Coordinators not always worthy of another lead gig

By Michael Silver
October 6, 2009


It’s as inevitable as a Terrell Owens swipe at his quarterback, a tawdry reality-TV scandal, or a booth of broadcasters competing with one another to gush over Brett Favre’s greatness – and, I would argue, it’s equally annoying.

I call it the Coordinator Cleansing Phenomenon, and here’s how it works: A hot NFL assistant, usually in charge a successful team’s offense or defense, gets hired as a head coach. A few years later he is dismissed, having failed to win enough games and to make the tricky transition from brainy play-caller to big-picture overseer.

So he takes another job as a coordinator and – lo and behold – he’s still good at serving in that role. The unit he oversees on his new team has some early success, and suddenly he is being talked up once again as a hot head-coaching candidate, causing otherwise semi-stable people like myself to bang my BlackBerry against my head in frustration.

The reason I bring this up is that, during my visit to Denver this weekend to see the Broncos defeat the Cowboys, I heard a lot of people heap praise upon the job Mike Nolan has done as defensive coordinator. This is understandable. The Broncos, who gave up 112 points in their final three games of ’08, have allowed just 26 in their first four (all victories) this season.

Then, while flying home in a sleep-deprived state of delirium, I read on the ultra-insider site profootballtalk.com that in the wake of their respective teams’ fast starts, Nolan and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams have catapulted “back to the ‘A’ list” of head-coaching candidates for 2010.

In the case of Williams, who previously has been a terrific defensive coordinator in Tennessee and Washington, I can understand why his name might be in play: There were some mitigating factors that kept him from winning during his stint as the Bills’ head coach from 2001-03 – chiefly, a lack of support from general manager Tom Donahoe – and I believe he learned from the experience and would be less tightly wound and more effective in a second go-around.

But Nolan? Really? This is the guy who had full control of personnel during most of his time as the 49ers’ head coach (from 2005-08), made a big stink by choosing Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the ’05 draft, hung said quarterback out to dry by suggesting he wasn’t really injured as Smith tried to play through a shoulder injury that later required surgery and was so arrogant and unable to motivate that he finally was fired with an 18-37 career record seven games into last season. Then one of his assistants, Mike Singletary, took over and had more success with the same players.

Given that Nolan was a successful defensive coordinator for the Ravens from 2002-04, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’d still be good at that job. I applaud him for the great work he’s doing in Denver, yet the notion that he’s now in play for another head-coaching job is maddening.

There’s a huge difference between running a unit and running a team, and some people are better suited to the former role than the latter. That doesn’t mean Nolan isn’t ultimately capable of learning from his 49ers experience, adapting and thriving as a head coach if given another opportunity. But Nolan’s ability to come up with effective defensive game plans and achieve results in Denver provides zero evidence that he’s ready for another head-coaching opportunity.

Look, I don’t mean to pick on Nolan. (OK, maybe I do, but there are others to pick on as well.) We were hearing the same rumblings about Mike Martz as a hot candidate after the Lions’ offense put up some impressive numbers in the early stages of the ’06 season. I realize Martz was a winning head coach who took the Rams to a Super Bowl, but as I detailed in Sports Illustrated article shortly before he was fired, the man had some serious leadership issues toward the end of his tenure in St. Louis.

On a much more depressing note, we should probably brace ourselves for the repackaging of Cam Cameron (Ravens offensive coordinator), Rod Marinelli (Bears assistant head coach/defensive line) and Marty Mornhinweg (Eagles offensive coordinator) if their units and teams stay hot.

The Coordinator Cleansing Phenomenon has helped Norv Turner get two additional head-coaching jobs after he was fired in Washington – his work as Nolan’s offensive coordinator in San Francisco in ’06 led to his current opportunity in San Diego – and Wade Phillips, if you count his interim stint as the Falcons’ head coach at the end of the ’03 season, can do him one better. In fact, the Cowboys’ current (and former Bills, Broncos and Falcons kinda/sorta) head coach essentially became his own defensive coordinator after last season, perhaps in an effort to save his job.

