Raheem Morris Could Win Broncos Coaching Gig
January 3, 2009 at 3:08 pm | Article by Paul Hickey |
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By now, you’ve heard all the rumors. Since the surprise termination of future HOF Mike Shanahan in Denver, the Broncos have requested to speak with some of the hottest names in coaching - including Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Dallas OC Jason Garrett, up-and-coming Bucs DC Raheem Morris, and most recently, Patriots OC Josh McDaniels.
The odd ball out here is Stoops, as all of the other names mentioned are extremely young (under the age of 40), and have never held a head coaching post anywhere (college or pros). Sorry folks, but we just can’t see Stoops making the jump, or Denver really wanting to enter the fray of college coaches jumping to the professional level - remember Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino. That leaves the young crop of up-and-comers, all of whom would be a great fit for a young team like the Broncos. McDaniels and Garrett are certainly two of the finest young offensive minds in the game, but Denver’s issue is not offense - it’s defense. They ranked 29th against the pass, and 27th against the run, and desperately need help on that side of the ball in order to win.
As a result of this, our sources believe that of all of the names mentioned thus far, only the little-known Raheem Morris actually has a serious shot at winning the gig. Morris, a member of the Tampa defensive coaching staff for the last seven years, has recently been promoted to defensive coordinator at the age of 32, replacing Monte Kiffin, who left for the University of Tennessee. Morris has been compared to Steelers front man Mike Tomlin several times, in that Tomlin also was a Tampa Bay defensive backs coach, prior to moving to the Vikings as defensive coordinator for a season before winning over Pittsburgh’s front office upon the resignation of Bill Cowher in 2007. Both men also have strong backgrounds as college assistants prior to rising through the pro ranks very quickly.
Our sources believe that Denver feels they have the “most prime” of all the head coaching vacancies at the moment, and will certainly take their time making their decision. There’s a solid chance that Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan could be contacted following the Ravens elimination from the playoffs, as well as Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo. Coming down to Spags, Ryan and Morris, we feel strongly that Morris could win the gig, despite never having been a coordinator in the NFL.
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