Super Bowl Coaches Ready To Re-Enter The League

A little rumor that came out of Kentucky got us thinking. National Football Post announced Jon Gruden will be the #1 choice to replace Steve Kragthorpe as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals when the job comes available at the end of the season. This news will make Kragthorpe understandably uncomfortable but it got us thinking about the head coaches on the market right now.

Never before has there been so many young (in coaching terms), proven, Super Bowl winning head coaches on the market with so many desperate owners in need of someone to jump start their stale franchise. For the last couple seasons the trend has been to hire inexperienced assistants who brought a fresh mindset into teams that had been led by veteran task masters in the past. While some have worked out, others have not gotten the desired results. It will probably lead to a new trend in hiring experienced guys who own flashy rings instead of flashy resumes. Like everything in life, the NFL is circular.

There are five Super Bowl winning coaches on the market right now – some will argue that a few of them are perfectly content with their current situations – as well as a few assistants who are bound to land head jobs sooner rather than later. There should be more than enough openings to go around in the offseason, which could make for one of the deepest groups of head coaches that the league has ever seen.

Here’s a look at some potential Team-Coach relationships we could see forming in the near future:

Jon Gruden and The Redskins: Gruden’s heart is in the NFL. As much as he’s tried to rebuild his reputation during his time off – he has done a hell of a job at becoming more likeable during his time in the booth – by transforming himself into a coach that is open to younger players and new offensive systems, Gruden’s personality doesn’t blend well with the college game. Could you imagine ‘Chucky’ having to deal with the NCAA’s practice limitations, recruiting violations and student-athlete manipulation? It becomes even harder to imagine when Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is willing to open up his checkbook and give Gruden one of the most lucrative coaching deals in NFL history. Gruden would be a great fit in DC especially after learning how to deal with the media, and people in general, with more grace over the last year.

Tony Dungy and The Chargers: Remember when Indianapolis couldn’t get over the hump? Insert Dungy. The next thing you know the Colts are winning 12 games a year and cementing themselves as the model of consistency for the NFL. San Diego has reached a plateau under Norv Turner and is in danger of moving backwards this season. They don’t have enough balance on offense and get outcoached on a regular basis. Philip Rivers isn’t Peyton Manning – nobody is – but he has the skill set to win multiple Super Bowls. He just needs a few more playmakers around him and the stability on the sidelines to make it happen.

Bill Cowher and The Panthers: Carolina is another team that missed their opportunity to win a Super Bowl. After winning the NFC championship in his second season, John Fox hasn’t been able to put together a string of winning seasons. Consistency is Bill Cowher’s specialty. In his 15 years in Pittsburgh Cowher was over .500 in 12 of them and won 10 or more games nine times. Carolina might not have a Super Bowl roster eight now but they certainly aren’t a dumpster fire like other teams in this league. Cowher went to college at NC State and owns property in North Carolina, making the pot that much sweeter. There hasn’t been a better match since….well, Cowher and Pittsburgh.

Mike Shanahan and The Bills: Shanahan was surprisingly let go by Denver after last season after making the Broncos one of the most successful franchises in the NFL. He is the type of coach that desires control over the coaching staff and management. Marv Levy and Bill Polian worked together to build the best team in the AFC for an 8 year period in the late-80′s and early-90′s. The Bills would be willing to give Shanahan some control over personnel but he has to realize that there isn’t a man in today’s NFL that can handle both coach and GM duties successfully. Buffalo will be a great fit for Shanahan if his hunger for power subsides.

Leslie Frazier and The Jaguars: Jack Del Rio is a very good head coach but Jacksonville seems stagnant and the players in Jacksonville don’t seem to be as motivated as they once were. Once that happens to an NFL franchise, change becomes imminent. Frazier would inject energy into the franchise and give the Jaguars a fresh new feel. Frazier has been the mastermind of the Minnesota defense over the last few years. Frazier is the hottest assistant coach in the NFL and would be a great fit in Jacksonville.

Jason Garrett and The Cowboys: Jason Garrett isn’t the answer in the Dallas. He’s not going to change the culture in Dallas the way it needs to be overhauled but he will be the puppet that Jerry Jones likes and needs. Garrett has been the coach-in-waiting for a few years now and seems comfortable working under Jones. Garrett will drive Dallas down the same road and will remain under the same scrutiny that past Cowboy coaches have folded under. Garrett isn’t the best fit nor is he the most qualified but he will get this job because Jerry Jones isn’t willing to change.

If these coaching moves are made it would make 21 NFL teams who have made head coaching changes over the last three years. Some would immediately think it would leave the NFL with an unstable environment for coaches but in reality it would put the NFL in the best position coaching-wise that it has ever been in. With a mix of hot young coaches implementing their new systems and veteran coaches instituting their proven ways of success, the NFL coaching fraternity would be better than ever.