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The last Carousel of the 2012 calendar year is upon us. Time flies by when you get old, doesn't it? A potential regime change is in the works in Nashville after a year filled with multiple blowouts and gut wrenching losses. The masses in Titans blue are ready for change. Munchak is a good person but he's not cut out to be one of the 32 privileged men who call themselves NFL Head Coaches. There is no shame in that, however as not many are. Black Monday (err, Wednesday?) shall set us free from the clutches of this hilariously incompetent coaching staff (Try the veal, it helps with the depression called the 2012 Titans season.) If Bud has any wits about him (debatable at this point), he'd offer the opportunity to Munchak to resign gracefully before firing him if he refuses. Anyway, enough about the gloom and doom. Here's the candidate.
Candidate: Jay Gruden Bengals OC
Pros
- Interesting resume - He has one. Gruden has risen up the coaching ranks at a rapid pace from the Arena League to ultimately the NFL. He also has ties to the Nashville area as he began his journey there. The resume suggests that he loves to stick close to his Florida home as he's coached in hometown Tampa and nearby Orlando. Nashville provides an excellent chance for him to stay closer to home than Cincy ever will.
- Coaching - Gruden can do it. Granted, the majority has been in the lower levels of pro football but it is coaching nonetheless but he did serve under his brother and Jim Haslett (two relatively successful coaches) before becoming a head coach himself. He also has experience as a GM. What I really like about him is he has developed Andy Dalton into a legitimate pro passer. It helps to have a supremely talented wideout in AJ Green of course but Dalton's rapid development bodes well for young Locker should Gruden get hired here.
Cons
- Will he leave? - This is a good question after he turned down multiple interviews from teams. I'm not sure if he wants to leave the Bengals after 2 years on the job with working with Dalton and co. Maybe if he feels like he's been stagnated under Marvin Lewis but I doubt that as he has full control over the offense.
- The stench of the UFL - is a pungent one in Nashville after much derided tenure of Chris Palmer was oh so brief. I'm not sure if the front office can or will look past the UFL thing after Palmer's misguided adventures here. I'd cast a wary eye at the UFL experience even with the success of Dalton (he might be the best of the 2011 class of QBs so far as Locker, Gabbert, Ponder have failed to impress).