Mike Nolan for Packers Defensive Coordinator: "He's smart that way."

by Fooch on Jan 7, 2009 10:59 AM PST in News Comment 8 comments

I get an RSS feed from ProFootballTalk.com more just to see what rumors are flying around. It's not my source for 49ers info, but sometimes an interesting tidbit will pop up about some other time. Obviously you have to take anything from PFT with a grain of salt. Today, though, I saw something today that was a link from a Green Bay newspaper discussing the likelihood of Mike Nolan being hired as the Packers defensive coordinator.

“He’s good now. He’s smart,” said the scout who’s familiar with Nolan. “He can run 3-4, 4-3, he knows it all. It depends on what personnel you have. He’ll do whatever, morph to whatever. He’ll use your players to their strengths. He’s smart that way.”

Use players to their strengths? I think the Big Sub and Manny Lawson would beg to differ. JRPhillips suggested some discussion of Nolan potentially going to the Packers as a front page post and after reading the above quote today, it seems now is as good a time as any. As JRPhillips put it:

Seems the Nolan rumor might be worthy of its own front page post, because I’m curious what you all think. I recall hearing that Nolan basically took over the defense that whats-his-name built, and most of his success is due to Ray Lewis. But at the same time, when he was named HC for the Niners, the hiring was universally applauded. Opinions on the subject?

What's-his-name is Marvin Lewis, who was defensive coordinator from 1996-2001. I thought I'd take a very simplified at defensive DVOA to just get a basic assessment of the situation. The year before Lewis took over, the Ravens defense was ranked 25th. In Lewis's six seasons the defense was ranked (in this order): 29th, 13th, 14th, 2nd, 1st, 4th. Mike Nolan immediately followed him in Baltimore from 2002-2004. In those three seasons, the defense was ranked (in this order): 6th, 1st and 2nd.

One small factor to consider is that, in 2002, Ray Lewis only played five games. Other than that, how much credit can be given to Mike Nolan? I'm not saying he doesn't deserve credit for continuing the defensive domination, but it's tough to give him a ton of credit. That first season happened to be Ed Reed's rookie year, but again I don't know what kind of credit can go to Nolan given Reed's immense talent.

So, what do people think? Assessing Mike Nolan's defensive coordinating prowess is not exactly a black and white argument. His bull-headed ways made for great annoyance with the Big Sub. The 49ers defense improved during his time in SF, but given how bad it previously was, that's not saying much.

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Hmmm...

McCarthy, Nolan, and Rodgers.

Nolan, McCarthy, and Smith.

I can’t find the words….

by drummer on Jan 7, 2009 11:21 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

he did some weird stuff here

but I think he’s probably a pretty good defensive coordinator. but as usual, the coaches are only as good as their players. You can make a group of good players great with good coaching and schemes and playcalling, but no matter how good you are, lousy players are going to be lousy. The packers have a fair amount of talent, so if he ends up there, I think h’l do alright.

Still defending Rich Aurilia, and the Niners' classic unis

by wjackalope on Jan 7, 2009 11:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with this.

Even after Lawson saw the field again, it’s not like he made any kind of a huge impact. No one really knows what he’s supposed to be. Is he a pass rusher? Or is he more of a drop-back-into-coverage kind of linebacker? No one really knows.

I think Lawson is a cool guy who has a lot of potential, but fails to realize that potential on the field. It says a lot when a team puts an aging veteran who supposedly lost a step in on passing situations. It’s not like Spikes disappointed in the Big Sub, really.

by sfgfan on Jan 7, 2009 11:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Smart or not...

… the revolving door in San Francisco known as the offensive coordinator situation bought Nolan at least a couple of years to prove he is indeed a good defensive-minded coach. No matter how bad things got in SF “because” of Nolan, he still seems to be very well regarded around the league.

by sfgfan on Jan 7, 2009 11:47 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

fooch...

it’s amazing you posted this, because i did the exact same DVOA search when i saw nolan was being rumored as GB DC. i also looked at his seasons as DC with the giants and redskins…overall, i actually found that his D’s avg DVOA in NYG, WAS, and BAL was something like -8%, so i didn’t feel the need to report it on the website. it’s much juicier when we can bash the guy, which doesn’t seem fair given that avg DVOA.

by Florida Danny on Jan 7, 2009 12:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Nolan ...

I have always been a fan of Nolan, but I do think he’s destined and best suited as a d-coordinator. He fits that bill very well. He’s too stubborn and closed minded to be a head coach. People say coordinators lean heavily on their veterans for support, leadership and performance as coordinators are judged on how their side of the ball performs and usually immediate performance is expected.

When Nolan took over as head coach he couldn’t make the transition. He let his veterans and star players have too much influence over the the team instead of taking charge and running it, while still motivating everyone to ‘buy into" his vision. I don’t think the players bought into that vision or even knew what his vision really was.

Singletary seems to be a true head coach. He has taken control and set down the rules, while motivating his players and getting them to play to their potential, and at the same time not hindering the development of younger players. His veterans, star players, and younger players all seem to respect and support the direction he sees for the team.

At least now we can form our own identitiy as a team and not be the San Francisco Ravens…haha

by 49er4life on Jan 8, 2009 9:21 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

even knew what his vision really was.

I think the most damning evidence to support you here was simply him saying he doesn’t know offense, and he left it completely up to Mike Martz to handle. My guess is that’s been his overriding offensive philosophy as a head coach. Contrast this with Singletary saying that offensively, he wants to know that his team can run the football when they need to control the game, and he wants more of a ball control offense. That’s at least a vision, which Nolan never seemed to display.

So at the end of Nolan’s tenure, I’m completely lost as to what his vision actually was. And while they players SEEMED to play hard, I do wonder if they even knew what was expected from Nolan. And personally, I liked the guy too, up until this year, when he seemed to completely fall apart.

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on Jan 8, 2009 10:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It doesn't matter if you don't have the players

As a Packer fan, I’m luke warm to the potential hiring of Mike Nolan. I’m not in favor of anyone in particular. The biggest need in Green Bay is finding some defensive linemen that can be told their gap responsibility and not get shoved 5 yards away from it.

When I was discussing whether former Packer defensive coordinator Bob Sanders should be fired, I pulled out an old Bill Walsh quote:

“There’s just so much to offense that a coach really does have control of,” he said. “Defense is just a matter of having the personnel.”

So when Fooch says

“In Lewis’s six seasons [1996-2001] the defense [in Baltimore] was ranked (in this order): 29th, 13th, 14th, 2nd, 1st, 4th.”

I took a look back at when Ray Lewis was drafted. Lewis was drafted in 1996 when Baltimore’s D was 29th. In 1997 they draft Peter Boulware with the 4th overall pick and he has 11.5 sacks as a rookie. Then Baltimore’s D goes up to 13th. They pop up to 2nd after they draft Pro Bowl CB Chris McAlister in 1999 to go along with Lewis, Boulware, and a group of solid veterans. Lewis hasn’t been able to take the meager defensive talent he’s assembled in Cincinnati and turn them into a great D. The defensive coordinator deserves some credit. But most of credit goes to the player for making gap containment a reality, instead of just the coordinator’s strategy.

by Brandon on Jan 10, 2009 9:27 PM PST reply actions 0 recs