Plus a short item on Mac from the same article
http://www.boston.com/sports/footba.../04/candidates_line_up_to_work_the_sidelines/
Candidates line up to work the sidelines
By Ron Borges, Globe Staff, 1/4/2004
Job openings, like job applicants, are not all the same, even when there are only 32 such jobs in the world. At the moment, seven NFL franchises are in the market for a new head coach and some, such as the Washington Redskins, are frantically cavorting around the country looking for Daniel Snyder's next victim while others, such as the Chicago Bears, are moving almost glacially toward a replacement for departed Dick Jauron.
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As has been well documented, both of New England's coordinators, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, are in play on several fronts and any team would be lucky to hire either of them. But would they be lucky to end up in some place like Arizona, where Vince Lombardi would be lucky to go .500, or Oakland, where the Raiders are hamstrung by age, salary cap problems, and what appears to be a housecleaning with the firing of Bill Callahan and possible departure of personnel men Bruce Allen and Mike Lombardi?
After a week of discussing each of the openings with general managers and personnel men around the league, here is a ranking of the jobs.
1. ATLANTA: The Falcons have the best young player in the game in Michael Vick, a defense that is nowhere near as bad as its last-place ranking, and enough speed to return to the playoffs. Their cap situation is not ideal but it's not terrible. At present they have about $71 million on the books for next year, leaving them with about $8 million to play with, but whoever comes in may jettison some costly old hands such as Ray Buchanan and Bob Whitfield. That would leave their cap hemorrhaging dead money (money owed to players no longer on the roster) but they would still be in fairly good shape, at least for the short term -- which is the length of time most head coaches have to win. On the upside, there is the presence of a non-meddlesome owner who wants to win now in Arthur Blank and an experienced general manager in Rich McKay, who left the Buccaneers after losing a power struggle with coach Jon Gruden. Former coach Dan Reeves was fired with three games to go because Blank's fears came true: Vick returned after missing two-thirds of the season with a broken ankle and the Falcons won three of their last four, bolstering Reeves's position that if he had Vick all season they would have lived up to their preseason hype. He was right.
LEADING CANDIDATES: St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith fills a lot of bills, including Blank's desire to give opportunities to deserving minorities. With a weapon like Vick at his disposal, Dennis Green is really the best fit, but McKay doesn't want another power struggle like the one he faced with Gruden.
2. NY GIANTS: Solid organization, patient ownership, and a lot of skill players who can make the kind of plays that win games. The downside is the offensive line needs to be rebuilt and the team is only $3 million under the projected cap. The Giants greatly underachieved this season in large part because the problems along the offensive line were never solved. But they are set at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, and that's a big start toward winning. The defensive front needs some work but the unit is set at both corners as long as Will Allen and Will Peterson are healthy. The Giants need retooling, not rebuilding, ownership is among the most reasonable in the game, and GM Ernie Accorsi is solid.
LEADING CANDIDATES: Crennel and ex-Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin. Coughlin believes he needs all the personnel power to win and he won't get it as long as Accorsi is there. If the Giants are smart they'll give Crennel a well-deserved shot after 23 years as an assistant.
3. BUFFALO: The Bills are more talented than their 6-10 record would make them appear, which is the first criteria for anyone looking for a good job. Second is ownership. Ralph Wilson is as reasonable and knowledgeable a football man as there is in any of the 32 owner's boxes. That's a big plus; just ask Steve Spurrier. Lastly, their salary cap is no longer a mess. The Bills figure to be about $10 million to $12 million to the good, although they'll have to deal with a $6 million bonus due Drew Bledsoe in November and the impending free agency of their best corner, Antoine Winfield. Although Buffalo will interview several coordinators, club president Tom Donahoe went bust hiring Gregg Williams with no head coaching experience last time, so look for him to go with a proven commodity. That could be Jauron, who did a better job in Chicago than he got credit for, Coughlin or Jim Fassel.
LEADING CANDIDATES: Anyone with head coaching experience and a dislike for Kevin Gilbride's offense.
