With the NFL's annual churn of coaches and general managers about to begin, the same question is being asked around the league – if these guys are gone, then who the heck is going to replace them?
As teams begin submitting requests to interview head coaching and general manager candidates, many of the men drawing interest from other clubs will be familiar to you. Many of them will have made a trip around this circuit to one degree or another in recent years, getting opportunities to sit before an owner and present why he is the right man for the job. Others will be getting their first real experience of the process and will be receiving this sort of attention for the first time in their career.
In terms of head coaching candidates, you can break the list down based on current NFL coordinators, college head coaches (this appears to be a slim group) and former NFL head coaches not currently coaching (another small list). The bulk of the interviews for these head coaching jobs will go to the gentlemen in the first group.
Offensive candidates: On the offensive side of the ball – where a bulk of the recent hires have come from – Denver coordinator Adam Gase and New England coordinator Josh McDaniels pretty much pulled themselves from consideration for jobs a year ago. Gase will have several interview requests to sort through, I'm sure, though I continue to hear it would take what appeared to be a perfect scenario for McDaniels to seriously explore leaving Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. That may not exist this year and McDaniels will be particularly choosy about agreeing to interview and could sit the process out. Chargers coordinator Frank Reich is viewed by many as a head coach in the making, Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has a strong pedigree, Ravens coordinator Gary Kubiak is a former longtime head coach and while his unit has stalled down the stretch he will be attractive to some owners.
Browns coordinator Kyle Shanahan, like Kubiak, worked under his father, Mike Shanahan, for years, and with the Browns having personnel issues all over their offense I'd expect Kyle Shanahan to be open to exploring any head coaching overtures. Bengals coordinator Hue Jackson has head coaching experience with the Raiders and I'd expect there to be some interest, and Seahawks coordinator Darrell Bevell has received interview requests each of the past few years and that will continue I'm sure. Eagles coordinator Pat Shurmur was formerly a head coach in Cleveland and Chip Kelly's top assistants tend to draw attention from other owners.
Defensive candidates: On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona's Todd Bowles and Detroit's Teryl Austin continue to gain support within other organizations and I would expect both to garner multiple interviews. Chargers coordinator John Pagano is incredibly well thought of. His brother has done an excellent job coaching the Colts and I'd be surprised if he didn't draw interest somewhere. And the 49ers will consider two of their defensive coaches – Jim Tomsula and Vic Fangio – for their impending opening.
College candidates: From the college ranks, UCLA's Jim Mora, a former NFL head coach, will show up on several teams wish lists. Stanford's David Shaw and Auburn's Gus Malzahn are attractive to several NFL teams but there is every expectation they are staying put, and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly has drawn a whiff or two from NFL teams in the past.
Coaching veterans candidates: With the two most coveted former coaches who are currently in broadcasting – Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden – staying put, there aren't many big names preparing to get back in, however, Mike Shanahan is eager to coach again, I'm told, and Mike Holmgren has done a little bit of work on possibly putting a staff together though the odds of him coaching again I'm told are very remote.
GM candidates: As for general manager candidates, coveted young personnel men Eric DeCosta (Ravens) and Nick Caserio (Patriots) are staying put, and in this side of the business it has become increasingly rare for former general managers to get a second or third shot at the job. It's become more of a young man's game in recent years, and often other teams want to pick off key personnel from winning clubs.
The rise of the Seattle Seahawks has drawn more attention to Trent Kirchner, their director of pro personnel who is thought of very highly by Seattle rockstar GM John Schneider. Pittsburgh's Omar Khan has been a finalist for several jobs in recent years, Cleveland's Morocco Brown and New Orleans' Ryan Pace are thought of very strongly in the scouting community. Detroit's Brian Xanders is still young but already has NFL general manager and coaching experience and the Lions' strong season can only help his opportunities moving forward. Kansas City's Chris Ballard could end up getting a chance to return to Chicago, where he spent considerable time as a scout. Minnestoa's George Paton and Houston's Brian Gaine have received GM consideration in the past, as has Philadelphia's Tom Gamble. Houston's Mike Maccagnan could end up emerging with the Jets in particular. San Diego's JoJo Wooden is someone I expect to end up on some interview lists as well.
I'm sure the next few weeks will have plenty of twists and turns, and some changes and hires that seem to come out of nowhere. It always happens. And some of these men will undoubtedly have an opportunity to take over a franchise in one capacity or another
Joe Philbin regrets?
I can't help but wonder if, had Stephen Ross not emphatically gushed about retaining his head coach following an ugly but emotional comeback win over the Vikings (yeah, not exactly a juggernaut) in Week 16, if his team's collapse against the Jets Sunday would have provoked the same result. Miami limped down the stretch, again, the team got smaller as the stage got bigger and they are once again oddly in transition with no one seemingly all that empowered, lots of varied voices in Ross' ear and a team that seems to have been hobbling along caught between regimes for quite some time.
