A formaility before Klay Kubiak gets the job
The recent string of interviews by the San Francisco 49ers for their vacant coordinator positions shows how much of a farce the Rooney Rule is. During his press conference last week, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team would appoint Klay Kubiak as offensive coordinator:
“I thought he did an awesome job, and Klay’s role is going to be the same as it’s been, which has been the offensive coordinator. He just hasn’t had that title yet. I mean, Klay has done as much as anyone on offense for these last two years. So, this was his second year doing that, and he gets better and better each year. He just hasn’t had the official title yet. And now he’ll get the official title, which he more than deserves, but it’s more about recognizing what he’s already been doing and doing at a high level.”
However, with the Rooney Rule in place, the 49ers must interview two minority candidates before appointing Kubiak. According to the team, one of those interviews recently took place: Iowa State wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Noah Pauley interviewed for the 49ers offensive coordinator position.
Pauley is an up-and-coming coach who probably won’t last long in the collegiate ranks. He was at North Dakota State when Trey Lance was there. Pauley also coached Christian Watson, now of the Green Bay Packers, when he was an FCS All-American. This past season, Pauley was the wide receivers coach at Iowa State in addition to their pass game coordinator. If you watched the Cyclones, you know that they have two NFL wide receivers who were as productive as any duo in the country.