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January 7, 2011WFNY Podcast: Browns Coaching Search, Some Tribe
January 7, 2011Now that some of the Brownsâ head coaching candidates have been revealed, I wanted to break down one of the candidates that I am most intrigued by: Falconsâ Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey.
Iâm in no way saying: âHeâs the only guy I want!â Rather, I wanted to pass along some information about Mularkey to explain why I believe heâs the best candidate for the job.
In the end, I have faith that Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert are going to hire the coach that they feel gives this organization the best chance to move forward for the long-term. In my opinion, Mularkey meets several of the criteria that I believe both Holmgren/Heckert AND the fanbase really crave. So, with that in mind, hereâs why I think Mike Mularkey might be the best candidate to meet that challenge.
Experience
Head Coaching Experience
Mularkey was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. His overall recordâ14-18âis not that impressive, but remember: itâs the Bills. Mularkeyâs first season on the job started out 0-4, and then he rallied the troops to a 9-3 finish, including a six-game winning streak during which the Bills scored more points than in any other six-game stretch in their history. Think about that relative to those early-90âs Bills teams. That 9-7 year is also the last time the Bills finished with a winning record.
In 2005, the Bills stumbled to a 5-11 record, in part because of a QB controversy involving Kelly Holcomb. There he is again, killing coaches, hehehe. Mularkey resigned after the 2005 season, citing philosophical differences with management that included but werenât limited to the team hiring the ageless Marv Levy as overseer.
Playing Experience
Mularkey was an NFL tight end for several years, and one of the things that is always cited in terms of being a successful head coach is having played the game and being able to relate to the players. Itâs one of the reasons often cited that college coaches canât succeed, also. Mularkey played nine seasons in the NFL in Minnesota and Pittsburgh.
Young QB Experience
In Atlanta, Mularkey has spent his tenure there developing a quarterback by the name of Matt Ryan. Iâm not here to say Colt McCoy = Matt Ryan in terms of ability level or anything like that. Iâm only here to say that Holmgrenâin my opinion, at leastâis probably looking at candidates that he feels can help develop McCoy (or even another young QB yet to be drafted, if they donât feel McCoy is the guy long-term). Even if you donât think McCoy is the guy, remember what Mularkey did with Tommy Freaking Maddox? I know I do.
Philosophy
Offensive Coordinating
I believe that Holmgren is going to naturally drift toward a coach with offensive chops, since thatâs who he is/was and what he knows. Mularkey was the offensive coordinator at three different stops: Pittsburgh (â01-03), Miami (â06), and Atlanta (â08-present). The Miami stint was his only time without prolonged success, but in fairness he was also buckled into the crazy Nick Saban ride. The other six seasons, his offenses were very successful.
Offensive Philosophy
If you look at the current state of the Brownsâ offense, what is the prevailing view on philosophy that makes the Brownsâ successful? Power running game, well-designed passing, best use of personnel, the occasional wrinkle that utilizes the skills of guys like Josh Cribbs/Seneca Wallace in the âFlash/Cycloneâ package. Check, check, and check. Those Steeler teams (and the ones with his successor, Ken Whisenhunt, heard of him?) were predicated on power running and then well-schemed passing, with the occasional Hines Ward/Antwaan Randle El reverse/passing play. It Atlanta, the trickeration isnât there as much, but their offense is predicated on Michael Turner bruising defenses and Matt Ryan (and Roddy White, of course, which is a position of need here) and company using play action to make defenses pay. One other constant in those offenses? Solid tight ends. We have one (maybe two, if Evan Moore can develop). In his first season in the ATL, Mularkeyâs offense jumped up from 29th in scoring to 10th, and was second in the league in rushing and sixth in total yards per game. With a rookie QB. Sign me up for some of that.
