Realistic Coaching Candidates

[USMC_FalcFan]

Vic Carucci has a pretty good list of coaches on NFL.com that may be looking for a new team next year. Before I review them here, let me repeat what Rod Woodson said on NFLTA: "Atlanta needs a leader of Men. Not an offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator, but someone who can lead 53 Men." I think he hit the nail on the head there. Consider that when reviewing this list (names are Carucci's, comments are mine).

Brian Billick (Ravens) - He's had a long tenure with Balt (loyalty Blank likes) and is a leader of men (remember his speech about going into the Lion's Den with a spear!)

John Fox (Panthers) - Another long tenure guy, but I doubt this one. Funny how they mention that 10weeks after his injury Delhomme still leads the Panthers with 8 TD passes.:laugh:

Marvin Lewis (Bengals) - Pretty good young coach to build around, but something just tells me he is not Head Coaching material. But I probably haven't watched him closely enough to say this.

Cam Cameron (Dolphins) - How did last year's offensive genius become such a disappointment? Had Sabon put the Dolphins in that much of a funk? I vote NO on C.C.

Andy Reid (Eagles) - I'd certainly be happy with this choice! He could bring his QB McNabb with him (I'd be less excited about that). This is a guy that has the long tenure that Blank is looking for (no college aspirations here) and from everyone who plays for him is a leader of Men (more in the Tony Dungy style, but still a leader).

Scott Linehan (Rams) - No.

Mike Nolan (49ers) - Looks the part in his suit and tie, but from what I'm hearing from the Alex Smith camp, I don't think he is what we need here.

Other possibilities are:

Mike Singletary - Leader of Men? You better believe it! Head Coaching experience? None. I'd be willing to take a chance on him. Plus, he was on McKay/Blank's short list last year.

Bill Cowher - Leader of Men? **** Yes! Has said recently that he will not coach in 2008 so he can watch his daughters play sports at college. Family is very important to him which will make him a Blank-favorite.

Steve Mariucci - Leader of Men? Uh. Well, he's a great family guy. Blank has courted him for years. Plus, he was Jim Mora's mentor! Timing could be right for Blank to get his man though.

Marty Schottenheimer - Leader of Men? Yes, but he is a little off-center in the mold of a **** Vermeil (minus the crying). Successful record and available. Who knows?

Russ Grimm - Leader of Men? Yes. Head Coaching experience? None. Was on Blank's short list last year.

Jeff Fisher (Titans) - Leader of Men? Yes. Long-Term Head Coaching Experience? Yes. Do I think he'll ever leave the Titans? No.

Guys I don't even want to see on the list:

Dennis Green - Not that good.

Bill Parcells - Is burnt out and will never coach again in NFL.

Jimmy Johnson - Loves his current job too much. Out of coaching for too long.

Dan Reeves - Brought respect to a weary Falcons franchise. Can't see Reeves and Blank wedded again though.

Jim Mora - I know some of you are thinking it...it won't happen.

Mike Martz - No Nutty Professor. No thanks. Come playoff time we are going to need that leader of men...Martz ain't it.

Herm Edwards (Chiefs) - Leader of Men, sure, but have his teams ever really dominated? Had Belichek's before New England? Hmmm.

Discuss....

[atlndvd]

no thanks to Brian Billick. It's not so much that he couldn't make that offense work with ****** players, it's the fact that he was giving the opportunity and HAND PICKED guys like Kyle Boller... shows his scouting value, which is #####.

[Jedi.Falcon]

Brian Billick (Ravens) - Um, NO.

John Fox (Panthers) - HAHA!

Marvin Lewis (Bengals) - Ok.

Cam Cameron (Dolphins) - Wow, are you serious?

Andy Reid (Eagles) - Decent.

Scott Linehan (Rams) - Who?

Mike Nolan (49ers) - Oh my god.

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That first list above sucks. Is Carucci trying to sabotage the Falcons? His 2nd list should be the 1st list.

[jaschart]

JediFalcon (12/11/2007)

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Brian Billick (Ravens) - Um, NO.

