Eagles have interviewed Duce Staley for head coach

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 2, 2016, 1:44 PM EST
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The season isn’t over yet, but the Eagles have already started interviewing candidates for their head-coaching vacancy.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie interviewed the team’s running backs coach, Duce Staley, yesterday, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.

That interview means that the Eagles have now complied with the Rooney Rule, which requires each team with a coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority.

Staley played for the Eagles from 1997 to 2003 and served on Andy Reid’s staff as special teams quality control assistant in 2011 and 2012. When Chip Kelly took over in 2013, he kept Staley on the staff and promoted him to running backs coach.

It is unknown whether the Eagles will give interim head coach Pat Shurmur a chance to earn the job on a permanent basis, or whether they will interview anyone else on Kelly’s staff. Lurie decided to fire Kelly with one game left in part because he wanted to get a jump on interviewing candidates to replace Kelly, and now the first interview is done.

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122 responses to “Eagles have interviewed Duce Staley for head coach”

  5. Hate that rule. It waste both the owners and coaches time.

    Only interview people you want to do the job.

  9. He’s not wasting time. Knocked down the Rroney Rule and the obligatory in-house interview in one session. Interested to see if anyone else on the current staff gets a shot.

  11. I know this interview will likely be tossed away as a Rooney Rule interview, but I think based on what Lurie stated Duce is a legitimate candidate for this job.

  12. I’m assuming they did due to the Rooney rule? Not tryin to hate on Duce, loved him in the NFL as a player. But as a Head Coach? Not sure how this is an upgrade from Kelly… even though anything is an upgrade really.

  16. Thats good for Duce Staley, Hell I didn’t even know Duce was an NFL coach. Any press is good press..Very rare to go from position coach to Head coach..need some OC experience.

  19. Does he has the right kind of “emotional intelligence” or just the right shade of dark brown eumelanin?

    Come on, Duce Staley is a legit HC candidate.

  20. Rooney Rule : when you find a minority candidate to give a sham interview so you can hire the guy you really want.

    Al Davis Rule : when you go ahead and hire a minority candidate without compulsion or fanfare.

  22. What an insult. At least the Eagles got their token minority interview out of the way.

    Browns still have to do that. Shame on the NFL!

  23. As a black man, get rid of the Rooney Rule.

    Not because I don’t want to see more black HCs, because I do.

    But clearly this rule is a farce. And they typically just make a mockery out of it. He isn’t a true candidate. He’s a token.

    It is patronizing.

  24. I suspect this interview to fulfill the Rooney Rule also comes with a promise to Duce that he’ll be retained by the team in some capacity regardless of who is hired as head coach. If I was a minority who was being used in this way, I’d make sure I got SOMEthing in return.

  26. Please tell me what harm the Rooney rule does? It’s just an interview, not a guarantee for a job.

    Are your precious tax dollars at stake?

    Or do you just like the long standing good-old-boy-network-rule?

  27. This is more offensive than minorities not getting an opportunity. He may one day be a great head coach, but right now he is not qualified.

  28. I am sure Duce gets a nice performance bonus for his talk with the owner, and having the honor/embarrassment that they’re going to call a (token) interview.

    He may not even be on the staff next year.

    Rooney rule, as always, is terrible. The NFL network of coaches and assistants etc is well established as to who is going where, and that’s not too far behind the scenes, played out by agents and middle men doing the work for the clubs; so going through these hoops is a sham process, all for show, trying to attach the notion of a social conscience to the NFL shield.

    The best thing that a minority candidate can do is impress/surprise the interviewer just enough to improve his status within the club, or get better established in above said league-wide “network” of coaches, so in a few years, he can get a better position somewhere else.

  29. Duce Staley was a very good running back under Reid. Very Good but not great. I think his chances for the head job are slim to none. Enter the Ronney Rule.

  30. The Rooney rule has to be the most insulting thing for African Americans. There are plenty of well qualified, intelligent, and suitable African American head coach candidates. If any man could be right for the job, he will be interviewed regardless of color.

