I believe BB barring unforseen health issues will coach another 10 years, because he loves it and he is possibly the best at what he does in the history of the profession. Gifted people in every profession often find it almost impossible to walk away. It is like surrendering your soul. But, if the unforseen and unexpected should happen, as an off-season exercise here are my current preferences for future coaching candidates of the NEP:
Brian Schottenheimer: May be ready for the move after 1 more year of seasoning. Seems to have taken the "Marty-Ball" mockery to heart and decided to go his own way, to his credit, with some inventive and unorthodox offensive coaching.
John Fox: Possibly on the outs in Carolina. A defensive ball-buster with the charisma to boot. The closest thing to a Parcells clone currently at work in the NFL.
Rob/Rex Ryan: Defense is the quickest way to contention, and these two have been trained by some of the greatest defensive minds in football history. They are a bit iconoclastic, but I have no problem with that, provided they demonstrate the necessary organizational skills and maturity in interviews.
Gruden: Gruden's problem has been impatience, which has led to erratic talent evaluation. A more mature Gruden, chastened by experience, assisted by an ace talent evaluator like Pioli and a quality veteran QB will rarely be outcoached. The difference in the quality of coaching staff between TB and SF to my eyes was on display in the senior bowl. Gruden's staff ran a tight, efficient, well conceived practice for a motley crew of college seniors with the North Squad, while the SF staff ambled through a comparatively disorganized mess of drills and managed to have the South offense completely unprepared to play the actual game (good luck, Norv). Gruden in the right situation, chastened by some failure and armed with strong personnel people will beat 90% of his counterparts in a 6 month long game of chess.
