Jacksonville Jaguars In Search of Quarterbacks Coach

With the departure of Todd Monken to Oklahoma State to be their offensive coordinator, the Jacksonville Jaguars are between a rock and a hard place trying to find a new quarterbacks coach. Todd Monken was promoted to the quarterbacks coach position when now Carolina Panthers quarterback coach Mike Shula vacated the position. Monken worked with Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy in the past when both were under Les Miles. The Jaguars were able to promote from within with Todd Monken, but that's unlikely the case this go-round.

It's possible the Jaguars could lose some more assistants to the college ranks as well, because they do not need to seek permission to move to college coaching positions, so the Jaguars cannot deny interview requests like they did with Dirk Koetter and the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator position.

The question remains however... Who do you get?

The problem the Jacksonville Jaguars face is it's the proverbial "Dead Coach Walking" down at EverBank field. Any quarterbacks coach that is brought on to the staff is going to likely be on a 1-year contract, which the majority of coaches do not want to get into unless they're overtly desperate. Coaches typically look for a multi-year contract to ensure some sense of security. There are a couple of coaches who come to mind however, that are either what I would classify as "desperate" for a shot or apathetic and just may want to have some work in the 2011.

Mike Heimerdinger

The first person who came to mind was former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. Mike Heimerdinger was fired by new Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak yesterday and because Heimerdinger was fired, he's still "under contract" with the Titans. This means Heimerdinger is being paid already for the 2011 season, so if he's looking for work it can come on the cheap. It's possible the Jacksonville Jaguars could lure someone like Heimerdinger on staff on the cheap and for a single season, but with Heimerdinger battling cancer it's also very possible he could simply take a year off from coaching and spend time recovering and with his family. Heimerdinger is credited with the maturation of former Oiler/Titan Steve McNair and also resurrecting Kerry Collins career with the Titans.

Jim Zorn

Jim Zorn was recently let go from the Baltimore Ravens where he served as their quarterbacks coach and is the former short-lived head coach of the Washington Redskins. I'm unsure the contract Jim Zorn signd when he was hired by the Ravens, but typically assistant coaches are hired on at least two-year contracts, so it's possible Zorn, like Heimerdinger, will also be being paid by his former team in 2011, making his services cheaper. Jim Zorn played quarterback in the NFL for 10 seasons and has been an assistant coach in the NFL for 11 seasons. He's worked under Dennis Erickson, Bobby Ross, Mike Holmgren, and most recently Jim Harbaugh. Zorn is credited with the development of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasslebeck and Joe Flacco hit career highs in touchdowns, quarterback rating, and a career low in interceptions while Jim Zorn was his quarterbacks coach.

Mike Leach

Yes, that Mike Leach. I'm well aware he's borderline insane, but one cannot deny his offensive football mind. The only reason I bring Mike Leach up for discussion is the fact that he's desperate for work. He's considered "nuclear" in the college ranks right now because of the debacle when he was the head coach at Texas Tech. Leach has offered himself up for seemingly every single coaching vacancy that's hit the NCAA this year but hasn't had success in finding a job. My thought is, Leach is desperate for work so he may be willing to take a job as an assistant coach and prove himself for the 2012 season, even if it's for college football. Leach developed the infamous "Air Raid Offense" in college that feature the passing game. He's credited with turning former first overall pick Tim Couch into a success at the University of Kentucky and also tutored former Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupal who was also drafted in the NFL. While neither was successful, he coached them up enough to where they were in college and teams thought they could be in the NFL. He's set a multitude of NCAA passing and scoring records as a coordinator and head coach. Plus, who doesn't love a guy who's obsessed with Pirates? He'd love Saint Augustine.