This is not to suggest that the Coordinator Cleansing Phenomenon is always a ruinous thing. It was responsible for the rehabilitation of Bill Belichick’s reputation after he was fired as the Browns’ coach following the ’95 season, and that worked out OK for the Patriots.

However, I would argue that the four-season gap between head-coaching opportunities served Belichick well, because it’s tough to do a lot of self-introspection when you quickly land another sweet gig after failing in another. And it’s probably for the best if you don’t get me started on the Eric Mangini Phenomenon.

Now here’s our weekly trip from awesome to awful, with the team that employs Williams in the sweetest place of all.

1. New Orleans Saints: Wait, now they have a dominant defense, too?

2. New York Giants: If Eli Manning’s foot injury keeps him out of Sunday’s game, don’t you still think the Giants could beat the Raiders by having David Carr hand the ball to Brandon Jacobs or Ahmad Bradshaw every single play?

3. Philadelphia Eagles: Does Jeremiah Trotter(notes) still have it – and, if so, will this defense get even better?

4. Indianapolis Colts: Is Robert Mathis the NFL’s most underrated defensive end?

5. New York Jets: Is Mark Sanchez(notes) dirty?

6. New England Patriots: Is Junior Seau headed for Foxborough, or Pamplona?

7. Baltimore Ravens: Did the other Mark Clayton ever have a drop as costly as his Ravens namesake did Sunday – and how ballistic would Dan Marino have gone if he were in Joe Flacco’s shoes Sunday?

8. Minnesota Vikings: Was that Favre’s redemptive moment, or can he keep it going and make this team a legitimate title contender?

9. Atlanta Falcons: Don’t you get the feeling Roddy White is headed for a breakout game against the 49ers on Sunday?

10. Denver Broncos: Now that Brandon Marshall is back in a big way, will the real Eddie Royal soon surface as well?

11. Cincinnati Bengals: Even when they’re winning, they never make it easy on their fans, do they?

12. San Francisco 49ers: This “you can’t live without me” strategy isn’t going too well for Michael Crabtree, is it?

13. Green Bay Packers: When Aaron Rodgers finally hit the sack early Tuesday morning, did Jared Allen follow him into his bedroom?

14. Chicago Bears: Has any team ever had more players who are ridiculously dangerous on kick and punt returns?

15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Did Rashard Mendenhall just become a real NFL running back – and, if so, how much credit does Mike Tomlin get for pushing the right motivational buttons?

16. Dallas Cowboys: Is it just me, or did it look like Tony Romo and company could have used a certain popcorn-pimping wideout in the key moments of Sunday’s game?

17. San Diego Chargers: Didn’t it look like defensive coordinator Ron Rivera wished he could still put a helmet on during his first-half sideline speech to fire up his troops – and how does this man not yet have a head-coaching job?

18. Arizona Cardinals: Is first-year defensive coordinator Billy Davis smarter than the rest of us, or is he just talking smack like yours truly before the Cal-SC game?

19. Jacksonville Jaguars: After David Garrard responded to his radio-show ban with his best outing of the season, will coach Jack Del Rio attempt to keep the quarterback from speaking, period?

20. Houston Texans: Why can’t this team run – and can it stop the run against anyone besides the Raiders?

21. Tennessee Titans: How much longer will I cling to my delusion that they’re a legitimate AFC contender?

22. Carolina Panthers: Does Steve Smith realize he’s now the second-most productive NFL wideout with that name – and will he do something about it Sunday against the Redskins?

23. Miami Dolphins: If the forward pass were declared illegal by the NFL’s competition committee, would they suddenly be the team to beat?

24. Buffalo Bills: When the Bills complete their 5-11 season, will they look back on their Week 1 gift to the Patriots and try to convince themselves it was the turning point?

25. Seattle Seahawks: Is it possible that the great Walter Jones has played his last game?

26. Washington Redskins: If they only played the five teams below them in these rankings, don’t you get the feeling they’d still struggle to go 8-8?

27. Oakland Raiders: If the Napa Valley Police Department’s chief had a sense of humor, would he deputize Rich Gannon and Jeff Garcia and send them to Alameda to serve a warrant on Tom Cable?

