Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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Normally at this time of year it's a dizzying effort to follow the head coaches moving from team to team around the league. But this year the spinning never really started for experienced head coaches. Instead teams whirled up fresh new faces onto the scene, defying the typical motion of the carousel.
The fresh meat:
Rod Marinelli in Detroit, former defensive line coach in Tampa. He's never even been a coordinator.
Sean Payton in New Orleans, former offensive coordinator in Dallas.
Gary Kubiak in Houston, former Denver offensive coordinator.
Eric Mangini in New York, after just one year as defensive coordinator in New England.
Scott Linehan in St. Louis, former Miami offensive coordinator.
Brad Childress in Minnesota, former Philadelphia offensive coordinator
Just two with head coaching experience successfully rode the carousel to new gigs. Dick Jauron left his interim job in Detroit for Buffalo, and Herman Edwards was traded to the Chiefs for a 4th round draft pick. Oakland has yet to hire a coach, but they are widely assumed to be awaiting Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. He's never been a head man either.
The league has been trending this direction over the past couple of years, but the sheer volume of new hirings this year is what's really drawing the attention. What also draws attention are the high profile, successful, experienced head coaches that got thrown off the carousel. Mike Sherman, Mike Martz, Jim Fassel, Jim Haslett, Art Shell, Mike Tice, Jim Mora Sr., and Dan Reeves have all led teams to the playoffs in the last decade. Sherman, Martz, and Tice were in the playoffs in 2004. So why did the spinning wheel not stop on any of them?
The first reason is money. Experienced head coaches demand higher salaries. Very few owners (Dan Snyder being the ultimate exception) care to spend tens of millions of dollars on their coaches. Don't forget that when a coach is fired, his contract is guaranteed, unlike his players that cost him the job. Bringing in green blood is a great way for bottom line obsessed owners to save some green in their pockets.
The second reason is the current state of successful teams in the league. Look at the top franchises the past few years: New England, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, Denver. All of those teams have strong head coaches that are largely separated from GM duties. Many people believe there's no coincedence in Seattle making the Super Bowl and Coach Mike Holmgren relinquishing his personnel duties. Typically the experienced coaches want more control over drafting, free agency, and roster management, while the newbies are excited just to coach the team. You're seeing the demise of the Head Coach/GM, and no inexperienced assistant coach is going to credibly demand personnel responsibilities.
Reason number three is the relative success of the inexperienced. Brian Billick, Marvin Lewis, Lovie Smith, Jim Mora Jr., Herman Edwards, and Bill Callahan all had great success in improving their teams' standings almost immediately after taking over as head coaches. Don't forget that Bill Cowher, Andy Reid, and Mike Martz all made Super Bowls within two years from that same background. If you can save money and still have great success, why not?
I'm of the belief that just about every head coach deserves two shots. After all, Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan were both considered failures after their first jobs; now they're two of the very best coaches in the game. There is little doubt in my mind that many of the experienced coaches I listed earlier could be successful with another team. I'm a firm believer that people learn from their mistakes and adapt accordingly. And as some of the green coaches hired this year fail miserably, more owners and fans will bring up the list of those rookie coaches that recently stunk: Chris Palmer, Marty Morninwheg, Mike Mularkey, Butch Davis, Steve Spurrier, Mike Riley, Gregg Williams, and others. That's when you'll see the coaching carousel stopping on the more familiar, experienced names once again.
