The NFC East is home to some of the most dysfunctional organizations in the NFL. This year, the Philadelphia Eagles managed to make even the Washington Redskins seem like a solid, well-managed organization. From strange personnel choices to rifts with the management, Chip Kelly has made questionable decisions that landed him in the hot seat and resulted in his ultimate termination.
The Eagles are now in the market for a new head coach. Kelly was the former head coach of Oregon, so the Eagles may prefer to avoid sourcing their next head coach from the college football ranks and instead choose a seasoned veteran of the NFL. The Steelers have two former head coaches on their staff who might be attractive options for the Philadelphia Eagles, or any other NFL franchise who will be searching for a head coach this offseason: Offensive line coach Mike Munchak and offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Mike Munchak is a far better position coach than head coach. He was an excellent offensive line coach with the Tennessee Titans before ascending to the role of head coach. As head coach for the Tennessee Titans, he had only one winning season in three years. In 2011, the team was second in the AFC South with a record of 9-7. In 2012, he coached the team to a 6-10 record, while in 2013 the Titans performed marginally better, finishing the season with a record of 7-9.
Munchak left the Titans organization after he was asked to replace six position coaches. He was not comfortable with that move, and subsequently parted ways with the organization. Though he is one of the best position coaches in the NFL, he seemed to struggle as a head coach both in terms of personnel decisions and the overall management of his team. Munchak just left the Titans in early 2014, so it is probably too early for him to consider a switch back to a head coaching position, especially since he is more effective as an offensive line coach.
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley is a second Steelers option to fill a head coaching vacancy. Chip Kelly was touted as an offensive mastermind when he took the head coaching position with the Eagles, and the Eagles offense floundered under his leadership.
Todd Haley is the offensive coordinator of one of the most dynamic offenses in the entire NFL. He also benefits from a corps of excellent position coaches that include running backs coach James Saxon, wide receivers coach Richard Mann, tight ends coach Owen Daniel, quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner, and Munchak.
Haley was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009 to 2011. In 2009, the team had a 4-12 record, but rebounded in 2010 to win the AFC West before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card game. In 2011, the Chiefs were in the midst of a dismal season, when Haley was fired after 13 games. Would Haley be a good fit for the Eagles? He certainly has extensive experience in the NFL and has a proven track record as a success-oriented offensive coordinator. As a head coach, however, he was not nearly as effective.
The Philadelphia Eagles need a coach, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have a pair of competent assistants with NFL head coaching experience. Both men, however, were far less successful as head coaches than they currently are in their positions within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. Mike Munchak appears to have found his calling as the Steelers offensive line coach, while Haley enjoys the help of extremely talented position coaches and players.
While Haley and Munchak could be interesting options for the Eagles, there are more intriguing options for the team after this failed Chip Kelly experiment. Some better options for the Eagles include Hue Jackson, former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and current offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals; current New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton; and, Mike Shanahan, whose had an unsuccessful stint with the Washington Redskins but is solid head coach.