Bucs, Dolphins in position to add diversity to NFL front officesJason La CanforaCBS Sports NFL InsiderJanuary 7, 2014 6:17 pm ET
New coach Lovie Smith will have a large say in the hiring of the Bucs' GM. (USATSI) Much is made about the NFL's lack of diversity in its coaching ranks, an obvious problem that apparently has no easy solutions. Far less talked about is the league's whitewash in its front offices, with white males almost exclusively the final decision maker for their team.The lack of African-American general managers is striking, and with so little movement thus far in the management ranks and only two current openings, it's hard to see much changing in the near future. As it stands, the fate of one, in Tampa Bay, will be to great degree in the hands of newly hired head coach Lovie Smith, himself an African-American. And the Dolphins, playing in the multi-cultural tapestry of South Florida, have not gotten much right under owner Stephen Ross, and it would behoove them to conduct a GM search that reflects the community they represent.While it would be ideal if we were in a post-racial NFL, with a full spectrum of representation in positions of power and no need to count coaches and GMs along color lines, sadly we aren't even close. So, fairly or not, many in the coaching and front office community will be watching closely to see who Smith in particular is aligned with as his general manager, and whether he quickly goes with a candidate he might already know and be close with, or whether he meets with multiple candidates, including some of the many highly qualified African-Americans.The Tampa Bay process is already complicated by the fact that Smith will have final say over all matters in football operations, so this GM will not have the final word on trades and draft picks. Thus, per NFL rules, teams could block candidates already under contract from interviewing. Smith has long considered Chiefs pro personnel director Chris Ballard, whom he knows well, for this job. Ballard spent 12 years with the Bears, where he worked with Smith -- 11 as a college area scout and one as director of pro scouting. Now in his role in Kansas City for only one season, the Chiefs could opt to retain Ballard's services.As for the Dolphins, do they reach back for someone like Mike Tannenbaum or Scott Pioli, who have ties to some in their front office, or do they turn over the reins to a new, fresh voice as Ross aims to finally have at least a winning season, if not a playoff berth (Dolphins assistant GM Brian Gaine would be an internal candidate worth strong consideration). If any organization needs some new blood, with the Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito thing the latest unusual event to tarnish the once-sterling franchise, the Dolphins are certainly right there.In conversations with current and former NFL execs, some of whom happen to be African-American, at a time when there are only six black GMs in a 32-team league, and coming off a 2012 in which several African-American coaches were fired (Smith included), and eight white males filled all vacancies -- to say nothing of the firing of African-American GM Rod Graves in Arizona -- I can assure you all eyes are on these GM searches and how thorough and diverse they will be.While the debate continues about what exactly the NFL could and should be doing to address this dearth, beyond just the Rooney Rule, the larger reality is there is no shortage of black candidates and Smith would be remiss not to explore them. Here are merely a few:
Lionel Vital, Falcons director of player personnel: Vital is a former NFL player, he has over 20 years of scouting and personnel experience, and has helped find players for some of the premier organizations in the NFL, including the Patriots and the Ravens. He has been a part of multiple Super Bowl franchises and has spent the past six years under Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff, who continues to develop top personnel execs who go on to become GMs (Les Snead to St. Louis and Dave Caldwell to Jacksonville most recently). Vital began his scouting career in Cleveland under Bill Belichick, and was with him in New England from 2000-04, in college scouting, and thus has vast experience on the pro and college side. And he knows Smith's division, the NFC South, inside and out from his time in Atlanta.
Morocco Brown, Redskins director of pro personnel: Brown was one of the few people at Redskins Park whom departed coach Mike Shanahan seemed to trust and respect, but in that totalitarian regime, opportunities for input were limited. Redskins GM Bruce Allen wants to retain Brown, and as of now he is the most experienced pro talent evaluator at Redskins Park. So Washington could fight his move if it desired, but Brown is qualified, with him leading advanced scouting of opponents, and evaluating free-agent and trade prospects already. He has been with the Redskins since coming over from Chicago in 2008. He spent seven years moving up the ranks with the Bears and he is thought of highly by his peers for both his acumen and attitude.
Ray Farmer, Browns assistant general manager: Farmer is a former NFL linebacker who completed his first season with the Browns after a long stint in Kansas City having a key role in player personnel. He has received consideration for GM jobs in the past. Before that, he served as a pro scout in Atlanta for three years. He is a product of Duke University and, still under the age of 40, he has impressed many GMs and team presidents with his sharp eye and understanding of team-building concepts.There are plenty of other younger guys on the rise, like Will Lewis (Chiefs), Lake Dawson (Titans) or Jimmy Raye (Colts). Furthermore, at the other end of the spectrum, former Bucs personnel executive Doug Williams has a lifetime of experience as a player, coach and evaluator, he knows the team and the area very well and would be another highly qualified candidate for a role in the scouting/personnel department or as a top adviser to Smith, in particular. The options are by no means limited. Smith need merely call over to John Wooten at the Fritz Pollard Alliance to get a detailed and diverse list of men up to the job.At some point, it would be refreshing if the boardrooms of the owners meetings and GM meetings and head coaches meetings resembled, at least somewhat, the demographics of the average NFL locker room.Some progress has been made, ever so slowly, but not at all the past few years. If anything, it has been reversing, and, for now, in terms of GM jobs, Smith has the only game in town. Considering that GM jobs usually produce a much longer regime than that of NFL head coaches -- in fact, the general manager often gets to hire two or three coaches himself -- this can have a lasting impact on the league's diversity at both the coaching and front office level. Given Smith's lack of an evaluating pedigree, and the degree to which this new job will stretch him, he will need all the help he can get. And given the plight of the Dolphins under Ross, change from the outside is mandated.
