The Perfect NFL Coaching Renaissance

With John Gruden all but confirmed to return to the NFL coaching ranks, it’s something I never thought we would see, a famed former head coach giving up a high paying cushy tv gig to return to the NFL. Coaching over the past handful of years has been a massive problem for the NFL, even the second tier of NFL coaches behind Bill Belichick have made a handful of season defying blunders. One of the biggest reasons the NFL has had a shortage of qualified accomplished head coaches is because there are too many other good jobs for good NFL coaches; mainly college coaching which pays a ton and gives them full control and TV analyst which allows them to use their wealth of knowledge with much less travel and stress. Now, with Gruden leaving his high paying Monday Night Football job it opens the door for other accomplished coaches to jump to, or jump back to, the NFL. While I believe for the most part the majority of NFL head coaching vacancies are going to be filled with current NFL coordinators, this is what the perfect NFL Coaching Renaissance would look like

New York Giants- Nick Saban: This one would be the slam dunk most intriguing possibility, the only current franchise in the NFL that can legitimately stare down the Patriots dynasty and say they aren’t afraid and the only coach in the world that suggest he’s in the same stratosphere as Bill Belichick. Saban could be the guy with the perfect mix of no-nonsense coaching and pedigree to get pros to actually listen to is to fix the broken Giants clubhouse. If Saban could get the best out of Odell Beckham Jr and the Giants defense he could set up the third act in the the Patriots-Giants trilogy

Indianapolis Colts-Jim Harbaugh: Jim Harbaugh returns to the franchise he played with for four seasons to coach the QB he coached for three seasons at Stanford. The last time Harbaugh and Andrew Luck were together they went 11-1 and won a BCS bowl, isn’t that the type of track record Colts fans would take a chance on right now? The Colts are a struggling, directionless franchise that needs to get their Quarterback back on the right track, does that sound familiar or was it a different Jim Harbaugh that did the same thing with Alex Smith and the 49ers a few years back? Also, with Jim in the AFC, it sets up the potential for more regular season/playoff Harbaugh Bowls against brother John and the Ravens

Chicago Bears- Brian Billick: Billick might not have the recent success that these other coaches have, winning the Super Bowl in 2000, making the playoffs 3 more times before getting fired in 2007, but he does offer something the Bears need. What were the Ravens known for under Billick? A hard-nosed, smash-mouth, working-class defense led by Ray Lewis. What were Bears known for in their heyday? A hard-nosed, smash-mouth, working-class defense led by a linebacker. How awesome would it be if Billick could bring back a feared Chicago defense, but this scenario is contingent on Billick bringing in his former defensive Coordinator to run the defense, that right, Sexy Rexy! Rex Ryan returns as defensive coordinator to give the league the swift kick (ha, feet) in the ass that they need.

Detroit Lions- Lane Kiffin: Of all the coaches in this list Kiffin probably has the least right to be welcomed back to the NFL after a disastrous stint in Oakland and a few high profile fallouts from college jobs. You have to admit though, Detroit going from the most boring man alive in Jim Caldwell to Lane Kiffin is exactly what the Lions need. It also can’t be denied that Kiffin has a decent offensive mind. With a Pro-Bowl caliber Quarterback in Matt Stafford and a couple legit offensive weapons, Kiffin could be the guy to finally to turn the Lions from an 8-10 win team to an 11-12 win team. A more established run game would also help Stafford go from a passing yards eater to a well-rounded winning QB.

Arizona Cardinals- Urban Meyer: This would be far from the ideal job to make Urban Meyer finally make the jump from college to the NFL but for the fun of it lets just see what the Cardinals have to offer. No quarterback (after Carson Palmer announced his retirement), a star running back and a handful of talented defensive players. Now let’s look at what Urban Meyers Ohio State teams have looked like, a couple non-traditional Quarterbacks, successful running attacks, and talented defenses. Urban Meyer could be one of the best coaching options to get the most out of the returning David Johnson as well as defensive standouts Chandler Jones, Patrick Peterson, and Tyrann Mathieu. Meyer could also make the most out of QB options that other teams view as risky due to their mobility opposed to a traditional pocket passer such as Lamar Jackson. Also, they could use a stop gap veteran QB, and who’s a stopgap veteran QB that could become available? Alex Smith, the guy Urban Meyer coached to be the number 1 overall pick out of Utah.