  33. It makes me think they know who they want to hire as soon as he becomes available (maybe Sean Payton). Lurie mentioned getting a jump on the search as a reason he fired Kelly this week. Now that the Rooney Rule is satisfied, he can close the deal quickly.

  34. The Rooney rule is a racist rule. I’m sure the black guys that get interviewed feel great during the interview process. It’s like ‘is the black man here yet lets get this over with.’ The black coaches should earn thier jobs not be forced into them from a racist rule.

  37. feel orry for the ex player

    On the bright side, the owner of the browns will interview ray farmer next monday morning, you know just because.

  38. Speaking as a black guy the Rooney rule has to go. Teams are going to hire the right HC no matter what the race or sex of the coach is. If there were a black woman out there that could coach like Belichick there would be a bidding war for her services.

  39. The Rooney Rule is far from perfect, but the thing that gets lost is that before the Rooney Rule, very few minority candidates were even getting interviews. This at least gives them the interview experience and exposure.

    Duce was the one guy on the staff that Lurie insisted on keeping when Reid was fired, and the fan base loved him s a player, so I think there is a lot of respect for the guy in the organization.

  40. Since Hue Jackson is mentioned as a leading candidate, I doubt this is just a Rooney rule interview. Why not interview him, he’s well liked, he’s already with the organization….even if he’s not yet likely to get a HC job it can’t be a bad thing to interview.

  42. The Rooney Rule has always been a joke and largely ineffective. While I can’t say somebody didn’t benefit from it, the reality is that coaches from basically three pools:

    1. Coordinators
    2. Former NFL Head Coaches
    3. College Head Coaches

    At the time the Rooney Rule was instated, the second and third pools were really barren.

    Once #2 got some candidates, those guys started getting rehired. Fact is, all but two black NFL head coaches who have been fired have been rehired (Singletary and Morris), who happened to be among the last fired.

    #3 still needs some work.

    In conclusion, there are more minority head coaches today not because of the Rooney Rule, but because the pipelines have more minority candidates.

  44. I have always felt the Rooney Rule was inappropriate. Why stop at having to interview blacks? Then how about Hispanics, or Latinos, or Asians, etc? If I was an owner, I would want to win and get the best candidate I could. There are some excellent black coaches in the NFL and at the collegiate level. People should only be interviewed if they have the resume and actual results, juse like in most noral businesses. It is a disgrace to everyone to have any quotas, etc.

  45. I will be curious to see who waits, like Atlanta in getting Dan Quinn from Seattle. I think Harold Goodwin of Arizona is a good candidate for a HC job, but they may be busy for the next 5 weeks.

  46. interviewing the positional coach of the biggest disapointment on the team and the biggest distraction demarco murray hmmmmm good luck eagles

  47. I think the Eagles legitimately like him. I could be wrong, but I don’t think keeping him on the staff after Andy was Chip’s choice..

  48. Rooney Rule makes blacks look worse than not having it. Very dumb rule. Tomlin, Dungy, Bowles etc and all other black coaches would have been hired without it. Forcing people to interview a black man makes that person feel like a procedure more than a candidate if they aren’t successful.

  49. luther6 says:
    Jan 2, 2016 1:48 PM
    Check the box for patronizing minorities.
    ————————————————————–

    LOL @ the simple mindedness of some posters here.

    He had an interview. That was his chance at a Head Coaching job, but even if the Eagles don’t consider him a good candidate, a good interview will set him up for a Coordinator position and possibly another shot at a Head Coach position. And you know what? Maybe Duce did it to

  50. The problem is not the spirit of the rule, it is the forced execution that is insulting. You can’t force affirmative action when there are only 32 of these positions in the world, and many people’s livelihoods hang in the balance. An owner/general manager usually have someone in mind when they start the process of changing coaching staffs. Forcing them to automatically interview a minority is demeaning to the candidate, and I’m saying this as a minority. Deuce took one for the team, his name has never surfaced as a possible Coordinator, let alone Head Coach. These teams are billion dollar investments these days, and no owner is gonna hire someone they don’t want. Why go through this farce that is quite frankly insulting to the coach and the owner.

