The NFL coaching carousel took a crazy spin on Black Monday, as seven coaches were given their walking papers when the season ended.
Rumors have gone around like crazy through the football world, with names like Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden possibly getting pulled out of television gigs to take over a team. Former Browns president Mike Holmgren has come up in rumors, as has college coaches like Chip Kelly, Doug Marrone and Nick Saban.
All the NFL teams with openings will look very carefully at coaches, since they know that a total turnaround could be just one year away. The Colts went from 2-14 in 2011 to 11-5 and the playoffs in 2012, and you can bet every owner with an open head coaching spot is thinking about a similar result.
While Gruden and Cowher will be tempted to take an NFL job, both will end up sticking with their TV gigs. Both seem very happy where they are, meaning that unless a perfect situation comes along, they are going to stay.
Cowher has been linked to the New York Giants over the years and likely won't take another job unless it's a prestige franchise like that. Gruden has been linked to every job under the sun, but the man is a perfectionist and a hard worker and will want full control over whatever team he goes to. Unless someone offers complete control and a boat load of cash, money says that the two will stand pat and remain on television.
Gruden has become one of the most popular broadcasters on TV and has loved being able to work with rookie players in his "QB camp" segments on ESPN. Cowher has proven to be very adept in the studio and is easily one of CBS's best commentators.
Here is a look at some of the coaching situations and biggest names being mentioned for the jobs and predictions of what they might do.
Arizona Cardinals
The team fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt after a disastrous 2012 season that saw the Cardinals lose 11 of their final 12 games. The team was a huge disappointment on offense, scoring just 15 points per game, ranked 31st in the NFL, only ahead of Kansas City.
General manager Rod Graves was also let go, meaning that Arizona will be getting a complete overhaul this offseason. The team has some talent with all-world wideout Larry Fitzgerald, running back LaRod Stephens-Howling and wide receiver Andre Roberts, but they will need to fix the offensive line and handle the quarterback situation before righting the ship completely.
The Cardinals started the year 4-0 and looked like one of the best surprises in the NFL, but it turned out to be fool's gold after the team lost its next nine games in a row. The biggest examples of the offensive struggles came in back-to-back games against the Jets and the Seahawks late in the year.
The Cardinals gained just 137 total yards in the 7-6 loss to New York, then traveled to Seattle where they were beaten down 58-0 while giving up almost 500 yards and gaining just 154 themselves.
Although he hasn't expressed interest in it yet, Mike Holmgren could be a good fit since he is someone who likes to have control over players and personnel decisions, which could be a possibility after the team fired the general manager. Holmgren did the same with the Seahawks and was solid while with the Browns, drafting Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson last year.
Former Eagles head coach Andy Reid seems like a natural fit with the team after Philadelphia traded a quarterback he drafted in Kevin Kolb to them two years ago, but both Kolb and the Cardinals have struggled mightily since then. The quarterback situation will be the main point for anyone taking the Cardinals job, as Kolb, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley all played poorly during stretches this season.
Head Coach Could Be: Lovie Smith. While Smith is a defensive guy, the team could pair him with a great offensive coordinator to finally help turnaround the Cardinals. The team reached its high point a few years ago after making the Super Bowl in 2008, but has struggled since then on both sides of the ball. Smith could help shore up a defense that ranked 28th in passing yards.
Cleveland Browns
This is another team that dropped both the coach and GM with the Browns firing Pat Shurmur and Tom Heckert. There was a crazy rumor a while back about Alabama coach Nick Saban coming to the team in a joint hire with former executive Michael Lombardi, but there has been no news about it since.
New Browns owner Jimmy Haslam will want to make a splash with his hire and will want to bring in someone who will be around for more than a couple years. Gruden seems like a longshot, especially for a team that hasn't had a winning record in five years. Cleveland was one of the worst offensive teams in football, scoring just 18 points per game.
The team has some potential with players like Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson, who were first round picks in 2012, as well as surprise wideout Josh Gordon, who proved to be a solid deep threat while making 50 receptions for 805 yards and a touchdown. The Browns played teams tough all year, which is a good sign for a losing team because it can be something to build on.
The best stretch for the Browns came late in the season when the team won three straight games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The team has a young defense and was solid up the middle against the run, allowing 118 yards per game.
Head Coach Could Be: Chip Kelly. The team is planning on meeting with Kelly after the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday and while he seems like he would rather coach somewhere else, he could surprise everyone and come to Cleveland. The Browns have a solid draft pick, which would allow Kelly to take some players that fit his system. Richardson has proven to be a great running back, while Gordon's speed would be perfectly translated to Kelly's high-scoring system. The Browns would want Kelly, it just depends if the feelings are mutual.
San Diego Chargers
After a number of disappointing and underachieving seasons, the Chargers let go of head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith. For years the two were able to put together talented rosters, but could never make a true playoff run to the Super Bowl.
Phillip Rivers has proven to be an excellent quarterback, but he hasn't had the success of fellow draft-mates Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning, who each have two Super Bowl rings. The Chargers went 7-9 and were extremely inconsistent throughout the season, looking fantastic in a 38-10 win over the Titans, but awful in a 7-6 loss to the Browns.
The roster is still loaded with talent, including running back Ryan Mathews and wide receivers Malcom Floyd and Danario Alexander, but the new coach needs to figure out how to score more. The Chargers ranked 20th in scoring with 21 points per game and were ranked 24th in passing and 27th in rushing offense. Antonio Gates still offers solid production at tight end, but he is getting older.
The defense was solid against the run, allowing just 96 yards per game, but was weak against the pass, ranked 18th in the league with 230 yards allowed per game. The Chargers ended the year with a two game winning streak, but those victories came against the Jets and Oakland Raiders.
Head Coach Could Be: Andy Reid or Gruden. Reid seems like a natural fit here as well because he is very established and is also originally from California. Gruden could be a good fit as well because the team already has a veteran quarterback and some solid talent. Whoever takes over will have to find a way to get the most potential out of the players on the roster, which is something that both Gruden and Reid could do.
