It will soon be that time of year when the coaching carousel starts up
again in The National Football League. To quote former Houston Oiler
head coach Bum Phillips, “There’s two kinds of coaches, them that’s
fired and them that’s gonna be fired.” This theory serves true at the
end of every NFL season as coaches are shown the door and we see a new
class of coaches ready to take over. Some will be head coach for the
first time, while some have been around the block. These are three men
who should be prime candidates to become head coaches in 2012.
1. Rob Ryan
It really has helped his case that his
twin brother Rex has had tremendous success as the head coach of The New
York Jets. Ryan has a history of making things happen defensively. Ryan
is currently in his first year as the defensive coordinator for The
Dallas Cowboys. Last season The Cowboys ranked 23rd in total defense
while the unit has improved to 12th this season coming into week 13.
Ryan is helping outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware reach exceed his
potential. Ware already has one 20 sack season under his belt and is
closing in on another as he has 15 sacks through 12 games. Prior to
Ryan’s arrival in Dallas, The Cowboy defense was looked at as a unit
that was “soft” and was very easy to score on. Under Ryan the unit has
become more aggressive and they tend to impose their will on opposing
offenses. Ryan is a big reason why The Cowboys are in first place in The
NFC East.
2. Russ Grimm
During his playing career, Russ Grimm
was a Hall of Fame guard with The Washington Redskins. Grimm was
no-nonsense as a player and that philosophy has carried over to his
coaching career. Since his playing career ended in 1991, Grimm has been
an assistant coach with The Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and currently
with The Arizona Cardinals as the team’s offensive line coach. In 2006,
Grimm was a finalist to become head coach of The Pittsburgh Steelers,
but was beaten out by Mike Tomlin. Last season Grimm was a candidate to
become the head coach of The Carolina Panthers. The job eventually went
to Ron Rivera. If at first you don’t succeed, then you must try again.
In my opinion it is only a matter of time before Grimm becomes a head
coach and whatever team hires him will not regret it.
3. Tom Cable
Tom Cable has previous head coaching
experience as he was the head coach of The Oakland Raiders from
2008-2010. Cable was able to start the turnaround for The Raiders.
Cable’s last season with The Raiders was the first time since 2002 that
The Raiders did not have a losing record. Cable may have gotten a bad
rep for allegedly punching assistant coach Randy Hanson in the face and
fracturing his jaw in 2009, but he is a no-nonsense guy and he will be a
great asset to an organization. In Cable’s last season in
Oakland, The Raiders finished 10th in total offense and they were second
in rushing. Cable is currently the offensive line coach for The Seattle
Seahawks and it shouldn’t be long before Cable will put the headset on
and lead another NFL team.
Leave A Comment