  52. It’s funny… when the Cowboys interviewed WR coach Ray Sherman for their head coaching vacancy a while back, PFT was crying “sham interview” at the top of their lungs.

    Eagles can interview a guy younger and less established and we’re all cool with that satisfying the Rooney Rule now?

    Just checking.

  53. Sadly we live in a racist country without that rule… No black coaches would ever be interviewed or hired so at least they get an opportunity to be heard😔…

  54. Smart move. Get that dingy rooney rule outta the way. They already know who they want and will get. It’s why they got this over with. Otherwise one would interview Hue Jackson after season but they have thier guy already and can’t wait til after Cincy out of the playoffs.

  56. Everyone’s overreacting to the Rooney rule stuff.

    We have more black head & assistant coaches than ever today. And more are getting interview experience than ever before.

    Meanwhile, it’s not stopping any qualified candidates from being hired. Teams are still choosing the best candidates they want. And both white & black coaches are being hired.

    Program’s doing its job. No big deal.

  58. I really don’t think their is racism in the nfl today. At least not from ownership/management. It is such a results oriented business I can’t believe skin color is a factor in personnel decisions. Having said that, maybe the Rooney rule would be better served for less publicized coordinator and position coach position interviews. My thinking is that once the minorities get position jobs then coordinator jobs the best ones will naturally progress to head coach. And that way teams that are in a hurry to interview for their head coach position won’t be rushing to line up sham interviews to satisfy the Rooney rule which makes a mockery of the whole thing. By the way I think the deuce Stanley interview is not a sham, he probably needs a few more years learning from a good head coach but his energy and intensity could be very good on the sideline in a Sean Payton or mike Tomlin kind of way. The interview is great practice for him. But public reaction to minority interviews basically makes most of them seem like jokes.

  60. The Rooney Rule gives qualified coaches of color experience interviewing where before they couldn’t get their foot in the door. Is it perfect, no. Is it working? Ask Todd Bowles and Mike Tomlin who would not be where they are without the opportunity.

  61. The whole affirmative action thing should be thrown out now, especially in the NFL, where easily the majority of the players are “minorities” (a word I detest). If anything, it perpetuates the divide and frankly, I think in today’s world where media and info on anyone is readily available, no one thinks about race anymore, except the activists.

  62. Jan 2, 2016 2:57 PM
    Rooney Rule makes blacks look worse than not having it. Very dumb rule. Tomlin, Dungy, Bowles etc and all other black coaches would have been hired without it. Forcing people to interview a black man makes that person feel like a procedure more than a candidate if they aren’t successful.
    ———————
    It took Todd Bowles 10 interviews and 15 years before he got the opportunity and he credits the Rooney Rule. Yet we get young 30ish white coordinators who “fit the profile” and get their opportunities early.

  64. Only the actual Rooneys would be stupid enough to hire a coach with ONE YEAR experience as a defensive coordinator and who in that ONE YEAR finish dead last —- as in #32 — in passing defense. Uh … hello? This is a PASSING league.

    This will be the FIRST time the Steelers have gone five years in a row without a playoff win and BOOK IT the Steelers will not even sniff a Super Bowl until both Honest Mike “Twelfth Man” Tomlin and Small Ben in Big Games are gone.

  65. Wow, just wow. It looked like the ratio of racist tools was about 5 to 1. Fine you’re anonymously posting on a football site, who’s the wiser that you’re stuck in the 50’s with your views on race relations. Apparently this is fertile ground for such progressive viewpoints. No wonder I find myself coming here less and less. Good luck with your inbreeding program. Have fun storming the castle.

  66. Pretty sad when race is more important that qualifications. If the guy is Q’d then interview him, if not then pass him by. Time for the Rooney rule to be removed.