John Fox (Panthers) - HAHA!

Marvin Lewis (Bengals) - Ok.

Cam Cameron (Dolphins) - Wow, are you serious?

Andy Reid (Eagles) - Decent.

Scott Linehan (Rams) - Who?

Mike Nolan (49ers) - Oh my god.

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Can't really top that beyond Singletary and Cowher being the only two I'd even consider, and Singletary only because he was a hero of mine as a child.

That first list above sucks. Is Carucci trying to sabotage the Falcons? His 2nd list should be the 1st list.

[falconstat2dfreak]

i agree with your hope not next hc.

there is alot of good guys on that list that can plug the leak in sinking ship

[paul_k]

USMC_FalcFan (12/11/2007)

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Brian Billick (Ravens) - Uh no. I can't stand him, besides he sucks as an offensive...anything.

John Fox (Panthers) - Great coach, but we need an offensive guy, in my opinion.

Marvin Lewis (Bengals) - I don't think the Benglas will fire him.

Cam Cameron (Dolphins) - Maybe. But it's hard to want a guy who's had a year like he's had.

Andy Reid (Eagles) - Good coach, but do we really want the West Coast offense back?

Scott Linehan (Rams) - I like him, but the Rams have already said his job is safe.

Mike Nolan (49ers) - I like him, but again, I want an offensive guy. He's defensive.

Other possibilities are:

Mike Singletary - Again, he's a defensive guy. I want offense.

Bill Cowher - I know he's the popular choice, but I don't want him because he'll tear down our already talented defense and replace it with a 3-4 defense. Will take more painful rebuilding years. We just need an offensive guy.

Steve Mariucci - If we can get him to abandon the West Coast offense, this would be a good choice.

Marty Schottenheimer - Good choice.

Russ Grimm - Kind of an unknown. Too chancy.

Jeff Fisher (Titans) - He's not going anywhere.

Guys I don't even want to see on the list:

Dennis Green - Works for me.

Bill Parcells - Appealing choice, but I don't think he'll come out of retirement again.

Jimmy Johnson - Good choice. I don't think he'll ever come out of retirement, but hey, give it a shot, make him an offer.

Dan Reeves - Possibly, but I don't think Blank feels like eating anymore crow.

Jim Mora - Would be okay with me if he would be willing to abandon the West Coast offense, which I beleiev he would be willing to do, but again, Blank won't eat anymore crow.

Mike Martz - Ding! Ding! Ding! I think he's just the shot in the arm our offense needs.

Herm Edwards (Chiefs) - Nah. Besides, I think the Chiefs will give him one more year.

[Cooter]

Of all the guys who are actually available, I like Singletary, Mariucci, and Cowher. Fox would be a huge pick up. Reid, not so much.

[Mr. Offseason]

why not zimmer??

he would keep the defensive scheme the same, and with hue still at OC we could continue building a power running game, but perhaps not have the same passing style, unless hue was comfortable building that.

my vote goes 200% to zimmer. lets make the transition as smooth as possible, and zimmer will likely leave for a HC position somewhere else considering the job hes done with our defense. lets keep him here, let him call defensive plays, and watch our defense blossom into a great defense (provided a few pickups in the draft).

[jaschart]

Brian Billick (Ravens) - **** no.

John Fox (Panthers) - Not even worth considering

Marvin Lewis (Bengals) - He's losing with Carson Palmer, TJ Hou...whatever and Johnson.

Cam Cameron (Dolphins) - H...what?

Andy Reid (Eagles) - #####

Scott Linehan (Rams) - (see Cam Cameron)

Mike Nolan (49ers) - proof that dress for sucess works, even when lacking actual success

Other possibilities are:

Mike Singletary - maybe...

Bill Cowher - A true football coach.

Steve Mariucci - A true candyass. He has no legacy to inherit here.

Marty Schottenheimer - The only time he has looked good is when the Chargers got worse, credit Norv Turner.

Russ Grimm - He sounded like an improvement over Coach HappyFunLucky. Not so much now.

