Guys that might be ready to be head coaches

[painekiller]

What coordinators and position coaches look ready to move up to a higher position?

I am going to write this up in a couple different post.

I am going to break this down into west coast offensive guys, non-west coast guys, and on defense 3-4 vs 4-3 guys.

I will add in some of the recycled HCs later.

Defensive guys 1st.

Defensive guys 4-3
Colts DC Larry Coyer, even though teams run all over them they continue to have one of the best pass rushes in football.
Colts position guys to watch – Dline John Teerlinck,

Titans DC Chuck Cecil, has a bunch of no names near the top of the league in sacks.
Titans position guys to watch – Asst HC/LBs Dave McGinnis, DBs coach Marcus Robertson, Dline coach Jim Washburn.

Vikings asst HC/DC Leslie Frazier, his guys have been bad this season, but is that on him or his players, or his nutty HC.

Saints DC Gregg Williams, has ties to Houston Oilers and has been a HC before. One of the most aggressive DC in football.

Giants DC Perry Fewell, has the Giants defense looking strong again

Defensive guys 3-4
San Diego DC Ron Rivera – defense is ranked #1 with a bunch of no names.
Position guys to look at on San Diego- DB asst Cris Dishman,
Pittsburg DC Dick LeBeau – Hall of Fame player and should be as a coach as well. Been a HC once with little success, maybe it time for another try.

Position guys to look at - LB coach Keith Butler, DB coach Ray Horton, asst HC/Dline John Mitchell,

Baltimore DC Greg Mattison, Only been in Baltimore since 2008, but has kept them near the top.

NY Jets DC Mike Pettine, Rex Ryans anointed one to run the defense.

Washington DC Jim Haslett, former HC in New Orleans. Has not had time in Wahington to get the defense to it final level, but very capable.
Redskin position guys to watch, Passing game Safeties Steve Jackson, LB coach Lou Spanos

49ers DC Greg Manusky, was the guy leading the old Chargers defense when they where one of the best. Does not have the talent yet to have an elite defense in San Fran.

[HPF Bob]

Q: Does Rick Smith avoid any blame here? I mean, there have been some notable whiffs on his part and he seems just as responsible for the suckish defense as the coaches are.

Q: If we do look for a new head coach, why limit ourselves to assistants? Why not go whale hunting and finally land a big name like Cowher or Gruden? If coaching is the problem, not talent, wouldn't that be ideal for a top gun who knows how to turn talent into champions?

Q: Do you change coaches at all right before a strike year where your new coach may just be sitting around for several months? Wouldn't a change make more sense after labor peace has been restored?

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Q: Does Rick Smith avoid any blame here? I mean, there have been some notable whiffs on his part and he seems just as responsible for the suckish defense as the coaches are.

Q: If we do look for a new head coach, why limit ourselves to assistants? Why not go whale hunting and finally land a big name like Cowher or Gruden? If coaching is the problem, not talent, wouldn't that be ideal for a top gun who knows how to turn talent into champions?

Q: Do you change coaches at all right before a strike year where your new coach may just be sitting around for several months? Wouldn't a change make more sense after labor peace has been restored?

1. Yes, but he's on the competition committee and he's not going anywhere.

2. Yes.

3. Yes, wait until after the dust clears. If I were an owner, even one as flush as McNair, no way would I hire a dude and pay him $5MM or whatever a year knowing that there is a very good chance he's going to be sitting there scratching his ass for a year cashing my paycheck for doing nothing. Hell, I already have a guy that does that.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by chuck

3. Yes, wait until after the dust clears. If I were an owner, even one as flush as McNair, no way would I hire a dude and pay him $5MM or whatever a year knowing that there is a very good chance he's going to be sitting there scratching his ass for a year cashing my paycheck for doing nothing. Hell, I already have a guy that does that.

And Kubiak would still be cashing your paycheck, too. He's signed through 2012, so you'd have two head coaches on the payroll and no income.

