Scott

Linehan

Linehan has been widely expected to join Urban Meyer’s coaching staff in Jacksonville. Linehan’s unremarkable track record includes an 11-25 stint as head coach of the Rams from 2006 to 2008. It’s unclear whether Meyer would call plays himself or if those duties would fall to Linehan.

The two coaches apparently have a “long relationship” despite never overlapping in the college ranks. A journeyman’s journeyman coordinator, Linehan’s primary function would presumably be to show Meyer the NFL ropes, though it is unclear if Meyer is planning to call his own plays. Linehan’s hire certainly would not move the needle amongst the Jags faithful.

Linehan, 56, spent last year out of coaching after getting canned by the Cowboys. He ran one of the most predictable, vanilla offenses in football during his late days with Dallas. In Baton Rouge, Linehan is replacing Joe Brady, who is the new OC for the Panthers. Linehan also won’t have Joe Burrow at his disposal.

Linehan’s contract is up and he did a fantastic job morphing Dallas’ offense not only to play to its team strengths, but to help cover up a talent-deficient defense. The 2014 Cowboys ranked No. 1 in the NFL in time of possession and No. 2 in rushing offense. Linehan failed in a previous stint as the Rams’ head coach, but St. Louis’ front office was an utter mess at the time.

Linehan is expected to meet with coach Doug Marrone this weekend. The ex-Rams head coach and longtime play-caller spent 2019 out of the league after being fired by Dallas. It would be a thoroughly uncreative hire for an organization that has opted for the softest of resets when a more aggressive housecleaning probably would have been the better call.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported earlier Friday that Linehan would be interviewing with Carolina this weekend, though at the time it wasn’t clear what position the Panthers were pursuing him for. In addition to the Panthers, Linehan will also meet with the Giants about a position on Joe Judge’s staff. Linehan spent last season out of the league following a five-year stint in Dallas. The Cowboys and Lions alum boasts 17 years of NFL coaching experience.

Mortensen didn’t specify what roles Linehan will be interviewing for, though he could be a candidate for the Giants’ vacant offensive coordinator position. Linehan’s former head coach in Dallas, Jason Garrett, interviewed for that job earlier this week. The Panthers have already hired an OC (LSU passing-game coordinator/WRs coach Joe Brady was sworn in earlier this week), though Linehan’s experience could still be useful to Matt Rhule, who needs all the help he can get as he embarks on his first NFL head-coaching endeavor.

This ends his five-year run in Dallas. The Cowboys were initially expected to retain Linehan, but obviously they had a change of heart. “This was not an easy decision because of how highly we regard Scott Linehan as a football coach and as a person,” said coach Jason Garrett in a statement Friday. “He is an outstanding football coach, a great friend and we wish him and his family nothing but the absolute best moving forward.” Garrett said the decision to part ways was mutual, but in reality, the Cowboys have been looking at outside OC candidates for the past several days. Outside of the always reliable Ezekiel Elliott and a late-season surge from Amari Cooper, the Cowboys’ offense was nothing special this year. Ultimately, Dak Prescott should benefit from a more creative play-caller.

The sound you hear is every Cowboys fan screaming in horror. While the offense certainly improved after Amari Cooper was added to the passing attack, Linehan’s predictable play-calling hampered the offense all season and was on display even as Dallas was able to win one game in the playoffs. If Dallas is dead set on keeping Linehan, they should at least add some offensive assistants who can help push this offense toward a more modern approach.

“Right now, Scott Linehan is going to call the plays for the offense,” was Garrett’s full, far-from-ringing endorsement. The Cowboys have been mostly unwatchable on offense all season, but the problem is personnel more than anything else. Linehan is part of the overall problem, but it’s doubtful Garrett taking over would do anything to help matters.