The Jets’ search for a head coach is entering its second week and the team has talked to plenty of candidates.
Here is a closer look at some of the storylines of the search and some of my thoughts:
1. Any thought former Packers coach Mike McCarthy is a favorite to land this job is off. At this point, I would be surprised if McCarthy ends up with the job. The idea that was out there that the Jets were in love with McCarthy and he was their No. 1 choice is wrong. The Jets entered this search with an open mind, committed to going through the process of the interviews and seeing who impressed them. Interviewing McCarthy was a no-brainer because of his résumé. However, there was no thought that he was a shoo-in for the job.
There also remains chatter in league circles that McCarthy may sit out 2019. It makes sense. He has been a head coach for 13 seasons. He may want a break to spend time with his family. McCarthy, 55, may also view the current jobs he is up for — the Jets and Browns — as unattractive because they both have been losing franchises. McCarthy may believe a better job could open after next year. He is from Pittsburgh and there was speculation that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin might be in trouble this year. Maybe McCarthy thinks he could wind up back in his hometown.
2. Keep an eye on Adam Gase. I think the former Dolphins coach will get a long look from the Jets. He makes a lot of sense for them. He is a young (40), offensive-minded head coach, which they are looking for. But he also has the experience of already being a head coach, another plus for him.
Gase went 23-25 with the Dolphins, but his quarterbacks were Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore and Jay Cutler. He has proven what he can do with a good quarterback in his years as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Broncos and Peyton Manning. What could he do with Sam Darnold?
Another thing to consider is the value of having a head coach who is the play-caller. If the Jets bring in a coach who does not call the plays and hires an offensive coordinator who has success with Darnold, that offensive coordinator will have a head-coaching job within two years and the Jets will be searching for another voice for Darnold.
I know Jets fans don’t love the idea of Gase, but he makes a lot of sense to me.
3. The Jets clearly have interest in some of the bright, young minds in college. The Athletic reported they interviewed former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury on Monday. CBS reported they already have spoken with Baylor head coach Matt Rhule.
Hiring a college coach scares me. Historically, it rarely works. Also, I’m sure Kingsbury and Rhule are good coaches, but this is not Nick Saban and Urban Meyer in terms of accomplishments at the college level. Kingsbury got fired in November from Texas Tech.
Speaking to some league executives, they pointed out a few problems with hiring from college. The first is the inability to put together a solid NFL staff with few contacts in the league. Another is that game planning is different. In college, teams run their scheme and hope they have better players to execute it. In the NFL, game plans are based on matchups and they change every week.
4. It looks as if John Harbaugh will be staying with the Ravens, according to the NFL Network. The Jets would have had interest in him if he had been fired. I’m not sure if they would have been interested in trading any draft capital for him, though.
As it is, the Jets have confirmed interviewing Eric Bieniemy, Gase, McCarthy, Kris Richard and Jim Caldwell, who was interviewed Monday, and there are the reports they talked with Rhule and Kingsbury. They have Todd Monken on deck Tuesday.
They could add one or two more candidates this week. I suspect they will decide on one or two coaches to bring back for a second interview at the end of this week or beginning of next week and then a decision should be made some time next week.
5. If the Buccaneers hire Bruce Arians as head coach, as they reportedly are expected to do, keep an eye on former Jets coach Todd Bowles for the defensive coordinator job. Bowles played for Arians at Temple and was his DC in Arizona in 2013-14.
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