Smoke Signals: The Mike Holmgren rumors get louder

He will be when he becomes Carolina's new coach.
I think he just bought a house in N.C.

I think he just bought a house in N.C.

Exactly. He's lined up for the job. And it is his type of team.

I would love Holmgren as GM and letting him pick the coach. I agree that he has a bad track record doing both jobs.

It's got to be Gruden if the GM/Head coach are going to be the same body. Shanahan, Holmgren have both failed in that role, and I just don't think Cowher is a good coach, plain and simple.

None of these options are more appealing to me than Zorn, but if they bring their entire staffs with them, at least the whole team would be better coached than it is right now.

It's got to be Gruden if the GM/Head coach are going to be the same body. Shanahan, Holmgren have both failed in that role, and I just don't think Cowher is a good coach, plain and simple.

None of these options are more appealing to me than Zorn, but if they bring their entire staffs with them, at least the whole team would be better coached than it is right now.

What makes you think Gruden would do well in a dual capacity? Better than say Brian Billick (just to throw a name out there)

I think Cowher would be a good head coach because he would probably do like he did in Pittsburgh and Gibbs at least tried to do here. And that is he would hire proven coordinators while he oversees everything.

How he would do as a GM is up for debate

What makes you think Gruden would do well in a dual capacity? Better than say Brian Billick (just to throw a name out there)

I think Cowher would be a good head coach because he would probably do like he did in Pittsburgh and Gibbs at least tried to do here. And that is he would hire proven coordinators while he oversees everything.

How he would do as a GM is up for debateI think Gruden conceptually understands the concept of replaceability better than most coaches, even most GMs. He wouldn't be married to Santana Moss for another three seasons because the guy has held a "no. 1 receiver" role before. He gets quality productivity out of guys like Ike Hilliard who don't cost anything. And he understands that, if Jason Campbell isn't the answer, he doesn't have to invest a top 5 pick to find a franchise QB.

Now, this leads to some maddening tendencies, like having to try out eighty billion different QBs who probably aren't the answer to find one guy who is, and that can lead to 4-12 seasons deflated by the Bruce Gradkowski's of the world.

But I believe he's also the kind of coach (and this is just an example, not something I advocate) who can spend a pick at the bottom of the second round on a guy like Tim Tebow and then quickly turn a punchless offense into one tailored for his strengths. I also believe with the money we already have tied up in defense, going with someone who isn't Greg Blache and maybe adding a piece at linebacker or defensive back can get this defense back to where we expect it to be. Gruden is a guy who can transform the offense overnight (and cheaply), and can make us competitive in 2010.

My number one choice is that we win 10 games this year with Jason Campbell taking the league by storm and Jim Zorn growing into the roles he currently holds and learning how to coach an entire football team.

My number two choice is Jon Gruden.

Holgrem said he wants to be on the east coast, and mentioned Skins, Eagles, and Giants as places he would like to coach, b/c those cities are so focused on football. Don't rule out Cowher yet. Until Cerrato goes, who we have coaching might not make a difference.

What makes you think Gruden would do well in a dual capacity? Better than say Brian Billick (just to throw a name out there)

I think Cowher would be a good head coach because he would probably do like he did in Pittsburgh and Gibbs at least tried to do here. And that is he would hire proven coordinators while he oversees everything.

How he would do as a GM is up for debateI think if you told me that you had been to the future and we had already hired Bill Cowher, I would say: "I think that can work, but only if he comes in and keeps Jason Campbell."

Then you'd tell me that we didn't, and I would predict 5-11 with a worse offense than we had this year (and a better defense).

The fact that Cowher bought a house in N.C. doesn't really matter. He is from N.C., and his daughters go to school there. Just becasue a guy buys a house doesn't mean that is where he is going to coach. Who knows if Bill will even come back? No one. Besides is Carolina going to pay him the kind of money he will want? Doubt that to. Having a debate over who we would like to have as our next head coach if fine, but bringing up facts that really have no bearing and are all conjecture where coach a or b is going to land is irrelevent.

Well as of yesterday Gruden has said he's not interested. But a package Bruce Allen/Jon Gruden deal is intriguing. Though Gruden wears out his welcome with players rather easily, as I understand it.

I'm not sold on Shanahan as a GM. Not sold on Cowher as a GM. Don't know how I feel about Holmgren as a head coach (for the long term). None of the frequently mentioned candidates really appeal to me at this point.