[Warren]

Some other assistants whose names have been mentioned as possible HC candidates:

Offense
Chargers AHC/TE coach Rob Chudzinski -- #1 offense based on yardage
Cardinals AHC/OL coach Russ Grimm -- not as much as the year the Cards won the NFC
Titans OC Mike Heimerdinger -- #1 offense based on points scored

Defense
Dolphins AHC/DB coach Todd Bowles -- Parcells protege
Browns DC Rob Ryan -- based on his twin brother's success and recent signs of life in Cleveland. The Ryan style would seem to be a "programmatic non-fit" with Bob McNair.
Bengals DC Mike Zimmer -- not as much as last year


For purposes of making the list more complete only, a few more active former HCs:
Dave Campo, former Cowboys HC, current Cowboys DB coach
Dom Capers, former Panthers and Texans HC, current Packers DC (Collinsworth was really pushing him as a candidate on SNF last night )
Gunther Cunningham, former Chiefs HC, current Lions DC
Kevin Gilbride, former Chargers HC, current Giants OC
Bobby Petrino, former Falcons HC, current Arkansas HC
Mike Sherman, former Packers HC, current Texas A&M HC

And a couple college guys who get mentioned a lot due to their NFL backgrounds:
Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz -- the Texans reportedly wanted to talk to him during their last HC search
Stanford HC Jim Harbaugh

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by Warren

For purposes of making the list more complete only, a few more active former HCs:
Dave Campo, former Cowboys HC, current Cowboys DB coach
Dom Capers, former Panthers and Texans HC, current Packers DC (Collinsworth was really pushing him as a candidate on SNF last night )
Gunther Cunningham, former Chiefs HC, current Lions DC
Kevin Gilbride, former Chargers HC, current Giants OC
Bobby Petrino, former Falcons HC, current Arkansas HC
Mike Sherman, former Packers HC, current Texas A&M HC

I skipped Campo, Capers, Petrino, and Sherman because I did not think they would/should be entertained for the job.

I missed Gilbride and Cunningham from the list by mistake.

I agree with Bob, I think we should go with a defensive type, or at the very least a coach with a reputation for being tough (ie Gruden).

As for the OCs, have not done that group yet.

And BTW I like Jim Harbaugh, but I also do not want another rookie HC learning on the job, and college HC have not done well in the NFL in the last few years.

As for Ryan and Zimmer, not sure that Ryan is HC material, even Al Davis skipped over him, and he was a disruptive force on the Raiders before he was let go. Zimmer's current defense is not impressing me right now so he was excluded from my list.

Hope this clears up some of the omissions.

[Roy P]

Originally Posted by Warren

Some Dolphins AHC/DB coach Todd Bowles -- Parcells protege
Browns DC Rob Ryan -- based on his twin brother's success and recent signs of life in Cleveland. The Ryan style would seem to be a "programmatic non-fit" with Bob McNair.
Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz -- the Texans reportedly wanted to talk to him during their last HC search
Stanford HC Jim Harbaugh

I have loved Rob Ryan for years...perhaps it's because he's a hard-ass biker-looking dude who likes to blitz! I'm concerned he may be like Singletary and Mike Nolan (better coordinator than Head Coach). Todd Bowles is VERY intriguing because I think anyone that Parcells brings into his inner circle has ability. Might want him to just be the Defensive Coordinator though at first and groom him. Jim Harbaugh is a favorite, because I liked him as a player at Michigan and Indy. However, out of your list here - Kirk Ferentz has the most 'Head Coach' Vibe to me. Ferentz also has a lot of 'connections' to other pro-coaches, so it's not like he's just another college football coach who will be overwhelmed by the Pro game. Also, his 'good ole boys' network might be a formidable staff of position coaches. You start connecting Ferentz to guys like Bob Sutton, Dean Pees, Greg Mattison, Brian Ferentz(coming off the Parcells/Belichick coaching tree) and I get excited. Team that up with Floyd Reese and you have a winning combo. Peyton Manning is 6-10 against the Patriots, just to remind you.

