Mornhinweg to Colts?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Mornhinweg to Colts?
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Marty Mornhinweg wants to be an NFL head coach again, but now may not be the time.
It appeared all but certain that the Eagles offensive coordinator would be left out of the discussion of possible head coaching candidates this off-season. A number of teams had openings -- some you would think might be interested in Mornhinweg -- but never once was his name mentioned in the usual chatter from the media gallery.
In talking with Mornhinweg recently I was under the impression that he was OK with that. There was the murmur of a drumbeat for the former Lions coach to get another crack at a top job last January, but it faded away when a report that Mornhinweg was to interview for the vacant Browns job proved false.
Last year should have been the year for Mornhinweg. Michael Vick's transformation, under the coach's tutelage, was one of theNFL stories of the year. The Eagles set franchise records in points and total yards. Mornhinweg was eight years removed from the debacle in Detroit that general manager Matt Millen co-authored.
But he didn't even get a sniff. And after this season's regressions -- the Eagles', the offense's, Vick's -- there was no way Mornhinweg was going to get a whiff of an opportunity. And, I think, he had accepted that and, perhaps, even welcomed it. He's loyal to Andy Reid and next season, obviously, is an important one for the Eagles head coach.
And then there is Mornhinweg's family situation. He has a daughter with another year of high school and a son with another year of grade school. His eldest son, Skyler, is moving on to college -- possibly to play quarterback for Penn State -- but he may prefer to wait a year before uprooting his family. (Which he may have to do if the Eagles miss the playoffs again next season.)
That being said, I think it would be hard for Mornhinweg to turn down a head coaching opportunity if one presented itself, especially the one in Indianapolis.
When Ryan Grigson was named the Colts' new general manager on Wednesday some were suddenly connecting the dots that would lead Mornhinweg to Indianapolis. Grigson, as some of you may not have known but probably do now, was the Eagles' director of player personnel. His dealings with Mornhinweg were limited, but they had an occasional working relationship. If Grigson were to look for a new man to lead the Colts, the thinking went, why not Mornhinweg?
He has head coaching experience -- albeit two forgettable years in Detroit. He's run an offense that consistently puts up franchise highs in yards and points. And, perhaps, most important, he has turned many young quarterbacks into successful pros. And with the Colts sure to expend the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft on Andrew Luck, Mornhinweg would be the perfect coach to spearhead the Stanford quarterback's development.
There is some merit to the speculation.
But there are obvious obstacles. For one, the Colts still have a head coach. His name is Jim Caldwell, and while he certainly is on the hot seat, he is only two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance. And it's not like working with quarterbacks is something alien to the coach. Caldwell was a quarterbacks coach in Indianapolis for seven seasons before he became head coach, for one season in Tampa Bay and way back when for seven seasons with Penn State.
He can't take credit for Peyton Manning's development, of course, and Penn State has a dubious history with quarterbacks, but Caldwell surely aided Manning in some way, and he was with the Nittany Lions when a young Kerry Collins was on the roster. Mornhinweg may have a greater track record in nurturing quarterbacks (Brett Favre, Jeff Garcia, Michael Vick), but it's not like Caldwell is some schlep in that department either.
There is the belief that Grigson may want to bring in his own guy. I'm a true believer in the axiom that a head coach and GM have the get along and have the same philosophy for a team to be successful. We've seen the casualties of differing personalties in Kansas City and other NFL outposts. But let's say Mornhinweg is Grigson's guy -- and that's quite a leap -- is the new Colts GM really going to be the one to make a coaching change?
Probably not. Caldwell's future ultimately lies with Jim Irsay, one of the more hands-on owners in the NFL, and if he goes a replacement will likely be picked by Irsay. Maybe Mornhinweg could end up being Irsay's choice, but it would seem to be a long shot.
I know some Eagles fans that would welcome his departure. Since the end of the season I've received many e-mails, tweets and messages from fans looking for various members from the Eagles organization to go. In order, the list probably goes like: 1. Reid, 2. Juan Castillo, 3. Howie Roseman, 4. Mornhinweg.
The Eagles offense did not have a great season. They set another team mark for yards and first down, but they were near last in turnovers and below average inside the red zone. Mornhinweg's play-calling was also not at its best. Abandoning the run with a 20-point, second-half lead against the 49ers immediately comes to mind.
And then there was Vick's step back. A lot of the blame falls on the quarterback's shoulders, but Reid and Mornhinweg share some of that responsibility.
Still, basking in Mornhinweg's departure should he leave would be a case of not knowing what you had until it was gone. In his six seasons as the Eagles offensive coordinator, the Eagles offense has finished second, sixth, ninth, eleventh, second and third in total yards and sixth, 17th, sixth, fifth, third and eighth in points.
If Mornhinweg were to go, the currently unemployed Brad Childress could return to the Eagles as offensive coordinator.
Or maybe Reid solves his defensive coordinator problem by placing Castillo in charge of the offense.
That was a joke.
Care to identify even one young quarterback that he, personally, turned into a successful pro?— m13sully
Comment removed.- Castillo is the joke. Make him the damn special teams coach since he's such a motivator. Or dump him. Just no mas on D. April can't come soon enough, this team needs a serious re-tooling.— dragoon6
- Go.— Richard Saunders
- send in the clowns— With all this talent who needs a real defensive coordinator 2011
- I'm not sure why there is so much hate for Marty. Is he the best OC in the league? No. But he definitely is not the worst. In fact, I would say he is in the top 8 or so. Sure, he has some questionable play calls here and there, but overall he does a really good job.— Penfold18
- Let's not kid ourselves, Marty does what Andy tells him to do. I don't have a list in front of me but I'm hard pressed to name the last OC under Andy Reid that went somewhere else and had notable success.— DennyP
- Childress would be a major major MAJOR step back and if he shows up i think jeff lurie willa ctually have a seriosu fan problem - but he is a bigtime fat andy yes man so thats probably pretty likely. disappointing stuff.— dheis
- Pass option on the 1 yard line.. Yeah Ronny Brown is the idiot also but that 1 play cost the game and of course the division... Many other plays you could point to but when have you EVER seen that before... NEVER!!— elfman
- Only want to see Marty go IF he takes Juan with him!!!! Please make Juan the Colts line coach and get him out of the Eagles. Sure he is supposed to be a really nice guy and a very hard worker but sorry that is just not enough for a top NFL job (especially in Philly)! Rather get people who work smart then brag about spending 22 hrs working and seeing poor results from that.— connorjr
- C-Ya Marty....Please.— bonnerlou
- If Ronnie Brown pulls off the Tebow-esque run-pass play(I am picturing one of Tebow UF JUmp Throws) then ESPN would have jacked-off to the "genius and inventiveness" of AR and Marty.— regassert6
- While Reid gets all of the criticism and hate, Marty flies under the radar and takes no hits whatsoever from the media and fan base. Marty calls the plays, time to move on.— kse
- It doesn't matter who the coordinator is. Michael Vick is not good enough to win a Super Bowl.— ManU63
- Send him to Indy. Bring back Childress.— BigLadd