  67. He isn’t even pretending to seriously consider a minority candidate. If there were any chance that he wanted Staley, he would have made him interim coach for week 17. He didn’t & he isn’t.

  68. The Rooney Rule was a good idea at the time. Mike Tomlin may have been interviewed and hired as a result, especially because it was the Steelers in the first place. Now, however, it may have outlived its usefulness.

  69. blockedshotnyr says:
    Jan 2, 2016 1:55 PM
    I know this interview will likely be tossed away as a Rooney Rule interview, but I think based on what Lurie stated Duce is a legitimate candidate for this job.
    ———————————————–
    If they didn’t have that stupid rule, we’d know he was a legitimate candidate.

  71. It is so ridiculous that we as a society need to be notified that a team has fulfilled a rule regarding the requirement of interviewing a certain race for a vacancy in coaching. I would find this offensive if I was part of that minority. Why isn’t there a rule that a woman has to be interviewed? Or a person over the age of 65? Or a foreigner? People should be hired on merit alone and that is all.

  72. Regarding Hue Jackson:

    1. his team is in the playoffs, and this week’s game could possibly get them a bye. I doubt the Eagles asked – or would have been given – permission to talk to Hue.

    2. Andy Dalton showed great improvement this year, and Jackson deserves at least some of the credit.

    3. McCarron played competently as Dalton’s replacement. Nothing spectacular, but showed he was prepared. Again, a nod to Jackson for working with McCarron’s skill set – he designed a good game plan vs. Denver, and AJ had no “deer in headlights” plays or “happy feet” in the pocket. The bad snap in OT was ugly, but not really McCarron’s fault, and certainly not due to Jackson’s play calling.

    4. Jackson is a talented, experienced OC, and I can see why the Eagles would want to consider him. But with the lack of playmakers on Philly’s current roster, I do wonder whether the interest would be mutual. And given the Roseman/Lurie dynamic, any prospective HC must wonder how much support he will be given.

    I suspect that Shurmur gets the HC job, and that Staley is retained on the new staff.

    Shurmur is a decent OC, and would provide some continuity. I think that Davis is out as DC. Sean McDermott is being talked about as a candidate, but hiring him would be replacing Kelly’s guy with one of Andy Reid’s guys. And that would raise questions that Howie and Jeff do not want to answer.

    Someone I would like to see them target for that job is Ray Horton. He rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but defenses improve wherever he goes. And frankly, charm and charisma are about the LAST things I would look for in a DC.

  75. I’m sure the Eagles won’t go with anyone new – after getting so badly burned with a college coach, they’re going to jump right back on the NFL Coaching Carousel, and hire a retread. Shurmer, Whisenhunt, or some other proven failure.

  77. Time to start recycling the same two names that surface every time a coach anywhere in America is fired: Gruden and Cowher. Never mind that Gruden’s teams were train wrecks at the end of his career. And who cares that he already makes 6 mill a year for a lot less stress? As for Cowher, yes, he has said repeatedly that he is done coaching. But he’s spits a lot and screams, so everyone loves him.

  78. Let’s be honest here, the deuce Lurie dropped in his golden throne this morning has a better chance of getting hired as the Eagles HC The Rooney Rule is a joke and on the surface looks patronizing. To the point of almost being offensive to the black candidates that get the interviews and don’t get hired. It’s long past time for this rule to go away. The best candidate for the job will get hired, regardless of skin color. Don’t be shocked if you start seeing protests outside NFL team headquarters, in the near future with all the nonsense going on in todays “victim mentality” society.

  79. Simply getting an interview for a head coaching position is good for Staley or any other assistant.

    The spirit of the rule remains useful, even if some of the owners make a mockery of it at times.

  80. Fast Forward 25 years from now. The Rooney Rule will mean that teams will be required to consider White candidates as well.

