Assistant coaches in Philadelphia claim that interviewing during the NFL playoffs doesn’t cause any disruption

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Kellen Moore in an interview

Only the coordinators who interviewed for head coaching positions before playoff games can say whether those interviews were a distraction. However, that won’t stop people from making assumptions.

The NFL’s hiring process became a hot topic when the Detroit Lions were knocked out of the playoffs. The Lions finished the season with a strong 15-2 record and secured the NFC’s No. 1 seed, but they were eliminated by the Washington Commanders in the divisional round.

Some Lions fans, unhappy with the team’s early exit, blamed offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for possibly focusing more on interviews than their game plans.

Johnson accepted the Chicago Bears’ head coaching offer on Monday, just two days after the Lions lost 45-31 to the Commanders. During Detroit’s bye week, Johnson had interviewed with the Bears, Patriots, Jaguars, and Raiders.

Despite the distraction of interviews, Johnson’s offense performed well, accumulating 521 yards and scoring 31 points. This showed that he wasn’t too distracted to create an effective offensive game plan.

However, Johnson made one critical mistake in the game. With 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, trailing by 10 points, he called a trick play. Wide receiver Jameson Williams ended up throwing an interception, though he should have tucked the ball and run instead of trying to pass into coverage.

Fox broadcaster Tom Brady, who is also a minority owner of the Raiders and involved in interviewing Johnson, criticized the trick play. “Not a great time for a trick play,” Brady said.

Despite the negative outcome, Johnson’s trick plays had some success earlier in the game. Williams ran for a 61-yard touchdown on a double reverse, and running back David Montgomery completed a 20-yard shovel pass after receiving a pitch from quarterback Jared Goff.

Glenn, who had also interviewed with multiple teams including the Bears, Jaguars, Raiders, Saints, and Jets, had a difficult time as well. He turned down an interview request from the Patriots, who later hired Mike Vrabel.

His defense gave up 38 points and 481 yards to Washington, but the Lions were missing several key players, including cornerback Amik Robertson, who was injured early in the game.

Mike Vrabel gestures in the event

While Johnson and Glenn weren’t the only coordinators interviewing for head coaching jobs during the playoffs, they were on the losing end of one of the biggest upsets of the postseason.

On the other hand, Washington’s offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, decided to wait until after the season to interview so he could focus on the playoffs. Washington’s defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt Jr., had his first interview with the Jets on Sunday.

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo have also been involved in interviews with various teams during the playoffs.

According to NFL rules, assistants on playoff teams can only conduct virtual interviews. This year, the league also limited interviews to a maximum of three hours for coaches still participating in the playoffs.

Many assistants prepare for potential interviews during the offseason, so they don’t have to start from scratch when they get a call.

Johnson, who was in his third hiring cycle, said last week, “This go-around, I’ve been a lot more prepared for the types of questions that they’ve been asking.” He added, “I’ve also changed my frame of mind a little bit, and instead of worrying solely about the offense and what we’re doing right here, I’ve been able to have offseasons and summers to think about the big-picture view, what a program would look like where I’m running it.

And so, I think that way, I’m a lot more prepared for the questions that come my way and I’m much more comfortable answering them.”

Glenn also entered this cycle more prepared after interviewing with teams last year. He shared, “I think those are things you always look at during the offseason, guys that you think that mesh well with you, that are compatible with how you think and how you want to operate.”

He continued, “During the season you really don’t even mess with it at all because you’re so locked in to what you’re doing, and then once the interviews start, you start to come back to some of those things, some of those people that you talked to. You start to think about, ‘Is this a guy that I feel like I can win a Super Bowl with?’ And I always look at it that way.”

Eagles fans were concerned when Moore had three interviews, including one with the Cowboys just two days before their game against the Rams. They were even less happy with his play-calling in a close 28-22 win. However, Moore explained, “It’s really the same process we normally take.

Nothing changes in our preparation for a game.” He added, “You know, I missed a fourth-grade basketball game on Friday night; that’s about it. Other than that, it’s the same process.”

By Christopher Kamila

I am an experienced content writer with a specialization in WordPress. I have written engaging articles for various websites that have achieved a total of 5,500 monthly views. In addition, I have played a key role in boosting their organic traffic by 30% and achieving top Google rankings through SEO. My passion lies in creating user-friendly content.

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