Broncos owner Pat Bowlen will have a lengthy list of diverse coaching candidates to consider as he tries to decide who should replace Mike Shanahan as the Broncos’ head coach.
Will he look to an established veteran coach, such as Bill Cowher? Will he choose a top NFL assistant, such as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz or the Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo?
All three have been hot names in 2008 coaching candidate discussions.
Will Bowlen again choose to hire an offensive-minded coach, like Shana-han, or will he find a coach who will focus on the team’s ailing defense?
“As an owner, you should know, if you fire a coach, who are you going to get who’s going to be better? That to me is the question,” former Broncos coach Dan Reeves said.
And will Bowlen again go to a coach who like Shanahan wants autonomy over all personnel decisions, or will Bowlen hire a separate general manager to run that department while leaving his new coach to do just that?
The formula worked at Miami, where Bill Parcells was hired early last year to make over a team that had just finished 1-15. Parcells hired Tony Sparano, who had been an assistant in Dallas, then purged the roster. The Dolphins won 11 games this season — and the AFC East.
Another top GM candidate is Scott Pioli, New England’s vice president of personnel.
Former Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth, who still lives in Denver and works as an analyst for ESPN, said he would not be surprised if Bowlen changes his business model.
“They gave him total autonomy in player personnel,” Schlereth said of Shanahan. “I’m not sure when you don’t have anyone around to question your decisions if that makes for a healthy situation.”
In addition to Schwartz and Spagnuolo, other hot assistant coaches include Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett or Atlanta quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, a former Broncos backup quarterback who starred as at Grand Junction High School and the University of Oregon.
If Bowlen chooses to go with an experienced head coach instead, Cowher could be the top target, though he would be far more expensive to a franchise that still could be paying at least part of Shanahan’s salary in coming years.
Cowher has not coached since retiring from Pittsburgh nearly two years ago. He has been linked to the open New York Jets job, too, in recent days.
“He’s the most valuable candidate out there right now,” said former San Diego and Kansas City coach Marty Schottenheimer, a close friend of Cowher’s.
Schottenheimer said late Tuesday afternoon he didn’t think Cowher had been contacted by Bowlen.
Several top college coaches could be in the discussion, as well, including Southern California’s Pete Carroll, who previously coached in the NFL in New England.
One local college coach, Air Force’s Troy Calhoun, shook his head no Tuesday when asked if he expected to be considered. Calhoun was a defensive and special-teams assistant under Shanahan and an assistant coach for the Texans under Gary Kubiak.
Jim Armstrong and Irv Moss contributed to this report.
Lindsay H. Jones:
303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