4. CHICAGO: The Bears have a solid defense and a running game if Anthony Thomas's 1,000-yard season doesn't lead to the same kind of slippage that followed his outstanding rookie year. They have 60 players already under contract for next year and are still between $8 million to $12 million under the projected salary cap. That gives them tremendous flexibility in free agency. They also believe they have the young quarterback of the future in Rex Grossman, who started the final three games and won two. He also seemed to win over his teammates. None of the team's core players will be leaving in free agency and Jauron did a good job developing younger players, despite facing nearly sure dismissal. Because the contracts of GM Jerry Angelo and club president Ted Phillips were extended four years they will likely be tied to the incoming coach, who will also get a five-year deal.
LEADING CANDIDATES: As usual in Chicago they have no clue, although LSU's Nick Saban has a chance primarily because the Bears say they're unlikely to pursue a college coach. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Maryland's Ralph Friedgen are possibilities.
5. WASHINGTON: The Redskins are in reasonable cap shape but have to find a way to sign cornerback Champ Bailey, who becomes a free agent in March. They can franchise tag him but that would make him unhappy and probably trade bait just before the draft. The 'Skins have a lot more talent on offense than it appeared under Spurrier's system. If the new coach simply readjusts the blocking schemes in pass protection, Patrick Ramsey will stay upright more often. They need a running back with power to complement the passing game because Trung Canidate will never be reelected the starter, but there will be veteran runners available. Defensively, they are good but not great, which is why they are looking at Seattle defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes. He says he's not interested until after the playoffs and some people say he's not interested at all after failed stints as the boss in Green Bay and Philadelphia. Worst thing about the job is you're working for Snyder and have to accept Vinny Cerrato as personnel man and ownership's yes man. Coach regularly gets outvoted, 2-1, if he disagrees with Snyder. How bad was it? Spurrier left $15 million on the table to get away from this situation. LEADING CANDIDATE: Fassel. It's his job if he wants it, and word circulating at the end of last week is he wants it so he can come back and beat the Giants. That's no reason to work for Snyder.
6. ARIZONA: In theory this should be a great job. The Cardinals have $20 million in cap space and only one potential free agent loss of note. The problem is they have $20 million in cap space because ownership won't spend any money and they only have one potential free agent loss of note because they've already lost all their top talent the last three seasons. Winning in Arizona is near impossible under the Bidwill ownership. They do things like waste money on a star in nova like Emmitt Smith and then insist he play when his backup is clearly superior. The Cardinals were the youngest team in the league for the third year in a row, which means they aren't getting better they're getting cheaper, and their roster is so short on talent it's a wonder they won at all.
LEADING CANDIDATES: Fassel, but they won't get him, so Crennel is alive here, too.
7. OAKLAND: They still have salary cap problems, although they are about $3 million under the projected cap. The worst problem is they have grown way too old in way too many places and have a front office in transition with Allen and Lombardi looking to get out if they can. Allen was talking to Tampa last week about its GM job and Lombardi is also rumored to be putting out feelers. Defensively, cornerback Charles Woodson is disgruntled and a free agent. If he is retained he forms one of the NFL's best tandems with Phillip Buchanon, but this isn't flag football. Who plays in front of them? Not enough talent on the line or at linebacker to be competitive. Offensively, they are old at quarterback, old at receiver, old and fat along the offensive line, and average at running back. Add to that the fact that whoever comes in has to answer to Al Davis and you have a high-pressure situation without many weapons on your side of the fight. You'll hear a lot about Green the next few weeks but that's happened before and led to nothing. Same will be true this time. Look for Dallas offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon to get a long look as well as Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, but in the end Davis will do the unexpected.
LEADING CANDIDATE: Rick Neuheisel, ex-Colorado and University of Washington head coach.
