Potential Head Coaches

[davos]

My gut says that JR will try to pry Tony Dungy out of retirement if he can.

And to be quite honest, out of all retreads, he would probably be at the top of my list.

But I have a question:

I am in no way shape or form suggesting this guy should be our coach, but what are the chances of Cam Cameron coming in here? He was pretty dismal as head coach in Miami but don't forget he is part of the Schottenheimer coaching tree with Cowher and he's from NC. If we are in fact looking into guys like Dungy & Cowher, I don't see why this guy wouldn't get an interview. Again, I think he's pretty terrible, but he'd probably be a good strategic "filler" interview

[mav1234]

Cameron would have to have an insanely good interview to get the job.

It would not be the first time a coach failed terribly in their first job before going on to greatness...

I just... doubt it.

[davos]

My targets would be Mike Heimerdinger, Russ Grimm, & yeah like everyone else Harbaugh

Heimerdinger is my top choice right now. I want to see how much more he can elevate Young this season, but he's done pretty well so far imo

[catnip]

If Cowher is our next head coach, maybe he can bring back Kevin Greene to the Panthers as a defensive coach .

[Mr. Scot]

Checking out for the weekend. DPman and others have given me some ideas for things to add to the profiles. I'll pick back up on Monday or Tuesday.

[panthers55]

In my opinion, too much is being made of how much experience or different venues each candidate has been, when that is not at all that relevant to a head coaches duties. Head coaches typically organize, manage and serve as a link between the players, coaches and front office. How much a defensive coordinator who is elevated to HC knows about the offense isn't really that important if he picks a great offensive mind as a coordinator for example. He has to have good people working for him not be that great of a football mind himself. He has to have worked for a great organization at some point so he knows what one looks like and has a model for his team. He has to have great people skills both managing coaches and managing players. And the list could go on and on. When I look around at guys like Gruden who had plenty of experience before coming to Tampa, you ask why did he bomb out?

Because he was a bastard to work for. Why did Capers fail or Seifert? Knowledge and experience weren't the problem, aloofness and poor people skills doomed both of them among others. When did Coughlin become a better coach? When he stopped controlling things and doing it all his way and listening to the players and coaches.

What makes a great head coach is the same thing that makes a great manager or great CEO or whatever. He needs the respect of his staff and players, he needs to hire great people who can carry out his wishes and he needs to have worked in a great system so he knows what a well run team looks like.

To that end we shouldn't hire anyone who doesn't have pro football experience. Experience as a player isn't necessary but gives a guy instant credibility and helps them understand what the players point of view.. Personality, philosophy, ability to work with others particularly the front office all seem to be very important qualities. Moreso than a litany of where they have been or how much experience they have in a bunch of systems.

[Remember Sam Mills]

What about Brian Billick? He may have his faults, but he had a winning record (85–67 regular season; 5-3 in playoffs). He also has a Super Bowl win.

I'm not saying he should be the 1st choice, but he should at least be looked at.

[EMSMedic79]

John Gruden?????

[magnus]

JIM HARBAUGH

CURRENT JOB: Head Coach, Stanford University

HISTORY: Stanford Head Coach (2007-present) San Diego University Head Coach (2004-2006) Raiders QB Coach (2002-2003) Western Kentucky University Volunteer Assistant (1994-2001)

DOB: 12/23/63 (46)

STRENGTHS: Great offensive mind, comes from a coaching family (worked with father Jack at WKU, brother John is head coach of the Baltimore Ravens) Has been on the rise and gotten pro attention (Jets interviewed him before going with Rex Ryan)

QUESTIONS: Minimal pro coaching experience (with a bad team). College coaches haven’t had such a stellar record coming into the NFL lately, and while he’s had some success as a college coach, he hasn’t contended for a national championship just yet

PANTHER CONNECTIONS: Multiple. His defensive coordinator is Vic Fangio, the very first DC of the Panthers (under Dom Capers). Harbaugh also employs another coach from the early Panther days. Specifically, Greg Roman, who was a defensive assistant and assistant strength and conditioning coach from 1995 to 2001. And then there’s special teams coach Brian Polian. Three guesses whose son he is.

Harbaugh finished his 15 year pro playing career with the Panthers in 2001 (dressed for six games, no playing time). The salary cap manager at the time of Harbaugh’s signing was a fellow by the name of Marty Hurney, so you’d expect the two to at least be acquainted.

And make of this what you will. After a 2008 game between Notre Dame and Stanford (the Irish won 28-21) Jimmy Clausen went to shake hands with Harbaugh, but Harbaugh turned and walked away. Harbaugh later said that he didn't see Clausen whom, incidentally, he had recruited before Clausen committed to Notre Dame.

WHO HE MIGHT BRING WITH HIM: Fangio and Roman would be no shock. Polian would be ironic. Also, you have to wonder, if the Panthers had a high enough pick to nab Stanford QB Andrew Luck, would Harbaugh go for him and perhaps attempt to trade current starter Jimmy Clausen to whatever West Coast Offense team would give up a decent offer?

ODDS AND ENDS: Harbaugh once slugged former Bills QB Jim Kelly for questioning his toughness - he apparently called Harbaugh "a baby" - while Kelly was an analyst for NBC. He later apologized (sort of). Also had a bit of a dustup with Pete Carroll over comments he made about Carroll leaving for the NFL (turned out he was right). He's got a pinky finger on his right hand that doesn't quite go in the right direction, not that it means anything. Has a Twitter page (http://twitter.com/jimharbaugh) which is a bit unusual for a football coach. Also is co-owner of an Indy Racing League team called, ironically enough, Panther Racing.