28. Kansas City Chiefs: If Todd Haley was presumably down with the notion of benching No. 10 overall pick Matt Leinart(notes) two years ago, don’t you think he’s at least considering sitting Matt Cassel(notes) and playing Brodie Croyle?

29. Detroit Lions: Seriously, do these guys pass around the beer bong at halftime?

30. Cleveland Browns: If LeBron is Cleveland’s “King James,” is Braylon Edwards the court jester?

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Are they getting better, or did they simply go up against a Redskins team that’s nearly as miserable?

32. St. Louis Rams: Has anything – one single thing – improved about this team under the new regime?

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Could Crabtree holdout extend two years?

By Jason Cole
October 6, 2009


If Michael Crabtree is willing to sit out the entire 2009 campaign, what assurances do teams have that he wouldn’t do so again if he re-entered the 2010 NFL draft?

If a drafted player sits out two years before signing, league rules stipulate that he becomes an unrestricted free agent, NFL spokesman Michael Signora confirmed last week. In essence, Crabtree can circumvent the process by which drafted players must play at least four years (and possibly six depending on the collective bargaining agreement) to reach unrestricted free agency.

Crabtree hasn’t played competitively since January.

Furthermore, Crabtree could avoid the rules that allow teams to sign first-round picks to either five- or six-year contracts (depending on if they are taken in the first half of the round or the second half).

Of course, this could change at any moment if Crabtree, who was the No. 10 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers, comes to terms with the team. ESPN.com has reported that Crabtree is scheduled to resume contract talks with the 49ers.

However, if Crabtree doesn’t sign by Nov. 17, the deadline for rookies, the question about the 2010 draft becomes more important to consider.

Say, for example, your team has the No. 8 or 9 pick, maybe even the No. 20 pick. Are you willing to draft a player who sat out one year over money when he could simply wait another year and conceivably have more value on the open market?

While the wide receiver could very well also hurt his stock by missing a year or two of competition – think Mike Williams and Maurice Clarett – one general manager suggested this strategy for handling Crabtree if he was available in next year’s draft.

“I’d negotiate the contract right then and there in the 10 minutes you have for the pick,” the GM said. “If you didn’t have a signature faxed back to you by the end of the call, you take somebody else … you can’t take that risk for your team that you get nothing or you get this situation.”

Another GM indicated if Crabtree does get drafted in 2010 and doesn’t subsequently agree to an appropriate contract based on his draft slot, that could be a sign of tampering. The 49ers have already filed tampering charges against the New York Jets regarding Crabtree and the league is investigating the matter.

“I still believe the kid is going to sign [with San Francisco],” the second GM said. “It’s just illogical to take this kind of risk when you have a fair deal on the table. But if this kid goes back in and gets drafted in the first round again, I think every team in the league is going to be watching what happens and waiting for some hint of tampering.

“The way the rules are written, if some team drafts him next year and anything looks fishy, the rest of the league is going to be furious. Everybody will fall in line behind the 49ers, I promise you that. You’re talking about messing with the whole draft process.”
Of course, while the idea of Crabtree sitting out one year seems outrageous, just sitting out this long has been outlandish to some league observers. That said, if Crabtree is willing to go this far, he might be willing to go the distance.

Adding accuracy to repertoire: A tip of the cap to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has completed 73.2 percent of his passes during the first four games of the season. When I watched Roethlisberger his first two years in the league, I never would have thought he could do something like that while throwing as much as he has (a career-high 35 throws a game so far this season) over a four-game stretch. Give him props for a sensational start to the season for a guy who is hardly a precision, timing-oriented thrower.

Speaking of timing and precision: Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is also off to a torrid start. Through four games, Manning has completed 70.8 percent of his passes and is averaging a career-high 9.8 yards per attempt. That’s an incredible stat. Furthermore, Manning has been on a staggering run during his past 13 regular-season games, in which the Colts are undefeated. In that stretch (which included a cameo effort in the season finale last year), Manning has completed 306 of 427 passes (71.7 percent) for 3,684 yards, 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He has also been sacked only seven times.

