Bears in coaching carousel article by Florio in Sporting news

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Coaching carousel will be a wild ride in 2010

.Mike Florio

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Login or register to post commentsPrinter-friendly versionWednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 - 11:02 a.m. ET

After the 2005 season, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti had a problem. The team he owns had missed the playoffs for two straight years. Coach Brian Billick, who won a Super Bowl in his second year on the job thanks to a dominant defense built before he arrived, had demonstrated a chronic inability to develop a successful quarterback. And so Bisciotti was thinking about making a change.

 

But if Billick had been fired, who would have been hired?

 

Bisciotti concluded that there were no alternatives who would have represented clear upgrades. So he kept Billick.

 

 

If Jeff Fisher departs Tennessee, will he land in Dallas?For any owners considering whether to upgrade the coaching position for 2010, this year is the year. No fewer than five Super Bowl-winning coaches (Billick, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher) are expected to be available. Other former coaches who have rehabilitated their reputations (like Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan) will see their stars rise again. And, surely, assistants with no prior NFL head-coaching experience will land on the league's radar screen -- if for no reason other than to leverage the men with pelts on the wall into taking less money.

 

With so many competent candidates and so many bad teams, January 2010 could spark an unprecedented game of musical chairs, and there might not be enough empty seats when Bocephus stops asking whether we're ready for some football.

 

So let's look at the teams that might have vacancies, and the men in whom they might be interested.

 

 

 

Eric Mangini was given too much power in Cleveland.Browns: Once the Browns hire a new GM, his first order of business will be to hire a new head coach. After being burned by giving too much power to Eric Mangini, owner Randy Lerner is more likely to go the "strong GM" route, which would rule out men like Cowher, Shanahan, Holmgren, and Gruden, who surely will hold out for a position in which they'll run the show. So Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier or 49ers defensive coordinator Greg Manusky could become attractive options.

 

Titans: This team will have to lose a lot more games before the longest-tenured coach in the league is in real trouble. But with owner Bud Adams possibly having to choose between Jeff Fisher and quarterback Vince Young, Fisher could enter the market as a candidate who can be had for a draft pick or two. And he'd likely be replaced by someone other than Cowher, Holmgren, Shanahan, or Gruden -- unless Adams decides to part ways with GM Mike Reinfeldt, too.

 

Jaguars: Before making a coaching change, owner Wayne Weaver would have to be willing to pay out the rest of Jack Del Rio's salary. With the team barely drawing 40,000 attendees to its home games, that might be too tall an order. But if Weaver decides to make a change, he might then make a play for Florida's Urban Meyer, who would pair up nicely with quarterback Tim Tebow.

 

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.Raiders: Apart from the Randy Hanson incident and fresher allegations of domestic violence, Tom Cable simply isn't getting it done. But the problem is that owner Al Davis will have a very hard time attracting a new coach who has options elsewhere. His last two head coaches were previously basic unknowns, and if the Raiders make a change, the job surely won't be filled by anyone whose name currently would sound familiar to the average football fan.

 

Chargers: In San Diego, a failure to make the playoffs could get Norv Turner fired. The bigger question is whether the Spanos family also would clear out GM A.J. Smith. And that would go a long way toward determining the identity of the next coach. If Smith goes, Shanahan could be intrigued by the possibility of coaching twice per year against the two franchises that have fired him.

 

Cowboys: Despite the optimism routinely displayed by owner Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips' job is on the line. It has to be. And with Jeff Fisher possibly available, Jones could be intrigued. In the end, look for Jones to hire someone who'll accept the fact that Jones still calls the shots -- which could rule out the likes of Shanahan, Holmgren, Cowher, and Gruden.

 

 

This is likely John Fox's last season in Charlotte.Redskins: The craziness of the past month will serve only to drive up the demands of the next head coach, who'll want hazard pay and full control. The question is whether owner Daniel Snyder will be willing to step aside. In 2001, he did that -- but for one year only -- firing Marty Schottenheimer after an 8-8 season.

 

Bears: Though many regard the franchise as being averse to buying out contracts, a poor outcome to a season of high hopes could force a change. As in San Diego, the identity of the next coach will depend on whether the Bears fire coach Lovie Smith only, or whether GM Jerry Angelo gets a pink slip, too.

 

 

Packers: The team didn't insert in the Brett Favre trade a term requiring the Jets to give up three first-round picks if Favre were traded to the Vikings because Green Bay wanted to save Brett from the embarrassment of being beaten twice by his old team. The Packers feared precisely what has occurred this year -- a two-game sweep by a divisional rival with Favre at the helm. Depending on the whether the Packers make the playoffs and whether the Vikings finish with fewer than four losses, a house-cleaning could occur. And if the job becomes open, Jon Gruden's perpetual scowl could become a smile, if only for a moment.

 

Panthers: Barring a miracle of a much greater magnitude than Sunday's upset of the Cardinals, coach John Fox likely will be gone after this year. And the early speculation continues to focus on Bill Cowher, given both his proximity to Charlotte and a stated desire by owner Jerry Richardson to emulate the Rooneys, who own the franchise where Cowher spent 15 seasons.

 

Buccaneers:

If the Bucs don't win a game, it would be difficult -- if not impossible -- for the team to give Raheem Morris a second season. The decision ultimately could hinge on whether Gruden and former GM Bruce Allen get new jobs, which would cut off the buyout obligation and make it easier to dump (but still pay) Morris, and possibly GM Mark Dominik. That said, the suddenly dysfunctional Buccaneers would likely encounter difficulty in attracting a high-end coach. The perception is that the team won't spend enough money to be competitive, and until that changes, the job in Tampa won't be regarded as an attractive one.