49ers bring in Chan Gailey to interview for OC

by David Fucillo on Jan 4, 2008 1:42 PM PST in San Francisco 49ers News

Matt Maiocco was on the ball indicating that Chan Gailey will be the first person to interview for the vacant OC position. Additionally, Mike Nolan indicated on KNBR that he was also interested in speaking with Cam Cameron, Brian Billick and Mike Martz. Scot McCloughan previously indicated Martz was not a fit for the staff, so I'm curious to see how this plays out.

As far as Chan Gailey goes, I had previously indicated I did not know much about him and what he brings to the table. However, I came across some interesting info in a post over at 49erswebzone.com. Somebody posted my previous Chan Gailey post over there and it got an interesting discussion going about Gailey, but also about the offensive coordinator issues in general. While poking around there I came across a post by a user named leakyfausett. In his post leakyfausett gave a rundown of Gailey that made me think he's at least a viable alternative to Cam Cameron. Personally I'd prefer Cameron, but it's entirely possible somebody else gets the job, so it'd be nice to know more about them.

leakyfausett:
In seven of the eight seasons that Gailey was either a coordinator or head coach in the NFL, he had a player attain the 1,000-yard rushing mark each time, including Jerome Bettis of the Steelers and Emmitt Smith of the Cowboys.

Before joining the Cowboys in 1998, Gailey spent the previous four seasons (1994-97) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including each of the last two as offensive coordinator. His first two years there were spent tutoring the club's wide receivers. In his four seasons with the Steelers, the team won the AFC Central Division crown each time, appeared in the AFC Championship Game on three occasions and reached the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh finished second in the NFL in rushing offense in 1996, averaging 143.7 yards per game. In Gailey's final season with the Steelers, he presided over the league's top-ranked rushing team, averaging 154.9 yards per contest.

The NFL team with which Gailey coached reached postseason play each of his last eight years in the league, and 11 of his 14 seasons overall.

Gailey got his start in the NFL coaching ranks as an assistant with the Denver Broncos in 1985. He served as a defensive assistant and special teams coach in his first season there before moving to the offensive side in 1986. He served two years (1986-87) as the Broncos' special teams and tight ends coach prior to taking over the task as quarterbacks coach in 1988. Promoted to offensive coordinator/receivers coach in 1989, he served two years in that position.

During Gailey's six-year stay in Denver, the team finished first or second in the AFC West on five occasions and made three Super Bowl appearances. Following his tenure in Denver, Gailey was named head coach with the Birmingham Fire of the World League in 1991, and in his two seasons there, the Fire qualified for the playoffs both times. A stop as head coach at Samford University in 1993 preceded his stint with the Steelers.

Additionally, a guy named 757niner pointed this out:

Going to Miami as an OC in 2000, he (Gailey) helped first time starter Jay Fielder go to 11-5 (granted a top level defense really helped).

He's a proven winner at the NFL level, and he's even helped some poor names in quarterbacking (Kordel, Fielder, Tomczak) look like true winners. Chan Gailey had top 10-15 offenses at all his stops as OC in the NFL....Pittsburg, Miami and Dallas. At each stop, he didn't just take a "system" with him and plug it in, he adapted the system he uses(Coryell-based) to fit the personnel. In Dallas he spread the ball around around, ala Norv in his days their. In Pittsburgh, he invented the 'slash' role for Kordell Stewart.....something that had never been tried before and was a pound 'n' ground offense that looked nothing like his Dallas days. In Miami, he did it with smoke and mirrors.....short passing, misdirection because he lacked real game breakers.....and still had the Dolphins winning. That to me speaks volumes of his offensive IQ....that fact that he can adapt his offense to fit current personnel.....not just bring 'his' system and tell the players this is what we run, get used to it. Flexibility is the key.

His offense at Gerogia Tech never really had the right players at the right times, but they still put points on the board. When CJ was there the best QB he had was Ball who was not a guy who could throw well and Choice always seemed to get hurt at the wrong times. The coaches around him and a number of former GT ADs love the guy. I said it from the the moment he was fired, he'd be a great fit.

While I think I still prefer Cam Cameron, Chan Gailey may bring more to the table than one would sense at first glance.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 1:45PM - In a good bit of timing, Kev threw up a diary at the same time with the offensive stats in Pittsburgh and Miami when Chan Gailey's was offensive coordinator.

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Comments

Interesting

"While I think I still prefer Cam Cameron, Chan Gailey may bring more to the table than one would sense at first glance."

My thoughts exactly.

"You gotta bring ass, to get ass." --EDDIE DeBARTOLO JR.

by Josh from Hollywood on Jan 4, 2008 1:59 PM PST reply actions

Interesting

My thoughts exactly too.

Merton Hanks, 'nuff said.

by jtoj on Jan 4, 2008 2:25 PM PST up reply actions

Flexible, innovative...

two out of three ain't bad.

