't hurt yourself as much as they did.
"You're gonna have games where stuff goes wrong like that, and God forbid it happens in a playoff game," said Schultz. "You gotta learn how to respond, how to work through that. That's a building block for a team with a very young core. No matter what happens … be unshakeable. Because once in a while, shit happens."
The Texans outgained the Chiefs by 124 total yards and committed zero turnovers in the loss. In the Super Bowl era, teams to outgain their opponent by 100+ total yards and have 0 turnovers were 46-0 in the playoffs (until Saturday).
GM Nick Caserio will need to fix the OL - among others, Shaq Mason's days could be numbered there - and must add to the wide receiver room. Stefon Diggs played well as a second banana in that offense before blowing out his ACL. He is a free agent. Tank Dell is unlikely to make it back next year after suffering that catastrophic knee injury (ACL and dislocation) in December. He just had the first of several surgeries last week. Caserio will have to get creative; the Texans are tight against the salary cap (which can be manipulated, as we should all know by now).
KC is in its seventh straight AFC Championship game, and Patrick Mahomes has zero giveaways in his seven divisional-round games. I saw a bunch of you talking about the officiating. I will not do that here. To quote Schultz, shit happens, and that quarterback always seems to find a way.
“I always tell our coaches, ‘Don’t get used to that,’” said Andy Reid of Mahomes. “This is unreal. I’d tell the fans the same thing: We’re very lucky to have him here. The stuff he’s doing just doesn’t happen. That’s why he is the greatest at doing what he’s done in a relatively young career.”
DUDE IS DIFFERENT
In this weekend's NFL Notebook, I wondered if Jayden Daniels could continue to look like one of the best players in the league and lead the Commanders to an upset over the top-seeded Lions. Did he ever. The kid put on a freakin' clinic in Motown, crushing Detroit's championship dreams 45-28.
"I always believe," said Daniels, who passed for 299 yards and ran for another 51. "I always believe that we could achieve more than what people give us credit for, but you gotta go out there putting in work, you gotta go out there and work daily, get better each and every day. Just put your head down and grind, and by the time of the season, you look up, and you might be in a position like this."
It wasn't all Daniels, but his performance put pressure on Jared Goff to match him. Guess what? The veteran QB couldn't. He turned it over four times - 3 were interceptions, including a critical pick-six - and the Lions coughed it up five times in total (that Jameson Williams reverse pass was a fine call but horrid execution. But that's what you get when you let Williams make decisions. He's not good at 'em. See his gambling suspension, PED suspension, and getting pulled over earlier this year with an unregistered gun). Thus, it was a stunning end to an incredible season that saw the Lions win 15 games. But the number of injuries on defense made it hard for DC Aaron Glenn to find answers, especially once the calendar flipped to December (they had one good game, week 18 vs. Minnesota).
“It’s not the time to talk about ‘What a great year,’ or how many wins,” said Dan Campbell. “Because at this moment, I don’t think any of us feel that way. The whole point of doing what you do is to get to the show, man. It’s why you play this game. And we fell short.”
Detroit has plenty of cap space ($57 million) and just a few key guys who are up (Carlton Davis, Kevin Zeitler, DT Levi Onwuzurike, LB Derrick Barnes). However, they most likely have new coordinators, which raises the degree of difficulty. They'll also spend an entire off-season wondering about Goff. Better than most, but maybe not good enough.
PHEW
I love everything about the Eagles roster...except for the quarterback. Jalen Hurts was underwhelming again and injured his knee late in Sunday's 28-22 win over the Rams.
"I finished the game" was the best Hurts could muster post-game. Considering his legs are his best tool, this will be a focal point of coverage this week as they gear up for this weekend's NFC Championship game. Of course, no legs have more juice in them than Saquon Barkley. The one the Giants let get away continues to have one of the greatest seasons by a running back in league history. All Barkley did to LA was run for 205 yards and two scores (78 and 62 yards), managing that despite the Rams investing a lot of effort and personnel to stop him. How'd that work out?
If Barkley was the best player on offense for either team, Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was the same on defense (he had eight QB pressures). The most talented player in the 2023 draft class slid to the back end of the top 10 because of off-field concerns. That hasn't reared its head in Philly, and man, did he make some critical plays yesterday, including a massive third-down sack of Matthew Stafford in the game's final minute. The Pats thought they had an interior disruptor on a similar level in Christian Barmore, but with his health concerns, who knows how that plays going forward.
