Head coaching moves tend to grab the headlines – and the guys who get hired tend to grab the big bucks – but some of the assistant coaching moves can be real head-scratchers. Although Jeff Fisher picking The Arch over South Beach is one to make you think, isn’t it? Then again, maybe he was picking the NFC West over the AFC East?
I remember when I got fired by the San Diego Chargers. The team had just lost in the AFC Championship game after an 11-5 2007 regular season and the year before we were 14-2. I was told the team was going in “another direction.” Not to sound like sour grapes, but in hindsight, they were correct!
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Atlanta’s former offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey to be their next head coach and added Bob Bratkowski, the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach, to be their next offensive coordinator. Bratkowski had been the leader of the offense in Cincinnati for 10 seasons before his one year in Hotlanta. Atlanta countered by hiring Jacksonville’s 0ffensive coordinator of five years, Dirk Kotter. Is it me, or is this like the NFL version of “Wife Swap.” The least these guys can do is to keep the local realtors happy by buying and not renting.
Big changes in Oakland. Former Raider (and who isn’t a former Raider) Reggie McKenzie, who played for the L.A. Raiders from 1985-88 and was my teammate (yes, I was a Raider in ’87 and ’88), becomes general manager. McKenzie was a tough backup linebacker who excelled on special teams. He spent the last 18 seasons getting ready for the big chair by paying his dues working in the personnel department of the Green Bay Packers. McKenzie got to watch first-hand how to deal with the quarterback position as Packers’ GM Ted Thompson performed a high-wire act balancing Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers without a bobble.
Talked to former Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn last weekend before the playoff game in New England. Remember Quinn is the backup to Tim Tebow. Quinn had nine starts with the Cleveland Browns back in 2009 and actually threw more touchdowns than interceptions (8/7). How close Quinn was to getting off the bench in Denver this past season we may never know — all the Tebow magic that was on display made you forget about those rumors he could see action in the Wild Card round against Pittsburgh, didn’t it? Quinn’s a former #1 pick of the Browns in 2007 and he should have a lot tread left on his wheels. He just needs someone to let him out for a spin around the block.
Drafting and developing quarterbacks is the biggest decision – other than the price of luxury boxes – an NFL club has to deal with. Your GM, head coach and offensive coordinator are all tied to that one player. Draft one with your first-round pick, like Peyton or Eli and many others, or develop one, like Tony Romo, Matt Hasselbeck or Kyle Orton to a lesser degree. Or maybe trade for an aging veteran like Carson Palmer or Donovan McNabb – or Matt Hasselbeck again. Maybe you’ll draft a diamond-in-the-rough like Tom Brady, or you might roll the dice and strike a Tebow! It’s an inexact science to say the least. So, to all the new GMs, head coaches and offensive coordinators out there, good luck.
– James Lofton
James Lofton is an analyst for Westwood One/Westwood One’s coverage of the NFL. This weekend he’ll be back in Foxboro – alongside Dave Sims and Tony Boselli (sidelines) – for our coverage of the AFC Championship. Joe Flacco (1st-round pick) and the Ravens take on Tom Brady (6th round) and the Patriots for a place in Super Bowl XLVI. Coverage begins Sunday at 2 PM Eastern.
