5 candidates to replace Matt Nagy as Bears head coach
3. Brian Daboll, Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator
Josh Allen’s fast start this year put Daboll in the conversation for head coaching jobs. After a multi-week downturn, the Bills’ offense got back on track in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks’ defense has been bad to occasionally historic levels this year, but a postgame quote from head coach Pete Carroll is telling.
Full Pete Carroll quote on this:
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) November 8, 2020
"These guys didn't even try to run the football today. We didn't expect that to happen. We didn't think they would totally abandon the running game. We had a real nice plan for how they were gonna run it. We have to be able to adapt better." https://t.co/7CzI5530PN
The Bills ran for 180 yards in a Week 8 win over the New England Patriots, as Allen threw the ball just 18 times. Then they ran the ball just 16 times against Seattle, before three kneel-downs from Allen, while Allen completed 31-of-38 pass attempts. It’s as if facing the league’s worst pass defense called for an adjustment in game plan, however obviously. But Daboll still deserves credit for doing it, and more broadly fostering notable growth from Allen this year in their third year together.
Daboll will not win the press conference as a splashy hire. But his resume as an assistant, from the NFL (New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and the Bills) to the college game (Alabama in 2017) suggests he’ll be a head coach sooner rather than later.