Jets: Dolphins interview Schottenheimer Thursday, January 11, 2007 BY DAVE HUTCHINSON Star-Ledger Staff
Nope. Now that Handcuffs Herman is gone, go down to Tampon Bay, and bring back the mastermind of that beautiful 3 game stretch (NE,GB,IND) in 2002.
Hehe, Hackett is not in the works... I'm thinking Jeremy Bates, but I might be a tad optimistic there. He's still only 31. But look at his pedigree: Jets QB coach in 2005, so he knows Chad, and then a year as QB coach in Denver, so he knows the Shanahan offense.
The bottom line is that the HC is responsible for holding the OC accountable. As much as I like Shotty, EM managed him. If EM did not like what he was doing, it got changed. EM will oversee any OC we have and will make him accountable to present an inteligent game plan each week. So I am not too concerned about this since any new OC will be overseen by EM and therefore the result will likely be good. This is similiar to what happens in NE where they loose coordinators on almost a yearly basis and still obviously complete for a championship each year.
Mangini hired Schottenheimer for his skills and imagination with the offense. Belichick talked about how difficult it was to prepare his defense against Schott's O because of the unorthodox methods his formations evolve into during pre-snap motion. Losing Lil Schott would hurt us, this guy is fantastic. And NE didn't lose any coordinators until a couple of years ago.
People need to relax about these interviews. I remember after the 04 season there were all kinds of the sky is falling threads about Donnie Henderson getting interviewed for HC positions. Look at him now, fired by the Lions.
Good news for Shotts'....Bad news for Jets.... Hopefully he stays. Stay to at least Jets' win a championship !
As much as I agree with you abyz and this is not a dig Chad Pennington post, you wonder how incredible this offense would be with a QB that could extend the defense. For all that running around and movement before the ball is snapped...it still is what it is for the most part. Protecting inside 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. Its like playing tag with a 3 year old..they start to run to the left..then they run to the right..then they go backwards...and you just look at them because they still are within reach. This offense was excellent to watch..but for all the positives its still very limited because of a QB, who I really do respect the hell out of, being limited in a way no other QB in the NFL is.
Sure, BS is good and he would be a loss. But he is replaceable. Pats replaced 3 coordinators in the last 2 years and were still very competitive. Bottom line is that EM is fully accouontable for the entire team (unlike some other coaches we may know). I have full confidence that he can plug in a new guy and have similar success.
Heres an article from todays Miami Herald: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/16431665.htm DOLPHINS | COACHING SEARCH 2 coaches don't share Miami's philosophyOf the three assistants interviewed Wednesday, the Giants' Tim Lewis and the Lions' Mike Martz have expressed views contrary to what the Dolphins want for the near future. BY ARMANDO SALGUERO asalguero@MiamiHerald.com LATEST CANDIDATES: The Dolphins interviewed, from left: Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz and Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Kuechenberg, Irvin among Hall of Fame finalists The Dolphins have not had deep football conversations about schemes and on-field philosophies during this initial phase of interviews with coaching candidates, Dolphins Enterprises chief executive officer Joe Bailey said this week. One typical question, according to a person familiar with the interviews, is asking the candidate to talk about himself and what defines him as a person. But more football-intensive talks might have come in handy Wednesday when the Miami brain trust interviewed Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Detroit offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Martz and Lewis have either expressed opinions or run schemes that are contrary to what the Dolphins are apparently committed to in the near future. The Dolphins began the day by interviewing Lewis, who has been embattled after the Giants yielded a combined 94 points in the final three regular-season games. TRAVEL TEAM The interview team that included owner Wayne Huizenga, Bailey and Dolphins president Bryan Wiedmeier left the Newark, N.J., meeting with Lewis and traveled to Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y., where they interviewed Schottenheimer. The group then flew to Detroit to interview Martz. What is intriguing is that Lewis favors a Tony Dungy-inspired Cover 2 defense that runs a 4-3 front. The Dolphins abandoned the 4-3 in favor of the 3-4 two seasons ago and, after initial resistance, excelled in the new scheme. Jason Taylor adapted to the hybrid rush end/linebacker spot in the 3-4 and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year this season. Middle linebacker Zach Thomas embraced the scheme and made the Pro Bowl. Taylor and Thomas became fans of the 3-4 and were named to the All-Pro team. ''I enjoy the new position, I enjoy the change, the variety, the freedom,'' Taylor said when asked if he would welcome a change back to a 4-3. ``It would be tough to move back, but again, I don't always get to make those decisions.'' But in their seek-everyone's-opinion mode, the Dolphins are likely to ask Taylor about his preference, and that is not likely to help Lewis' chances. In that sense, Lewis, 45, already doesn't make sense as a candidate, except for the fact he is a favorite of former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino from the time they attended the University of Pittsburgh together. It's unclear if quarterback Daunte Culpepper will be contacted about his opinion on an incoming coach. But in interviewing Martz, 55, the Dolphins' brass is talking to a coach who doesn't have a high regard for Culpepper. Several football people close to Martz say that Martz thought the Dolphins made a mistake when they, in effect, exchanged Gus Frerotte for Culpepper before the 2006 season. Frerotte, Martz told them, is a good backup who makes good decisions. Culpepper, though, is a more gifted player but is limited in his ability to read defenses and understand offensive concepts. NOT BIG ON THE RUN Martz also is known for discarding the running game. Miami's second-biggest offensive investment is at running back. Ronnie Brown was the No. 2 overall pick in 2005 and Ricky Williams is expected to return next season. Schottenheimer, 33, changed his offensive concepts this season when he joined the Jets. On coach Eric Mangini's urging, Schottenheimer installed a no-huddle attack that New York used 90 percent of the time. If the Dolphins hire Schottenheimer, they would weaken the Jets, their rival in the AFC East. ''If and when he would leave, we'd have to work hard to replace him,'' Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said Wednesday. ``If it's in the division, that's just another obstacle we'd have to deal with.'' Bailey has said the Dolphins will trim their list of candidates -- a dozen after Wednesday's interviews -- to about five after the initial phase is over. At that point, they might include people such as Don Shula, Marino and perhaps GM Randy Mueller in the process so the conversations can become more football-intensive. Huizenga favored Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll when the interview process began, but it is unclear if he still feels that way or if Carroll could be convinced to leave college. Carroll stated earlier this week he would not leave USC. Nick Saban, the Dolphins' coach the past two seasons, said he would not become the Alabama coach before leaving to take over the Crimson Tide.
