Really old quotes... can't you find something more recent to hate on?
There won't be anything recent on strong. OBrien was able to get Rick canned for that one
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Really old quotes... can't you find something more recent to hate on?
HOUSTON — Building a football team as an NFL front office executive is similar to investment strategy. You have to have a sense of the market. You have to be able to identify what’s worth investing in and what’s over-hyped. You have to be on the same page philosophically with the person you’re developing a strategy for. You have to recognize and appreciate value. So, it’s not surprising that Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio has experience in both fields.
Long before he was the eminence grise of Patriot Place, Caserio was a junior financial adviser at Merrill Lynch working out of a satellite office in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. When he graduated from John Carroll University in 1999, he went from record-setting quarterback to financial services pitchman for eight months. He worked in a cookie-cutter, light-brown office building that housed mostly doctors’ offices from a nearby hospital.
Caserio handled a fee-based product for clients that selected a variety of mutual funds. The man who hired him, Jeff Rotsky, recalls Caserio being the first one in and working the phones tirelessly as if he was working the Patriots war room during the NFL Draft.
He would have been a star in our business,” said Rotsky, a senior vice president at Morgan Stanley and a successful high school football coach in Northeast Ohio. “He was a hard-working guy. Nick could be a restaurant owner, he could be a magician, he could own a business. As the process was going on you just knew his heart was in football.”
Caserio followed his heart and it led him to Foxborough, where he has become an integral and inscrutable part of the Patriot machine since joining the team as a personnel assistant in June 2001, hired by Bill Belichick on the recommendation of one of Caserio’s college receivers, Josh McDaniels. The voice McDaniels hears in his ears from the coaches’ booth in Super Bowl LI on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons will be Caserio’s. The voice that Belichick listens to most on personnel matters is Caserio’s.
The 41-year-old Caserio is the perfect Patriot. He is intelligent, diligent, versatile and nearly invisible publicly. He is a football factotum for Belichick — from running player personnel, which he has done since 2008, to serving as a de facto offensive coach on game days in the coaches’ booth to using his college quarterback arm in practice drills. He is the Patriots’ somewhat secret weapon, and he likes it that way.
The outward impression might be that Belichick is singularly responsible for the creation of the seventh Super Bowl team of the Belichick-Tom Brady era. But those who are inside pro football and have worked inside Gillette Stadium know how pivotal Caserio is to the Patriots’ success and how astute a football mind he is.
“He is a highly, highly thought of personnel man in the National Football League,” said Tennessee Titans general manager and former Patriots director of college scouting Jon Robinson. “New England is a special place. It’s the Patriot Way, and no one part is greater than the whole. No one is bigger than the team, Nick doesn’t do his job for singular accolades, none of us did. We did it for what’s best for the Patriots. He embodies that motto to the nth degree.”
Caserio is a football and fitness junkie with a legendary work ethic, an uncommon intellect, and a deep aversion to the spotlight. His college coach, Tony DeCarlo, said he was so obsessed with film work that the coaches had to kick him out of the office sometimes. Financiers and football coaches agree he is one of the smartest people they’ve ever met — he was slated to attend Carnegie Mellon University before his high school coach and football father figure, Joe Perella, became offensive coordinator at John Carroll.
Caserio’s peers and co-workers marvel at his focus. His friends laud him for his loyalty, humility, and commitment to family. They say the perception of him as a stolid football automaton is wrong. But they strain for specific examples of his humor or mirth.
“He is so utterly focused,” said John Priestap, Caserio’s best friend and former college teammate. “He is also as loyal and trustworthy as anyone I’ve ever encountered in my life. This is a guy I firmly believe would do anything for you if he knows you, and you’re in his circle. But his circle is tough to break. He is as passionate about the Patriots as his family. I read that he is just singularly focused, but his outlets are his family and his faith.”
His plan? Football
Caserio and Priestap have an everlasting quarterback-wide receiver bond that makes Tom Brady and Julian Edelman look like strangers. Caserio is the godfather of Priestap’s eldest son, Cade (whose middle name is Nicholas), and Priestap is godfather to Caserio’s youngest daughter, Chatham.
