NFL Insiders have criticized the Patriots for interviewing him for their head coaching job
NFL insiders have questioned the Patriots for recently interviewing Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, two coaches who seemingly weren't legitimate candidates for the job, to satisfy the NFL's Rooney Rule."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," NFL Insider Albert Breer said during an interview on NBC Sports Boston's Early Edition. " 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."
"It looks like a sham. I mean, I'll call it what I think it is," 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. "
It's the second team he or Gattis has replaced the other
When Hamilton was let go at Michigan, the move was made to make room for Josh Gattis. Harbaugh hired Gattis, who won the Frank Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant in his first season in 2019. But his results tailed off and he left to become Miami's offensive coordinator, where he was let go after one season during which the Hurricanes ranked 86th nationally in total offense. After patching up their previous public beef about who called the plays when they worked at Alabama, Locksley hired Gattis to succeed Dan Enos, who'd left for Arkansas.Now they switch positions, with Hamilton replacing Gattis, who wasn't retained by Locksley after two years at Maryland. This past season, Locksley took over playcalling from Gattis after five games, but Maryland averaged a modest 16.7 points and lost six of seven games after the change.
Given their relationship and Locksley's respect for him as a coach, he seems likely to give Hamilton a longer leash.
