Baby Shan Leaving Texans / Search for a New OC
 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/6796848.html

This maybe isn't new speculation given Mike Shanahan has been in the news for awhile now on his hunt for a new job, but I thought this deserved a thread here to watch how this develops.

Kyle Shanahan gets a lot of grief from fans (not quite all of it deserved imo), but how Kubiak fills the OC role should Kyle leaves will be interesting. Will Kubiak resume playcalling duties? Or will he turn it over to someone else, and if so, how will that impact what has become one of the best offenses in the league?

Yeah, the writing is on the wall for Baby Shan to depart. This will be his last shot to work with his pops, and I just don't see him passing that up. I think he has been pretty vocal about wanting that opportunity. I say good for him. We will be fine. Baby Shan learned under Kubiak, and Kubiak maintained control throughout this year and last. I would imagine that it will be the same next year as well. Kubes will probably handle more than he needs to in the beginning, then hand it off after trust is earned.

Remember, last year vs the Bears, noone knew until the post game presser that Baby Shan even ran the offense......

This is a non-story. Kubes has said before that he expected at some point that Kyle would join Mike. I do think having playcalling duties removed from his plate has helped Kubes this year.

He will find an OC familiar with the system and be able to get him up to speed all throughout OTA's, mini-camp and training camp.

Will be interesting to see if Alex Gibbs comes back for another year.

per Charley Casserly of all people...:p

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sp...-80537292.html

With the Redskins on the schedule in 2010, that could make for an intriguing (and possibly primetime?) matchup.

I guess that team will be called the 'Texans East'? Hopefully they don't romance some our our mid line depth.

Looks like Black Monday will be making plenty of coaches with experience available such as from Washington and Buffalo so far.

I can't say that coaching with his dad is going to be as much of a resume builder with Redskins as staying here and leading the Texans to the playoffs with one of the premier aerial attacks in the league. Just look at what Josh McDaniels was offered in such a hurry. I really think a hard sale from McNair and Kubiak would help him to realize that and stick for at least another year or two until he is offered a head job somewhere, rather than regress in Washington.

If the Texans end up with an OC who can shift the red zone play calling from stupefyingly idiotic to cheerfully boneheaded that should be good for another four wins or so.

I wonder who the candidates are to fill Shanahan's spot.

My money's on Rick Dennison.

Aren't Kubiak's sons recently graduated? :p j/k

This was the first thing that crossed my mind a few weeks or so ago when rumors of his father's return began. And unsaid here is that the Texans would have to grant permission to the Redskins for an interview since this would be a lateral move, right?

There would presumably be better job security by moving to the Redskins, given his father would just be entering a multi-year contract whereas Kubiak will be entering the last year of his in Houston (barring an extension, of course). Job security does not equal job sanity though.

You know who owns the Redskins, right?

Of course. But as it stands now, Kubiak has just one year left. Snyder may decide to axe Shanahan after one year, but I doubt it given the amount he'll be investing in his next head coach. And one would think that Mike wouldn't fire his son after one season, right?

But that's why I also referenced job sanity... working long days and nights with your father (seems over-romanticized to me once the "teehee, this is fun!" wears off) not to mention working for a crazy boss like Snyder might be detrimental to one's mental well-being.

chron.com has the short list of candidates to replace baby Shan:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/6798435.html

Atlanta quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave

Musgrave, a former NFL quarterback, coached Matt Schaub at the University of Virginia and with the Falcons.


--Put me down for this guy. The offense was able to produce some yardage, so I would like some "continuity" and familiarity. I realize there were times when the offense could not score in the red zone or convert short yardage situations, but I blame most of that on the interior OL and the RB.

I'm with Roy on this one.

I like Musgrave as well. Although Chan Gailey was a very good OC, just a terrible HC. He is like the offensive version of Capers.

All of those candidates have qualities I like and all would probably be fine in this system, although, Munchak is the least known commodity from an OC standpoint and probably the highest risk. It would be pretty cool having him and Bruce Matthews on staff, but I don't see him getting the job.

I don't know, I kind of like Mike Munchak for the OC job. He would certainly improve the run blocking and working with Kubiak, it shouldn't hurt the passing game too much. Besides it would piss off Bud Adams to lose him to the Texans. I like that thought. After thought: it would also reunite Munchak and Mathews, the best two Olinemen the old Oilers ever had.

