The speculation is already starting around who the Rams will hire as their next head coach. The first name on everyone’s list is University of Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. Colin thinks Harbaugh is the best football coach in America at any level of football, but doesn’t think he’d leave Ann Arbor for Los Angeles. He may leave eventually, but he has unfinished business at Michigan. If he wins a title and beats Urban Meyer a couple of times, then he’ll probably go.
“I don’t think he’d take the Rams job. I don’t think it’s a good enough job for him.”
The other name that keeps coming up in connection with the Rams job is Jon Gruden. Colin thinks if there is ever a time Gruden would leave his role as Monday Night Football Analyst it would be now. The profile and importance of Monday Night football has shrunk, as the Sunday Night game and Thursday Night games have taken some of the spotlight, and Gruden may be in line for a pay cut as ESPN continues to cut costs. Gruden is a coach at heart, and even though he’s been out of the game, he’s still in the window where he could return. Gruden would bring personality and an offensive approach to an organization that badly needs both. Colin’s sources tell him that Gruden’s magic number is $8 million per year.
“I think Gruden would listen. I’m told he would listen. He’s an offensive guy. He won at Oakland, with a dysfunctional Al Davis, and won in Tampa with a defensive team.”
Lane Kiffin just accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic. He needs to succeed at FAU to convince better jobs that might come open in the future that he can be trusted to run a program. He’s shown he’s an elite coordinator with Alabama, but Colin thinks that they’ll be getting far less than his undivided attention during their playoff run. They might be good enough where they can still win with a less than focused Kiffin, but there’s no doubt he will be distracted.
“This is it for Lane. He’s a young guy. He’s going to be completely distracted. I don’t care what Saban says or thinks.”
Guests:
Cris Carter – NFL Hall of Famer and new FS1 Football analyst is in-studio to discuss the Jeff Fisher firing, why he thinks Jared Goff is a bust, whether he thinks Jim Harbaugh could leave Michigan for the Rams, and his thoughts on other potential candidates that could take the job.
Eric Dickerson – Rams Hall of Fame running back joins the show to react to the Rams firing of Jeff Fisher, if he thinks he played a part in getting Fisher fired, who they should hire next, and whether he feels welcome by the organization, now that Fisher is gone.
Michael Lombardi – Former NFL GM and host of the Make Smarter Football Podcast to break down the Patriots win over the Ravens last night, what he thinks about Colin’s list of Rams coaching candidates, and why he thinks Jim Harbaugh is already at his dream job.
Bruce Feldman – Fox Sports College Football Insider is in-studio to discuss whether there’s any way Jim Harbaugh would leave Michigan, if Michigan is his last job, if Tennessee and USC bashed Lane Kiffin as he was looking for a head coaching job, what’s next for Nick Saban, and what coaches could leave college to go to the NFL.