The circus is in town, and it has settled into Lincoln Financial Field and it’s environs. I teased in an earlier post about the absurdities of the names that are being bandied about for the position. I maintain that Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher will not be the next Eagles coach. They’re pipe dreams, and I believe, the wrong men for the job.
Now I hear that Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly has been tapped for an interview. After his team’s scintillating performance against Alabama, I can see why they’d be so hot to trot. Just remember the Chip Kelly and Bill O’Brien lesson: both will likely look for more money from their respective schools, and neither, I believe, had any intention of taking a pro job.
So what else was on what passes for my mind? The Eagles will apparently be interviewing former Chicago Bears head man Lovie Smith. He’s an interesting coach, but, in essence, he’s very much like Andy Reid. Appearances in the playoffs, losses where there should have been wins, and considered a disappointment despite an overall enviable record. If your team is the Seahawks or Browns, Lovie Smith would be a great coach.
Not if you’re the Eagles. The Eagles need someone who is no-nonsense, a regular guy. Someone who comes with little fanfare, has a fairly deep NFL coaching resume, and – most important of all: Can get players to believe in his way and has a strong coaching tree.
In the last 20 years, few coaches have impacted the NFL more than Bill Parcells. His coaching tree includes Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin, who have five Super Bowl wins between them. Parcells is pretty much responsible for the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys having been competitive teams. All of these teams were in pretty dubious shape when he took over, and all of them improved immediately and for a good long while.
And then there’s the Dolphins. Parcells was named Executive VP of Football Operations in 2008 and named Tony Sparano coach. Sparano led the Fins to an 11-5 record in 2008 and a playoff appearance. Things didn’t go as well after that, and both Parcells and Sparano were gone after the 2011 season. Sparano then resurfaced as the offensive coordinator of the Jets in 2012. He was fired on January 7th after a lackluster season.
The Eagles could do a lot worse than Tony Sparano. The Dolphins were thin on talent in 2011, but they never quit on Sparano, winning six of the last nine games. This was done under great duress, during a time when the Dolphins managment very publicly and unprofessionally wooed coaches while Sparano still held the job. With this type of base leadership, it’s no wonder Sparano couldn’t make a truly decent team there.
Now, stop that scoffing and reread that last paragraph. When was the last time any Eagles team played with that much heart? They quit on Reid. It’s clear that Reid was gone anyway, but there was no team unity and no indication that the team felt anything for their coach. All I got from them was that they were waiting for the season to end. And so it did. With a big splat.
Sparano had to deal with his management interviewing other coaches while he was trying to save a sinking ship. The Fins started the season 0-7 and finished 6-10. That means that they were 1-7 and 5-3 if you split the seasons. Compare that to this year’s Eagles: 3-5 and 1-7.
I like the idea of a coach that inspires loyalty in his team, a coach that the players supported. A coach that the players felt that they had let down. A coach that the players were not happy to see leaving town.
Again, compare that to the Eagles. The fans, and seemingly, the players, were not all that upset about seeing Reid leaving. Everyone who bleeds Eagles green seems all too happy to blame Reid for the team’s woeful performance. Not much team unity or coach loyalty at all.
Oh – and in additon to being a part of Parcell’s coaching tree, Sparano has also spent time on the staffs of Marty Schottenheimer, Coughlin and Wade Phillips. This is a pretty good pedigree.
Philadelphia wants a winner, and it’s clear from the coach talk that the fans are willing to divorce reality when they talk about who should replace Andy Reid. More than anything, the Eagles need someone who is accountable, has a good coaching pedigree and doesn’t get into petty skirmishes with media or players. They need a good football coach.
They could do a lot worse than Tony Sparano. I expect some dissension and dismissiveness directed toward this recommendation, but I stand by it. Compared to some of the other names being proposed, is this idea really all that ridiculous? I think not.