As for the Rams, the biggest question going forward will be the status of Stafford. He has one more year remaining on his current deal ($53 mil cap hit). But the veteran signal-caller turns 37 in February and has dealt with his fair share of significant injuries (shoulder/back). He did say he feels like he has some football left in him, but the two sides had an awkward contractual standoff this past off-season. Behind Stafford are Jimmy Garoppolo (one-year deal) and Stetson Bennett. In other words, no in-house answers.
The Rams have a potential out on 32-year-old Cooper Kupp's contract, and I expect them to take it or restructure. He's no longer the guy everyone remembers. But beyond that, the remade offensive line is good, and an incredible draft class has the defense set up for years to come.
“This was a special season," said Sean McVay. "It’s as much fun as I’ve had, as much as you’ve ever wanted to do right for the people in that locker room. We’ve had a lot of special teams, but this team, there was something special about them. I think I’m up here pretty shocked because I know a lot of people didn’t think we could come in here, but we had the full expectation to come in here. And I don’t think anybody expected the end of the season to be right now. The finality of it is tough for me to swallow because of the love and appreciation I have for this group."
HELLO, MY OLD FRIEND
Buffalo was supposed to take a step back this year. No Stefon Diggs. Or Jordan Poyer. Tre White gone. Micah Hyde is a practice squad player. But not only did the Bills steamroll through the AFC East, but now they're back in the AFC Championship game after surviving the Ravens, 27-25.
"Our guys heard it all week long. We’re not big enough. We’re not strong enough. Not talented enough," said Sean McDermott.
“We don’t listen to the outside noise but everyone was saying this and that about us," added Josh Allen. "(That) we didn’t have enough talent. But we're internally driven."
'They' were saying that, and in terms of the overall skill level, 'they' might be right. But Allen's game went to another level, elevating those around him, and the defense still managed to live up to the regular season standard under McDermott.
Now, it's another date with Kansas City. This will be the fourth time in five years the teams have met in the playoffs.
“I think there’s something kind of intangible about this team that feels different,” tight end Dawson Knox told reporters. “It’s kind of hard to put your finger on.”
For the Ravens, this was an anger-inducing defeat. After turning the ball over just 11 times in 17 games, they had three Sunday night - two by Lamar Jackson and one from the ordinarily sure-handed Mark Andrews, who also dropped a potential game-tying two-point conversion with under 2 minutes remaining.
“The turnovers. We can’t have that shit,” said Jackson, who tried to absolve Andrews of blame and put it squarely on his own shoulders. “That’s why we lost the game because as you can see, we’re moving the ball wonderfully. It’s just, ‘Hold on to the f—ing ball.’ I’m sorry for my language. I’m just tired of this.”
The Ravens have enough talent to be a Super Bowl champ, but they can't seem to get over the hump. Is Jackson taking the Peyton Manning road to postseason success? Manning couldn't conquer his playoff demons until he turned 30 (Belichick, Brady, Law, and Harrison had much to do with that) and then won a couple of Super Bowls. Maybe that's where the two-time MVP (soon to be three?) will finally find his Lombardi Trophy. He certainly played well enough in the second half to have a chance to play this weekend. In fact, he was the best player on the field and led the Ravens to a gutsy fourth-quarter touchdown to put them on the precipice of overtime. Then Andrews dropped the ball inches short of the goal line. I'm sure there'll be plenty of calm and reasoned discourse about the defeat for the next week...
“Lamar is what makes this team go, and he’s why we still had a chance, so I’d tell him the same thing: hold his head high,” said Derrick Henry. “He’s a Hall of Fame player and had a great season. It’s a team effort. We came up short together. It’s not on him. Forget what anybody else outside of what we have going on says. We believe in him.”
“I have to get over this because we’re right there,” said Jackson. “I’m tired of being right there; we need to punch it in. We need to punch in that ticket.”
The Ravens have two big names on their free agency list: left tackle Ronnie Stanley and versatile OL Patrick Mekari. A simple conversion of Jackson's contract would save them $13 million without adding any void years. They could do something similar with Marlon Humphrey and gain another $6 million. In other words, they are more than capable if they want to keep one or both. Should they make it to free agency, both players will be on the Patriots' radar.