As I've no doubt made clear, I am not a fan of the current hiring practices of NFL teams. All too often, teams hire re-tread coaches (Norv Turner, Dan Reeves) without looking at qualified assistant coaches or some of the bright young minds in the collegiate ranks. What makes me even more upset is the clear (in my mind) racial bias that exists in the NFL. Am I to believe that minorities cannot be successful as head coaches in the NFL? Is this like the black QB thing where, sure, there is always one guy that is the exception but really, blacks just can't be QB's in the NFL? That's what it feels like to me.
The Minnesota Vikings hired the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress as Mike Tice's replacement. He's white. The only other candidate interviewed was Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, who is black. Why do I feel like Caldwell never had a shot? Why do I feel like he was flown up to Minneapolis on his team's bye week just so the Vikings could comply with the NFL rule that requires at least one minority candidate to be interviewed for vacant head coaching positions?
This is not to rip Childress. He did a good job in Philly and he deserves a chance to coach. This is more an indictment of the process and the speed in which the Vikings made their choice. The NFL has to change its policies. I think there should be a moratorium on hiring until after the Super Bowl. Let all assistant coaches for playoff teams have the same chance as those whose teams have been bounced. Let natural competition bubble to the surface after a month of reflection and thorough due diligence on all candidates. Unfortunately, I doubt the NFL will ever change.
The Minnesota Vikings hired the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress as Mike Tice's replacement. He's white. The only other candidate interviewed was Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, who is black. Why do I feel like Caldwell never had a shot? Why do I feel like he was flown up to Minneapolis on his team's bye week just so the Vikings could comply with the NFL rule that requires at least one minority candidate to be interviewed for vacant head coaching positions?
This is not to rip Childress. He did a good job in Philly and he deserves a chance to coach. This is more an indictment of the process and the speed in which the Vikings made their choice. The NFL has to change its policies. I think there should be a moratorium on hiring until after the Super Bowl. Let all assistant coaches for playoff teams have the same chance as those whose teams have been bounced. Let natural competition bubble to the surface after a month of reflection and thorough due diligence on all candidates. Unfortunately, I doubt the NFL will ever change.
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