They fired their coach after 9 games, so that leaves 8 weeks they knew they had an interim HC. they should have been doing their extensive search at that time. sure, they couldn't talk to anyone at that time, but they could most certainly perform all background checks, they could have been figuring out what type of HC they would be looking for, they could even have built their wish list internally to be ready to go once the season ended.
They truly were in the driver's seat, at that time they were the only team who knew for sure they were going to be looking for a new HC, and yet here they sit, some fine coaches now off the market, HC, OC, DC, position coaches and still, they sit on their hands still days away from making a hire that all but screams Jeff Saturday at this point in time.
I realize there are only 32 jobs in the NFL for a HC so I get it for the candidates to be patient and hopeful, but if it was me, I would have yanked myself out of contention 2 weeks ago. once the second round was completed and they STILL wanted a 3rd round I would have decided this organization will not give me the best chance to be successful, they are tying the hands of their new HC by letting the coaching talent pool become weaker and that to me is doing their eventual new HC an injustice, no matter who it is.
Never before in my 53 years as an NFL fan have I seen a coaching search go this long before making a decision, they have taken due diligence to an entirely new level, a level in which it looks like dragging their feet trying to look like they have a clue.
