Let us put aside for a moment the gnawing feeling that there is something “bad wrong’’ — that was one of Dan Reeves’ great expressions — with an industry in which 25 percent of the membership is looking for a new leader. What is it with these billionaires and their lack of patience or inability to make smart hires or their need to have everything they want whenever they want it?
Well, these traits could be how they became billionaires, but we digress.
There are top candidates and attractive newcomers and a few proven, if flawed, options every year as the NFL coaching carousel takes its January spin. Imagine being a former head coach with some nice stuff on your résumé (Mike McCarthy and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Stefanski and Matt Nagy) or being a hot-shot coordinator (Jesse Minter, Klint Kubiak, Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula) or someone who probably deserves a second chance (Raheem Morris, Vance Joseph, Antonio Pierce) sorting through which team might make a call and then, wham, John Harbaugh gets fired by the Ravens. Wherever you thought you were, you just got knocked back.
As Stefanski was getting ready to sit down to dinner Tuesday night with the Giants, the news broke that Harbaugh was out in Baltimore. It is a good thing the Giants then did not say “OK, let’s just order some appetizers and that will be it.’’ Stefanski is a worthy option and a serious contender. But he is not Harbaugh. No one is.