The "issue" is getting Capt. Kirk to take the job....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Ferentz
Many major college and NFL teams have considered Ferentz as a candidate for their head coaching jobs. However, Ferentz has publicly declined any interest in other coaching positions, opting to stay at Iowa. On February 12, 2009, Ferentz and Iowa athletics director Gary Barta agreed to a new contract extension that keeps Ferentz at Iowa until 2015.[2]

On January 2, 2006 the head coaches of five NFL teams, Green Bay, St. Louis, Houston, New Orleans, and Minnesota, were fired. There was renewed speculation that Ferentz would be offered a head coaching job with one of those professional franchises. But such speculation was soon put to rest when Ferentz stated that he was still happy with his job at Iowa, and that he had no plans to leave.[3]

On June 2, 2006, Ferentz became the highest paid coach in the Big Ten and third highest in college football when he was given a restructured contract that boosted his annual salary to $2.7 million.[4]

Following the 2006 NFL season, rumors circulated that Ferentz may have been in consideration for the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coaching job after Bill Cowher stepped down. However, before Cowher's departure, Ferentz was asked about his possible interest in the position, and stated: “I know that staff pretty well and they’ve got some good guys in that building. My guess is that's where they would go. But I’m not interested, and I doubt they are, either. I’ve got a great job right here.”[5] The Steelers job eventually went to Mike Tomlin.

In 2008, Ferentz was again rumored to be a candidate for an NFL head coaching job, particularly as successor to Romeo Crennel for the Cleveland Browns.[6]

In January 2009, rumors surfaced citing Ferentz as a potential candidate to be hired as head coach in place of Herman Edwards soon after the hiring of former New England Patriots VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli as the new GM of the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the Chiefs eventually hired Todd Haley, and Ferentz received a contract extension to remain at Iowa through 2015.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by Warren

And Kubiak would still be cashing your paycheck, too. He's signed through 2012, so you'd have two head coaches on the payroll and no income.

Right. I guess my point was that Kubiak's not going anywhere until after the situation gets sorted out.

If they hire Kevin Gilbride I am seriously going to hurt somebody.

[WMH]

Guys, this is really a moot point. Unless we go completely in the crapper, Kubes ain't going anywhere. For better, or slighly worse, he will be here next year. We can all have our opinions, but his is the only one that truly matters.

Texans' owner: Kubiak is 'doing a good job'
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/7285574.html

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Q: If we do look for a new head coach, why limit ourselves to assistants? Why not go whale hunting and finally land a big name like Cowher or Gruden? If coaching is the problem, not talent, wouldn't that be ideal for a top gun who knows how to turn talent into champions?

I'm sorry if I was not clear in the 1st post, this is only part one of the guys to look at. The ex HCs and the OC are to follow in separate posts.

[HPF Bob]

I don't want an OC. As the Broncos are finding out, you don't replace an offensive HC with another one when defense is your problem.

[WMH]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

I don't want an OC. As the Broncos are finding out, you don't replace an offensive HC with another one when defense is your problem.

Uh....didn't we already try the "defensive coach" for the first 5 years? Granted, I will give up the first 3 years, but we digressed the last two under Capers, hence us hiring an "offensive coach".

[HPF Bob]

Despite some dumb habits, offense isn't the problem. We can run. We can pass. We score points. What sucks to high heaven is the defense and bringing in another team's offensive coordinator won't solve any of the problems on defense.

Maybe the offense will backslide under a defensive head coach but it will take a few years before it deteriorates to the level of the defense. Hopefully, by that time, the defensive head coach is smart enough to find an offensive coordinator who can retool the offense.

Besides, this team has lacked a mean streak from the very beginning. I want a head coach who is willing to coach some toughness into these guys and, usually, that's a defensive coach.

