"Old Boy Network" is no more in the NFL

If you are one of the over 11 million Americans (7.1%) currently without work, take a look around you next time you are in line at your local unemployment office. You just might recognize a former Super Bown Champion coach.

Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden were recently axed to the surprise of casual fans and NFL insiders alike.

NFL franchises have been showing a lack of loyalty for a number of years now, but the most recent rash of hirings and firings points to a new trend. Teams with coaching vacancies aren't exactly throwing money at proven winners anymore, choosing young and inexperienced coaches instead. Don't feel bad for the Shanahan's and Gruden's of the world though. Their worst case scenario consists of being paid ridiculous amounts of money to sit on their ass in a cushy chair and talk about football every Sunday as television analysts. In other words, every man's dream job. So even though they aren't exactly headed to the poor house, the NFL head coaching landscape is changing.


So let's analyze the most recent passengers on the coaching carousel:


FIRED






Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos - age: 56, head coaching experience: 17 years
Brought Denver back-to-back Super Bowl Championships in 1997-98. Shanny had a .616 winning percentage in 14 seasons in Denver, and brought them to the playoffs 7 times. Shanahan is well known for his run-heavy variation of the West Coast offense and his penchant for finding unheralded running backs and turning them into league-leading rushers behind small-but-powerful offensive lines. Despite failling to bring the Broncos to the playoffs the last 3 seasons, Shanahan was assumed to be safe in Denver, where he is a fan favorite.


Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Suckaneers - age: 45, head coaching experience: 11 years
Won the Super Bowl in 2002 in his first year as the coach of the Bucs, making him the youngest coach to win a title at the age of 38. Chucky carried a .509 winning percentage in his time with the Tampa, making the playoffs in 3 of his 7 seasons. A year ago today, Gruden was re-signed through 2011, and the management of the Bucs seems to be firmly behind their coach. Despite losing the final 4 games of the 2008 season and blowing a spot in the playoffs (which they had all but locked up by week 12) no one saw Gruden's firing coming.

HIRED




Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos - age: 32, head coaching experience: 0 years
McDaniels served as Quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots in 2004, and as the Offensive Coordinator from 2005-2008. McDaniels main qualifications for a head coaching job are that was at the helm for the 2007 season in which New England set records for touchdowns scored by an offense with 67 (50 passing, 17 rushing) and points scored (589, or roughly 37 per game). He also is given much of the credit for the development of Matt Cassel, who is the only known quarterback to start an NFL game having never started in college. The Patriots went 11-5, and Cassel showed tremendous improvement throughout the year. It is not uncommon for successful coordinators to audition for head coaching vacancies, but McDaniel's youth and relative lack of experience coupled with the fact that his success came under the watchful eye of Bill Belichick means he's no sure thing to excel on his own as a head coach. It was a risky move by a proud franchise with a rich, winning history.


Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Suckaneers - age: 32, head coaching experience - 0 years
Another 32 year old gets a head coaching gig, but Morris has considerably less experience than McDaniels. A defensive assistant in the early 2000s, Morris got his first big job as the defensive backs coach in 2007. Morris helped the Bucs go from 19th in pass defense to 1st in just one season. Morris was promoted to Defensive Coordinator earlier this offseason, and after the Gruden firing, was promoted yet again to Head Coach. Morris had gained attention as an excellent defensive coach, but it was thought that he would serve a few years as a coordinator before being considered for a head coaching gig. His rise through the ranks is unprecedented, although he comes from the same coaching background as Mike Tomlin, coach of the 2008 AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Both cut their teeth as Defensive Backs Coach for the Buccaneers, and Tomlin took his first head coaching job at the age of 34.

So what do we make of this trend? I think there are two main reasons that many NFL teams are handing over the reigns to younger, less experienced coaches. First, they don't demand as lofty a salary. Shanahan has averaged $3.4M per year since his hiring in 1995, and Gruden signed a 5-year, $17.5M contract in 2002 (an average of $3.5M per year) before signing a 3-year $15.3M extension before the 2008 season. Their replacements will make a more modest $2M per year (McDaniels signed for 4-years, $8M while the details of Morris' contract are unknown at this time). That may not seem like a lot of money saved, but in the current economy, I believe teams are doing whatever they can to cut costs. $1M here, $2M there can make a big difference in a league with a tight salary cap. Second, I believe that GMs and owners want to inject life into their franchise. Sticking with a coach who hasn't delivered frustrates fans and players, and they recognize that hungry, young coaches may be better at relating to and motivating players. It may sound bigoted, but who would you think a team of primarily 20-something black men would respect more and play harder for:

Just sayin'...