Mike Munchak watches from the sidelines against the Houston Texans during the second half at LP Field. The Titans won 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak could still find a head coaching gig this offseason, even after striking out on the Penn State Nittany Lions vacancy. Munchak still wants to coach in the NFL, and it will be interesting to see if teams still think he’s worth hiring as a head coach, especially when there isn’t a full offseason between jobs. Taking the year off might be the best thing for Munchak, but getting a paycheck and coaching might be better; it definitely is if you are the head guy.
The clear-cut favorite for the Detroit Lions head coaching job is San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who is easily the best head coaching candidate available on the open market. Whisenhunt can have just about any job he wants due to his prowess coaching offenses and his head coaching experience. He had a great time coaching the Arizona Cardinals, he was a successful OC for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he has also been a big part of the Chargers turn-around that has included some big plays and great gameplans to showcase bounce-back players Philip Rivers and Ryan Mathews. Both Mike McCoy and Whisenhunt have done incredible jobs in their first years in the organization, and Whisenhunt is about to get rewarded with another head coaching gig as well.
In fact, the interest between the Lions and Whisenhunt, who should be able to take Matthew Stafford to another level and will almost definitely do a better job of developing the franchise QB than Jim Schwartz, is so strong that it has been reported that Whisenhunt would likely be hired quickly by the Lions if they lose to the Chargers this afternoon.
So any darkhorse for the Detroit Lions head coaching vacancy is a very darkhorse indeed, but there is one other name to watch for who recently interviewed with the Lions. Yes, Mike Munchak. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that while Whisenhunt is the big favorite, Munchak had such a strong interview with the Lions that he’s worth watching and went as far as to “surprise” the Lions organization.