  81. I wonder if that means that when a new HC is hired and Deuce was used to cover the Rooney Rule, that Lurie & Deuce struck a deal for him to remain the runningback coach or get a promotion. It would be a pity to cooperate with the Rooney sham then have a new HC come in and kick him to the curb???

  82. It’s Philadelphia…. A stop over city between DC and NYC. No one cares what happens to Filthy.

  85. Hoping this isn’t a Rooney rule sham. But rather the owner liking Duce and giving him experience interviewing as a precursor to becoming an OC, etc. Any experience is a big help in him climbing the ladder.

  86. I thought the Mickey Rooney Rule was they have to interview at least one midget.
    Seriously, the Rooney Rule was put in for a good reason. Before the Rooney Rule, qualified minority candidates would never get a sniff as a head coach, no matter how long they had been an assistant coach.
    The real travesty is at the collegiate level. Right now, there are only 8 black head coaches at the 128 bowl eligible schools. Further, there has never been a black President of the NCAA and none of the five power conferences has ever had a black Commissioner.
    I am 100% for teams hiring the man they want as their head coach. But that doesn’t change the fact that if you’re a black man and you want a head coaching job at the collegiate or NFL level, the odds are against you.
    This is a subject the great Jim Brown has offered his opinion on for many years. Ironically, he says some of the blame falls on other blacks who have all the money they need to buy an NFL franchise and open the door for other blacks.
    I know this much. If I owned an NFL franchise and a black head coach would give me the best chance to win a Super Bowl, he’d get the job without even thinking about it. It’s hard for me to believe that there are still owners who don’t think that way, but I guess it’s true. I guess some humans will never learn.

  88. Good for Duce getting the interview. How many of you even knew he was coaching in the NFL…including Eagle fans? I bet Bill Davis wishes he had gotten that interview and got his name out there like Duce. FYI, Davis is the DC for the Eagles. Maybe Davis should file a discrimination lawsuit if he doesn’t get an interview.

  89. If they hadn’t interviewed Duce, I would have expected a TO press conference announcing he’d make a great Eagle coach. And his agent would wait at least two preseason wins before announcing he overplayed his contract and deserved a raise.

  90. Shurmur is a decent OC, and would provide some continuity. I think that Davis is out as DC. Sean McDermott is being talked about as a candidate, but hiring him would be replacing Kelly’s guy with one of Andy Reid’s guys. And that would raise questions that Howie and Jeff do not want to answer.

    Someone I would like to see them target for that job is Ray Horton. He rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but defenses improve wherever he goes. And frankly, charm and charisma are about the LAST things I would look for in a DC.

    ——————————–

    What questions would the Eagles not want to answer about Sean McDermott? I’m curious. The defense was historically bad when he was the DC and Andy Reid was the one fired him.

  92. You have to be a fool to think this was a real interview. Staley is not qualified for the job in any way shape or form. This is why the Rooney rule is a joke.

  94. Duce was a beast in his day. Former players get mad respect too. First things first though, fill the Gatorade tubs with pickle juice! Will never forget that opening day when the Eagles put a whooping on my ‘Boys which was a sign of the changing of the gaurd in the East.

  96. It doesn’t matter that Staley, Lurie, and everybody else knows his interview was just to comply with the Rooney Rule. There are only 32 head coach positions available in the NFL. If you have never been a head coach before and you turn down an offer to interview for one of them, your career advancement just came to an end. No one is going to care if you turned it down on principle, just that you didn’t interview for the job when you had the chance.

  97. Lurie is said to love Duce Staley. He was the only hold over from Reid to Kelly. I’d be surprised if Duce isn’t on the new staff as well. He’s not ready to be a HC right now

  98. Lol. Making a mockery of the ridiculous rooney rule.
    Hey, now Mangini (italian), Norm Chow, Tony Gonzalez, and Bagdadi need to be interviewed. Why is only a black person interviewed to satisfy the rooney rule? The names mentioned above are all minorities.