The Jets embarrassed them in their home finale, and the Dolphins are damn lucky they didn't get swept by New York (recall the primetime meeting a few weeks back when the Jets accrued 200 yards rushing in the first half alone. Miami was humbled at home by Baltimore to send its season spiraling and they got complete stomped by New England the following week (Week 15). They won two of their final six games – the brutal, 16-13 win at New York and the odd 37-35 victory over Minnesota – and yet status quo reigns, apparently.
Alrighty then.
I still can't help but wonder if there is not at least a change of some sort to the team's front office. This continues to look like a franchise desperate for some sort of kinetic energy, a fresh approach. This team looked stale, like the same ‘ol Dolphins, in the second half of the season.
Chiefs and the Chase Daniel situation
The Kansas City Chiefs enter this offseason in a pickle. They are locked into quarterback Alex Smith for two more years at big money, which is part of a sticky salary cap situation, and, while it's been in only a very limited role, backup Chase Daniel continues to look like a prospect worthy of a bigger look.
With Smith making $15M a season, that's going be tricky. At the same time, Justin Houston is coming off one of the more historic seasons in NFL history with his four-sack mastery of the Chargers that brought his season total to 22 – a ½ sack off the all-time record. Houston is a dominant force and the Chiefs are locked into franchising him. Of course, they may have to do that multiple years barring a big extension – you don't let a kid like this walk – and that means massive cap numbers for him in 2015 and 2016.
If Houston is playing on a $17M franchise tag, its going to make it even more difficult to have guys like Tamba Hali ($12M) and Dwayne Bowe ($14M) if that's the plan, and with Smith carrying his heavy salary, well, the juggling gets even more tricky. I've long been a bit of a Daniel guy, I think in Andy Reid's hands he could be very viable and he certainly brought a new element and a freshness to that offense. Hell, he came a goalline fumble away from throwing what would have been Kansas City's first touchdown pass to a receiver all season. I think he's a gamer and his ability to move the pocket and free up some stuff downfield seems like something the Chiefs desperate need.
Again, I can't foresee a true quarterback competition given the $45M commitment to Smith. But I'd be interested to see how one played out if it did.
Odds and ends from Week 17
Trouble in Cleveland: My concern for the Browns only deepens. Johnny Football had another questionable in-season extracurricular activity, Josh Gordon has worn out is welcome and there is very little talent on offense on this roster. Next season the Browns play the AFC West and NFC West. Their seven wins this season hurts their draft position, and they have an owner who has done nothing but whack people since taking over the franchise. Would not be surprised, at all, to be writing about an impending housecleaning in Cleveland, again, come this time next year. So much for that 7-4 start.
Keenum an QB option: Case Keenum, at worst, should be competing for a job with one of the many quarterback-less franchises in the NFL. The draft is thin at quarterback and the free agent class is beyond poor. Keenum has some talent and athleticism and the Texans finished the season with consecutive wins after having to sign him off the street.
Baltimore's offensive woes: The Ravens offense remains scary bad. They managed to put together an inept first half Sunday that actually rivaled their listless outings against Houston and Jacksonville from the previous two weeks, and with a wounded offensive line they are going to have to regroup to keep from being first-round fodder. Getting Joe Flacco – who was erratic again Sunday – into an early tempo with some no-huddle shotgun stuff might be required and esteemed coordinator Gary Kubiak is going to need to do some serious self-scouting and a rethink to try to get this attack back close to where it was before this December slide. They'll need a young receiver or two to step up big time and try to help gain some separation downfield, too.
Big D with big message?: Was it just me, or was Dallas trying to send a message to the rest of the league with that curbstomping in Washington? While most teams with no real playoff seeding to play for were quickly yanking veterans out of the game, Dallas was rubbing the Skins' noses in it (a recovered onside kick up 20-7?) and seemingly letting everyone else in the league know there would be no let up from them with the playoffs approaching.
Blank ready to strike?: The Falcons failure to show up in the first half Sunday, when able to salvage another poor season at home, could well end up with owner Arthur Blank making sweeping changes beyond just the coaching staff.
Props to Riverboat Ron: Kudos to Ron Rivera and Cam Newton. Both are always under fire it seems and they managed to pull off quite a late-season miracle in Carolina. Rivera's December record is no joke and this team improved in multiple areas deep in the season without much new personnel. The Panthers' superior physicality and will was apparent all over the field and undermined Atlanta's lingering deficiencies in that regard despite all of their Hard Knocks talk about being bigger and tougher this season.