As Priestap, who now runs his own financial planning firm, recalled, they had recently become licensed as financial advisers and were starting to make some money working together at that small Merrill Lynch office when Caserio broke the news to Priestap — he needed to find a new roommate.
“He said, ‘I know I’m not going to make any money, but I’ve got to coach football. I’ve got to be in football,’ ” Priestap remembered.
Caserio went on a football website called footballscoop.com and applied for coaching jobs. He got a call for a graduate assistant job at Division 2 Saginaw Valley State.
“When I interviewed Nick he was one of the smartest people I’ve ever been around,” said Jim Kiernan, who was the offensive coordinator at Saginaw Valley State when Caserio was a grad assistant for two seasons. “Things made sense to him that for a guy right out of college usually don’t. His work ethic is unmatched.”
At Saginaw, Caserio created film cut-ups, coached the running backs, and had his own recruiting territory, going into the living rooms of prospective recruits and selling them on the program.
“He was like a 10-year veteran coach,” said former Saginaw Valley State head coach Randy Awrey, now at Concordia University Chicago.
Saginaw made the playoffs for the first time in Caserio’s final season on the staff. Its quarterback was Matt LaFleur, the Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach.
In 2001, Caserio left to become a graduate assistant at Central Michigan. He never made it to preseason camp. McDaniels had recommended his close friend to Belichick for a personnel assistant job.
Preparation ‘was almost scary’
McDaniels had seen first-hand how Caserio would outwork everyone to seize an opportunity.
The two began as quarterback competitors and became kindred football souls and close friends. In 1995, McDaniels was a true freshman. Caserio was a redshirt freshman. Neither was the starting quarterback. That honor fell to fifth-year senior Jeff Behrman.
But Behrman broke his leg in the season opener at Ohio Wesleyan. Caserio went in and never relinquished the job, eventually forcing McDaniels to move to wide receiver. Caserio left John Carroll as the school’s all-time leader in career passing yards, total offense, touchdown passes, career completions, and completion percentage. He guided John Carroll to a 33-7-2 mark, including an NCAA Division 3 playoff berth in 1997.
“There really wasn’t much of a quarterback competition. I’m going to set this straight,” said McDaniels. “Nick went in and played well for the rest of the season. The rest was history. He was awesome. It was a privilege to play with him, and play receiver.”
Caserio was a mini-Brady at John Carroll, a cerebral quarterback who was a coach on the field and a demanding leader. The Lyndhurst, Ohio, native won with his beautiful mind as much as his arm.
“His preparation for a kid that age was almost scary,” said Case Western Reserve head coach Greg Debeljak, who was the wide receivers coach at John Carroll at the time.
Being a personnel assistant or a quality control coach is not glamorous work. It’s grunt work. The hours are long. The pay is low. The gratitude is nonexistent. But Caserio loved it. He would call his friends and tell them how much he loved every second of it.
“I remember talking to him about sleeping there or leaving at 2 a.m. and coming back at 5 or 6,” said Rotsky.
Caserio enjoyed a meteoric rise in Foxborough. A coaching assistant in 2002, he was director of pro personnel by 2004. He was the wide receivers coach on the almost-perfect 2007 team. He returned to the personnel side in 2008 as director of player personnel.
Caserio essentially replaced Scott Pioli, who left for Kansas City in 2009 and is now the assistant GM for the Falcons, as Belichick’s chief player-procurement partner. Caserio has been the personnel chief for the Patriots’ record run of six straight AFC title game appearances and for three Super Bowl appearances.
Just as Belichick has used Troy Brown, Mike Vrabel, and Edelman on both sides of the ball, he employs Caserio on both the coaching side and the personnel side.
Caserio attends coaching meetings. He knows the Patriots’ offensive and defensive game plans. On Sunday, he’ll be in the coaches’ box at NRG Stadium, communicating and strategizing with McDaniels. Caserio relays to McDaniels the down and distance, the yard line, and what personnel the defense puts on the field. He also aids McDaniels with in-game adjustments between series.