Intangibles
Cold Weather Coaching Experience
This might seem stupid to some, but the fact that heâs coached offense (and as a head coach) in Pittsburgh and Buffalo means something to me. He has experience coaching across the seasons and elements⊠from summer in August to winter in December. This canât be under-valued, in my opinion.
AFC North Coaching Experience
This may not seem important, either, but I feel as though it something we as the Brownsâ fan-base often talk about. Mularkey would know what heâs getting into if he is offered the job here. He knows the Steelers (their offense has been consistently running the same base system since he coached there). Heâs game-planned for the Ravensâ defense. To me, this matters.
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To be fair, there are some potential knocks against Mularkey, but to me that do not outweigh all of the positives above. Mularkey turns 50 this November, which means heâs not exactly a spring chicken. Mularkey wasnât able to sustain successâboth in record and on offenseâin his previous head coaching stint, though it *was* Buffalo. And, when the going got a little tough, he resigned. That could be a big strike against him, and were I Holmgren and Heckert, it would be one of the first questions I ask him in the interview tomorrow. Mularkey’s 2004 season in Buffalo looked to be a solid foundation, and it crumbled in 2005. One of the factors there was struggles on defense and defensive personnel. One would hope that he wouldnât be forced to worry about defensive personnel in terms of picking players, but his decision for defensive coaching staff members would be something to watch.
Overall, again, Iâm not saying âMularkey or bust!â I am, however, saying that he is my first choice for the job, pending a total collapse in his interview. I also liked that he shined the Broncos this week, who tried to cut in front of the Browns in the interview process (the Browns asked first, but the Broncos scheduled their interview the day before the Brownsâ). Any guy who spurns the Broncos in favor of the Brownsâeven just in interviewingâis OK in my book.
Alright, WFNY. Tell me why Iâm crazy!
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Photo Credit: Curtis Compton, Atlanta Journal Constitution
43 Comments
I would say overall, those are some pretty good points. I have much more interest in Mularky now given what you bring out. I think maybe if he kept Rob Ryan as DC, that might sure up the defense issues he has had.
In H & H we trust.
[BTW, does anyone else kinda hope Carolina will hire Ryan because it would be tough to endure another year of his constant hyperbole and relentless self-promotion? Trying to keep it just about the football but that Ryan Family Demeanor is getting to me and half hoping Holms feels the same]
I know I hope Carolina hire Ryan…I think the faults with his defensive schemes and play calling will show up next year, if he stays in Cleveland.
You’re crazy for wanting a guy with Steeler connections that bad, but other than that, you sold me.
I’m sold. No seriously, good stuff DP. I would like to see a piece like this about each one of the candidates for the job. Then I, as well as any other open-minded Browns fans claiming to be objective throughout this process, could make a more informed decision as to which guy they’re going to support as “their guy”. Either way, as you say, I have faith in H & H to make the best decision based on the information they have. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
If getting Cleveland guys (Noll, Cowher – BOTH players and Cowher coached in Cleveland. AND Noll being FROM Cleveland!) has been good to Pittspuke, maybe their guy could be good for us!
A good argument DP. Wasn’t aware of the solid record he’d put up at Buffalo, not to mention the record-setting stretch of offensive output. Those are encouraging signals. His oeuvre with Atlanta speaks for itself – they are a disciplined and exciting offense with a young QB and a power runner (and a big play receiver + Michael Jenkins…may we be so lucky).
I think the crop of candidates is actually quite strong, and am glad Holmgren’s football mind is the one processing all the info.
What I’ve read (here) on Mularky and (…somewhere else, you guys linked to it) about Marty Mo has me feeling a little more optimistic on both guys.
Harv has it right though, ultimately in H&H we trust regardless.
i think you might’ve sold me a bit. i thought Shurmur would be the favorite because he has such close ties to both Holmgren and Heckert. i thought he would be someone they felt comfortable with. but that can also make him a last resort if things with Mularkey and possibly Mornhinweg do not work out. Holmgren made a great hire in Heckert as GM, we had a very solid draft in 2010, so whoever gets selected i’m confident he’ll be the right guy. GO BROWNS!