Is a suit still considered a suit if it is made by Reebok?

by jfainsf49 on Jan 4, 2008 2:29 PM PST reply actions

Not wanting

to be in the running for the 1st ever Negative Nancy award, I waited for an appropriate thread to say I'm not on the Cameron train just yet. He's very high profile, and is sure to be sought after by "bigger fish". Hostler was thrown into the worst situation imaginable, and would probably have been wise to not accept the position at all but even under someone so obviously in over his head, the offense under Hostler would have been fine with a consistent presence at QB. Meaning to say, I don't know that Cameron will be worth the scratch he would need to be paid before coming to the Niners as opposed to better teams like Dallas or even Baltimore. There's gotta be a better choice at OC than the Big Tuna's leftovers... the only problem is, I can't think of anyone. Hardly a reason to hold our breaths for A "good enough" option in Cameron.

49er 'til I die! (if they don't kill me first)

by LA49er on Jan 4, 2008 3:31 PM PST reply actions

What's the point?

You don't think Cameron is worth the scratch? The scratch to who? Personally I don't give a damn about the York's and whatever scratch they might have to fork over for Cameron. How does that amount of scratch affect any of us fans?

Anyways, moving on, you don't like Cameron but you don't know who else you'd prefer? WTF? Cameron is far enough from a "good enough" option. Hell, by your own admission you don't know what a good option would be. This could be one of the most ridiculous comments ever. I mean, it's like your saying, "I don't like the guy because I don't know why but I also don't know who would be better but I just don't like the guy".

And the second most ridiculous comment ever, would be, and I'm paraphrasing, "If Alex Smith wouldn't have gotten hurt and thusly provided a consistent [yet sucky] presence at QB, Hostler would have been fine as OC". ZOMG, are you serious?

Also, how is Cameron the Big Tuna's left overs? Because the Big Tuna fired him as a head coach? I know one hell of an OC that sucks as a head coach, who now resides in San Diego. Who gives a shit if Cameron can head coach or not, it's pretty damn apparent he can OC and that's all we're looking for.

by methodrampage on Jan 4, 2008 8:40 PM PST up reply actions

OYG

No, I was kidding. What do you think? Of course I'm serious, retard.

The amount of scratch matters because I'd rather spend it on badly needed olb's and wr's, not to mention resigning a suddenly hot free agent qb in Shaun Hill. I don't care how much the Yorks spend, but I know they do, and I'm gonna be pissed if I hear more damn excuses about "rebuilding" next season with a "great" OC but no players.

Plus, I've heard that we're not the only ones looking to Cam for our next OC. All I said was I'm not on the train yet, not that I never will be. What I was trying to say was what other options do we have, in case Cam Cameron isn't just giddy at the thought of coaching the niners?

If he hadn't gotten hurt, he would have provided a consistent performance at QB, how does that equate to sucky?

Look it up: consistent , sucky . If he had played they way he did the first two games, even the way he played against the Steelers, all season long we'd be in the playoffs right now and singing the praises of our OC-in-a-pinch J Hostler. The situation he took was always going to be all or nothing; either he'd walk away a savior, or a complete loser. We all know how that story ended.

And since when is asking questions automatically a ridiculous comment? God forbid someone :gasp: questions popular sentiment! Maybe I'm wrong, maybe CC is our hopes and dreams incarnate, but what's wrong with looking around the league (and maybe even college) for fallback candidates? I guarantee that's what Nolan et al is doing! You might be satisfied with lemming opinions, but I like exercising individual and independent thought, and this was one I had.

Next?

49er 'til I die! (if they don't kill me first)

by LA49er on Jan 4, 2008 10:51 PM PST up reply actions

I don't think

I don't think coaches salaries have an impact on the salary capped player payroll, roll. So I don't think that it matters what we pay Cameron, because it's not coming from the same "stash" as the money we'd pay our olbs and wrs.

I could be wrong, but that's how I've always understood it in the NFL.

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down. Over and over. / My Blog, For Writers

by howtheyscored on Jan 4, 2008 11:06 PM PST up reply actions

This has to be a joke.

I can't fathom any other option.

by methodrampage on Jan 5, 2008 7:07 PM PST up reply actions

Sorry

For the jackass comment. I was in a horrible mood.

49er 'til I die! (if they don't kill me first)

by LA49er on Jan 8, 2008 8:26 AM PST up reply actions

Gailey v. Cameron

One edge that Gailey has over Cameron is that Gailey is less likely to leave after a year to become a head coach somewhere. Whoever gets the gig, it'll be the 4th OC in 4 years (of the Smith/Nolan era) which isn't good for Smith or the offense. Having the same OC and system in place for a few years will create the sort of continuity on offense that this franchise desperately needs.

If Cameron comes in and turns the offense around (and really, it can't get worse, can it?) he'd pretty quickly be a top head coaching candidate again, whereas Gailey would probably not be.

Lott's Prayer: Almost as many words as the Lord's Prayer, but the Lord wouldn't recognize any of them.

by Nosetackle Supreme on Jan 5, 2008 1:49 PM PST reply actions