Jeff Fisher (Titans) - Just slightly less worthless than Wandstat...who cares how you spell it.

Guys I don't even want to see on the list:

Dennis Green - Best thing about him are the Coors commercials.

Bill Parcells - Checked out.

Jimmy Johnson - Long in the booth.

Dan Reeves - His legacy is in almost getting there.

Jim Mora - I'd ask Jr. or Sr. but either way, the answer is no.

Mike Martz - best suited as o-coord for a division 2 college

Herm Edwards (Chiefs) - fail.

[itsslomotionbaby]

reid would make sure that o-line is rebuilt.

[IrishDart24]

I don't know what some people are talking about here.. with some of their comments on these coaches.

First off, of all the names on these lists, the only ones I like are Fox and Herm Edwards. Both are really talented coaches, and, Fox, has built a team into a Superbowl champion. Herm Edwards? Well he's just great for press conferences. Seriously though, he does a good job on both sides of the ball.

Other names, like Reid? Cowher? Parcells? Never gonna happen. These guys are done. Reid is gonna finish his career in Philly. Either he stays, or retires. Looking more like he's retiring. And Cowher and Parcells? They're DONE. NOT COMING BACK. And if they WERE going to? I wouldn't want Either. I Hate Parcells, and think he would destroy our D here. Cowher? I think he was a great coach, but I don't think his philosophy and game plans would fit with us here. He's not an ATLANTA Coach.

TO sum up, my top candidates would be

1- John Fox (if available)

2- Mike Zimmer (he's due his shot to lead us)

3- Herm Edwards (He's just a great guy and good coach)

4- Mike Singletary (Why not? )

[cavalcade_of_whimsey]

Brian Billick (Ravens) - Has been surprisingly mediocre over the last 5 years, especially since he was supposed to be an offensive genius. I wonder if his winning record comes from him or Ozzie Newsom.

John Fox (Panthers) - I can't imagine a more backwards ##### way of handling a team.

Marvin Lewis (Bengals) - I don't really blame him for his recent decline. NFL HCs aren't babysitters, I don't think the Cinncinati Felons are his fault necessarily. Add in the recent high picks that have been lost over the last few years, like Pollack and hes getting a bad rep. I don;t think CIN fires him.

Cam Cameron (Dolphins) - This guy let his assistant coach the final pre-season game. I don't know what that means but it just never sat right with me.

Andy Reid (Eagles) - Successful over the years and bringing in McNabb would be sweet, but his chronic misuse of Westbrook scares me.

Scott Linehan (Rams) - No.

Mike Nolan (49ers) - No

Mike Singletary - Seems like a good leader, all the attention he gets every off season suggests he's an impressive option, but what exactly does his experience as a coach tell you about him? Assistant HC for SF? SF sucks and so does their defense.

Bill Cowher - Would be an amazing grab but everything he has said about why he quit in the first place makes it seem improbable.

Steve Mariucci - It would mean going back to the west coast offense and people would be screaming Coach Giggles 2.0 by the end of the pre-season.

Marty Schottenheimer - great coach, I don't care about playoff losses, I don't think that reflects on the coach nearly as much as people say. Still, would an older coach want to sign on to completely rebuild a franchise.

Russ Grimm - Great attitude but much like Singletary what does he bring to the X/Os side of the game. We'd need to make sure to get primo coordinators

Jeff Fisher (Titans) - Why is this even on the list?

Norm Chow (Titans) - every time his name is mentioned for a HC position, people question his motivation to be anything more than a great OC. Still, its a sexy pick just because you have to imagine theres a chance that he would turn into a super genius HC judgin from all of his success

Guys I don't even want to see on the list:

Dennis Green - The Falcons are who we thought they were!

Bill Parcells - I can't imagine him as anything but a new york GM in the future

Jimmy Johnson - Eww.

Dan Reeves - I'd give the job to him but he hasn't coached in a while, if he still had the desire he'd have found a job.

Jim Mora - He's a DBs coach. you want a DB coach as a HC? Then you're stupid.

Mike Martz - There's no consistency to his offense and imagine the overhaul our offensive personnel would need. It'd be years before we had the talent.

Herm Edwards (Chiefs) - I don't care about his lack of success, he'd be great.

Josh McDaniels (New England) - has had a great year as a OC but has so little experience. Still a little slice of the Belichik golry would be nice.

Jason Garret (Dallas) - Jerry Jones would fight for him and seeing as he's a likely candidate to succeed Wade Phillips in the next few years, I imagine he'll stay there.

Ron Rivera/ Ryan Bros - seemed like great picks last year but some of the luster has fallen off. Still, with Rivera as a LB coach right now, I imagine he'd be open to a promotion, maybe a new DC if Zimmer goes?

I guess if I was gonna boom or bust pick with likely options (so exlcuding HoF coaches that probably don't want anything to do with ATL) I'd go with McDaniels or Garret as the new HC/OC (simply because we'll need to give them HC status to lure them away) and get Rivera as the new DC.

[Doug F]

you have to go with someone like Cowher. Blank can't afford to blow it again. This time he needs the real deal. Blank has plenty of $$$, paying Cowher is like toilet paper to him. He should be the highest paid coach, period. Its time that Atlanta gets serious about being a real sports town. The Hawks suck. The Braves trade all their good players and never can compete for the title. Come on Arthur, you are the only savior. The Falcons can be redeemed, Do it man!!

[nvalvano25]

Whoever said it above, I absolutly love John Fox and Herm Edwards...I think our guys will respect either of these guys....I would definitly welcome them as our head coach...

[BruceReville]

The Hawks suck.

Right now they are the only Atlanta team in play-off contention :w00t: 10-11 Baby! They are ahead of 8 other teams in the East

[pencilpusher. just because]

You know it....

Back in Black.

:laugh:

[RLTF]

Tom Moore but I don't think he will leave the Colts.

[rcwalters]

Where did some of these names come from? One thing in coach-chasing that has always baffled me...why take a head coach that's "experienced" when that "experienced" carries a glaring omission: "experienced in LOSING".

Brian Billick (Ravens) - Another "offensive genius" who has NEVER schemed up an even above-low-20's offense. (Petrino, offensive genius. Right.) His "genius" in Minnesota was, Randy-go-long. Genius! (Now Belicheat's the genius with that plan.) I call it "talent" not coaching genius. I know, Captain Obvious there....had to be explicitly noted.

John Fox (Panthers) - Not even worth considering. (yeah, why would we??)

Marvin Lewis (Bengals) - He's losing with Carson Palmer, TJ Hou...whatever and Johnson. Here's one who has that "genius" potential in those three dudes, and STILL manages to mess it up. Experienced, yes. Experienced winner, no.........

Cam Cameron (Dolphins) - Somebody called him that thing again...what was it..."offensive genius." Seriously folks, quit it. It's worse than the Madden curse.

Back to the original point. Why go get a guy that may very well get fired after only one year after putting together unquestionably the worst year EVER. (Don't tell me Tampa was worse in 1976. They had an excuse, they were a first-year team. The Dolphins are NOT. Not that you could tell.)

Andy Reid (Eagles) - I've never drank this koolaid. But, at least he breaks the mold for a coaching favorite...he's WON more than he's LOST. Now THAT is genius!! (From a pick a good coach perspective.)

Scott Linehan (Rams) - (see Cam Cameron) Waitaminute...is this guy a winner...or is he a loser?

I thought the Rams were losing?

Mike Nolan (49ers) - Waitaminute...is this guy a winner...or is he a loser?

I thought the 49ers were losing?

Seriously, I'm going to sugarcoat this for a second...Running down a list of all the coaches who have only won 3 games or less as the "serious" or "realistic" candidates makes YOU a #####..... assuming you're actually trying to help, of course!

They call them "proven coaches". Yes, they've proven they can't win. Why not try somebody who hasn't been a head coach before (NOT FROM COLLEGE THOUGH).

