There seems to be a good deal of confusion about who decides what, when it comes to hiring and firing.

My view is that when drafting or bringing in FAs (or trading for a player) it is down to Ted. Of course he will talk to the coaches, particularly the head coach, but he makes the call. It may be that McCarthy talks to Ted about the type of player he wants, but Ted makes the call.

When it comes to getting rid of a player, I believe that, in practice, it is McCarthy's decision. Just as Ted will talk to McCarthy when drafting or otherwise acquiring a player, so McCarthy will talk things through with Ted (and his own coordinators and position coaches), before making a decision. I'm sure Ted could force a decision on McCarthy, but it would (imo) be an exceptional thing to overrule the head coach he chose.

What do the rest of you think ?

I would be shocked if TT and MM didn't collaborate on pretty much all player decisions.

I suspect TT has the final say on players picked or dropped, MM decides who to play. I'm certain there's a lot of discussion back and forth, especially deciding who is retained or let go.

In terms of new player acquisition, I'm betting that MM concentrates more on needs and lets TT and his staff find players (probably coming back to MM with a few candidates). You probably don't want your HC to have to mess with that much detail.

Oh to be a fly on the wall!

I would love to just sit and listen to one of those conversations between the two. I think it would be very interesting to hear the pre-draft meetings and get an early feel for who their looking at in terms of college prospects as well as available free agents.

Skyshadow, Suppose McCarthy and Thompson are not agreed on whether or not to cut a particular player, when the time comes to cut down the roster. Mike wants to keep him, Ted wants to cut him. They talk it through, but do not reach agreement.

When cut-down comes, you think that player will be gone, and I think he will still be on the roster. Is that a fair description of the differences of how you see it, and how I see it ?

Good thread. I think everyone in life picks their battles. I would hope that if either of them felt strongly (+ or -) regarding a player the other would ask other coaches, etc., and not just dig their heels in the mud. Of course we won't ever know what happens on the 4th floor.