It's nearly an annual joke here about the fact that Greg Roman has not gotten a head coaching job with another team in the last three years, with the implication being that we would really like him to leave.
While I agree that Roman is probably the weakest link in the upper coaching staff, for a while I was hesitant to declare him "bad" or to claim that he should be fired. I still don't. Without being in the building and knowing, for certain, what different responsibilities lie with whom, I'm not sure that I can properly evaluate any coach besides the head coach.
But, if there is one piece of evidence that I have always considered most damning of his coaching, it was the fact that he has never been hired by another team to be a head coach.
Matt Maiocco is offering another explanation. The article contains a nice list of different coaching hires:
--Five coaches (Dennis Allen, Joe Philbin, Mike McCoy, Gus Bradley and Ken Whisenhunt) were on staffs that lost in the divisional round of the playoffs;
--Four coaches (Mike Mularkey, Bruce Arians, Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer) were hired after their teams lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs;
--Four coaches (Greg Schiano, Doug Marrone, Chip Kelly and Bill O'Brien) were hired from the college ranks;
--Three coaches (Rob Chudzinski, Jim Caldwell and Mike Pettine) were hired off staffs that did not make the playoffs in the most recent season;
--Two coaches (Jeff Fisher and Lovie Smith) were hired who had head-coaching experience but sat out the previous sesason;
--As mentioned, one coach (Pagano) was on the staff of a team that lost in the conference championship game.
--One coach (Marc Trestman) was hired from the Canadian Football League;
--One coach (Romeo Crennel) was hired as coach after taking over on an interim basis the previous season.
--One coach (Andy Reid) went from one head-coaching job to another when he landed on his feet with the Kansas City Chiefs after being fired by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Arguing that most teams don't want to hire a coach so late into the offseason, Maiocco asserts that this might be the most likely factor for why Roman and Vic Fangio have remained. He states, "What's interesting -- and it seems counterintuitive -- is that the best way to keep a coaching staff together is continue to win."
While I think the time factor plays an issue, the fact remains that we can't actually know why certain teams are passing up on coaches, but we can start with the assumption that teams want to win and will do what it takes to achieve this goal. Yes, hiring a head coach late might hamper that goal in the short term. It is absolutely true that a belated start is simply another obstacle for a new coach on a new team.
But, if a GM or Owner is convinced that a guy is the right fit for a team, then that late start is nearly insignificant.
eciating the difficulty of a late start. But, the fact remains that Roman (and Fangio for that matter) remain unhired.