To quote a line from the classic 1970s sitcom “The Jeffersons.”
We’re movin’ on up, to the Eastside, we finally got a piece of the pie.
Yes, the NFL hiring cycle has been completed with (3) black coaches getting an opportunity to be head coaches. For as much the “Rooney Rule” has worked against black coaches, it’s a beautiful and sweet victory to see the following black men lead teams into success. Jerod Mayo, of the New England Patriots; Antonio Pierce, of the Las Vegas Raiders and Raheem Morris, of the Atlanta Falcons. Let’s dive into the men who’ll be leading the way in 2024.
Jerod Mayo: New England Patriots
A former standout linebacker who played for the franchise and won a Super Bowl in 2014 brings a new era to the mix. Jerod spent time away upon walking away from football to learn the business side of it. He returned in 2019 as a linebackers coach. During that time, Mayo learned from former head coach Bill Belichick, while understanding how to conduct himself to gravitate towards players. His time arrived upon Belichick parting ways.
The lingering question he faces: a defensive minded coach whose pedigree will be tested early. As he said in the introductory press conference “ready to burn some cash.” An area where Bill failed to evolve in helping the offensive side. Hiring the right offensive minded coaches to take on play calling and developing a franchise quarterback. With the hiring of Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, the challenge of fixing this offense starts in the upcoming draft. The verbiage may look and sound similar, but Van Pelt will bring some schematic versatility. Patriots fans might see some of the popular zone-running schemes as we’ve seen in San Francisco and LA Rams. Having the 3rd pick overall and drafting a true franchise quarterback is the most important draft in kick starting a new breed in New England.
Demarcus Covington will return as the team’s defensive coordinator, which is a strong move in keeping continuity within the locker room. The defense wasn’t bad, but injuries riddled New England considering playing a very tough 2023 schedule with practice squad players the latter part of the season. With a mix of youth and veterans, New England has the upside in Jerod Mayo. Analytics will either make or break his first full season in learning to trust his football instincts or rely on a tablet of information to win ball games.
Antonio Pierce: Las Vegas Raiders
Pierce was another standout player who won a Super Bowl back in 2007; leading a great New York Giants defense in defeating New England’s quest to go 19-0. A former linebacker and Long Beach, California native understands the Raiders culture and expectations. After being named interim head coach upon the firing of Josh McDaniels, Vegas finished 5-4 under Pierce. Big divisional wins over the Chargers, Chiefs (Christmas Day) and Denver, it was only right for Owner Mark Davis to give Antonio the job. If that didn’t happen, star defensive end Maxx Crosby would’ve requested a trade. Davis listened to his players instead of chasing a splashy head coach.
Antonio has already started to assemble an offensive staff to focus on developing a quarterback. Rather it’s Aidan O’Connell or drafting the future, the Raiders have a very short timeframe to get it right in a division which now has Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton and for now Andy Reid. Having that quarterback matters and surrounding him with a great offensive play calling. New offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will lead the way in getting this offense back on track. It’s going to be a lot of new schemes and now the players must buy in and believe they’re going to be successful. The Raiders will go as far this coaching staff will take them. In a tough division and tighter AFC, the margin of error is very slim.
Raheem Morris: Atlanta Falcons
A familiar face returns for a second stint after former head coach Arthur Smith was fired. Raheem spent a few seasons in Atlanta while wearing multiple hats: assistant head coach, defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator, defensive coordinator, and interim head coach. Upon leaving Atlanta, he was the architect of the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl defense which included future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald and a supporting cast of great players. Raheem has been around the league long enough he knows football. Being on two Super Bowl coaching staffs (Tampa Bay 2002 & LA Rams 2021) the Falcons needed a coach who can get the most out of a talented defensive roster. The biggest questions surrounding the 2024 Dirty Birds: “do they draft a quarterback or trade for one?” However, NFL free agency is in March and the field will have very little to select from. Unless trading the 8th pick for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields or seeing who may be available when the team is on the clock.
In this sense, Atlanta will have very limited options unless a quarterback falls into their laps. Defensively wasn't an issue; the offense sputtered between Desmond Ritter and Taylor Heinicke. A team with Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson failed to mesh under former head coach Arthur Smith. Atlanta plays in the weakest division in football via NFC South should tell you all that needs to be said. Coach Morris is very familiar with this division and having a quarterback to go against the likes of Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr and Bryce Young should muster 10-11 wins. Anything less than that is beyond disappointing with a team who can possibly sneak into the playoffs. Regardless of how Falcons fans may feel, Coach Morris will be the right guy to give you something to cheer about.
In the end, this hiring cycle in three black coaches getting their piece of the pie to be head coaches was a bittersweet victory. Finally, white owners and GMs are opening their eyes to give black coaches an opportunity. Progression is being made, more work to be done in giving more black men and hopefully women an opportunity to become head coaches in some capacity. The pie is being shared equally and these very qualified gentlemen have earned their time to shine among the other coaches in the National Football League. Good luck to all the new black head coaches. Go do ya thang and don’t let anyone tell you differently!
Stai tuned.
