It's day four and we can barely keep up with the interviews for the Browns vacant head coaching search.  Here are the candidates that have interviewed so far:

Josh McDaniels, Offensive coordinator, Patriots (1/2/09):  The Barberton boy is light on experience but big on upside.  He works well with quarterbacks, and he runs an innovative offense.  Brady Quinn has a similar makeup to the Patriots starter Matt Cassell, who is going to the bank in free agency after a big 2008 season. McDaniels is a huge gamble, but some of his offensive philosophies are being stolen now by other NFL teams.  Taking a risk on a guy like McDaniels is no different than what the 49ers did in the late 70's with Bill Walsh.  He could revolutionize the game, or fall flat on his face.

Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive coordinator, Giants (1/10/09):  Spagnuolo is my favorite of the defensive choices.  His pressure schemes are top notch, and he's also a guy who could be ahead of the curve.  Switching to Spagnuolo would likely mean an overhaul of the front seven, but it could be time to take a chance.  His zone blitz scheme would probably better utilize talents on the roster already, such as defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, and safety Sean Jones.  The bad news is that players like linebackers Andra Davis, Leon Williams, Willie McGinest and defensive linemen Shaun Smith and Corey Williams likely aren't athletic enough to hack it in this system.  If the Browns want Spagnuolo, they will not only face a great deal of competition, but the NFL Playoffs schedule working against them.

Eric Mangini, former head coach, Jets (12/30/08):  Owner Randy Lerner seems intrigued by Mangini, but this package may be as well wrapped as once thought.  There are conflicting reports about whether Mangini and potential general manager candidate Scott Pioli have a good working relationship after Spygate.  It would seem that Mangini and Pioli could work together, but that is no lock.  Mangini would bring some credibility to the Browns head coaching position, which hasn't had an experienced NFL coach since Nick Skorich, who was the Browns head coach from 1971 through 1974.  Word is that Lerner is more apt to hire an experienced NFL head coach, per Terry Pluto.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 9:42 pm and is filed under Cleveland Browns, Head Coach. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.