New York Breaking News

By JEFF CAPELLINI, WCBSTV.com Senior Sports Producer
NEW YORK (CBS) ― The Bill Cowher-to-the-Jets rumor is now officially dead.

In what was a wild Tuesday, the Jets went from thinking they had a shot to get their first choice to, ultimately, being resigned to the fact that they have to look elsewhere.

This is because Cowher's agent said Tuesday night the former Super Bowl-winning coach is not interested in the position.

"After reaching out to Coach Cowher's representatives, we were informed tonight that he is not a candidate for the position," Jets spokesman Bruce Speight told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

Not long after a report surfaced saying Cowher was not going to interview for the Jets' vacant head coaching position because he wanted to bring along his own player personnel director, the team had a change of heart regarding the role of general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

While Jets CEO Woody Johnson wasn't about to fire Tannenbaum, the employee he cleared of any blame in the team's late-season collapse, he was reportedly ready to make some accommodations to get Cowher to sign on.

A report on ESPN.com said a high-ranking Jets official had come forward to say the team was prepared to do "whatever is necessary" to get Cowher on board. Another source said Tannenbaum himself was ready to relinquish some power to get the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach to New York.

Why Cowher is not interested in the Jets' job remains a mystery, though it's possible he simply does not want to coach in 2009 and may be comfortable as an analyst for CBS. An even more intriguing scenario may have Cowher becoming a serious contender for the now-vacated head coaching job in Denver, a job considered by many as one of the best in all of pro sports. The Broncos fired Mike Shanahan on Tuesday night, ending the NFL's longest running coaching tenure at 14 years.

Cowher, 51, was 161-99-1 in 15 seasons with Pittsburgh, including a Super Bowl win in 2006.

So the Jets are back where they started on Monday when they fired Eric Mangini after three seasons. Johnson gave Tannenbaum a vote of confidence despite the fact that Mangini was hired on Tannenbaum's watch.

Tannenbaum was also responsible for spending $140 million of Johnson's money during last offseason's whirlwind free agency assault. He also played a major role in orchestrating the trade that brought Brett Favre over from Green Bay in August.

Fans seem to think blame rests with the entire team, not just Mangini. A wcbstv.com viewers' poll revealed that 69 percent of the fans cast blame on the players as a whole. Favre came next with 21 percent, followed by Mangini with 10 percent.

On the other hand, 59 percent of the fans who took part in the poll said letting Mangini go was the right thing to do.

So, at least from the fans' perspective, a change was warranted, even though the vast majority of people don't see Mangini as the main reason the Jets went from 8-3 and on the fast track to the AFC East title to 9-7 and sitting home lamenting what could have been.

Now that the Cowher scenario has fallen apart the team will have to quickly segue to other candidates. The question is, who?

With Cowher now out of the mix, the list of available coaches that would satisfy all that the Jets require is limited, though the infusion of a name like Shanahan makes things interesting.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen fired Shanahan, a legend in Denver, after his team lost its last three games and failed to make the playoffs. Shanahan, a master offensive mind, has been criticized in recent years for not drafting well and forcing Bowlen to shell out big money for free agents, many of which did not work out. Shanahan was 24-24 over the final three seasons of his tenure and 141-92 overall, including two Super Bowl championships.

It is unknown at this time if the Jets plan to talk to Shanahan or if the 56-year-old has even contemplated what he plans to do next season.

Aside from the possibility of Shanahan, the list of potential replacements for the Jets' job consists of another NFL legend, a veteran with a shaky postseason history and two hot-shot coordinators.

According to The Associated Press, Bill Parcells' contract allows him to leave his post as executive VP of football operations for the Miami Dolphins after one season and still receive the $12 million remaining on his four-year deal if the team is sold, owner Wayne Huizenga confirmed.

The sale of a majority share to New York real estate billionaire Stephen Ross is expected to be completed shortly after the season. Parcells would then have 30 days to leave without sacrificing the money due him in the final three years of his contract.

Even with the ownership change it's hard to fathom the legendary coach, now 67, would even consider the notion of leaving Miami to come back to the Jets, whom he led to the 1998 AFC Championship game. While no one would question Parcells' coaching acumen, he's up there in years and has a great situation going on in Miami. Under his guidance, the team went from 1-15 a year ago to 11-5 and AFC East champion. The Dolphins host the Baltimore Ravens this weekend in the first round of the playoffs.

After Parcells, the list thins out in a hurry. Not taking into account coaches who have been fired since Sunday – Romeo Crennel and Rod Marinelli, whom the Jets would likely have no interest in, available options include Marty Schottenheimer, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

There are probably several other coordinators around the league who could be attractive, including New England offensive guru Josh McDaniels, but it seems the Jets may be more inclined to get a proven name in here. Mangini was a nobody before he came to New York and while he had some success his firing has to have Jets ownership thinking that bucking the league-wide trend of hiring young, energetic minds, at least at this point, may be the more prudent course of action.

As for the three possible candidates mentioned above, the sexiest choice is Spagnuolo. He has been directly responsible for the Giants' dominating defense over the last two seasons and will without question get plenty of inquirees from potential employers going forward.

Spagnuolo has probably done all he can do with the Giants. He's considered a top-notch defensive mind, something the Jets sorely need considering their inability this past season to get to the quarterback and relative inability to cover the medium-range passing game.

Schottenheimer is intriguing in that he's always been a tremendous regular season coach. In fact, he's currently the coach with the most regular season wins without getting to a Super Bowl in NFL history. He's guided three different teams to the postseason – Cleveland, Kansas City and San Diego, but has never done much of anything in the playoffs, sporting just a 5-13 record. He was fired in 2007 by the Chargers despite guiding the team to a 14-2 mark.

Even more interesting is the fact that Marty Schottenheimer's son, Brian, is currently the Jets offensive coordinator and will be given a cursory interview for the big job. That said, there's no guarantee Brian Schottenheimer will even keep his current job, but it's a sure bet he would if his father is hired. The Jets were at times unstoppable this season, but once Brett Favre broke down over the final five games, so did the offense. Running backs Thomas Jones and Leon Washington flourished in Brian Schottenheimer's system.

Schwartz is largely considered one of the finest defensive minds in the league and is well respected by everyone. Not much else is known other than he's interviewed several times for past coaching vacancies but has been passed over. He has currently transformed the Titans into an elite defense. Tennessee has a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

One other really intriguing idea is Jon Gruden. At this point, Tampa Bay has not said anything about his job status despite the fact that the Buccaneers lost their final four games and missed the playoffs. Obviously, Gruden is a lot like Cowher in that he's won a Super Bowl and is a no-nonsense coach who usually gets the very best out of his players. On top of that, with the shocking dismissal of Shanahan, any veteran coach who's coming off a subpar season should get eyes in the back of his head.

Despite the Cowher disappointment, the process has just begun. The next Jets coach has to be a home run, so expect Johnson and Co. to be very thorough during the search and interview process.

Anything short of the hiring of a proven winner or can't-miss fresh young face will be viewed as a disaster by the fans and media.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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