[Roy P]

Ok, I'm going to start the 'get rid of this regime' rant. I really don't like complaining without offering a solution. Taking a look at main issue with the team, we would have to agree it's on the defensive side of the ball. When I look at the best defensive teams in the league, they run a 3-4 defense. My complaint against going this route has been that we don't have a NT, but we could sign a player in F/A and/or draft one. So, what might my coaching changes look like? I'm going to assume that Rob Ryan isn't available and shy away from the names you already know....

Head Coach: Mike Pettine
Coach Pettine installed a completely new defense and fielded a unit that ranked first in points allowed, total defense and pass defense.
http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/coac...a-49f0b7ea15b6

Defensive Coordinator: Winston Moss
Last season Moss was part of a staff that guided the Packers defense to a No. 2 overall ranking in the league, the highest ranking since the ’96 team finished as the No. 1 defense.
http://www.packers.com/team/coaches/...3-59d09345a58d

Secondary Coach: Corwin Brown
Brown coached the defensive backs of the New York Jets for three years (2004-06). During his tenure, the Jets intercepted 56 passes, tied for fifth most in the NFL during that time.
http://www.patriots.com/team/index.c...hbio&bio=34155

Asst Secondary Coach: Otis Smith
http://www.kcchiefs.com/team/coaches...9-efcb70640f2a

Linebackers Coach: Jerry Olsavsky
http://www.steelers.com/team/coaches...e-8afc5bafbe3e

Defensive Line Coach:Ted Monachino
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/Peopl...Monachino.aspx

Now, I don't have a problem keeping Dennison or Knapp around on offense...I think that they have earned their keep. However, if we are cleaning house and starting over....here are some more names:

OC : Tom Clements
http://www.packers.com/team/coaches/...f-00f437249c9f

OL : Jerry Fontenot
http://www.packers.com/team/coaches/...8-2b3755d6a3aa

QB : Doug Pederson
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/ea...ederson_1.html

WR : Shawn Jefferson
http://www.detroitlions.com/team/coa...c-49055d8a17dc

OR

Tim Berbenich
http://www.buccaneers.com/team/coach...6-37f8891f8199

TE : Jeff Davidson
http://www.panthers.com/team/coaches...c-d3248bea5e13

RB : Aaron Kromer
http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team...e-15aa21d518aa

[Nconroe]

This seems to be the topic this week everywhere one looks.

I guess it's a little early and counterproductive right now, but ok, understandable.

I would like team to win now, so that is why I think counterproductive.

[NBT]

Why not? Didn't Mr. McNair say we had to get to the playoffs this year? Playoffs! Playoffs? I can't think of a single game left on the schedule that we should win. Where are the liferafts, this ship is sinking fast.

[Roy P]

First of all, I'm the guy who has been fighting tooth and nail to keep the 4-3 Defense. Our players on the roster have been brought in to play a 4 man front. I've been hopeful to have Okoye finally pan out as he got older and stronger. My thought was that once Frank Bush started calling the plays, he'd be more aggressive about blitzing. While that leaves our inexperienced CBs on an island, if we can get pressure on the QB quickly, then Kareem Jackson and Glover Quinn don't have to cover as long. Maybe we just need to start over on defense. If the Jets score more than 30 points this week against us....I'd suggest Firing Bush after the game and naming Rhodes or Kollar the D.C. Maybe just a different voice or play-caller is what we need. Jason Garrett made the Cowboys look better when Wade couldn't...

Anyway, looking at the upcoming draft...Ryan Kerrigan, Cameron Jordan, Cameron Heyward, Jerrell Powe, Jarvis Jenkins, and Greg Romeus are moving up my draftboard.

I would like to see Troy Nolan playing some more this season to figure out if we need to draft a FS or just let him develop. He's the only player in the Secondary who has 'ball hawk' skills.

[bono]

I'd like to interview Jim Harbaugh

[painekiller]

Brian Van Gorder DC for the Falcons should be on the interview list. He has been a college HC on two occasions. And his defense has progressed each year he has been the DC in Atlanta.

Mike Smith has been one of the most progressive HC in the league when it comes to training and I would hope that some of that has rubbed off on Gorder.