How about we worry more about a candidates qualifications instead of the color of their skin? And that argument can be played 2 ways. If a team does interviews, knows who they want and pick a white guy - so be it. To suggest Lovie could or should hire a black guy because he's black is stupid. To suggest the Dolphins should hire a "candidate that represents the multi-cultural tapestry of south Florida" is asinine. Hire the candidate that is best qualified, most knowledgeable, and best fits your team, whether that's a black guy, white guy, Cuban guy, etc. And suggesting that Doug Williams would be a good qualified hire for scouting/personnel or as a top advisor to Lovie is completely retarded.
"At some point, it would be refreshing if the boardrooms of the owners meetings and GM meetings and head coaches meetings resembled, at least somewhat, the demographics of the average NFL locker room."Really La Confora? That's like saying the Packers should sign all white players because Wisconsin's population is mostly Caucasian.
As of the 2010 census, the population of the United States had 12.6% of its population that described themselves as African American. Six out of 32 is 18.75 percent. Now, it's true that that doesn't much resemble the racial makeup of the average NFL locker room, but is it possible that the skills required to play football and the experience one gains from playing don't have a great deal of overlap with those required to be qualified to be a GM?
As of the 2010 census, the population of the United States had 12.6% of its population that described themselves as African American. Six out of 32 is 18.75 percent. Now, it's true that that doesn't much resemble the racial makeup of the average NFL locker room, but is it possible that the skills required to play football and the experience one gains from playing don't have a great deal of overlap with those required to be qualified to be a GM?
Math teacher checking in and I just worked it out.In the US (as of 2012), the ratio of black to white population was about 13% to about 77%. In the NFL, there are 6 black GM's to 26 white (assuming the non-black ones are white, which I'm not sure is the case or not... haven't checked).This works out to about 4 black to 26 white in the general population, and 6 black GMs to 26 white GMs... meaning the ratio of black owners to white owners is actually better than the ratio of blacks to whites in the general population.Soooooo what's the problem, NFL?They need to stop making such a big deal out of this stuff... It's making the whole predicament worse.
"Only" 6 black GM's? That's a lot considering the percent of blacks in the population. You guys are right that the skills required to be a player and the skills required to be a GM are not even close to the same. Does the league not want white people to be involved in the league at all? They should change the name of the league from NFL to RFL for racist football league because they are obviously racist against whites.
As of the 2010 census, the population of the United States had 12.6% of its population that described themselves as African American. Six out of 32 is 18.75 percent. Now, it's true that that doesn't much resemble the racial makeup of the average NFL locker room, but is it possible that the skills required to play football and the experience one gains from playing don't have a great deal of overlap with those required to be qualified to be a GM?
The need to make a front office look like a locker room is silly because of what you said. These are two different skill sets. You could equally ask why don't locker rooms look like front offices. Or ask why don't locker rooms look more like America as a whole.
A proportionate number of black GMs to white GMs based on the US population = racist ass NFL.Murrica...........F*** Yeah!!!!!
The whole league is racist. It should be shut down until the ownership and NFL league front office resembles the NFL locker room. What say Goodell fixes that problem by having race quotas among the players. You know 10-20% black, 20-30% hispanic, 5-10% asian etc, and fine those that deviate from it. Another cash source for Goodell. ???
How about we worry more about a candidates qualifications instead of the color of their skin?
Gotta agree. Who gives a sh!t about skin color? Is the guy good at his job? Also, black people make up 12% of America while 18% of NFL teams have a black GM.....so what is the problem? How many Asian GMs are there? How many Spanish GMs are there? Who gives a **CENSORED**?The NFL has shown over the past two decades that a black man can be a QB, a HC, or a GM as long as he works hard and deserves it. This is a stupid article. Let's talk about how many black owners there are instead! :P
How about we worry more about a candidates qualifications instead of the color of their skin?
Gotta agree. Who gives a sh!t about skin color? Is the guy good at his job? Also, black people make up 12% of America while 18% of NFL teams have a black GM.....so what is the problem? How many Asian GMs are there? How many Spanish GMs are there? Who gives a **CENSORED**?
Agreed, JDub.And, anytime I agree with you, I need a pic of a hot chick from you. Thank you, good sir....in advance.
I get that the league has a lot of black players and a lot of former players go on to become coaches so it would make sense a good proportion of head coaches would be black former players. But GMs for the most part aren't former players. GMs are former scouts. So I'd say if you want to make a case there should be more black GMs, you need to look at how many black scouts there are and progress from there.
Santa Maria!
