It’s been a while since we’ve had a written Four Downs on the site, as the podcast has been handling the bulk of our NFL coverage. But, with the coaching cycle starting to sort itself out, I felt like it was time to get back to the written word. We’ve already discussed the Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel on the pod (a hire we love), so we’re going to focus on the some of the other new hires that have taken place. Let’s hop aboard the coaching carousel!

First Down

Passing the Torch to Pete: The featured image of this article is where we begin, as the Raiders stunned the NFL world by hiring Pete Carroll. The 73-year old is the 24th coach in Raiders history, and while he has a monumental task ahead of him, I think he is the right guy for the job. Carroll’s resume speaks for itself, as he is probably the most accomplished Raiders head coach since Jon Gruden. Many thought Pete was done on the sideline after Seattle let him go, but Tom Brady, Mark Davis and the potential of Raider glory has lured him back. While older coaches seem to be against conventional thinking right now, Carroll brings an air of legitimacy that the Raiders have lacked for some time now. This has the potential to get this franchise back on its feet, especially if Carroll can identify a long term successor to be his understudy on staff.

Second Down

AG Goes Back to the Big Apple: The New York Jets have found their next sacrificial lamb to be the 22nd coach in team history! It’s former Jets corner and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn! I’m just kidding, as I actually really like this hire for Gang Green. The Jets “search” was quite far reaching, and it seemed like there was a legitimate chance they were going to hire a disastrous candidate. But the 33rd Teams handiwork landed the Jets one of the cycles top candidates, so credit to them. Glenn comes in from a tenure in Detroit that saw him get more out of the Lions defense than he had any business doing for several years. He is beloved by his players, but so was Robert Saleh, so the question is can he lead men and hold them accountable? Glenn of course played in New York, so he’s familiar with how tough the town can be, but he was a fan favorite back then, so he’s already ahead of the game. We’ll have more on this hire, after Glenn is introduced and names a staff in a special Swamps of Jersey article.

Third Down

Benny and the Bears: We just finished talking about a Lions coordinator, so why not talk about another? Dan Campbell’s offensive right hand Ben Johnson is staying in the NFC North, as he has become the 20th coach in Chicago Bears history! Johnson was introduced this week at Halas Hall in a press conference that saw him take some shots at Matt Lafleur (easy there tiger) and start the hype train. Johnson is an offensive mastermind, plain and simple, and he inherits a unit loaded with skill. His main task will be getting more out of last year’s first overall pick Caleb Williams, whose development was botched by the previous staff and a bad o-line. Williams showed plenty of flashes this year, but if the offensive line doesn’t take a step forward, Johnson and Williams won’t have much fun at all. Perhaps the Bears hype train was just a year early, but only time will tell.

Fourth Down

They Hired Who?!: This must be a mistake? Is this an episode of Punked? Nope, I’m being told it’s real folks, the Dallas Cowboys, in a stunning move, have hired current assistant Brian Schottenheimer as the tenth head coach in team history. He’s the son of NFL coaching legend Marty Schottenheimer, leading to quite a few accusations of being a “nepo baby.” It’s hard to say who the driving force was here, as both Jerry Jones and his son Stephen have been said to be behind this hire. Perhaps even more concerning is the talk that Jones wants Schottenheimer to take team icon Jason Witten on staff, despite his lack of experience. The Cowboys have unequivocally botched this offseason, with a bungled coaching search and a roster that they are not going to improve by much because of cap problems. Stranger things have happened than this hire working out, but man it’s a stretch to see right now. Good luck Cowboys fans, I think you might need it.

Chain Mover

New Leader of the Jaguar Pack: Good News! We converted on fourth down and we can talk about another coaching hire. That hire comes from Jacksonville as the Jags have landed the services of offensive wiz kid Liam Coen! The 39-year old inherits a difficult situation from the former boss, Doug Pederson as ownership is looking for the Jags to return to contention and fast. The hire wasn’t even going to happen before they fired GM Trent Baalke who struggled to keep a winner on the field in Florida. Coen will be tasked with getting more out of Trevor Lawerence, whose career hasn’t quite hit the once lofty expectations we all had for it. It will be a challenge but young Coen may be just the guy for the gig.

Sunday Picks

With it being Championship Sunday I wanted to get some picks out there for the two title games. The Commanders visit the Eagles in the early kickoff, a contest that will be the third meeting between the two this year. They split the first two meetings, the second being an absolute thriller in DC. Jayden Daniels is one of the stories of the season, as he’s on the brink of being the first rookie QB to reach the Super Bowl. To do it, he’ll have to go through the belly of the beast in Philly, against a loaded Eagles team that feels like it hasn’t flexed all of its muscle yet this postseason. While I’d love to see Washington do it in the name of something different, I just think beating Barkley, Hurts and that defense in their own building is too tall a task, so give me the Birds to roll on to New Orleans!

Commanders 17

Eagles 31

The second game of the day takes us to Arrowhead, where the Chiefs quest for a three peat will face its stiffest test yet. The Buffalo Bills will roll into KC with the nation rooting for them (or at least it feels that way) looking to reach their first Super Bowl since 1994. Buffalo has had their hearts broken by KC in the playoffs twice before and now they’ll really have to be at their best to slay the ultimate dragon. While it won’t be easy, it has felt like the Chiefs have been a tick off all year. With Allen locked in, the Chiefs o-line out of sorts, and the refs hopefully staying out of the way, I think the Bills will circle the wagons and finally get it done.

Bills 27

Chiefs 20

On Twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!