  99. Eagles already have thier man. It’s why they were smart and got this rooney idiocy out of the way. Otherwise they’d wait for Hue Jackson to hire a minority. Cmon, Duece, really? From Chip to Duece? Poor Duece, being used like all other candidates. Even black minorities think this is a racist rule. Likely the most racist rule in sports.
    If the nfl is going to be fair, they need to make another ridiculous rule and have teams interview a woman, all minorities besides black, LGBT coaches, midgets, crippled, and autism possibilities. All those mentioned have the brain to be able to coach. What gives?
    Shoot interview a qualified Indian, Arab, ect, ect.
    Otherwise call this the “MUST INTERVIEW BLACK COACHES BEFORE HIRING THE WHITE” rule. It is what it is.

  100. Just to screw with everyone, I hope the Eagles sign this guy to be HC. He was a cool player, and while that’s about as much of a good qualification as Jim Tomsula, I like to see someone who is interviewed with the Rooney rule ACTUALLY getting hired.

  101. The rooney rule is such a fraud. Teams interview the first black staffer they can find, then go hire the guy they wanted the entire time

  104. It’s not the ROONEY RULE.

    It’s just the ROONEYS RULE.

    Duce was wearing his 2005 Super Bowl ring around the practice facility and Lurie, never having seen one of these before, brought Duce in for a little magic.

  106. I hope that was a serious interview. Redskins fan, but always had a pretty high opinion of Staley. Underrated back, and apparently a pretty decent coach.
    In this day of free agency it’s tough to maintain a team personality and continuity. I like seeing ‘home grown’ guys succeed and wish it could happen with the Redskins sometime.

  107. Please tell me what harm the Rooney rule does?

    It’s the soft bigotry of low expectations. An insult.

  108. ariani1985 says:

    “There is a bum under a cardboard box that is available”

    I think that’s Jimmy Haslam’s next GM

  109. Extremely offensive rule. Teams don’t care what color the best candidate is if they’re the best. All this rule does is parade unqualified minorities in front of teams so they can satisfy this arbitrary and racist rule. It’s 2016, this outdated and despicable rule needs to be repealed.

  110. colton38 says:
    Jan 2, 2016 3:13 PM
    Sadly we live in a racist country without that rule… No black coaches would ever be interviewed or hired so at least they get an opportunity to be heard😔…

    Congratulations, you’re part of the problem. There will always be segregation as long as people like you keep segregation alive. And you are dead wrong about this country and the NFL. Drop your silly narrative and take the blinders off and you may actually like what you see.

  111. gofor2with3pointlead says:
    Jan 2, 2016 3:35 PM
    Wow, just wow. It looked like the ratio of racist tools was about 5 to 1. Fine you’re anonymously posting on a football site, who’s the wiser that you’re stuck in the 50’s with your views on race relations. Apparently this is fertile ground for such progressive viewpoints. No wonder I find myself coming here less and less. Good luck with your inbreeding program. Have fun storming the castle.

    Oh look, a typical leftist thinking that if you think skin color shouldn’t matter, you are a racist. Then he goes on to insult what he most likely believes are white people with false and obscene stereotypes. Good job, guy.

  112. Staley is well liked within the organization. But he may well have wanted to interview for the job and itbis good to get that experience.

    Gase is flavor of the month, just like C Kelly. No significant experience at ALL aspects of brinf a head coach. The Eagles need to focus on somone that has signifucant experience to manage all sides of being a head coach, on and off the field. Someone who has head coach experience would be the best option. It is not just about managing on the field. It is aboyt also managing in the locker room and in the press scrum.

    I doubt McDermott gets hired though he is also well thought of there.

    Of course, it would be nice to have a GM with football experience, but, alas, for the moment that does not seem to be the aim of Mr Lurie.