Andy Blank
Mike Frangione
Michael Rappa
It’s not a ridiculous suggestion, though his failure with the Jets probably makes him a hard sell (even though it was mostly due to personnel). I want someone with NFL experience, not a college coach with a gimmicky offense, so I was glad that Chip Kelly turned them down. They won’t get Gruden or Cowher or anyone else who might want complete control because Lurie is in love with Howie Roseman running things. That leaves a coordinator out to prove himself, preferably one who actually likes to run the ball once in a while. I wouldn’t mind a guy from the defensive side of the ball.
Mike – What a compelling presentations of facts. Some questions…
Parcells is what, 71 years old? Can he possibly be lured out of retirement to play for Philadelphia? How much would he ask for? $7 million? $8 million? Also – how many Eagles fans would endorse having a former COWBOYS coach at the helm? To some that might be worse that having a Dog-Killer as your franchise QB.
Sparano is closer to Andy Reid’s age – maybe a couple of years younger, actually. If he were to coach the Eagles next season and finish 8-8, then he’d probably secure several more years of job security to bring the team to up” Championship caliber.”
Good blog. But was it intentional on your part that you stopped short of using the words: “The Eagles need to hire Parcells or Sparano as Head Coach.”
The main reason I didn’t say “The Eagles need to hire Parcells or Sparano as Head Coach” is that I am only advocating Sparano. I did say that the Eagles could do a lot worse than Tony Sparano. I could have said “The Eagles need to hire Sparano as Head Coach,” but that sort of statement would put me in the same kind of category as the dopes who make up sports radio listeners. I elected to merely state my opinion on this subject and leave it at that. I concede that the Eagles organization is more qualified than I am to make a decision like this.
However, since you mention Parcells as coach, I admit I did consider advocating for him, as his name would be no more idiotic a name to throw out there than the happily retired Gruden or Cowher. But I figured that The Tuna is quite happy in retirement, and would most likely just stay there. As with Chucky and Steely McBeam, it would be great for the Eagles to have such a coach. It’s just not something I can see happening.
Stepping into the imaginary for a moment, I also think that Eagles fans would (and should) be thrilled to think that a coach of Parcell’s caliber might be the head man. Despite the taint of having been a Cowboys coach. It’s hard to root against the guy – he’s exactly the kind of coach that I think Philly fans would respond well to. No BS, he tells you what he thinks and he gets results. Every one of his teams went from nothing to playoffs.
I wish the Eagles had paid a little more than lip service to their interview with Lovie Smith. I think he’d be a good fit here in a town that loves great defenses. His track record is solid (a Super Bowl and two NFC Championship appearances) and he was fired after a 10-6 season, so he didn’t exactly leave his team in shambles the way Reid did.
I think that Smith would have been a good call if the previous coach hadn’t been Reid. Smith has a similar coaching resume, and no Super Bowl wins. The defensive minded approach would be good, but I wonder if Smith would just be a same stuff, different coach situation.
I’m not sure I would disqualify him over the lack of a Super Bowl; there aren’t too many coaches out there who have won one. Yes, his demeanor is similar to Reid but Smith wouldn’t bring the smarmy condescension that Reid always did to his press conferences, which is the biggest reason why this city never warmed up to him. On the other hand, the fans have always loved defensive coaches, and Smith still had his team playing winning football (you don’t often get fired after a 10-6 record). They could do worse.
I agree that no Super Bowl shouldn’t disqualify him. Sadly, sports radio in Philly is very much leaning in that direction. It would be refreshing to hear a coach answer a question and give it some thought. As for the 10-6, it is interesting that he was fired after that, but he did close out the season on a losing note after starting strong. Sparano or Smith? Probably neither of the above…
By the way, getting fired after 10-6 seems pretty odd. The Chargers take the cake, though, firing Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 season.
Yeah, amazing that they would fire such a good coach after a 14-2 season and then years later hang on to a mediocre Norv Turner for so long. BTW, Buddy Ryan was also fired after a 10-6 season, but that had more to do with personality conflict than anything else.
I have a feeling the coach will be somebody that nobody has heard of, unless Lurie is waiting for some of the playoff teams to get eliminated so he can talk to their coaches.