Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Coaching Carousel Spins

We've been quiet on the NFL coaching changes since the post about black Monday a couple of weeks back, but I'll comment quickly on the changes:

Herman Edwards is the new man in charge. Known as a likeable guy, but shaky game manager, he should keep the ship afloat in KC, ensuring a continued string of 9-7 seasons. He won't outcoach many people, but his players should stay positive, and
One other thing to comment on here. One commentator, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, is outraged by Herman Edwards' move. I don't agree with this at all for a few reasons. For one, the Jets agreed to let him go to the Chiefs, so there was no behind the scenes maneuvering. Second, there was talk that Edwards wouldn't last the off-season (and if he had, it was unlikely he'd make it to the end of the 2 years left on his contract), so it was a smart career move, not a backstabbing of the Jets organization, to leave.
This isn't at all like the situations of Larry Brown, Jon Gruden, Larry Brown again etc. who maneuvered themselves into more lucrative positions and left their current employer holding the bag.

• Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator Brad Childress has landed the top job in Minnesota. Childress, long considered one of the best coordinators in the league, was long overdue for a shot at a head coaching job. He has some talent to build around, so as long as he keeps them focused on the game and not their, ahem, extracurricular activities, he could see some success as early as this coming season.

As a side note, taking Childress' old job in Philadelphia is ex-Lions Head Coach Marty Mornhinweg. I think it's a safe bet that whatever responsibilities Andy Reid gives him, calling the coin toss won't be one of them.

• And now, the Green Bay Packers are poised to fill their vacancy with San Francisco 49ers Offensive Coordinator Mike McCarthy, which begs the question, did they see the 49ers offense this year? Oh boy. Incidentally, the last 49ers Offensive Coordinator to be elevated to Head Coach: Marty Mornhinweg. I hope for the sake of Packer fans that this isn't a trend.

And a final note. It's up in the air as to how much of a factor Brett Favre's status was in the hiring of McCarthy. It's safe to say "some", but who knows if it's more than that.

• There are still 7 vacancies to be filled, but it doesn't look like there's a lot of love for the group of recently dismissed coaches. I still expect Martz to surface somewhere, but he might be it unless Haslett can nab the Jets job, as was rumored last week.

One non-coaching related note to end:
USC Tailback LenDale White has declared for the draft. He should go in the mid-late first round, and don't be surprised if he ends up as the Rookie of the Year. He's a great runner who's game is built for the NFL; he didn't get the press he deserved because he shared a backfield with two Heisman winners. Now, he's probably going to a contending team, which should ensure a successful career right off the bat.

5 Comments:

At 11:07 PM, Blogger Greg said...

Kevin . . . Andy . . . how does one go about emailing you guys? I had a question to ask you. I tried sending it to Kevin@edmontonoilersuperfan.com, but it got bounced back. Andy@somewhereincanada.com didn't work either. If you don't want to make it public, you can email me from my website. Thanks.

 
At 12:25 AM, Blogger andy grabia said...

"did they seethe 49ers offense"

I know you seethed about the 49ers offense all season, but is that what you meant?

My understanding of the Edwards situation is that he did make a committment to come back, even stood in front of the players and told them he was coming back, before deciding to bolt.

 
At 5:27 AM, Blogger Alex said...

See the, that should say.

 
At 7:43 AM, Blogger andy grabia said...

I emailed you, Greg. Hope you got it.

 
At 4:39 PM, Blogger Greg said...

I did. Thanks. I'll email you later tonight.

 

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