Football Discussion Forums

XtremeFanForever wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2019 8:57 pm Here's how I ranked them on reddit:

1. Marc Trestman, Tampa Bay - One of the most boring hires but arguably the best. Sure, he sucked for the Bears, but the talent level in the XFL will be much more comparable to the CFL. All he did in that league was in three Grey Cups.

2. Bob Stoops, Dallas - Most would probably put him at the top just because he's a household name. His success speaks for itself, I just happen to think Trestman's experience will be more applicable to the league.

3. Pep Hamilton, Washington - The prototype for the kind of coaches the league should aim for. Experience all around the football world, both in the NCAA and NFL; close ties to the city he's working in; and still young enough to build his career from here. Some of these guys will always be known as "former NFL coach ______," Hamilton has the potentially to be known first and foremost as an XFL Head Coach. Unfortunately, candidates like this are hard to come by.

4. June Jones, Houston

5. Kevin Gilbride, New York - Writing Jones' and Gilbride's synopsis together because, to me, they're extremely similar. Past their primes but still respected coaches. Neither achieved very much as NFL Head Coaches but carved out a good deal of success in lesser positions (NCAA Head Coach; NFL Offensive Coordinator). This is basically a coin flip, but I gave the edge to Jones as I think his more recent NCAA and CFL experience will better suit him for the league.

6. Winston Moss, Los Angeles - His lack of Head Coach or coordinator experience is a little worrisome but he's had a long career as an NFL coach so he should be fine. As an LA fan, I love the intensity he seems poised to bring the club and I generally prefer defensive-minded coaches, but the XFL seems to be positioning itself as an offensive-friendly league so this could be a hindrance without a strong Offensive Coordinator.

7. Jim Zorn, Seattle - The most AAF-like of all the hires (former NFL guy now relegated to a lower league because nobody would hire him). Zorn still gets points for his NFL Head Coaching experience and his knowledge of the Quarterback position should prove particularly useful in this league. Plus he's just a nice fit for Seattle.

8. Jonathan Hayes, St. Louis - Perhaps the most "Original XFL"-like of all the hires (it says a lot that there are so few coaches of that mold this time around). I see the drawbacks, no Head Coach or Coordinator experience, no real ties to St. Louis (not that that really matters at the end of the day) but, like Moss, he's had a long career in the NFL ranks. He's not Bob Stoops, but that doesn't mean he can't find success at this level.

The more I think about it, the more I find Moss to be similar to Hayes (in much the same way I find Jones similar to Gilbride). Perhaps I was being a bit biased ranking him above Zorn and Hayes. I'm excited by the hire, but he will have a lot to prove. His selection of an OC will be hugely important.

XtremeFanForever wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2019 8:57 pm Here's how I ranked them on reddit:

1. Marc Trestman, Tampa Bay - One of the most boring hires but arguably the best. Sure, he sucked for the Bears, but the talent level in the XFL will be much more comparable to the CFL. All he did in that league was in three Grey Cups.

2. Bob Stoops, Dallas - Most would probably put him at the top just because he's a household name. His success speaks for itself, I just happen to think Trestman's experience will be more applicable to the league.

3. Pep Hamilton, Washington - The prototype for the kind of coaches the league should aim for. Experience all around the football world, both in the NCAA and NFL; close ties to the city he's working in; and still young enough to build his career from here. Some of these guys will always be known as "former NFL coach ______," Hamilton has the potentially to be known first and foremost as an XFL Head Coach. Unfortunately, candidates like this are hard to come by.

4. June Jones, Houston

5. Kevin Gilbride, New York - Writing Jones' and Gilbride's synopsis together because, to me, they're extremely similar. Past their primes but still respected coaches. Neither achieved very much as NFL Head Coaches but carved out a good deal of success in lesser positions (NCAA Head Coach; NFL Offensive Coordinator). This is basically a coin flip, but I gave the edge to Jones as I think his more recent NCAA and CFL experience will better suit him for the league.

6. Winston Moss, Los Angeles - His lack of Head Coach or coordinator experience is a little worrisome but he's had a long career as an NFL coach so he should be fine. As an LA fan, I love the intensity he seems poised to bring the club and I generally prefer defensive-minded coaches, but the XFL seems to be positioning itself as an offensive-friendly league so this could be a hindrance without a strong Offensive Coordinator.

7. Jim Zorn, Seattle - The most AAF-like of all the hires (former NFL guy now relegated to a lower league because nobody would hire him). Zorn still gets points for his NFL Head Coaching experience and his knowledge of the Quarterback position should prove particularly useful in this league. Plus he's just a nice fit for Seattle.

8. Jonathan Hayes, St. Louis - Perhaps the most "Original XFL"-like of all the hires (it says a lot that there are so few coaches of that mold this time around). I see the drawbacks, no Head Coach or Coordinator experience, no real ties to St. Louis (not that that really matters at the end of the day) but, like Moss, he's had a long career in the NFL ranks. He's not Bob Stoops, but that doesn't mean he can't find success at this level.

The more I think about it, the more I find Moss to be similar to Hayes (in much the same way I find Jones similar to Gilbride). Perhaps I was being a bit biased ranking him above Zorn and Hayes. I'm excited by the hire, but he will have a lot to prove. His selection of an OC will be hugely important.

Tank55 wrote: ↑Mon May 20, 2019 3:59 pm "Never really understood why the energetic Zorn did not get a second head coaching opportunity in the NFL."

Forget a head coaching opportunity, Zorn never even got a coordinator job after his time with the Redskins.

Tank55 wrote: ↑Mon May 20, 2019 5:51 pm That NJ.com article had the three rookie head coaches (and, awkwardly, the three black coaches) ranked 6, 7, and 8. People are drawn to who they know, which is understandable if lazy. The other factor is whether these lists are taking marketability into account; for example, that raises Zorn's stock and drops Trestman's, in my opinion.

Since I looked it up, here are the eight XFL coaches ranked by number of Google results:

Stoops 407K
Jones 323K
Trestman 189K
Hayes 135K
Zorn 134K
Gilbride 63K
Moss 52K
Hamilton 39K