Is this the future of NFL coaches

[JustRalph]

How long until we hear screaming about not interviewing minority candidates?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3233051

Source: Mora reaches deal to be Hawks' head coach
once Holmgren retires

By John Clayton

Jim Mora reached a five-year agreement Tuesday that will allow him to transition into the head coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks once Mike Holmgren retires after the season, a source close to Mora told ESPN.com.


Mora will serve the 2008 season as the assistant head coach in charge of the secondary. Once the season is over, Mora, former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, will become the head coach for the next four seasons, according to the contract that was agreed in principle Tuesday evening.

[kingfin66]

Nobody can say anything about this. Well, they can always say something, but it won't go anywhere as this hire is very much within the NFL rules. The Seahawks' head coaching job will not be vacant. The NFL rules only require that minority candidates are interviewed for coaching vacancies. Clayton is local to my area and is on the local sports radio station. This issue was discussed in depth by Clayton about 2 weeks ago. It will be fun watching Mora pop his smelling salts for the next several years! Mora's situation was interesting. He was the coach-in-waiting for both the Seahawks and the University of Washington.

[JustRalph]

It makes me wonder about how this will affect the coaching game as a whole. In the future, will it be more like a company wherein you work your way to the top by staying with teams longer than the norm today? I think these two scenarios are unique. I think that coaches in the last 10 years or so were 'brought in" to run "their offense" or "their defense" I don't see big changes if you come up in the same system. But I guess it is as easy as changing a playbook really..............

[kingfin66]

I think this could very well be the future of coaching hires, but only with successful franchises. The teams who have to fire a head coach will not be in a position to do this. The Rooney Rule, as it is called, that requires teams to interview minority coaches has really been made a mockery of over the past few years. The other trend that I see increasing is that of paying top coordinators a head coaches salary to keep them around. The recent turn down of a head coaching job by Jason Garrett in Dallas is an example of this.

[JustRalph]

Mike Wilbon squawked about it on PTI today.............he says he is worried that it is being used to get around the Rooney Rule...............