Hey DP, you missed the part where Mularkey magically got a team to the AFC championship game with KORDELL FREAKING STEWART leading the team.
Somehow Stewart actually made the pro-bowl that year also. If he could make Stewart look really good for a year, I’d have to think he could do the same or better with McCoy.
Anyhow, there are definitely other candidates out there worth looking at, but I have no problem with the Browns interviewing Mularkey.
This is all just a bunch of Mularkey… sorry, but someone had to.
Great article. To be honest, i didn’t have a lot of background knowledge on Mularkey other than he was an O coordinator with a funny name. I still believe Gruden or Holmgren would be our best options, but if chucky doesn’t want to come back and if Holmgren doesn’t feel up to it, I’d feel pretty comfortable with Mularkey having read this. His head coaching record isn’t great but it sounds like it was a bad situation there and most coaches go through some tough times in their first head gig.
I’m currently on the fence with Ryan but why is all the media completely passing him over as a Browns head coach candidate? Am I the only one that believes that there’s no way he’s not a head coach somewhere next year?
@CoachA12, I too would like to see a piece like this for each candidate. Obviously we know the big names, but some of these coordinators are just being dismissed by everyone because they’re not the sexy pick. But I’m sure some of them have legitimate credentials that are being overlooked.
why do we trust in Holmgren, again…?
They were saying on the news this morning (Denver) that Mularkey cancelled his meeting with the Broncos but was still on with the Browns. They are speculating it’s because Elway called him Mark twice when talking to the press this week.
Interesting, a lot of pros for mularkey.. Im much more comfortable with his potential hiring after reading this
Off topic post: Want to throw up in you’re mouth? Check and see who the Cubs just traded for Matt Garza…that’s right the top prospect in the trade is former Indians farmhand Chris Archer who was traded from the Indians to the Cubs for (wait for it)…….Mark DeRosa. Shapiro sucks. Thank god he is out of the driver’s seat.
@adapterdesign: the “official” reason is that he didn’t want to do back-to-back interviews while his team was preparing for a playoff game, and since the Browns asked first he’s honoring their request.
Your story is certainly much more exciting a reason, though!
Great article, DP. Please write one for each coaching candidate interviewed by the Browns. I would still prefer Holmgren or Gruden, but of the coaches currently linked to the Browns Mularkey seems to be the most qualified.
I completely agree, Harv 21. The Ryans have an amazing capacity to self-promote while claiming to not self-promote. I don’t necessarily want him gone, but it is irritating and I also think that the new coach should have the opportunity to bring in his staff.
@ Believelander, are you joking? MH has a regular season record of 157-100 and a playoff record of 13-11. He has 2 NFC Championships and 1 Super Bowl Championship. Each team that he coached regularly made the playoffs, including Seattle. MH has experience developing hall-of-fame quarterbacks, including Steve Young and Brett Favre. MH is widely respected throughout the league and is easily the most credible, qualified personnel hire by the Browns in the last 2+ decades. Who, outside of Parcells, is even close to being as qualified as Holmgren to make decisions for the Browns?
Based on previous posts, you have already made it clear that you are willing to cheer against the Browns in order for your personal opinions to be proven right. So why don’t you explain why you don’t trust Holmgren?
He has 3 NFC Championships and 1 Super Bowl Championship.
/fixed – 2 in GB and 1 in Seattle
Only thing I disagree with is you mentioning that “remember, it’s the Bills.”
In the same vein, we are Cleveland, so it’s a similar situation.
Loved the breakdown, and like others have said, would like to see this for the other candidates
DP
You make way too much sense to be a Michigan fan.
I actually came to the comments section specifically to write the same thing Lyon posted. We, as Browns fans, can NEVER say “remember, it IS [fill-in-the-blank]” without acknowledging that WE need to remember, we ARE talking about our Browns.