As teams begin submitting requests to interview head coaching and general manager candidates, many of the men drawing interest from other clubs will be familiar to you. Many of them will have made a trip around this circuit to one degree or another in recent years, getting opportunities to sit before an owner and present why he is the right man for the job. Others will be getting their first real experience of the process and will be receiving this sort of attention for the first time in their career.
In terms of head coaching candidates, you can break the list down based on current NFL coordinators, college head coaches (this appears to be a slim group) and former NFL head coaches not currently coaching (another small list). The bulk of the interviews for these head coaching jobs will go to the gentlemen in the first group.
Offensive candidates: On the offensive side of the ball – where a bulk of the recent hires have come from – Denver coordinator Adam Gase and New England coordinator Josh McDaniels pretty much pulled themselves from consideration for jobs a year ago. Gase will have several interview requests to sort through, I'm sure, though I continue to hear it would take what appeared to be a perfect scenario for McDaniels to seriously explore leaving Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. That may not exist this year and McDaniels will be particularly choosy about agreeing to interview and could sit the process out. Chargers coordinator Frank Reich is viewed by many as a head coach in the making, Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has a strong pedigree, Ravens coordinator Gary Kubiak is a former longtime head coach and while his unit has stalled down the stretch he will be attractive to some owners.
Browns coordinator Kyle Shanahan, like Kubiak, worked under his father, Mike Shanahan, for years, and with the Browns having personnel issues all over their offense I'd expect Kyle Shanahan to be open to exploring any head coaching overtures. Bengals coordinator Hue Jackson has head coaching experience with the Raiders and I'd expect there to be some interest, and Seahawks coordinator Darrell Bevell has received interview requests each of the past few years and that will continue I'm sure. Eagles coordinator Pat Shurmur was formerly a head coach in Cleveland and Chip Kelly's top assistants tend to draw attention from other owners.
Defensive candidates: On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona's Todd Bowles and Detroit's Teryl Austin continue to gain support within other organizations and I would expect both to garner multiple interviews. Chargers coordinator John Pagano is incredibly well thought of. His brother has done an excellent job coaching the Colts and I'd be surprised if he didn't draw interest somewhere. And the 49ers will consider two of their defensive coaches – Jim Tomsula and Vic Fangio – for their impending opening.
College candidates: From the college ranks, UCLA's Jim Mora, a former NFL head coach, will show up on several teams wish lists. Stanford's David Shaw and Auburn's Gus Malzahn are attractive to several NFL teams but there is every expectation they are staying put, and Notre Dame's Brian Kelly has drawn a whiff or two from NFL teams in the past.
Coaching veterans candidates: With the two most coveted former coaches who are currently in broadcasting – Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden – staying put, there aren't many big names preparing to get back in, however, Mike Shanahan is eager to coach again, I'm told, and Mike Holmgren has done a little bit of work on possibly putting a staff together though the odds of him coaching again I'm told are very remote.
GM candidates: As for general manager candidates, coveted young personnel men Eric DeCosta (Ravens) and Nick Caserio (Patriots) are staying put, and in this side of the business it has become increasingly rare for former general managers to get a second or third shot at the job. It's become more of a young man's game in recent years, and often other teams want to pick off key personnel from winning clubs.
The rise of the Seattle Seahawks has drawn more attention to Trent Kirchner, their director of pro personnel who is thought of very highly by Seattle rockstar GM John Schneider. Pittsburgh's Omar Khan has been a finalist for several jobs in recent years, Cleveland's Morocco Brown and New Orleans' Ryan Pace are thought of very strongly in the scouting community. Detroit's Brian Xanders is still young but already has NFL general manager and coaching experience and the Lions' strong season can only help his opportunities moving forward. Kansas City's Chris Ballard could end up getting a chance to return to Chicago, where he spent considerable time as a scout. Minnestoa's George Paton and Houston's Brian Gaine have received GM consideration in the past, as has Philadelphia's Tom Gamble. Houston's Mike Maccagnan could end up emerging with the Jets in particular. San Diego's JoJo Wooden is someone I expect to end up on some interview lists as well.
I'm sure the next few weeks will have plenty of twists and turns, and some changes and hires that seem to come out of nowhere. It always happens. And some of these men will undoubtedly have an opportunity to take over a franchise in one capacity or another
Joe Philbin regrets?
I can't help but wonder if, had Stephen Ross not emphatically gushed about retaining his head coach following an ugly but emotional comeback win over the Vikings (yeah, not exactly a juggernaut) in Week 16, if his team's collapse against the Jets Sunday would have provoked the same result. Miami limped down the stretch, again, the team got smaller as the stage got bigger and they are once again oddly in transition with no one seemingly all that empowered, lots of varied voices in Ross' ear and a team that seems to have been hobbling along caught between regimes for quite some time.