“His depth and understanding of all of that stuff is really unbelievable,” said McDaniels. “Every game that I’ve ever called here he has been that person for me. I’m excited to be able to do it on Super Bowl Sunday with him again.”
That coach’s perspective gives him a unique understanding of what the Patriots’ parameters are for a player and what the coaches are looking for.
Matching Belichick
Caserio has had ample opportunities to run his own shop. He interviewed with the Miami Dolphins for their GM opening in 2014. He declined to interview for the 49ers GM job this year.
However, the Patriots have been at the center of his adult life. He met his wife, Kathleen, while she was working in marketing for the Kraft Sports Group. They have two daughters.
Caserio enjoys a blissful professional union with Belichick, who delegates to him and values his counsel. Robinson said Caserio is not afraid to differ in opinion on a player evaluation.
“I speak with a lot of people in the organization, and we make a lot of decisions collectively with input from the coaching staff and, of course, from Nick and the scouting department,” said Belichick. “Nick and I work very closely on that. Nick gives me a good balance there, too, because, again, he can step back and look at it from a football building perspective.
“Sometimes I get caught up a little bit more in the game-to-game, week-to-week in the season that we’re involved in. But Nick does a great job in terms of draft choices, drafting philosophy, and looking ahead to where our roster will be a year or two from now.”
If there is anyone at Gillette Stadium who matches Belichick’s dedication and tunnel vision it’s Caserio. Even the jokes his friends have for Caserio have to do with how hard he works out. Robinson said Caserio could narrate the P90X workout video. Rotsky needles him about his muscular calves.
His risible muscles don’t get as much of a workout.
“Nick was just so serious and so studious. What you see is exactly what he was,” said Debeljak. “He was going to be successful at whatever he was going to do. I really thought he would be a millionaire business guy. He turned into a millionaire football guy. You knew he was destined for success, it was just a matter of what direction.”
Caserio’s decision to choose football over finance has paid dividends for the Patriots.
Patriots organization chart
The Patriots don’t share how decisions are made but everything can be traced to one person, Bill Belichick, who sits at the top of the chart as supreme ruler, telling everyone to do their job.
Ernie Adams: The man of mystery contributes in unknown ways
Josh McDaniels: Aggressive, unpredictable; defenses are wary of him
Matt Patricia: Looks can be deceiving; Offenses know not to mess with him.
Jack Easterby: Reports directly to Belichick
Nick Caserio: Reliable for many jobs; he coached and scouted (both the NFL and colleges); he procures talent
Mort: Things were not going swimmingly well. Cal McNair went through a process of meeting with different people and came to the conclusion the job was too big for Brian Gaine. That’s what I’ve been told. Bill O’Brien knew Brian Gaine. He was on board with Brian Gaine. Some people said it was too big. There’s a name people are starting to hear: Jack Easterby. He’s a guy the Patriots let go. He was their life coach. In early April, the Texans hired him to a VP role. Everyone I know in this league is saying he was involved in the discussions because they were concerned this was too big for Brian Gaine and there’s people in this league, let’s just say Easterby is a suspect in this whole thing but Cal McNair definitely had the bottom line say. It was unusual and came from nowhere although we heard some things late in the season things weren’t going swimmingly between Bill O’Brien & Brian Gaine.
What would be wrong with Cal calling Gaine on the carpet and explaining his expectations going forward and giving Gaine a chance to learn from his past mistakes? Honestly, if Easterby and Cal can't look at Teflon O'Brien's body of work and see the obvious faults in his "scheme", ability to game plan, call a game and manage a game (even when he had an offensive coordinator) then I have little faith in them finding a competent GM. It's odd that OB gets a stern talking to after 5 years of his WTF play calling and game management and Gaine gets fired for doing exactly7 what he told them he was going to do when they hired him.According to McClain on 610 right now, they knew there was a chance they wouldn’t land Caserio when they fired Gaine, it was never some backdoor deal that Caserio said he would come so they fired Gaine. Cal thought it was time to move on and thats that really. If you hire someone to evaluate your business, and then they tell you someone as vital as a GM is to a football team isn’t pulling his weight, but then you leave the guy there anyways then it’s on you when the business fails isn’t it?