I like how several commenters are making more work of our bloggers (good work; now write one for every candidate just like that). I agree that I would like to see it too…I just find it funny.
Good arguments throughout. I think with a healthier environment and learning from his experience in Buffalo, he would do very well should he get a chance to be a HC somewhere again. H&H provide that solid environment, IMO.
Mularkey, that’s slang for bull****, right?
/Sobel’d
@21
Completely agree. Everytime I read some comment like “but it was the Bills” or “he had JP Losman and Kelly Holcomb as QBs” I chuckle a bit everytime I read that stuff.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t consider Mularkey due to his failures in Buffalo, but I do think the “well the Bills suck” excuse is laughable given that we’re the Browns.
Wow. Was totally against all the potential hires until I read this piece. Now I want Mularkey. My only problem is that it now sounds too good to be true. What are we missing?
All I remember is hating Mularkey because all the commentators raved about him when the Stillers would bludgeon our poor teams. Not that those are fond memories, but I’d love to return the favor… knowhutimean?
@Lyon and dwhit110:
Those are valid points. I guess I bring it up for comparison for saying, “Mularkey struggled as a coach” compared to, say, “Brad Childress struggled as a head coach” (and I would argue that he did in many aspects, and/or mis-managed his tenure there) Talent and organization DO matter. It’s much easier to go 14-18 in two years as a head coach with an organization with talent than it is in someplace like Detroit of Buffalo.
Your point is valid, and I didn’t mean to imply that the Browns were a top-shelf team/organization; obviously not. I meant it more as, yes, he had a losing record his first time as a HC, but it was with a struggling organization that hasn’t been better since he left.
DP, I know you didn’t.
I understood what your point was, but it stuck out to me so I just wanted to highlight it.
This guy is the best of the coordinator bunch it’s not really an upgrade tho. I would still much rather have Gruden.
I would really like to see Atlanta take a deep run into the playoffs. It would really make a strong case for Mularkey. That is to say, any coordinator they are looking at it would be nice to see them coming from a team that went deep into the playoffs.
If Mularkey became the HC, or any other coordinator (specifically OC following the first few names), I would like to see a former HC brought in as DC. I just think the more experience they can get in the coaching staff, generally the better.
Also, I do not think Rob Ryan should be a HC next year, and really I dont think Id like to see him here again. Maybe its all the injuries we had on the defensive side of the ball, but I think Ryan was becoming exposed.
bobby, that’s a great point, especially re: Mularkey vs. someone like Pat Shurmur. Falcons have been to the playoffs the past two years, and have a chance to make a SB run this year. Much better credential than coming from the Rams, with no disrespect to Shurmur.
That said, Romeo was a coordinator on a SB winning team, too. Apples and oranges, i know. Just has to be mentioned.
Nice article, DP!
Why do so many people want Gruden? Yes, he did take a great team (built by Tony Dungy) and get them over the hump to win the the Super Bowl; but he never “built” a team. After winning the Super Bowl Tampa Bay quickly died with him as their coach.
I love listening to Gruden on TV. He is a great motivator, but I think his “act” quickly grows old with professional athletes.
Just don’t see him as a long-term answer in Cleveland.
Doesn’t Gruden get credit for Oakland? He was there for 4 years, and went 8-8, 8-8, 12-4, and 10-6, then they went to the Super Bowl the year after he left.
Also, Tampa Bay under Gruden was a .500 team after the Super Bowl year. Not great, but a helluva lot better than we have been the past decade.
The guy was 100-85 in 11 seasons as a head coach. I just don’t get the Gruden hate. You don’t win 100 games in 11 seasons without having a pretty good idea what you are doing…
@Off-topic
Don’t forget that DeRosa turned into Chris Perez and Jess Todd. Perez will probably contribute more to the Indians than any of the 3 guys we traded away for DeRosa will contribute to a MLB team combined. Plus Todd is still a good prospect not too unlike what Archer could end up.
