This is something which requires a holistic approach

"I think'cautious optimism' is the right way to frame it," Graves told me Sunday afternoon. "A great deal of credit goes to (Commissioner) Roger Goodell and (VP of football operations) Troy Vincent for its sense of Mut 21 coins urgency which has developed relating to this problem over the previous 8-to-12 months"

There is not anything to champion until we see the final results of those searches, but it seems more than lip service is being paid into The Rooney Rule, and there's a sense within the classes doing the hiring which time for words is over -- that this league must be equitable in who gets to sit in places of power inside the game, and, ultimately, only the owners themselves may alter this.

Knowledgeable coaches like Marvin Lewis and executives like Rick Smith seem very poised at this stage to have a legitimate chance with numerous teams. There's hope that 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will have better luck this time around.

The team has become more competitive, proactive and consistent with its messaging to teams about the need to change the way they have been doing business, and I have heard repeatedly from people doing the hiring, and those who represent lots of the top candidates, the character of this cycle will in reality be different.

"I have never felt a vibe like this before," said one prominent agent. "I believe Goodell has put down the hammer and these teams are getting the message."

Before Graves has broached the topic of pushing all hires back until after the Super Bowl to attempt to level the playing field for this in and outside of the match, giving the tampering rules that regulate the game. However, so many coaches and GMs being let go in-season this past year -- creating a stronger cycle of interviews while games were still being played is a lively that also could foster diversity.

"The early decisions being made by owners, in an effort to have a head start, may become more of a fad moving ahead," Graves explained.

Of course, this is not about just one hiring cycle, or one blip. It's about a course correction in how owners think and function. And Graves wishes to enlarge the range of the believing into all facets below the NFL's umbrella: NFL Films, NFL Media, and all ventures of this type. He, and lots of more, wish to observe exactly the exact same management-level opportunities provided in those ventures as well, and is currently working on a presentation to this end for the spring meeting in March.

"This is something which requires a holistic approach," Graves explained. "It is about paring back the cover on the total NFL umbrella and examining diversity as it pertains to other companies, and in some cases it's much worse there than what we've observed on the soccer side."

Continue reading to hear that the Falcons are super-intrigued by Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. They've not had a topnotch play caller because Kyle Shanahan left. Smith employs many of the very same principles in cheap Madden nfl 21 coins his offense, and there is a growing buzz about him in Atlanta.