Sticking with quarterbacks: As Byron Leftwich of the Buccaneers backs up second-year man Josh Johnson(notes), the veteran’s actions are still being closely monitored. “We think Byron is going to be that veteran presence who can help young guys handle the ups and downs of learning in this league,” Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said. “He needs to do that to help himself, as well. That’s something that Trent Dilfer really learned toward the end of his career. It’s hard because you have a lot of confidence in your own ability and you want to play. But if you can be that guy who’s always ready to play and be a help to the younger guys, you can stretch three or four more years out of your career.”

Stupid play of the week: Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre deserves a lot of props for his play against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. However, his decision to throw deep on third down with around 3:21 remaining in the game up 10 points wasn’t smart. First, it stopped the clock. Second, it was really bad form as Favre was obviously trying to run up the score against his old team.

Highly debatable call of the week: Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy’s decision to not kick a field goal in the third quarter at the goal line came back to haunt his team in the final minutes when they were down 10 points. McCarthy opted to pass on easy points with a short field-goal attempt that would have cut the deficit to 28-17. Instead, the fourth-down play to Donald Lee was dropped in the end zone. Subsequently, Green Bay needed two scores instead of one late in the game.


Top five

1. New York Giants: They destroy opponents with dignity.
2. New Orleans Saints: The defense is better than beignets at 4 a.m.
3. Indianapolis Colts: Marvin who? Colts doing better without him.
4. New England Patriots: OK, those were some bad calls, but Brady was really good.
5. Minnesota Vikings: Brett Favre was terrific Monday. Jared Allen(notes) was a beast

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Bottom five

28. Oakland Raiders: Dear JaMarcus Russell(notes), you’re wasting what could be a great career.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Played a pretty tough game before falling to Washington.
30. St. Louis Rams: Played a pretty awful game while getting kill by San Francisco.
31. Cleveland Browns: Derek Anderson(notes) ain’t pretty, but he’s always interesting.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Dear Todd Haley, coaching could be hazardous to your health.

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This and that

      » Oakland rookie wide receiver Louis Murphy(notes), a fourth-round pick, may end up being better than first-round teammate Darrius Heyward-Bey. Through four games, Murphy has 11 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown. Not great, but very good for a fourth-rounder. In addition, Murphy has had two potential catches overturned by review: a TD pass in the opener and a long catch in the loss to Houston on Sunday. As for Heyward-Bey, he has two catches for 36 yards. Brutal.

      » NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has put a high priority on communication so that current players won’t be surprised by the upcoming labor struggle. As part of that, the union has increased the number of regional reps from four to eight. Part of the reps’ role is to better inform players of the issues and get them prepared for a potential lockout in 2011. “He’s been really progressive in his thinking about how to communicate with players,” former NFL player and union rep Roman Oben said. “He’s very progressive in his ideas on how to inform players and get them ready for what’s going to happen. That’s something we didn’t have before.”

      » Cincinnati Bengals wideout Chad Ochocinco toyed with the idea of jumping into the Dawg Pound in Cleveland after the first of his two touchdown catches on Sunday. Maybe he should thank the offensive linemen who prevented the move. The first time Ochocinco did that, one fan poured a beer on him.

      » While there has been a lot of debate over the penalty called in the New England game against Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, at least give quarterback Tom Brady credit for awareness. Bill Belichick and his staff (as most NFL staffs do) let the players know that the officiating crew led by Ron Winter has thrown more flags over the past three years than any crew in the league and is currently running second in the league this season. If you’re going to get a ticky-tack call, Winter is liable to give it to you.

      » Props to ESPN for looking up the stats on how many quarterbacks have tried to follow up Dan Marino, John Elway, Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Jim Kelly on their respective teams and how many playoff games those teams have won since they retired. The minimum number of quarterbacks is eight and none of those teams have won more than one playoff game.

      » Stat maven Dutch Wydo, who doubles as the unofficial president of the Ben Roethlisberger Fan Club, passed along some interesting numbers this week. Through the first four games, the Indianapolis Colts are averaging 2.7 yards more per play than their opponents. The next best team in the league is Denver at 1.8 yards more per play. Any team that’s over 1.0 yard more is generally in good shape to make the playoffs.

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