On Mac: Fired Arizona coach Dave McGinnis may not be unemployed long. If Fassel lands a head coaching job other than the one with the Cardinals, he is likely to bring in McGinnis as defensive coordinator. McGinnis stands to be paid $1 million this year by the Cardinals, less whatever he earns coaching elsewhere. A friend of McGinnis categorized his firing this way last week: "He got a raise and he got away from the Bidwills," he said. "So how was that a bad deal?"
http://www.boston.com/sports/footba.../04/candidates_line_up_to_work_the_sidelines/
Candidates line up to work the sidelines
By Ron Borges, Globe Staff, 1/4/2004
Job openings, like job applicants, are not all the same, even when there are only 32 such jobs in the world. At the moment, seven NFL franchises are in the market for a new head coach and some, such as the Washington Redskins, are frantically cavorting around the country looking for Daniel Snyder's next victim while others, such as the Chicago Bears, are moving almost glacially toward a replacement for departed Dick Jauron.
ADVERTISEMENT
As has been well documented, both of New England's coordinators, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, are in play on several fronts and any team would be lucky to hire either of them. But would they be lucky to end up in some place like Arizona, where Vince Lombardi would be lucky to go .500, or Oakland, where the Raiders are hamstrung by age, salary cap problems, and what appears to be a housecleaning with the firing of Bill Callahan and possible departure of personnel men Bruce Allen and Mike Lombardi?
After a week of discussing each of the openings with general managers and personnel men around the league, here is a ranking of the jobs.
1. ATLANTA: The Falcons have the best young player in the game in Michael Vick, a defense that is nowhere near as bad as its last-place ranking, and enough speed to return to the playoffs. Their cap situation is not ideal but it's not terrible. At present they have about $71 million on the books for next year, leaving them with about $8 million to play with, but whoever comes in may jettison some costly old hands such as Ray Buchanan and Bob Whitfield. That would leave their cap hemorrhaging dead money (money owed to players no longer on the roster) but they would still be in fairly good shape, at least for the short term -- which is the length of time most head coaches have to win. On the upside, there is the presence of a non-meddlesome owner who wants to win now in Arthur Blank and an experienced general manager in Rich McKay, who left the Buccaneers after losing a power struggle with coach Jon Gruden. Former coach Dan Reeves was fired with three games to go because Blank's fears came true: Vick returned after missing two-thirds of the season with a broken ankle and the Falcons won three of their last four, bolstering Reeves's position that if he had Vick all season they would have lived up to their preseason hype. He was right.
LEADING CANDIDATES: St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith fills a lot of bills, including Blank's desire to give opportunities to deserving minorities. With a weapon like Vick at his disposal, Dennis Green is really the best fit, but McKay doesn't want another power struggle like the one he faced with Gruden.
2. NY GIANTS: Solid organization, patient ownership, and a lot of skill players who can make the kind of plays that win games. The downside is the offensive line needs to be rebuilt and the team is only $3 million under the projected cap. The Giants greatly underachieved this season in large part because the problems along the offensive line were never solved. But they are set at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, and that's a big start toward winning. The defensive front needs some work but the unit is set at both corners as long as Will Allen and Will Peterson are healthy. The Giants need retooling, not rebuilding, ownership is among the most reasonable in the game, and GM Ernie Accorsi is solid.
LEADING CANDIDATES: Crennel and ex-Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin. Coughlin believes he needs all the personnel power to win and he won't get it as long as Accorsi is there. If the Giants are smart they'll give Crennel a well-deserved shot after 23 years as an assistant.
3. BUFFALO: The Bills are more talented than their 6-10 record would make them appear, which is the first criteria for anyone looking for a good job. Second is ownership. Ralph Wilson is as reasonable and knowledgeable a football man as there is in any of the 32 owner's boxes. That's a big plus; just ask Steve Spurrier. Lastly, their salary cap is no longer a mess. The Bills figure to be about $10 million to $12 million to the good, although they'll have to deal with a $6 million bonus due Drew Bledsoe in November and the impending free agency of their best corner, Antoine Winfield. Although Buffalo will interview several coordinators, club president Tom Donahoe went bust hiring Gregg Williams with no head coaching experience last time, so look for him to go with a proven commodity. That could be Jauron, who did a better job in Chicago than he got credit for, Coughlin or Jim Fassel.
LEADING CANDIDATES: Anyone with head coaching experience and a dislike for Kevin Gilbride's offense.