Also apparently the Patriots are currently trying to give Caserio the McDaniel’s treatment, they had him over at Kraft’s house with BB yesterday, and all that jazz. But he stays is it the end of the world? not even close, McClain just said he has had a handful of NFL execs reach out to him trying to feel out if it’s a legit GM job, or a job only by title and OB would actually be in charge. Derrick Anderson last night said he has talked with at least 15 high ranking NFL personnel guys who are interested in the job here, despite us only giving Gaine 17 months.
What would be wrong with Cal calling Gaine on the carpet and explaining his expectations going forward and giving Gaine a chance to learn from his past mistakes? Honestly, if Easterby and Cal can't look at Teflon O'Brien's body of work and see the obvious faults in his "scheme", ability to game plan, call a game and manage a game (even when he had an offensive coordinator) then I have little faith in them finding a competent GM. It's odd that OB gets a stern talking to after 5 years of his WTF play calling and game management and Gaine gets fired for doing exactly7 what he told them he was going to do when they hired him.
BTW, being interested in the job is a far cry from being able to do the job.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...al-mcnair-very-clear-on-what-we-need-to-grow/Did OB even get a stern talking to? Or did he engineer the firing? I'm still unclear. McClain seems to think its an ob power play
Has anyone asked if this Nick Caserio person if he actually wants to come to Houston? If it was me, I'm not sure I'd want to at this point.
No one has asked. Patdstat and the spin crew said Easterby talked to him to establish interest last weekend at a party and that's why gaine was fired the next day. Quite a yarn they're spinning
Call/Easterby are thinking along the same lines I am.l if this is true.
You understand this situation much better than most. What the Texans are continuing to do is the exact same thing they have always done and expecting different results. They have the recipe for average and ordinary down pat.
If I have said it once, I have said it twice and I will say it again, "I think you will find that the most success and the most continued successes in the NFL comes from exactly one man with a proven track record of winning making the call on all decisions, whether it be Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Parcels, Chuck Noll, Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Tex Schramm, Ron Wolf, Ted Thompson, Ozzie Newsome or John Elway."
BEFORE I LEAVE I WANT TO OFFER THIS ONE BIG PIECE OF ADVICE; BUY YOURSELF $50,000 WORTH OF INSEEGO (INSG) TODAY. IN 2 TO 3 YEARS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BUY A VERY NICE HOUSE OR PAY FOR THE KIDS EDUCATIONS OR MAKE A HUGE INVESTMENT IN YOUR RETIREMENT. IN 3 TO 5 YEARS YOU CAN RETIRE!
* - A proven ground floor operation in the 4th Industrial Revolution, 5G.
* - Total Addressable Market expanded by a Magnitude of One or Two.
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* - DO your own DUE DILIGENCE.
YCTML
Caserio's experience playing QB plus the fact he's the one in Josh McDaniel's headset on gameday makes me wish he was being pursued for the offensive coordinator spot rather than GM.
I'd rather have Scott Pioli as the new GM
No kiddingMost exciting news about the Texans are when they fire some guy.
Better than Cirque du Soleil, I tell ya’
I see an exciting season coming up, LOL.No kidding
I've been listening to 610 quite a bit since friday. I'm always lurking on this board, news or no news
More from Rap: Sense is that Obrien doesn’t want to have to worry about personnel anymore and that’s part of why they fired Gaine. He wants a GM he can trust to handle personnel without him.Confirmed McClain’s earlier report, says they had been hearing that Obrien was really unhappy with the scouting process this year (not the players they drafted, they apparently love their guys) but just didn’t like the process. Was hearing that OB was very grumpy in the building, wasn’t sure why until Gaine was fired. Confirms this has been building and isn’t about Caserio.
