NFL insider accuses Patriots of ?sham? interviews with minority head coach candidates.
It looks like a sham. I mean, I?ll call it what I think it is,? Breer said during a recent appearance on NBC Sports Boston?s Early Edition. ?Those are two guys ? and all due respect to Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich ? I think they?d struggle to get coordinator jobs this year. ?
?And for people who don?t know the mechanics of the rule, you have to have at least two in-person interviews with diverse candidates, and you are not allowed to interview anybody who is working for a team, playoff or otherwise. ? So the reason you would do this and hustle two guys in who aren?t working for teams right now is because that?s the only way to check that box so you can actually go forward with hiring somebody.?
The Patriots reportedly have an interview set up with Mike Vrabel on Thursday. Vrabel played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 through 2008. He has six years of NFL head coaching experience and a winning record. He is widely considered to be a top candidate for the job.
?I think it?s complete garbage,? Breer said. ?Like, what gives you the right to skip the process that the Raiders have to go through, that the Bears have to go through, the Jets have to go through??
?Teams that are competing for him. What gives you the right to jump the line? Just because you have a relationship with him? Well, the Raiders do too. The Raiders have Tom Brady and Richard Seymour there. So what gives you the right to jump in front of all these other teams??
?You?re worried about losing him? Well, if you have that strong of a relationship with him, you shouldn?t be worried about losing him,? Breer said. ?You should go through the whole process like the Chargers did last year when they knew they were going to hire Jim Harbaugh, probably from the jump.
?They still interviewed 15 head coaching candidates,? he added. ?They interviewed nine general manager candidates. ? Again, it?s like putting yourself in a different ? it?s, ?We?re not subject to the rules,? which this organization, we should note, has had problems with in the past.?
?This is very clearly flouting the rule. And look, we can argue about how valid the rule is and everything else,? Breer said. ?What gives the Patriots the right to do this? They haven?t had a legitimate coaching search in 25 years. The Rooney Rule didn?t exist 25 years ago, so you can say the rule sucks and maybe it does, but what gives you the right not to have to jump through all the hoops that everybody else has for two decades??