The Jets embarrassed them in their home finale, and the Dolphins are damn lucky they didn't get swept by New York (recall the primetime meeting a few weeks back when the Jets accrued 200 yards rushing in the first half alone. Miami was humbled at home by Baltimore to send its season spiraling and they got complete stomped by New England the following week (Week 15). They won two of their final six games – the brutal, 16-13 win at New York and the odd 37-35 victory over Minnesota – and yet status quo reigns, apparently.
Alrighty then.
I still can't help but wonder if there is not at least a change of some sort to the team's front office. This continues to look like a franchise desperate for some sort of kinetic energy, a fresh approach. This team looked stale, like the same ‘ol Dolphins, in the second half of the season.
Chiefs and the Chase Daniel situation
The Kansas City Chiefs enter this offseason in a pickle. They are locked into quarterback Alex Smith for two more years at big money, which is part of a sticky salary cap situation, and, while it's been in only a very limited role, backup Chase Daniel continues to look like a prospect worthy of a bigger look.
With Smith making $15M a season, that's going be tricky. At the same time, Justin Houston is coming off one of the more historic seasons in NFL history with his four-sack mastery of the Chargers that brought his season total to 22 – a ½ sack off the all-time record. Houston is a dominant force and the Chiefs are locked into franchising him. Of course, they may have to do that multiple years barring a big extension – you don't let a kid like this walk – and that means massive cap numbers for him in 2015 and 2016.
If Houston is playing on a $17M franchise tag, its going to make it even more difficult to have guys like Tamba Hali ($12M) and Dwayne Bowe ($14M) if that's the plan, and with Smith carrying his heavy salary, well, the juggling gets even more tricky. I've long been a bit of a Daniel guy, I think in Andy Reid's hands he could be very viable and he certainly brought a new element and a freshness to that offense. Hell, he came a goalline fumble away from throwing what would have been Kansas City's first touchdown pass to a receiver all season. I think he's a gamer and his ability to move the pocket and free up some stuff downfield seems like something the Chiefs desperate need.
Again, I can't foresee a true quarterback competition given the $45M commitment to Smith. But I'd be interested to see how one played out if it did.
Odds and ends from Week 17
Trouble in Cleveland: My concern for the Browns only deepens. Johnny Football had another questionable in-season extracurricular activity, Josh Gordon has worn out is welcome and there is very little talent on offense on this roster. Next season the Browns play the AFC West and NFC West. Their seven wins this season hurts their draft position, and they have an owner who has done nothing but whack people since taking over the franchise. Would not be surprised, at all, to be writing about an impending housecleaning in Cleveland, again, come this time next year. So much for that 7-4 start.
Keenum an QB option: Case Keenum, at worst, should be competing for a job with one of the many quarterback-less franchises in the NFL. The draft is thin at quarterback and the free agent class is beyond poor. Keenum has some talent and athleticism and the Texans finished the season with consecutive wins after having to sign him off the street.
Baltimore's offensive woes: The Ravens offense remains scary bad. They managed to put together an inept first half Sunday that actually rivaled their listless outings against Houston and Jacksonville from the previous two weeks, and with a wounded offensive line they are going to have to regroup to keep from being first-round fodder. Getting Joe Flacco – who was erratic again Sunday – into an early tempo with some no-huddle shotgun stuff might be required and esteemed coordinator Gary Kubiak is going to need to do some serious self-scouting and a rethink to try to get this attack back close to where it was before this December slide. They'll need a young receiver or two to step up big time and try to help gain some separation downfield, too.
Big D with big message?: Was it just me, or was Dallas trying to send a message to the rest of the league with that curbstomping in Washington? While most teams with no real playoff seeding to play for were quickly yanking veterans out of the game, Dallas was rubbing the Skins' noses in it (a recovered onside kick up 20-7?) and seemingly letting everyone else in the league know there would be no let up from them with the playoffs approaching.
Blank ready to strike?: The Falcons failure to show up in the first half Sunday, when able to salvage another poor season at home, could well end up with owner Arthur Blank making sweeping changes beyond just the coaching staff.
Props to Riverboat Ron: Kudos to Ron Rivera and Cam Newton. Both are always under fire it seems and they managed to pull off quite a late-season miracle in Carolina. Rivera's December record is no joke and this team improved in multiple areas deep in the season without much new personnel. The Panthers' superior physicality and will was apparent all over the field and undermined Atlanta's lingering deficiencies in that regard despite all of their Hard Knocks talk about being bigger and tougher this season.
