The NFL Engaged In A Whirlwind Day Of Hiring, And It Will Yield Extremes Of Reaction

The new, the recycled, all got a look and in some cases a job.

Summing up:

• The Cleveland Browns, who became markedly better when they fired Hue Jackson and promoted Gregg Williams during the season, let Williams go and gave the job to offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens. Kitchens became offensive coordinator when the Browns promoted Williams and fired Todd Haley. This was truly a surprise. Kitchens, 44, has no experience as a head coach but worked very well with rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield.

• The New York Jets settled on Adam Gase, who had been fired after three seasons. The Dolphins were 10-6 and a playoff team in his first season but 13-19 over the last two years. Gase will try to bring out the best in QB Sam Darnold, a first-round pick in 2018.

• The Arizona Cardinals celebrated the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury, who was let go by Texas Tech with a losing record. Kingsbury, a former college standout quarterback, is viewed by the team as the best possible mentor to Josh Rosen, last year’s No. 1 pick. Kingsbury coached Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs standout, at Texas Tech. “We’ve got a young quarterback that everybody knows, that will be an area of emphasis, but offense overall is the direction that this league has gone. We felt it was important to get an offensive play-caller, somebody who had tremendous success and experience doing that, and having the head coaching experience,” Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said.

Bidwill could have spoken for each of the teams.

The Browns offense found itself as Kitchens gained a freer hand with Mayfield. The Jets and Cardinals have to put better teams around their passer, but now have in place coaches experienced on the offensive side of the ball. They had both fired coaches with defensive backgrounds.

• Bucking the trend: The Denver Broncos, who went with longtime NFL defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Former Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who backed up Hall of Famer John Elway (now the general manager and president of football operations) for so many years, will direct the offense.

It’s a quarterback-centric league. The hirings (throw in Matt LaFleur in Green Bay and Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay) make that incontrovertible.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman