Todd Haley and Tony Sparano both lost their jobs this week. Despite just three weeks left to play in the season, the Chiefs and Dolphins felt that it was appropriate for them to dismiss their coaches and essentially leave their teams out to dry. So where do they go from here? Big name, big ticket coach? Or small name, well respected coordinator poached from a successful team?
Well lets take a look at both situations, with both teams, and figure out what would work best, and what will likely happen.
Miami Looking For A Big Splash
The Dolphins, after giving Sparano the run around in the offseason by openly interviewing Jim Harbaugh while Tony was still employed, are a team in flux. Matt Moore is surely not the franchise quarterback that they have been seeking out since Dan Marino packed his bags. Nor is Chad Henne. They will likely draft a quarterback in the first round, with Matt Barkley and Robert Griffin III as distinct possibilities.
So the new coach will likely get a franchise pivot that he can mold into the leader that the team has so sorely missed for the better part of the last generation.
Fins owner Stephen Ross, who had no issue messing with his last coach, will surely have high hopes of landing a big name coach. The Dolphins seem to be the only Miami based team that isn’t making headlines, and Mr. Ross would surely like to get some attention.
Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden always seem to come up in conversation whenever a coaching vacancy opens up. Despite not having coached in several years, fan bases across the country hold their collective breath in anticipation of one of the two former coaches being hired by their respective teams.
Will one of these big fish find their way to South Beach? One former great has an opinion on how his team should operate.
“I would love to see Bill Cowher be the Dolphins coach, or if he wanted to coach again because that would be great for the NFL,” Dan Marino said.
Keep in mind that these two work together in CBS’s NFL pregame show. Idle speculation, or laying the groundwork for a big signing?
So now that we have that out of the way, we can fuel even more rampant speculation that Ross will try to bring in Cowher to lead the ship. But with General Manager Jeff Ireland still employed by Ross, and still making personnel decisions for Miami, it seems unlikely that they will be able to lure a coach of the caliber that Cowher operates at. If The Chin is to return from his hiatus, he will surely want to bring his personnel guys with him, and will likely have a serious say in player moves.
Kansas City Looking For Something. Anything.
What about the disaster of a situation with the Chiefs? They had season ending injuries to their star running back, safety, tight end and quarterback. After winning their division last year, they have Tyler Palko running the show for a few weeks this year, who despite all attempts, is simply horrible.
Word is that Todd Haley and GM Scott Pioli butted heads from the start, and despite the playoff appearance last year, Haley almost got his pink slip in the offseason. It was clear that Pioli had no interest in having his team coached by a guy who could easily be mistaken for a member of #Occupy Kansas City. (While that last part might not actually be true, would it surprise you?)
The Chiefs were without their star players on either side of the ball in Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry. Their somewhat competent quarterback went down for the year, with Palko left to pick up the crumbs. Tight end Tony Moeaki went down for the season as well, and while not an elite player at his position, he provided a valuable safety valve for Cassel last year, while also helping seal the edge on running plays.
So Haley essentially had no chance of putting a winning product on the field this season, especially with former top-5 picks Glen Dorsey and Tyson Jackson taking their old-CBA contracts and enjoying all the Kansas City BBQ they can afford while not getting anything resembling pressure on the quarterback during their time in the league.
Which direction will the Chiefs go? Ironically, they may find themselves in similar straits as Miami.
If either team has an interest in Cowher or Gruden, they will not only have to write a serious check to get them to commit, they will have to give them the freedom to run the team how they want. With Ireland and Pioli still employed by their respective owners, it seems as if this is unlikely so happen. This just might end up being the best decision that either owner made, in not chasing a fish too big for them to fry.
Smaller Fish, Bigger Reward?
There is little sense, aside from the headlines that come with the big hiring, to going after Cowher or Gruden. They will demand all the power, and unless one of the teams is willing to clear house, they will not get it.
So what are the alternatives? Well let’s take a look around the league at some good candidates for the gig. These are only going to be realistic ones that would make logical sense. So it is highly unlikely that the Dolphins will hire any of the names that will be mentioned. Les Miles is much more likely. No, seriously.
Rick Dennison, OC, Houston Texans
While the Houston Texans defence has been getting all the publicity this year, with the Wade Phillips 3-4 system drawing rave reviews from people across the league. But the man controlling the other side of the ball deserves a significant amount of credit as well. Rick Dennison has crafted a tough, consistent offense — minus Arian Foster to start the season, All-Pro wideout Andre Johnson for nearly the entire season and quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart with serious injuries.
The Texans have put up 330 points on the season, second to just the Patriots in the AFC. Much of this can be attributed to the zone blocking run scheme that the offensive line utilizes, making rookie pivot TJ Yates into a useful and even winning leader. Who is even catching the ball for the Texans right now? Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter. This is why Rick Dennison needs to be a serious head coaching candidate for teams that pay attention to things that matter.
Bill O’Brien, OC, New England Patriots
If Tim Tebow did not exist, the biggest story of the week, without question, would be Tom Brady having some choice words for his offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. The words were so evil and awful that when the highlights of the altercation ran, the networks went out of their way to blur out Mr. Bundchen’s mouth. But aside from the ridiculousness of the spat, the man who had a pair to stand up to the man in Uggs is not bad at what he does.
Bill O’Brien got a promotion when Josh McDaniels felt like it was time to move on, and he could very well follow in McDaniels’ footsteps in the offseason. Despite the fact that the list of failed Belichick coordinators gets longer every year (McD, Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and so on), teams continue to look at the great success that they have in New England and simply cannot resist themselves.
Armed with nothing in the way of a real running game, no downfield threats, and Mr. Brady being a year older, O’Brien has managed to lead the Pats offense to the highest scoring in the AFC. How he has done this is anyone’s guess, but will he get some offers? You can bet he will. Pioli knows a thing or two about the Pats, so hopefully he makes a ball to his old stomping grounds.
Vic Fangio, DC, San Francisco 49ers
Miami has solid offensive pieces in Brandon Marshall, Jake Long, Mike Pouncey and a refreshed Reggie Bush. The Chiefs have Charles, Bowe, rookie Jonathan Baldwin and solid bookend Branden Albert. They both need a guy who can focus on the other side of the ball and allow his hand picked coordinators to run the offence.
The man for that job? Vic Fangio.
The defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers has been arguably more pivotal to the ‘9ers turnaround than Harbaugh. They have allowed the fewest points in the league, and armed with a few new pieces on his side of the ball, Fangio has turned San Fran into one of the most feared teams to play in the league.
Many questioned the moves that were made in the offseason by the 49ers. Taylor Mays was out, and Donte Whitner was in. Rookie Aldon Smith was taken much higher than many expected, and he moved into the outside linebacker spot. Sophomore Navorro Bowman has stepped in beside Patrick Willis and is arguably having a better season that the Pro Bowler. Then there is veteran corner Carlos Rogers who was brought in from Washington to take over for the vastly overpaid Nate Clements.
All of these new pieces and a new coordinator. Disaster right? Wrong. It has been nothing short of perfection for Fangio’s squad this season, and they are likely to bring the success to the postseason. There will likely be a few shrewd owners this offseason that take note of the success that Fangio has had at all levels, and hopefully give him a chance to lead a team.
What will the Chiefs and the Dolphins do? One of them will likely make a run at Cowher or Gruden. While this is a ridiculous prospect for both teams, they will at least try.
They are much better off going for a successful coordinator who has been successful for several years.
But with Stephen Ross and Scott Pioli being allowed to make decisions, it is anyones guess what will actually happen.