Charlie Weiss anybody?

The Chronic is reporting that our request to interview him was denied....
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/6800366.html

I didn't think they could block it if it was a promotion.....Typical Bud Adams, screw you Houston shit. Not that I was a huge fan of this thought, but that is classless to keep a man down that wants to be a HC someday.

Shirley, you jest?

Have to agree with Roy P on this one, Musgrave and Schaub do have one year of prior work together.

I think Tom Brady made Weiss. Plus, he is an egotistical maniac. I would like to have an OC stay for a few years. Plus, that guy would put Fogo de Chao out of business.

No one has mentioned Jim Zorn, he is a WCO guy.

As for Bud blocking Munchak, the Cards did the same thing with Frank Bush. It is one of the old tradition, that died a while ago.

That's really a good idea........ I wonder if he and Kubiak have ever crossed paths?....

There used to be a rule that each team could designate two supervisory assistant coach positions (usually the coordinators) and non-supervisor assistants could interview for those jobs without having to get permission from their employers. That was changed so now an assistant under contract can’t interview with another team for a job other than head coach without permission. At least when the Cardinals blocked Bush from coming in 2006 they bumped him up to assistant head coach.

I think Shanito also runs the risk of getting the same stigma that Kubiak had for a while in Denver -- that Big Shan is the one really running the offense.

Did it strike anyone else as a little odd that the Texans were openly looking for Lil Shan's replacement over 24 hours before Shan Sr.'s hiring was announced?

My guess is that Weis would go to a team with a defensive-minded head coach who will toss him the keys to the offense and let him do his thing. I think the fact that Kubiak is involved in the offense, though, gives the Texans more flexibility to get bring someone in who hasn’t been a coordinator or play-caller before.

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/New...?story_id=6473
The Bears will look to create some stability for Cutler, who will work with his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons in 2010 following Rick Dennison in Denver and Ron Turner in Chicago.

Why wouldn't the Bears want to hire Dennison to work with Cutler in Chicago? Now that Kyle is going to D.C., I'd think the Bears would want to beat us to the punch on Dennison.


http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People..._Musgrave.aspx

This is the fellow I'm leaning towards.

He just signed on with KC. That could be an interesting team to watch next year.....

That is typical classless Bud Adams. Screw you Bud.

...or he could go to a team with a head coach with an offensive background like Todd Haley. :o

Speaking of fired college coaches, another name that came to mind is Steve Kragthorpe, most recently head coach at Louisville but who also had a decent stint as QB coach for the Bills. He and Kubiak coached at A&M within a few years of each other, so while they haven't worked together I'm sure they've worked with some of the same people.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/coach/todd_haley/

Haley also worked as an offensive assistant/quality control coach for the Jets (’97-98), working closely with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis,

I say we pay the new OC a ridiculous salary, and publicly announce it just to sew dissension amongst the titan ranks.

*Mental Clip/Flash Forward to 2010 Texans v. Titans game*
Solomon 'stab me' Wilcotts: Can you believe it? Okoye already has 5 sacks on Vince Young! It's like he has the swine flu, and the Titan's line won't touch him!

Scheffler just reported on ESPN that the Texans have recieved permission from the Broncos to talk to Dennison. And that Dennison happens to be Kubiak's best friend. Welcome to Houston, Rick.

Heard that too. I realize that hiring your buddies is par for the course in coaching, but geez, I'm tired of Kubiak not even considering anyone that he's not facebook friends with.

I'm wondering what the odds are we draft Klint Kubiak to play FS come April.

Dennison was Kubiak's 1st choice to be our OC 4 years ago. He was blocked then.

Bush was blocked and look at how well that has worked out.

Hey, there's also one Kevin Matthews (yep, son of Bruce), a very large center, graduating from A&M... Any opinions on him? I see on some draft boards that he's listed but not very high...

Baby Shan turned out pretty good, little Gibbs seems to be a keeper and Frank Bush is a defensive genious compared to any prior DC we ever had. I am all for someone who Kubes trusts with the playcalling so he can concentrate on being a HC during the game.