NaboCane
I'm on my comma
I said this in Keith's VIP thread reviewing the Dirty Dozen coaches who have interviewed with the Dolphins, but I wanted to bring some new possibilities to you and expand on them here.
Huizenga may very well narrow the already-interviewed dozen coaches to 5 candidates by the end of the weekend, but for all we know the candidate most coveted by him or his advisers may still have game(s) left.
Personally, I don't think we've seen the end of the saga, nor will we see it until the right team is out of post-season contention.
You see, Huizenga's simply not the kind of guy who's going to say, "Oh, well - I'm not crazy about any of these guys, but I gotta make a decision here soon, so here goes." He'll wait for the right guy, the one who manages to make Wayne believe in him.
And Wayne may well have a certain choice in mind already, and is only waiting...which is what I believe.
Having said all that, don't rule out that he goes back to Carroll with a planeload of cash if there's no consensus; remember, the man is used to getting what he wants, and Carroll is the guy he went to a foreign country to see; you can't minimize the significance of that.
Here is a list of coaches who have not yet interviewed, and whose teams are still playing. One of them, I believe, will be our next Head Coach.
THE CANDIDATES:
THE WILD CARDS:
Marty Mornhingweg. It's a no-brainer, for the reasons I detailed above.
Who could be the big surprise hire? Josh McDaniels. If Huizenga does turn over the hire to Mueller...or, especially, on the extreme off-chance that Wayne lures Pioli to be our executive here, Pioli will reach for the bright young mind that he can work with, and McDaniels will become our new Head Coach.
Huizenga may very well narrow the already-interviewed dozen coaches to 5 candidates by the end of the weekend, but for all we know the candidate most coveted by him or his advisers may still have game(s) left.
Personally, I don't think we've seen the end of the saga, nor will we see it until the right team is out of post-season contention.
You see, Huizenga's simply not the kind of guy who's going to say, "Oh, well - I'm not crazy about any of these guys, but I gotta make a decision here soon, so here goes." He'll wait for the right guy, the one who manages to make Wayne believe in him.
And Wayne may well have a certain choice in mind already, and is only waiting...which is what I believe.
Having said all that, don't rule out that he goes back to Carroll with a planeload of cash if there's no consensus; remember, the man is used to getting what he wants, and Carroll is the guy he went to a foreign country to see; you can't minimize the significance of that.
Here is a list of coaches who have not yet interviewed, and whose teams are still playing. One of them, I believe, will be our next Head Coach.
THE CANDIDATES:
- Doug Marrone, OC/OL Saints: Described as "hard-edged and disciplined," Marrone has coached since the end of his playing days in 92. He served his first year as OC for the Saints in 06, but has an extensive record of executive management in football. He's a guy who would appeal to an owner looking for a no-nonsense approach in his coach, which could work against him in the sense that he would be compared to Saban for that.
- Chris Foerster, Assistant Head Coach/OL Ravens: Put down those torches...don't make me use the fire extinguishers! Yeah, he's connected to the Wannstedt administration. But so was Jim Bates, and I see a lot of buzz here about Bates, so...live with it. Foerster has coached for 24 years, and is highly thought-of on Billick's staff. He might not be on Huizenga's radar, but don't underestimate the Chairman of the Board - he's a shrewd executive, and you don't get to be one of those unless you pay attention. Foerster may well have impressed Wayne in his time here and the 2 ensuing years; he has to be a possibility.
- Ray Rhodes, Special Projects/Defense, Seattle: A long-shot because of his lack of success as a Head Coach; nonetheless, an experienced coach who has been instrumental in building the Seahawks' strong group on Defense, incorporating a good mix of youth with experience. An owner with an eye to the future, looking at his team's aging Defense has to see something that he likes in Rhodes.
- Marty Mornhingweg, Assistant Head Coach/OC: Here's your dark horse. Mornhingweg bombed in Detroit, yes; and Belichick bombed in Cleveland...and, well...you all know the story by now. Mornhingweg also has tutored some of the game's best Quarterbacks: Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Steve Young. As OC of the Niners in 98 he also had the first team in 58 years to lead the league in both rushing and passing. He's been coaching since 85; he has experience as a Head Coach; and he's been successful with agile, mobile Quarterbacks his whole career. That is a fact which cannot be ignored by a team looking for a Head Coach, with Daunte Culpepper on the roster. If Huizenga goes with experience, expect Mornhingweg to get a lot of play.
- Josh McDaniels, OC/QBC, Patriots: Surprised? Yeah, he's young; but he's also one of the hardest up-and-comers in the league. This kid is bright, a student of the game, and has had tremendous success with his Offense. His downside is no HC experience; his upside? Only that he's made Brady better than he already was, raising Tom's passer rating and YPC in both years that he's worked with him; Only that, under his tutelage, Matt Cassel has gone from college backup and 7th-round pick to one of the best #2 Quarterbacks in the league, throwing 2 touchdowns against our own Dolphins last year - and not in garbage-time, either. Only that he knows pro personnel like the back of his hand, because personnel and film prep was his responsibility when he first joined the Pats. If Huizenga takes a bold leap here, he could be hiring the next Don Shula; another possibility is that if Huizenga does the right thing and puts Mueller at the head of this operation, this could very well be the best person to coach under Mueller. His downside, besides age? He worked for Nick Saban at Michigan State.
THE WILD CARDS:
- Gary Reynolds, Offense QC, Seahawks: He's been in this role for Holmgren since 96 in Green Bay; no HC experience, but he is a bright young executive with an MS in Education and a penchant for knowing how all the parts and pieces fit together. Does he have the leadership? That's the question; but if he pops onto Huizenga's radar - or is already on it - and wows the interview...you never know. A wild card, to be sure, but keep an eye on him, becasue I won't be surprised if his name does come up after the Hawks lose this weekend.
- Rick Neuheisel, Quarterbacks Coach, Ravens: WHOA, WTF JOE?! You smoking something besides cigars? See, this is why it's called a "wild card..." because it's unlikely - but don't rule it out altogether. Because, despite doing one of the most stupid, moronic, bone-headed things that a college HC could ever do - betting on sports - the facts are that he bet on basketball, not football...and he has served his penitence now, having lost his cool job at the Udub and serving as a rank assistant for 2 years now. And the fact also is that, before he lost his freakin' mind and did that stupid thing, the guy was a good coach who had the Huskies headed in the right direction for the first time since Don James took his whiny act fishing full-time. I doubt he gets hired, OK...but don't rule out an interview. And if he wows that interview...
Marty Mornhingweg. It's a no-brainer, for the reasons I detailed above.
Who could be the big surprise hire? Josh McDaniels. If Huizenga does turn over the hire to Mueller...or, especially, on the extreme off-chance that Wayne lures Pioli to be our executive here, Pioli will reach for the bright young mind that he can work with, and McDaniels will become our new Head Coach.
Great sig.