Jon Gruden’s Popularity Says A Lot About the NFL’s Coaching Searches

By Anthony F. Irwin @AnthonyIrwinNBA on October 1, 2014

When Dennis Allen was fired by the Oakland Raiders earlier this week, Jon Gruden immediately emerged as the leading candidate to replace him. But how much does that have to do with his being on Monday Night Football weekly? I’d like to study the common themes fans and the media point to and any possible issues in logic for finding a head coach.

For as long as I can remember, as soon as a head coach either resigns or is fired, an over/under is set for how long before they appear on TV. One thing a head coach cannot overcome is absence of mind from fans. As soon as people stop thinking about a former coach, the battle goes from uphill to vertical to get hired for a similar position. So coaches attend month and even yearlong interviews, only they’re held in front of a camera.

Gruden is the latest example of being a hot commodity because we hear from him so often. He’s a likeable guy, seems knowledgeable about football and, most importantly, explains it to fans in a way we can understand. But isn’t there a flaw in that way of thinking?

I don’t see any direct link from ability to explain a game to fans to ability to coach. Gruden has already been fired by the Raiders. Do we need to see that again? Another familiar trend is the “tree theory.” We look for an immensely successful coach, find an assistant or someone who played for said coach, then immediately talk ourselves into how great they’d be for our favorite team.

That way of thinking gave us Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis. Yuck. This does, however, make more sense than liking someone because they sound smart on TV. While being a successful assistant doesn’t necessarily mean anything in terms of ability to be a head coach, having a great mentor is a great start in any profession.

Lastly, the amount of nepotism in sports is alarming. How many of the same last names do we have to hear before we start questioning if the best candidates are actually getting chosen? Mike Shanahan doomed his tenure with the Washington Redskins in part because he entrusted the offense to his son, Kyle. Robert Griffin III has yet to recover.

Jay Gruden is now coaching those Redskins. Oh hey, that’s Jon’s brother; he has to be a good coach! This is by far the most frustrating aspect of coaching at the highest level. You’d think a multi-billion-dollar industry would be beyond this, but take a look at the New England Patriots‘ sideline. There’s Steve Belichick, coming to a team near you.

Coaching as a whole is such a difficult concept to understand, but shouldn’t we put a little more thought into choosing one? Shouldn’t we spend a little more time trying to tangibly define what makes a good choice beyond they speak English well or have been around the right people?

The best coaches came out of nowhere and were given time to develop. The goal should be to hire the guy from which a tree sprouts, not hoping an apple doesn’t fall far from someone else’s.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .