As the coaching “hiring” season heats up over the coming weeks, the candidates are lining up in Cleveland, Detroit, Denver and with the N.Y. Jets and that’s only “so far.” Who knows what’s going to happen in St. Louis, Dallas, Tampa Bay and a few other places? And then there’s Oakland — the Siberia of NFL coaching.
Our very own WNST.net Friday companion Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans and Arbutus native, is next up in two places — Cleveland and Detroit — while Rex Ryan is slated to speak with the N.Y. Jets, St. Louis Rams and Detroit at some point over the next few weeks.
Schwartz was in Cleveland for a few years in the mid-90’s and was part of the Berea Brigade, when the fans boycotted the facility after Art Modell made the announcement that the Ravens were coming to Baltimore. He spent three years as Marvin Lewis’ assistant here and left for Tennessee when Brian Billick was hired in 1999. He’s been the defensive coordinator for the Titans for eight seasons now and has interviewed in four organizations (San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami and Washington) for head coaching jobs. He is expected to leave Tennessee in the next few weeks and is restricted after Friday from interviewing or accepting a head coaching positions until the Titans are eliminated or win the Super Bowl. The same is true for Ryan, who like Schwartz and the Giants Steve Spagnuolo is being inundated with interview requests while trying to win a championship.
Spagnuolo will also be a favored candidate as is Leslie Frazier in a few places. And Eric Mangini and Mike Shanahan are still out of work with various contract money still coming to them in 2009 and beyond.
I’ll write more about the coaching hiring process over the weekend. Lots to tell and it’s a fascinating, incredible “mating call” getting these coaches and executives into jobs and how it affects so many lives and families across the NFL as all of these guys are truly modern-day vagabonds in search of one of 32 jobs in the world as an NFL head coach. Like I said, lots to tell.
Trying to get the Nashville trips on sale by noon on Monday…
Stay tuned…
