01-24-2007, 04:51 PM
There is increasing chatter in NFL circles that Bears coach Lovie Smith will, after the Super Bowl, make a move to become the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
As one source explained it to us, the Cowboys gig is Smith's dream job. It's hardly a stretch, given that Smith grew up in Big Sandy, Texas.
Ten years ago, then-Patriots coach Bill Parcells jumped to the Jets after a Super Bowl loss. The Jets later compensated the Patriots for acquiring the team's head coach while he was still under contract.
Whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is willing to send a draft pick or two (and some cash) to the Bears is a different issue. But if Lovie refuses to do an extension and tells the Bears he wants to leave, they might not have any choice but to take whatever is on the table. Lovie is now holding the cards, and shame on the Bears for not locking him up a long time ago.
Now that there's a perception (but not a reality) that our overt lobbying for Mike Tomlin helped to get him hired by the Steelers, some of our readers have asked us to throw out a name for the Cowboys' job.
Though we believe a full and fair interview process should be conducted, we'd be inclined to take a very long look at former Saints coach Jim Haslett.
At a time when Mike Martz's name continues to percolate for head-coaching vacancies, we're amazed that Haz has barely gotten a sniff. And the irony is that Haslett's struggles this season as defensive coordinator of the Rams are attributable (we believe) to Martz's inability to assemble a competent complement of defensive players during his time as the guy with the juice in St. Louis.
Lest we all forget, Haslett was the NFL's coach of the year in 2000. He led the Saints to their first playoff victory in franchise history, over Martz's Rams. (The Rams' postseason loss to the Saints, by the way, was sandwiched around two Super Bowl appearances.)
Haz has extensive experience with the 3-4 defense that Bill Parcells has implemented, given Haslett's time as defensive coordinator of the Steelers. So the roster wouldn't have to be dramatically revamped on that side of the ball.
And the mere fact that he was able to coax some actual production out of quarterback Aaron Brooks suggests that he'd be able to work well with a certain overrated and underperforming offensive player in whom the Cowboys organization has made an unjustified investment.
At a time when former Saints G.M. Randy Mueller is enjoying a career resurgence, shouldn't the guy who worked side-by-side with him to build the first January success story in New Orleans at least be getting a sniff?
As one source explained it to us, the Cowboys gig is Smith's dream job. It's hardly a stretch, given that Smith grew up in Big Sandy, Texas.
Ten years ago, then-Patriots coach Bill Parcells jumped to the Jets after a Super Bowl loss. The Jets later compensated the Patriots for acquiring the team's head coach while he was still under contract.
Whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is willing to send a draft pick or two (and some cash) to the Bears is a different issue. But if Lovie refuses to do an extension and tells the Bears he wants to leave, they might not have any choice but to take whatever is on the table. Lovie is now holding the cards, and shame on the Bears for not locking him up a long time ago.
Now that there's a perception (but not a reality) that our overt lobbying for Mike Tomlin helped to get him hired by the Steelers, some of our readers have asked us to throw out a name for the Cowboys' job.
Though we believe a full and fair interview process should be conducted, we'd be inclined to take a very long look at former Saints coach Jim Haslett.
At a time when Mike Martz's name continues to percolate for head-coaching vacancies, we're amazed that Haz has barely gotten a sniff. And the irony is that Haslett's struggles this season as defensive coordinator of the Rams are attributable (we believe) to Martz's inability to assemble a competent complement of defensive players during his time as the guy with the juice in St. Louis.
Lest we all forget, Haslett was the NFL's coach of the year in 2000. He led the Saints to their first playoff victory in franchise history, over Martz's Rams. (The Rams' postseason loss to the Saints, by the way, was sandwiched around two Super Bowl appearances.)
Haz has extensive experience with the 3-4 defense that Bill Parcells has implemented, given Haslett's time as defensive coordinator of the Steelers. So the roster wouldn't have to be dramatically revamped on that side of the ball.
And the mere fact that he was able to coax some actual production out of quarterback Aaron Brooks suggests that he'd be able to work well with a certain overrated and underperforming offensive player in whom the Cowboys organization has made an unjustified investment.
At a time when former Saints G.M. Randy Mueller is enjoying a career resurgence, shouldn't the guy who worked side-by-side with him to build the first January success story in New Orleans at least be getting a sniff?