The fact that Archer was the Cubs Minor League pitcher of the year says a lot more about the Cubs farm system than Archer. He probably ends up a decent reliever but nothing more.
@BAJ22
I can’t speak for other people, but I think Gruden is the most qualified person for the job because of his history as a successful head coach. He has a 95-81 regular reason record and a 5-4 postseason record. At the time, Gruden was the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. The people who say that it was only 1 Super Bowl (or some nonsense like that) have clearly never been Browns fans. Anyway, I will always trust a successful head coach more than I will trust a successful coordinator because I think the positions are totally different. There are plenty of examples to support that position. Simply put, there are not many Super Bowl winning coaches available for hire.
Regarding the whole Dungy’s team argument, I don’t see any evidence to support that conclusion. First of all, I think the Raiders went to the Super Bowl the year after Gruden left so if Dungy gets credit for the team in Tampa Bay then Gruden gets credit for the team in Oakland. More importantly, however, I don’t buy into the idea that the head coach is “building” the team. “Dungy’s team” went 9-7 in 2001 with Dungy, but 12-4 with Gruden. I don’t think it was Dungy’s team at all. Also, Gruden’s record in Tampa Bay is not as bad as you portray it to be.
2002 12-4
2003 7-9
2004 5-11
2005 11-5
2006 4-12
2007 9-7
2008 9-7
Obviously there are some significant differences between years, but the team didn’t really tank as some people believe they did and, moreover, who knows what the front office situation was like at that time.
Also, we shouldn’t forget the fact the intangibles. Gruden is a fiery guy from Sandusky, Ohio who has connections to Holmgren.
I’d take Gruden over another unproven assistant anyday but I’m willing to trust in Holmgren’s decision either way. Holmgren inherited an organization in shambles and there wasn’t going to beany kindof quick fix no matter what some people thought. Lets see what happens, my crystal ball is in the shop!
I think any Gruden talk will be after the National Championship game and he is “done” announcing for the season. I would actually like to see him come here over any of the coordinators mentioned thus far. I dont know why people think he would be “building” the team. We have Heckert/Holmgren here to do that. Gruden just has to put all the pieces to work on the field. I read that before Holmgren went after Colt he got Gruden’s opinion. I think that says Gruden thinks highly of the quarterback. I also dont buy that Cleveland isnt “prestigious” enough to sway Gruden into coaching. What better then coming into an organization run by one of the best football minds and a great GM in place. It all depends on him wanting to coach or not..
Regarding whether a coach gets extra credit because of the team he coached to a subpar record:
Romeo Crennel’s resume says that he coached the Browns to a 10-6 record with Derek Anderson at quarterback! Should the Cardinals hire him? đ
No real substantive point, except that it might be interesting to swing by a Bills fan message board or blog and see what they think about him.
Great research and analysis. This article is an example of why I much prefer reading WFNY than the drivel in the PD.
What are they waiting for Jon Gruden is the right choice he is the right man for this job at the right time.It is time to have a Browns fan as the coach! Get him in there sign the deal and get it done!
I think that the article brought up some good points. It makes me smile to think that of the Browns making to the playoffs (when most people thought it would never happen) under a coach named Mularkey. Poetry, I think.
@DP: “Falcons have been to the playoffs the past two years…” Actually, they didn’t make the playoffs last year. They DID, however, post a winning season for the 2nd consecutive year, which was a first in franchise history.
As an Atlanta native and lifetime Falcons fan, I have mixed feelings about Mularkey. The Falcons have won a lot of close games this year, and that makes a positive case for our OC. However, I’m not certain a lot of those tight games weren’t, at least in part, caused by Mularkey’s poor play-calling. I would give him a better grade for the second half of this season than the first half, though. I would also agree that he has been a huge factor in the growth of Matt Ryan. I think he could make Colt into an elite QB.