Rap on Easterby: Disputes Lopez's report that Easterby has more power than OB now (shocking!) and says he's actually OB's right hand man not above him. No change in the power structure with OB being the main voice.
Other name if they can't get Nick Caserio: Ossenfort from NE would be the next target.
This sounds like some kind of stupid (or trollish) statement. Which are you?
From Inside Minicamp Live: The #Texans want to interview Nick Caserio, but the #Patriots don’t want him to go. What happens next will be fascinating. … Plus, 5 of the top 6 rookie draft picks are unsigned. pic.twitter.com/Nmvmf7yUSw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 12, 2019
Rappaport on 610 right now: Patriots right now are fighting this with the league. Saying Caserio is basically the GM of the New England Patriots so they are trying to block. Texans are pushing.
You understand this situation much better than most. What the Texans are continuing to do is the exact same thing they have always done and expecting different results. They have the recipe for average and ordinary down pat.
If I have said it once, I have said it twice and I will say it again, "I think you will find that the most success and the most continued successes in the NFL comes from exactly one man with a proven track record of winning making the call on all decisions, whether it be Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Parcels, Chuck Noll, Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Tex Schramm, Ron Wolf, Ted Thompson, Ozzie Newsome or John Elway."
BEFORE I LEAVE I WANT TO OFFER THIS ONE BIG PIECE OF ADVICE; BUY YOURSELF $50,000 WORTH OF INSEEGO (INSG) TODAY. IN 2 TO 3 YEARS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BUY A VERY NICE HOUSE OR PAY FOR THE KIDS EDUCATIONS OR MAKE A HUGE INVESTMENT IN YOUR RETIREMENT. IN 3 TO 5 YEARS YOU CAN RETIRE!
* - A proven ground floor operation in the 4th Industrial Revolution, 5G.
* - Total Addressable Market expanded by a Magnitude of One or Two.
* - Market Cap is $370MM, CEO believes company can reach $2 Billion.
* - CEO has said INSG is a once in a lifetime stock.
* - DO your own DUE DILIGENCE.
YCTML
Regrettably I'll never have the opportunity to say I told you so, but IMO Dillard would have been at the top of our DC @ LT this September had we drafted him.I don't think Dillard is as plug and play as some people think and Howard is probably the better fit. He is considered the better run blocker, an area that many consider a weakness for Dillard. Time will tell how each player turns out.
What is it about an elementary concept such as interviewing someone before you offer them the job that is confusing to you?
Successful organizations apply this. You're a dolt, so i'm not surprised this escapes you.
O'Brien doesn't want to worry about personnel?
Does he realize he's the head coach?
Not his job I guess
What are we hearing about tampering charges against the Texans?
LMAO at OBrien sending easterby to tamper with caserio.
What a couple of clowns
Evidence of potential tampering come from photos, videos, other proof of interactions between Texans exec @JackEasterby and Caserio at last Thursday's Patriots ring ceremony, which happened the night before the Houston G.M. job became vacant.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 12, 2019
LMAO at OBrien sending easterby to tamper with caserio.
What a couple of clowns
So, OB had to order Easterby to go collect his SB ring? Quite a reach even for you
You got proof of this?
Of course you dont, was it tampering for Caserio/Easterby former co-workers at a SB ring ceremony? What they talked about nobody likely will ever know. Appartently Easterby learned how to skirt the rules well (Not break them) from Belichick. The Texans org have needed this kind of guy in their org for yrs.
Neither do the Pats.
This is just a way for Belichick to get draft pick/picks out of the Texans for Caserio.
You got proof of this?
Of course you dont, was it tampering for Caserio/Easterby former co-workers at a SB ring ceremony? What they talked about nobody likely will ever know. Appartently Easterby learned how to skirt the rules well (Not break them) from Belichick. The Texans org have needed this kind of guy in their org for yrs.
Neither do the Pats.
This is just a way for Belichick to get draft pick/picks out of the Texans for Caserio.
It's not
His job is to coach the talent that's given to him. Just like he's said many times before.