the Miami Sports Dude

Chan o Jim? … Quen es mas macho?

Okay, let’s assume that come this Tuesday, Marty Schottenheimer is going to be Mo Green to AJ Smith’s Michael Corleone. Let’s then assume that the Chargers will name Cam Cameron as Marty’s replacement. Stop cursing. Calm down. Focus.

Ok, now that the Two Monkeys and a yo-yo have allowed Ken Whisenhunt to sign elsewhere and the fact that the NFL rules for hiring new coaches sucks, which means we lost out on offering Cam a job because his team was still in the playoffs. And given the fact that Marty’s Boy wised up and decided he didn't want to be the coach down here anymore -- it leaves us with two real options. I haven’t heard Mike Tomlin’s name much since his interview, which is a shame. But the vibe is Tomlin is an unlikely hire. Some say Dom Capers could still emerge here but I doubt it. Dom Capers has a squirrel on his head.

If you believe all the reports coming in, it looks like this is now a two horse race between Chan Gailey and Jim Mora. I know. Not very appealing. We were all hoping the Chargers would lose so Cam Cameron would get another interview. Instead it may have cost us, as Cam will very likely be the new man in San Diego as early as Tuesday.

Given that these are our options, let’s revisit what I’ve written about them each. (Some of this is recycled stuff from what I've written the past two weeks with a few additions here and there):

Jim Mora: Mora led the Falcons to the NFC championship his first year with the team. And I think Atlanta would’ve been a playoff team this year had it not been for a rash of injuries on the defense. He’s a young, energetic coach and is well liked by his players. Overall, Mora did a good job in Atlanta and aside from not being able to keep his mouth shut, he really did nothing wrong. Mora was widely criticized for mishandling Michael Vick and for not instilling enough discipline on his team.

But I think a change of scenery would benefit Mora and while his recent firing makes him seem like a potential lame duck consideration, remember that even the great Bill Belichick’s first time around as a head coach was very similar to Mora’s. During his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, Belichick compiled a 36-44 record, leading the team to one playoff win. Browns fans remember him as the man who benched and then cut popular quarterback Bernie Kosar. And in Belichick's last season in Cleveland, the Browns finished 5-11. He is now the Great Football Genius of the New England Patriots. Mora is not my first choice, but he’s someone worth looking into. I believe a guy like Mora can be successful if you give him the right weapons and the right assistant coaches.

He’s a defensive-minded guy. But his resume is the best among the finalists as far as I’m concerned. He led the Falcons to the NFC Championship his first year and Michael Vick’s game has actually improved over the years under Mora. The biggest problem for Atlanta in 2006, in my view, was that the Falcons lacked a solid receiver and their defense was racked with injuries all season long. Yes, Mora has a big mouth and I really do think he’d rather be in the NFL over Washington. I think he’s going to be seriously considered by Huizenga because of his youth, experience and his resume.

Verdict: Hire this man. I do like him a lot. Some of you have said otherwise, but I believe he can be successful down here. Mora is young, experienced and qualified. Which means he has no shot at the job whatsoever. But, you ask me -- Mora is the man.


The Aardvark: Chan Gailey has actually been a coach on both sides of the ball. He started his career as a secondary coach at Troy State. He was also defensive coordinator at Air Force as well as special teams coach for the Denver Broncos. He also was head coach for the World League’s Birmingham Fire, eventually making his way to Pittsburgh as offensive coordinator and then was hired by the Cowboys to be their head coach.