  113. This gave Duece the experience of being interviewed, and to help him advance within the coaching ranks. Hopefully, he will stay on somebody’s staff. While it does help them with the Rooney requirements, it doesn’t mean that Hue Jackson is not being considered. As far as the talk about hiring McDermott to replace Davis, he can’t jump from one team to another in the same position – DC. He is, however, a good HC prospect. Philly is an attractive place for a HC, as they have their QB, and pretty good talent- just need to bolster their OL, and add a few pieces, and they can rule the NFCE.,

  114. robbieboston says:
    Jan 2, 2016 3:57 PM
    It is so ridiculous that we as a society need to be notified that a team has fulfilled a rule regarding the requirement of interviewing a certain race for a vacancy in coaching. I would find this offensive if I was part of that minority. Why isn’t there a rule that a woman has to be interviewed? Or a person over the age of 65? Or a foreigner? People should be hired on merit alone and that is all.

    _________________________________________

    Do you understand how this Rooney Rule came into existence?
    Here’s a fact for you. From the 1920’s until 1989, the NFL had exactly one head coach who was black.
    I checked, and here’s what I found:
    The Rooney Rule was implemented after pressure was put on the NFL by two former players, Kellen Winslow and John Wooten. They formed a group of consisting of scouts, coaches and front office personnel to pressure the NFL to establish a hiring guide to insure that minorities would get a fair chance to be hired. They came up with the Rooney Rule, so named after the Rooney’s because of their long standing hiring practices concerning minorities.
    Winslow and Wooten were moved to put pressure on the NFL after a report written by two attorneys (Johnnie Cochran and Cyrus Mehri) showed that blacks were less likely to be hired and more likely to be fired than their white counterparts, even if they had a better winning percentage.
    Cochran and Mehri were upset that Tony Dungy had been fired despite having a winning record in Tampa, and Dennis Green had been fired after his first losing season in a decade.

    Anyone who thinks that blacks and other minorities were given a fair chance to get head coach or front office jobs prior to the Rooney Rule should be aware that in the first 3 years after the Rooney Rule was established, the percentage of minorities hired for those jobs increased .
    So, hate the Rooney Rule if you like. But the history and significance of it cannot be argued.
    As for women, people over 65, and “foreigners” getting interviewed — I think it won’t be long before we see a woman coaching on the sidelines. Maybe not as a head coach right away, but as an assistant.
    And Tom Coughlin is in his late 60’s and Pete Carroll is 64. Marv Levy coached the Bills until he was 72.
    As for foreigners, some people consider Bill Belichick an alien. Is that far away to be considered a “foreigner”?

  116. Clearly this ol’ boy network won’t go away.

    If Chip Kelly was hired after cozying it up with Roseman and Lurie in Martha’s Vineyard, then you know it’s nothing but an ol’ boy network.

    My condolences to Hue Jackson … again.

  117. Can you imagine if this rule was in effect in 2000? Everybody in New England and the tri-state area knew Bob Kraft wanted Bill Belichick and nobody else as his replacement for Pete Carroll.

  120. The problem is not the Rooney rule but the fact that most owners just want to get through the ‘token’ interview as soon as possible.

    The rule was in place so to give potential minority candidates opportunities to get their names out as legitimate HC candidates via the interviews for the vacant posissions.

    The idea was always that if a team was interviewing four candidates they would also invite a fifth candidate who was a qualified minority. Now they may not hire that candidate but he would be more likely to be considered as a legitimate candidate by other organizations in the future though being in the interview process.

    The problem is teams are interviewing candidates whom they have 0 interest in and other likely don’t. They used to interview former black head coaches (Ray Rhodes, Denny Green, Art Shell) whom now turn these calls down knowing that they are token interviews that aren’t going to lead to anything. Now they will just interview random black assistant coach (promise they’ll be retained if they go through the process), these coaches are usually not even considered coordinator candidates and are just interviewed for the sake of getting past the minority interview requirement.

    If teams were willing to interview minority candidates in good faith then the rule is less likely to be needed. But as long as it’s used as implemented then it doesn’t work and there is less of a reason to rescind the rule.

  121. Everyone’s busy crying over the Rooney Rule that no ones even considered the possibility that Duce Staley was interviewed because he applied for the job…

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