So here is my take on this . . .
Niners fans should be pretty darn excited.
These are two really good candidates for the job. In fact, I would list Linehan and Chudzinski as THE TOP TWO candidates of the available coaches. If the 49ers hired either of these men, they will have done very well for themselves.
Sure, Linehan did not fare well as Rams head coach. But Linehan is a proven coordinator, having experienced successes with the Vikings and Dolphins. (And, let's remember, there are a lot of really good coordinators who have not been sensations as head coaches.)
Linehan had the impossible situation of following Mike Martz with the Rams - a team that was in obvious decline when he arrived. It was a nearly impossible situation. Following Martz this time - as O.C. with the 49ers - would not be as difficult. The personnel on the 49ers is better suited to Linehan's more-standard style than Martz's. And, I think the 49ers' offense is young enough at certain key spots (offensive line and receivers) that it will be ascending, not declining.
As for Chudzinski, I've been on his bandwagon for more than a year. When it looked as if Mike Nolan's job was in jeopardy toward the end of the 2007 season, I began making phone calls about possible head-coaching candidates. Chudzinski is someone who checked out repeatedly as a "rising star."
He did a fantastic job in his first season (2007) with the Browns. The Ravens wanted to interview him for their head-coaching position last year, but he turned down their request to sign a lucrative contract extension with the Browns. Obviously, things did not go as smoothly this season, as the Browns struggled throughout the season with injuries and other problems.
The one concern with Chudzinski is that if he does a good job, he will immediately become a head-coaching candidate. But if he does a good job, will it be worth it to the 49ers to have had his services for a short period of time?
Meanwhile, Linehan will probably need a couple years to rebuild his stock to the point that he becomes a head-coaching candidate again.
If Linehan and Chudzinski walk through the doors of the 49ers'
ha ha ...Linehan is a family friend of A.Smith....this is getting better and better.....if Linehan is hired i bet Mr. Miaocco writes an article on how wrong he was that A.Smith is done has a niner......haha ha
I just thought I should point out that your Linehan comment about needing a couple years is almost verbatim what you posted about Norv. I hope your right this time...
The 49ers showed that they will pay for a coordinator when they offered Norv a new contract if thats all Chudzinski needs to say maybe he would be a good choice.
I think Linehan is the safe way to go. He has a more proven track record and I really don't believe he will ever be a head coach again.
Comment: The 49ers showed that they will pay for a coordinator when they offered Norv a new contract if thats all Chudzinski needs to say maybe he would be a good choice.
My response: Reportedly, Chudzinski had two years at $2.7M per remaining on his Browns contract. So the Browns would still be paying him. The 49ers (or his next employer) would probably end up paying about half that amount. --Matt M.
Man, get off it. Matt never stated any opinions about smith, just REPORTED what he was told. Seriously, it's getting old.
Matt: The link has an extra http...
The thing that will concern 49ers fans is that at s time during our search for an OC that brought us Norv Turner, people were saying it was way too soon for teams to be thinking of Norv as a head coach. Everyone (I think even you said this) was sure it would take 3 solid seasons as an OC for him to be considered as a HC for another team. One year later he has an interview with the Cowboys and then the Chargers pilfer him from us.
I'm hearing the same types of things about Linehan. And the 49ers organization has said the next OC will be here more than one season. What makes the Linehan situation any different from the Norv Turner situation?
The rest of the league's fans (and me) will see hiring either of these coaches, plus Rathman, as bottom feeder franchises swapping coaches. They both have had some modest success in the past. Modest. Please remember the prior 49er OC took teams to the Superbowl.
I think you are wrong about the Browns having to pay Chudzinski. Browns would not be paying him a dime becuse the Browns would have to release him from his contract in order for him to sign here.
As for making a hire based on which one will become the best HC candidate down the road, that's plain nuts. Would you really like the Niners to pick the inferior candidate based on this logic and let the Rams take the other one and consequently whup us two times a year from here on out?
