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Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009

NFL shifting toward fresher brand of coach

A week away from the Super Bowl, a page in NFL history is quietly being turned.

While the focus generally is on Sunday’s big game and how in the world the Arizona Cardinals managed to sneak into it, the landscape of NFL coaching is taking another step toward drastic change.

On Friday, the latest step came when Kansas City fired head coach Herm Edwards. Last week, it was the surprising termination of Jon Gruden’s job in Tampa Bay. Before that, Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy announced his retirement, and Mike Shanahan was kindly shown the door in Denver.

It appears that the big names of the NFL are no longer required, their services — and price tags — rendered obsolete. That’s bad news for former coaches like Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer, both of whom may or may not want to get back into coaching within the next few years.

The reputations of coaches like Cowher, Schottenheimer, Gruden, Dungy and those of their ilk are certainly unmatched, but perhaps it’s safe to say that reputation no longer wins games in the NFL.

Instead, what we’re seeing is the huge, overwhelming shift of teams in the market for a new head coach scouring the roster of coordinators and assistants in the league who have left their mark on a franchise or two. NFL teams aren’t looking to relive the past by hiring a proven genius; they’re looking for the next genius.

Who would have thought names like Gruden, Shanahan and Dungy would be replaced by Raheem Morris, Josh McDaniels and Jim Caldwell?

Who would have thought Mike Smith, John Harbaugh and Tony Sparano — all first-year head coaches who spent the 2007 season as coordinators or assistants — would have their respective teams in the playoffs while Bill Belichick, Wade Phillips and Mike Holmgren sat at home?

Look at the coaches getting ready for the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, in just his second year in the position, took over the Steelers as the highly touted defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings.

Ken Whisenhunt, before being hired by the Cardinals last year, was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.

Previous head coaching experience has turned into an optional quality in recent years, and that’s where things get tricky. Hiring unproven, unknown talent is hit or miss. Smith, Harbaugh and Sparano were all hits. Meanwhile, Romeo Crennel, Scott Linehan and Rod Marinelli were big misses.

Success in the NFL is more of a gamble now than it has ever been. Instead of teams knowing what they’re getting when a head coach takes over, things are largely a mystery these days.

It’s refreshing in a way that the NFL is becoming a newer, fresher entity, but it’s also sad to see some of the bigger names in coaching walk away from the NFL or, in worse cases, get kicked out.

There’s little doubt that coaches like Gruden and Edwards will find another place to call home, but they’ll now have to compete with the likes of the next touted assistants and coordinators for jobs, which is not only good for the NFL but for the fans, as well.

For better or worse, a new generation is being ushered into the limelight of the NFL. Only time will tell if it ends up being a hit or a miss.

Contact Jay Adams at 744-4401 or jadams@macon.com