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Together with the NFL’s coach and general manager hiring cycle now in full swing, there is a feeling of confidence in these early stages of the Madden 21 coins process about the searches becoming more varied and inclusive than anything we have seen in the last several years. It is far too preliminary to make any proclamations, however during the initial interviews for applicants not under NFL contracts, owners appear to be doing a more-than-cursory task of meeting varied candidates, and there’s a growing awareness among current and former NFL executives, coaching agents, and among the candidates of color themselves that 2021 can in reality be more reflective of the composition of the NFL’s locker rooms.
I’d call it cautious optimism, as NFL teams start to submit formal request slips to interview coach and GM candidates. And Rod Graves, head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which works with the NFL in the pursuit of greater diversity in the management and coaching ranks.
“I believe’cautious optimism’ is the right way to frame it,” Graves told me Sunday afternoon. “A great deal of credit goes to (Commissioner) Roger Goodell and (VP of football operations) Troy Vincent for the feeling of urgency which has developed about this issue over the previous 8-to-12 months”
There’s not anything to champion before we see the final results of those searches, but it appears more than lip service has been paid into The Rooney Rule, and there’s a sense within the groups doing the hiring which the time for words is over — this league must be more equitable in who gets to sit in places of power within the game, and, ultimately, just the owners themselves can change this.
Knowledgeable coaches such as Marvin Lewis and executives such as Rick Smith seem really poised at this stage to have a valid opportunity with multiple teams. There’s hope that 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will have better luck this time around.
The team has become more competitive, proactive and consistent with its messaging to teams about the requirement to change the way they’ve been doing business, and I have heard repeatedly from people doing the hiring, and people who represent many of the top candidates, that the nature of this cycle will in reality differ.
“I’ve never felt that a vibe similar to this earlier,” said one prominent agent. “I think Goodell has put down the hammer and these teams are getting the message.”
In the past Graves has broached the subject of pushing all hires back till after the Super Bowl to attempt to level the playing field to this in and beyond the game, providing the rules that regulate the game. However, numerous coaches and cheap Madden nfl 21 coins GMs being let go in-season this past year — creating a more robust cycle of interviews while games were still being played is a dynamic that also could foster diversity.