4. CHICAGO: The Bears have a solid defense and a running game if Anthony Thomas's 1,000-yard season doesn't lead to the same kind of slippage that followed his outstanding rookie year. They have 60 players already under contract for next year and are still between $8 million to $12 million under the projected salary cap. That gives them tremendous flexibility in free agency. They also believe they have the young quarterback of the future in Rex Grossman, who started the final three games and won two. He also seemed to win over his teammates. None of the team's core players will be leaving in free agency and Jauron did a good job developing younger players, despite facing nearly sure dismissal. Because the contracts of GM Jerry Angelo and club president Ted Phillips were extended four years they will likely be tied to the incoming coach, who will also get a five-year deal.
LEADING CANDIDATES: As usual in Chicago they have no clue, although LSU's Nick Saban has a chance primarily because the Bears say they're unlikely to pursue a college coach. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Maryland's Ralph Friedgen are possibilities.
5. WASHINGTON: The Redskins are in reasonable cap shape but have to find a way to sign cornerback Champ Bailey, who becomes a free agent in March. They can franchise tag him but that would make him unhappy and probably trade bait just before the draft. The 'Skins have a lot more talent on offense than it appeared under Spurrier's system. If the new coach simply readjusts the blocking schemes in pass protection, Patrick Ramsey will stay upright more often. They need a running back with power to complement the passing game because Trung Canidate will never be reelected the starter, but there will be veteran runners available. Defensively, they are good but not great, which is why they are looking at Seattle defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes. He says he's not interested until after the playoffs and some people say he's not interested at all after failed stints as the boss in Green Bay and Philadelphia. Worst thing about the job is you're working for Snyder and have to accept Vinny Cerrato as personnel man and ownership's yes man. Coach regularly gets outvoted, 2-1, if he disagrees with Snyder. How bad was it? Spurrier left $15 million on the table to get away from this situation. LEADING CANDIDATE: Fassel. It's his job if he wants it, and word circulating at the end of last week is he wants it so he can come back and beat the Giants. That's no reason to work for Snyder.
6. ARIZONA: In theory this should be a great job. The Cardinals have $20 million in cap space and only one potential free agent loss of note. The problem is they have $20 million in cap space because ownership won't spend any money and they only have one potential free agent loss of note because they've already lost all their top talent the last three seasons. Winning in Arizona is near impossible under the Bidwill ownership. They do things like waste money on a star in nova like Emmitt Smith and then insist he play when his backup is clearly superior. The Cardinals were the youngest team in the league for the third year in a row, which means they aren't getting better they're getting cheaper, and their roster is so short on talent it's a wonder they won at all.
LEADING CANDIDATES: Fassel, but they won't get him, so Crennel is alive here, too.
7. OAKLAND: They still have salary cap problems, although they are about $3 million under the projected cap. The worst problem is they have grown way too old in way too many places and have a front office in transition with Allen and Lombardi looking to get out if they can. Allen was talking to Tampa last week about its GM job and Lombardi is also rumored to be putting out feelers. Defensively, cornerback Charles Woodson is disgruntled and a free agent. If he is retained he forms one of the NFL's best tandems with Phillip Buchanon, but this isn't flag football. Who plays in front of them? Not enough talent on the line or at linebacker to be competitive. Offensively, they are old at quarterback, old at receiver, old and fat along the offensive line, and average at running back. Add to that the fact that whoever comes in has to answer to Al Davis and you have a high-pressure situation without many weapons on your side of the fight. You'll hear a lot about Green the next few weeks but that's happened before and led to nothing. Same will be true this time. Look for Dallas offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon to get a long look as well as Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, but in the end Davis will do the unexpected.
LEADING CANDIDATE: Rick Neuheisel, ex-Colorado and University of Washington head coach.
On Mac: Fired Arizona coach Dave McGinnis may not be unemployed long. If Fassel lands a head coaching job other than the one with the Cardinals, he is likely to bring in McGinnis as defensive coordinator. McGinnis stands to be paid $1 million this year by the Cardinals, less whatever he earns coaching elsewhere. A friend of McGinnis categorized his firing this way last week: "He got a raise and he got away from the Bidwills," he said. "So how was that a bad deal?"