I have been on the Linehan bandwagon for awhile, but Chudzinski really would be a great option. Can you imagine the numbers that Vernon Davis would put up with him? Look up the numbers Kellen Winslow had on a bum knee in 2007 (82 catches with over 1,100 yards). I think Chudzinski would have more bang for your buck, but Linehan would be your steady long term solution.
Also, shouldn't the #1 priority be that the OC is not likely to leave after one season. Your comments about Chudzinski scare me a little bit, because if you're Mike Singletary you have to make plans based on the assumption that the 49ers will have a stellar season. If that is the case, you need to have an OC who is not going to leave after one season. We're beginning to become the laughing stocks of the league in this regard and it is one of the big reasons we are not a playoff caliber team today.
Final stats on the Mike Singletery vs Mike Nolan Offense: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcwest/0-7-73/The-Singletary-effect--49ers-offense--final.html
Comment: Matt: The link has an extra http...
My response: Thanks. I just fixed the link. --Matt M.
The Norv Turner situation was way more the exception than the rule...
I mean, by all counts, Norv Turner was no where near close to getting another HC gig after Oakland and Washington.
Who would have expected AJ to axe Marty after a 14-2 season, and likewise, to hire Norv Turner as a replacement?
Norv only got that job by virtue of his ties to San Diego.
Bottom line, you can't fault anyone (including Nolan) for thinking he would be a one-and-done OC.
Matt - I agree with you on Chudzinski, he was in Miami with Frank Gore back in the day. And he coached 3 all-american tight ends (Winslow, Shockey and Bubba Franks) so that will be very good for the production problems with Vernon Davis.
Norv did not have success in Wash or Oakland as an HC, but he never sank as low as Linehan with the Rams - his tenure being a disaster. In any case, HC and coordinator jobs are two different animals. I never thought Jim Mora, the younger, was a particularly good coordinator, but he looked to be a good HC when he first got to Atlanta. Martz was a success at both, winning an SB as a coordinator and getting to an SB and barely losing as a coordinator. No HCs win EVERY year (though some certainly come close like Paul Brown, Lombardi, Walsh, Parcells).
Hey, Kezar -- It's hard to see Parcells belonging in the same sentence with Brown, Lombardi and Walsh.
If we had signed Cam Cameron last offseason like we should have instead of Martz, we'd be set. Then again, if Cameron was our oc this last year, Nolan might still be around...
Chud .....The Dud. No TDs in 23 consecutive quarters. He is a one year wonder much like Derek Anderson. No TDs in 23 quarters. Folks here in Cleveland will pay to dump him. Overrated and a one hit wonder. If we can grab Scott L........grab him.
We need a guy with a successful track record as OC that has shown he can run the type of offense our roster is best suited for. Sounds like we are on the right track. I hope one of these guys works out. By the way, I'm not convinced that Vernon Davis's weak record as a pass reciever is due to the coaching staff. But I would love to be proven wrong on that.
Both Saunders and Gailey would be better options than either of these guys if they become available. Maybe why McSing is slow playing this thing.
I think Roast hit on a good point...while most of us are anxious to see a new OC hired, there's a method to McSingletary's madness. He wants to be sure he gets the right guy...just as he did in hiring Rathman. Being on the same page from the get-go is important...and it'll cut down the learning curve. Hiring any good OC is a bit of a crapshoot...some may be higher risks than others, but as we've seen in the McCarthy and Turner cases, you just never know.
hire chud; he'll leave in a year or two, then rathman can replace him.
I'm sure Linehan and Chudzinski would be solid OC's, but this franchise has known pretty much nothing but misery since the WCO left town. We are the flagship WCO franchise and it's time to bring it back, preferably under Philly QB coach Pat Shumur. I'm beginning to think we'll be cursed like the Cubs until this wrong is corrected.
PICKY COMMENT -- Matt, you wrote this and it's not your usual clear stuff.
"Linehan had the impossible situation of following Mike Martz with the Rams - a team that was in obvious decline when he arrived. It was a nearly impossible situation."
So, was the situation impossible, or nearly impossible?
Told you this was a picky comment.