Other possibilities are:

Mike Singletary - I don't know anything about this one except he was a good player. That doesn't impress me from the coaching angle. Pass.

Bill Cowher - A true football coach. (Yeah, and he's had winning seasons several times. Maybe even back-to-back...ya think THAT might be of interest?)

Problem here is, him. He doesn't want to.

Steve Mariucci - A true candyass. He has no legacy to inherit here. See the rest of the proven nonwinners. I guess he's better than most, but I'd say he's run-of-the-mill average. Is that what we want? Then let's go see Jimmy-boy. 8-8 wasn't good enough...LAST year or the one before...but if it is, Mariucci's more expensive than Mora. Let's save a buck and have FUN while we're at it!

Marty Schottenheimer - Schott's my top man here (actually Cowher, but I don't think we can get him, prove me wrong...) He is a WINNER. Yes, I'm talking regular season. Hint: you gotta MAKE the playoffs before you can win in them. And this whole can't-win-the-big-one is overblown. The big one has the big opponent. Only one team can win the "big" one. Check it out: Bowden couldn't win the big one at FSU...until he did...Peyton couldn't win the big one...until he did...Belicheat couldn't win anything until suddenly they did...Romo fumbled...the list goes on.

Put me in the playoffs year after year, THEN we'll worry about winning them. Law of averages.

Russ Grimm - He sounded like an improvement over Coach HappyFunLucky. Not so much now. I dunno, haven't paid any attention. Pass.

Jeff Fisher (Titans) - OK, I said Schotty was my pick. Forget it. Fisher is my pick, he's a winner, and I mean even when he doesn't have the talent. But, shouldn't even be on this list, he's not leaving T and he SURE as heck isn't coming to the A.

Guys I don't even want to see on the list:

Dennis Green - Best thing about him are the Coors commercials. (And those suck.) See all the ranting about the "proven" coach with "experience". He's a proven loser. His only good teams were Randy Moss. Hey, genius, send Randy long.

Bill Parcells - Last time he really did a LOT was with the Giants. Sure, he meets my proven "winner" criteria...but he's just too old now I think. Just not really a candidate. Plus, he WILL leave in four years, win or lose. No need to bash him, it's what he does and everybody knows it upfront.

Jimmy Johnson - Long in the booth.

Dan Reeves - Backtracking, been there done that. How about Marion Campbell?

Jim Mora - I'd ask Jr. or Sr. but either way, the answer is no.

Rather have Sr. We played like POO!

Mike Martz - best suited as o-coord for a division 2 college

Anybody remember that game where he was down 28-24 with 10 seconds left, and sent out the kick team to try the tying FG?

Seriously. This. Guy. Is. Crazy.

Not. Kidding.

Scared. Of. Him. Like. Axe. Murderer.

Herm Edwards (Chiefs) - fail. Is he a winner or a loser? Not too much of either, actually.

[Dolewite]

Singletary is the BEST pick to inspire and get the MAXIUM out of the players we have. We should draft defensively and concentrate on offense later because our defense could play a lot better with the players that are already there, we just need a few more pieces. And can we please get an offensive coordinator that will re-install the running scheme that we were using under Mora?? It works in Denver and it was working with us! Come on Art, MIKE SINGLETARY is the one, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!

[deuga]

1. Cowher

2. Schottenheimer

[jbresette]

So what makes an Atlanta coach? Someone who is going to fail. I'd rather not have an Atlanta coach come in. I'd rather have an NFL coach come in.

[brad7]

andy reid needs to take a leave of absence, not a new coaching job

[falconstat2dfreak]

brad7 (12/12/2007)

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andy reid needs to take a leave of absence, not a new coaching job

much truth there. well said

[SoCalFalconFan]

I would be ok with any of these guys:

Singletary

Reid

Schottenheimer

Cowher

[Rodney]

Rumor going around in Washington D.C. is that Cowher will be coaching the Redskins next season....

If Gibbs retires and Cowher is offered the Skins....I don't think he will even consider the Falcons....Not even worth thinking it over.