By TOM SILVERSTEIN
[email protected]
Posted: Jan. 10, 2007
As Mike McCarthy continues his search for a new offensive coordinator, the most logical choice should he go outside the organization remains Paul Hackett, his mentor in the West Coast offense.
Hackett, who hired McCarthy at the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 and took him along to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, just finished the last year of his contract as quarterbacks coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is apparently seeking to be a coordinator again.
McCarthy and Hackett, 49, remain close and, according to a league source, have spoken in the past few weeks. However, it's unclear whether it was the two exploring possibilities or a formal interview for the coordinator's job that opened up when Jeff Jagodzinski accepted an offer to be head coach at Boston College.
Hackett's contract might not expire until the end of the month, but even if it does, it's more than likely Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden has given him the opportunity to pursue a coordinator's job. Gruden also served under Hackett at the University of Pittsburgh and has credited him with having a strong influence on his coaching career.
A year ago, McCarthy explored the possibility of hiring Hackett, probably in a position other than offensive coordinator because he wanted Jagodzinski for that job. Still, when asked on the day he was hired if Hackett was a candidate to become coordinator, McCarthy said yes, although he knew it was unlikely Tampa Bay would let him out of his contract.
"Paul Hackett has been a major influence in my coaching career," McCarthy said at the time. "He'd definitely be a candidate. Once again, how the staff shakes out is going to play a big part in that as far as what direction we go. But I have the utmost respect and owe a lot to Paul Hackett because he's the one that has taught me from Day One at the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 the basics of quarterback play and the foundation of the West Coast offense."
Hackett, who specializes in handling quarterbacks, learned the West Coast offense from legendary coach Bill Walsh while serving as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers from 1983-'85 and taught it to McCarthy. In addition to an extensive career coaching in the college ranks, Hackett has coached for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, 49ers, Chiefs and Buccaneers.
If McCarthy is considering Hackett, he would have to measure how it would affect his staff, particularly quarterbacks coach Tom Clements. Hackett would undoubtedly take an active approach in coaching the quarterbacks and there would be questions about how duties would be split.
This week, Clements has been mentioned in various media reports as a candidate to be offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at the University of Alabama. However, a source familiar with the search there said Saban was going to hire former NFL assistant Joe Pendry for the job.
Assuming media reports were correct and Clements was a candidate for that job, he could be actively seeking a new job either in an attempt to find a coordinator's job or in anticipation of Hackett joining the staff in some capacity.
McCarthy is out of the office this week but said last week that he intended to continue the search for Jagodzinski's replacement while at his second home in Austin, Texas. Attempts to reach McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson were unsuccessful.
It's unclear whether McCarthy has interviewed any in-house candidates. Offensive line coach Joe Philbin, who has a solid background in the team's zone-blocking scheme, is considered the front-runner because of his expertise in the running game and ability to fill the same role Jagodzinski held.
If Hackett is the choice for offensive coordinator, he would have a strong hand in coaching the quarterbacks. Hackett is most known for having resurrected veteran Rich Gannon's career in Kansas City, developing Chad Pennington with the New York Jets and grooming Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms.
Hackett has coached extensively both on the college level and in the pros. He was an assistant at Southern Cal from 1976-'80 and head coach from 1998-'2000. He returned to the pros to become offensive coordinator under Herm Edwards in New York in 2001 and stayed there through the 2004 season until resigning under pressure.
As offensive coordinator with the Jets, Hackett was roundly criticized for his play-calling and inability to make adjustments during games. However, Pennington had his best season with Hackett as offensive coordinator, posting a passer rating of 104.2 in 2002, his first season as a starter.
If McCarthy considers hiring Hackett, he will have to decide whether his coaching style would mesh with Brett Favre, who may come back for another season. Hackett is a stickler for proper mechanics and discourages free-lancing, which would certainly put him at odds with Favre's style of play.
However, Hackett might be able to help Favre the way he did Gannon, who went from the scrap heap to most valuable player.
