So much for a happy New Year.
Black Monday reared its ugly head around the National Football League as seven head coaches were dismissed on the final day of 2012.
With rumours and speculation starting to form, here is a primer of who could be possible candidates to fill the multiple coaching vacancies across the league.
Fired: Ken Whisenhunt
The skinny: After losing 10 of their final 11 games, the Cardinals decided to overhaul and pulled the plug on GM Rod Graves and Ken Whisenhunt.
Names to watch:
-Ray Horton (Cardinals defensive co-ordinator): Horton is the top in-house candidate but is gaining steam for many jobs around the league. He led an impressive turnaround with the Cardinals defence after coming over from Pittsburgh.
-Andy Reid (Former Eagles head coach): Reid has reportedly already scheduled an interview with Arizona. He would be a logical fit to pair up with Kevin Kolb, a player he was very high on when they were together in Philadelphia.
-Mike McCoy (Broncos offensive co-ordinator): McCoy is one of the hottest young co-ordinators in the league. He’s done great work acclimating Peyton Manning in Denver but his best coaching came last season where he was able to adapt and build an offence around Tim Tebow.
Fired: Chan Gailey
The skinny: With three straight losing seasons under Gailey, the Bills felt it was time to go in a different direction.
-Lovie Smith (Former Bears head coach): Smith is a proven winner and would be a strong fit with the Bills personnel on defence. He is said to be interested in the job but he would need to be tied with a strong offensive co-ordinator.
-Ken Whisenhunt (Former Cardinals coach): Early reports say Bills management is high on Whisenhunt, who has ties to GM-in-waiting Doug Whaley from their days with the Steelers. The highly-respected coach had a 45-41 record in his tenure in Arizona.
-Doug Marrone (Syracuse head coach): Marrone has reportedly lined up an interview with the Bills. This would be a surprising choice but could be a logical fit if the organization is high on quarterback prospect Ryan Nassib.
Report: Russ Brandon “fond” of Ken Whisenhunt wp.me/p14QSB-6QYw — ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 1, 2013
Report: Russ Brandon “fond” of Ken Whisenhunt wp.me/p14QSB-6QYw
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 1, 2013
Fired: Pat Shurmur
The skinny: The Browns are entering a new era after firing GM Tom Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur. With a new ownership group in place, this is said to be one of the best available gigs.
-Chip Kelly (Oregon head coach): The Browns have reportedly targeted the dynamic offensive mind as their top choice. Kelly is the kind of big-name coach Joe Banner would love to have but questions remain if he would want to work in Cleveland.
-Jay Gruden (Bengals offensive co-ordinator): If the Browns miss out on Kelly, they could turn to rising offensive assistant Jay Gruden, the brother of ESPN commentator Jon Gruden. He’s played a big role in Andy Dalton’s development and already has vast knowledge of the AFC North.
-Bill O’Brien (Penn State head coach): The longtime NFL assistant is said to be atop many coaching lists around the league but it remains unclear whether O’Brien would leave Penn State after one year.
Two high-ranking #NFL personnel execs say Oregon HC Chip Kelly is the clear #1 choice for the Browns. — Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) January 1, 2013
Two high-ranking #NFL personnel execs say Oregon HC Chip Kelly is the clear #1 choice for the Browns.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) January 1, 2013
Fired: Lovie Smith
The skinny: The Bears parted ways with Smith after the team was unable to make the playoffs after starting 7-1. Chicago wants someone with a stronger offensive background.
-Jon Gruden (ESPN analyst): Keep your eye on Gruden for the Bears gig. They have a veteran roster and most importantly an established quarterback, something Gruden reportedly would require for him to leave his cushy ESPN job.
-Dirk Koetter (Falcons offensive co-ordinator): Koetter has become a popular name in league circles after his success with Matt Ryan and the Falcons in his first year running the offence. Expect him to interview during the Falcons’ bye week.
-Mike McCoy (Broncos offensive co-ordinator): Just like Arizona, McCoy was one of the first names to surface for the Bears opening. Bears GM Phil Emery said he wants a more adaptable coach, one of McCoy’s true strengths.
Emery says he wants adaptable coach who can find ways to win with a big chunk of #Bears roster — Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 1, 2013
Emery says he wants adaptable coach who can find ways to win with a big chunk of #Bears roster
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 1, 2013
Fired: Romeo Crennel
The skinny: After the failed Romeo Crennel experiment, the Chiefs want a stronger presence from their next head coach. GM Scott Pioli’s status remains in limbo.
-Bruce Arians (Colts offensive co-ordinator): Arians did stunning work while running the Colts when Chuck Pagano was recovering from leukemia. He has experience developing quarterbacks (Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger) and would be great fit for a team in desperate need of franchise quarterback.
-Kirk Ferentz (Iowa head coach): Ferentz has strong ties to Pioli and has long been his ideal choice for the Chiefs job. Kansas City may look for someone with more NFL experience though.
-Perry Fewell (Giants defensive co-ordinator): Fewell had a huge part in the Giants Super Bowl run last season. The Chiefs already have strong personnel on defence and he would fit well with the organization. They would still need someone to run the offence, however.
Fired: Andy Reid
The skinny: After 14 seasons, the Eagles had seen enough out of Reid. Jeffrey Lurie won’t be afraid to make a splash and is willing to spend whatever it takes to win.
-Chip Kelly: Just like the Browns, the Eagles are said to be gushing over the possibility of landing an offensive mind like Kelly. Kelly would transition nicely into Andy Reid’s old football czar role and could form a dangerous pairing with Michael Vick.
-Greg Roman (49ers offensive co-ordinator): Roman has gained steam around the league after helping turn a dreadful 49ers offence into a respectable unit in his two seasons with the club. He has been successful with two very different quarterbacks in Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick during his tenure with Jim Harbaugh’s club.
-Mike Nolan (Falcons defensive co-ordinator): Nolan is a proven defensive mind but was not very successful in his first go-around with the 49ers. Considered a long shot but could be a fallback choice if the Eagles can’t land one of the top offensive minds.
Names sources tell me on eag owner jeff lurie coach list. Bill Obrien,dirk koetter,greg Roman,bruce arians,chip kelly @profootballtalk — Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) December 31, 2012
Names sources tell me on eag owner jeff lurie coach list. Bill Obrien,dirk koetter,greg Roman,bruce arians,chip kelly @profootballtalk
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) December 31, 2012
Fired: Norv Turner
The Skinny: The Chargers will be first looking to fill their vacant GM spot after canning A.J. Smith along with Turner on Monday. San Diego could choose to stick with another offensive head coach.
-Jon Gruden: This is another possible fit for Gruden. They already have a Pro Bowl quarterback in Philip Rivers and San Diego is one of the few cities that could convince Gruden to leave his job at ESPN.
-Bruce Arians: Arians is said to be a popular choice amongst the Chargers executives and would be a nice pairing with Rivers. He could retain defensive co-ordinator John Pagano, who is the brother of Arians’ current boss and good friend.
-Andy Reid: Reid is from the Southern California area and would likely enjoy being out of the media spotlight he was under in Philadelphia. The question remains whether the Chargers management would be willing to pay Reid’s pricetag.
Follow along on sportsnet.ca as we’ll update you with the latest news on off-season changes around the NFL.
