[editor's note, by River City Rage]: I just read that Dave Campo, our Assistant Head Coach received permission to interview with the 49'ers during the Senior Bowl. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Jaguars promote Campo in order to keep him, and with the inevitable opening in our Front Office, it's worth keep Campo in Jacksonville.
Of course, as I type this KFFL says:
So who knows...
One of the best signs that you've "arrived" as an organization is when other teams start raiding your staff. While we're nowhere near as attacked as the Dallas Cowboys Front Office, we've had a good amount of interviews in the last few weeks. Mike Tice interviewed with the Dolphins, Gene Smith and Mike Smith interviewed for the General Manager and Head Coach positions in Atlanta.
It seems that today we'll find out that Mike Smith is the inheritor of the Head Coach title in Atlanta:
Smith, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett (who withdrew from consideration to remain with the Cowboys), and highly-regarded defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, late of the Baltimore Ravens, each interviewed with Dimitroff after the Falcons hired the former New England Patriots college scouting director on Jan. 13.
Frazier, the most recent entry, really impressed new Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and is believed to have been the Falcons' second choice.
But Smith, 48, won over the Falcons with his combination of intelligence, communication and organizational skills, and strong knowledge of personnel. Most important, the team believes Smith to be the most professionally compatible with Dimitroff.
First off, good for him. Atlanta is going to be one hell of a challenge, both in fixing a broken organization in regards to the actual talent and playing style, and also in the mental health of the team. Mike is just the type of guy who can compensate for the flaws of that team as it takes time to develop into something that even appears to be an NFL team.
Also, credit to Atlanta for not signing flash and (hopefully) not expecting a playoff run next season. Mike is the kind of coach that you give some time to, not the guy who comes in and gives you a one year turnaround.
Mike's biggest talent is in his ability to call defensive plays that compensate for the faults of his defense. Let's not forget the injury riddled Jaguars teams he's coached to greatness. He's got a way of making the loss of important players seem insignificant, and more importantly, if it comes down to guessing run or pass, nobody guesses better than Mike Smith.
Unfortunately for the Jaguars, this means we've lost a rock at Defensive Coordinator. Ask Vic saysAssistant Head Coach/ Secondary Dave Campo and Linebackers Coach Mark Duffner are the leading in house candidates . Of course, being the Defensive Coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars should be considered a pretty top end job, because of what it implies. Our defense, even with a little slipping from last year, is known for being tough, and Coaches would kill to be a part of that. We'd probably have our pick of the litter as far as DC's go.
Me? I'd prefer we stay in house, just cause I like consistency. But, there's something to be said about a breath of fresh air. As long as Mike Smith doesn't raid our coaching staff to make his staff, I don't see this as a bad thing.
It goes back to the respect thing, teams that raid us for Coaching Talent are giving us some credit. Even if it's just Atlanta.
You can't stop change like this, but at least it gives us something else to talk about.
For more Falcons based insight on Mike Smith, please visit The Falcohlic
-Chris