ANALYSIS: Harbaugh’s definitely one of the more intriguing options, but it’s up in the air whether he’s really ready to be a pro head coach. If he were to be hired, he’d be the first primarily offensive-minded coach in Panther history. Some would say that’s a plus, since hiring offensive minded coaches are the hot thing these days. Throw in that, given what I've seen about his personality, there's a good chance he'd give the beat writers a lot more to write about than John Fox ever did.

I don't think I noticed Fangio on there (and you know I've pointed out Roman a few times). He's new, as of this year, so maybe I just didn't look hard this time. Fangio's apparently thrown them back in as a 3-4 team, and again that's not a positive (nor would any Dallas employee, since that's apparently going to have to be covered, or any Steeler 3-4 guy).

Wasn't Polian one of the ones escorted out in March 98 after Bill left? Yikes. Between Fangio's firing in 98, the younger Polian being forced out not much before, and Harbaugh being here the last few games of 01, you have to admit their stops in Carolina all had a stigma to them.

For me, an ideal would be Harbaugh (since he's my top choice right now), but keeping the defensive staff together (or at the very least, the front seven and Meeks). There are plenty more defensive prospects for head coach than offensive (Sean McDermott's always been popular, and that defense hasn't let up, plus that coaching tree is wildly successful), but I think it's smart to at least consider scenarios where Meeks stays over ones where he wouldn't.

That of course suggests that he and the D would stay instead of go with Fox (as I might expect of Skipper, Magazu, Gilhamer) or just go out wherever for other opportunity.

[magnus]

Just to throw a name out there that I don't know if anyone has mentioned.....Charlie Weis.

He is doing a good, not great the defense is doing great, job in KC this year. Of course all thoes years with New England helps and he does have head coaching experience(in college). I know he is a good friend of Fox so I don't know if that would help or hurt his cause or his wanting to coach here. Oh yea and we have this player at qb I think that has played for him before I belive.

His problem at Notre Dame was always defense, his offenses always seemed to score but they could not stop anyone. Here we already have a defense the offsense is the problem and Clausen should know it by now.

Personally not the way I would go but just some food for thought.

btw, not a Notre Dame fan. I just wanted to say that.

not against Weis given the Clausen thing, and he has ties to this current staff, but that's part of why he's never come here, too.

For one, in 02, when he had no contract, he wanted to be here with Fox, allegedly, but we didn't get him because of money. Not that we couldn't pay him, but that we were barely paying Fox $750k and Weis was already making more than that. So he suggested Henning, who was his QBs coach in NY (and succeeded him when Groh became the next coach, and then was out of football). After Henning went, who was the next OC? Davidson, Weis' right hand man (out of all the guys, or at least after Rehbein died) and the only other guy to make calls while Weis was there.

So, you could say, at worst, Weis has led us down two terrible paths and recommended us a franchise QB that may bust. At best, he gave us two conservative coaches that fit what we wanted and a QB who the jury's out on.

For me, I see Fox asking for, and getting, two somewhat solid coaches who did what he wanted them to do, because we didn't go get the right guy in the first place, followed by a QB that fits us but isn't ready. If Fox is gone, it's partially because this franchise did him wrong, and I don't know if that's going to sit well with Weis, a good friend, regardless of Clausen.

But if he comes, again, he's a 3-4 guy, and while I like the original Belichick Pro Multiple D that goes from 3-4 to 4-3 easily, I still think our defense at the very least needs to stay 4-3 and preferably with its current DC.

[magnus]

SEAN McDERMOTT

PANTHER CONNECTIONS: Coached against the Panthers in the disastrous 2009 opener.

WHO HE MIGHT BRING WITH HIM: Dick Jauron, current Eagles DB coach and an experienced DC. Given his Eagle background, reasonable to expect he'd want a West Coast guy for an OC, something which would be more suited to Jimmy Clausen's strengths than our current system.

I think it's more likely that Jauron is in line to take over McDermott's job. I'm not against McDermott being young, or being a WCO guy. It fits a lot - Steve, the backs, the TEs that aren't King, and fixes the initial problem of keeping drives going.

I don't like that he's a ginger, but that's just me being a dick.

Anyone remember Assistant LBs coach Mike Caldwell as a special teamer on our 03 team? Third tier assistants are still easy to get, because of pay and prestige. I don't know I see anyone else from that particular team coming with McDermott (and they've lost plenty, with Johnson dying, with the elder Harbaugh coming onto the D then leaving, with Spagnuolo going, and so on), and I'd prefer to have a random coach than Morninwheg.

That's a downside of picking up a guy who's coached for no one but the team he's on, he's made only a few connections outside his circle.

Which, as an aside, since the 49ers staff looks in shambles, you could pick out guys for various coaches on this list - Kurt Schottenheimer on defense or his current ST role, for either Brian or Marty; Tom Rathman, if you were dying for a WCO guy and could bring him along; Mike Solari, for any scenario where you don't want terrible lineplay (this year apparently excepted for the 9ers). Also, looking at this presumably doomed Bills staff and I see nothing I'd want, including Gailey. Maybe George Edwards as LBs, but ehh.

[koolkatluke]

Don't count out Mike Mccoy.

[rayzor]

Don't count out Mike Mccoy.

i seriously don't get the mccoy love.

what has that guy done to make anyone think he'd be successful?

[magnus]

McCoy is a guy whose name is recognizeable. That's about all. I mean, there's a resume he could put together based on stats, but we know McDaniels runs that show. And even to that end, they got their ass straight handed to them by Baltimore.

But if they figure Clausen needs a friend, they can hire McCoy.