Hire Spurrier

Usually the Monday following the final weekend of the NFL regular season is pretty cut and dried. Certain coaches know they’re going to be fired, the playoffs are set and everybody is looking toward the playoffs. None of that’s true today as not even the playoff picture is set. If the Ravens win tonight they’re in, if the Vikings win, Seattle goes to the post-season. So many coaching jobs seem to be unfolding before our eyes, with Steve Spurrier as the prime candidate for all of them.

Minnesota and San Diego have jobs open; Carolina, Washington, Atlanta and even playoff-bound Tampa Bay are supposed to be looking for coaches. But for some reason, Jacksonville’s Wayne Weaver is staying on the sidelines in the Spurrier sweepstakes, saying he’s giving Tom Coughlin an extension.

If you’re primary objective is to win, then Coughlin and numerous other coaches can make that happen. But if your combined objective is to win and sell tickets, then hiring Spurrier is a slam-dunk. And what if Coughlin doesn’t like the terms of the extension and balks at a General Manager being brought in, which seems to be in the not-so-distant future? Then you’ve lost on the chance at Spurrier and alienated a big part of your fan base. Weaver might have just painted himself into a corner, or maybe he really believes Coughlin can win and sell tickets. He will win, but nobody’s buying a ticket because Tom Coughlin is the Head Coach.

Bob Stoops seems ready to take the Florida job, but not until Spurrier has his day in Gainesville, Steve appears at a press conference this afternoon.