Black Monday: Change is good right?
As Black Monday approaches, there are couches for a few coaches and second opportunities for others on the rise. I wish I could place myself in the shoes of one of those GMs or owners on the search for the new leader of their gang of 20 and 30-year-old millionaires. Why? I would love to be there to help these old owners look toward the future. College coaches and schemes are sneaking into the NFL. Are the old coaches willing to adapt?
Coaches like Marvin Lewis and Ron Rivera have made some significant contributions to their previous teams. Ron had a Super Bowl appearance and produced one of the league’s nastiest defense of the last six years. Marvin Lewis had the Cincinnati Bengals by the balls for years.
I am not sure if he had the front office black-mailed or if the amount of charisma he had during the offseason was on “Super-Saiyan God” level. Either way, he was able to trick the Bungles into making him one of the longest-tenured coaches in NFL history.
Both these coaches have had their ebbs and flows throughout their careers, making a permanent stamp on this league. However, with the way the league is turning to RPO, pistol formations, and air-raid offenses, there needs to be an infusion of youth in the coaching corps to keep up.
The Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers, possibly New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Dallas Cowboys are all potentially looking for new head coaches.
Coaches like Mike Leach from Washington State University even though he’s old (58) and Auburn Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris would infuse new life into these typically traditional systems. They both bring a unique yet popular system to the table called the Morris/Clemson system which is, plainly put, the RPO on crack. After watching the system Greg Roman revamped in Baltimore, I was blown away. That offense is currently giving defensive coordinators around the league headaches.
The change is coming. This is not a wildcat one-year rave on the rise. These old schemes are being refreshed in new and exciting ways. They are slowing making their way from high school and college to the biggest stage. Owners need to choose coaches leaning in the direction of this innovative approach or be left in the dust.