San Francisco 49ers: A Primer on Head Coaching Candidates

The San Francisco 49ers are knee-deep in the middle of their head coaching search, and it’s beginning to be a bit confusing as to whom they’ve interviewed, whom they’re planning on interviewing and whom they’ve merely been rumored to have interviewed.

In addition, while some of the names are familiar to the casual NFL fan, others come from the coordinator ranks and are perhaps a little less immediately recognizable to the casual fan. Many of them have a lesser footprint in people’s minds than Jim Harbaugh did as the head coach of a major college program.

With that in mind, I thought I’d make a small primer on 10 of the most realistic candidates in the 49ers’ interview process. Once a candidate has been chosen, we’ll go deeply in depth on their history and what they will bring to the 49ers, but this is designed to give people a quick overview of the candidates so they can form educated opinions as to whom the 49ers should hire.

Here are the nine most relevant names so far, in alphabetical order.

Teryl Austin, Defensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Age: 49
Head coaching experience: None
Interview: Requested from the Lions, but it can’t actually happen until after this week.

Relevant experience:
2010: Defensive Coordinator, University of Florida. Austin led the ninth-ranked defense in college football, led by players like Janoris Jenkins, Matt Elam, Sharrif Floyd and Jon Bostic. It was tremendous against the pass, giving up only 175.9 yards per game, and a little weaker on the ground. Florida won the Outback Bowl that season.

2011-13: Secondary coach, Baltimore Ravens. Austin’s mostly cut his teeth as a defensive backs coach, serving in that role for Wake Forest, Seattle and Arizona, as well as Baltimore. Baltimore’s pass defense ranked fourth, 17th and 12th in the league those three seasons, led by Ed Reed, Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams.

2014: Defensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions. Detroit is third in the league in points allowed and second in yards allowed this season. The Lions defense had been middle-of-the-pack last season, and they didn’t have a huge influx of talent between the two years, indicating Austin coached up the players already there.

Positives: Austin gets the most out of his talent, having turned an underperforming unit into one of the best in football. He’d be great for coaching up Jimmie Ward and Eric Reid and would probably be the best coach out there to clear up the cornerback situation.

Negatives: Austin has only one year of NFL coordinator experience and no head-coaching experience on any level. He has had disciplinary issues on his defense with Ndamukong Suh and Dominic Raiola—is he the right guy to keep Aldon Smith in check? He runs a 4-3 defense, so either he or the 49ers would have to change schemes.

Todd Bowles, Defensive Coordinator, Arizona Cardinals

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Age: 51
Head coaching experience: Three games as an interim coach in Miami at the end of 2011 (2-1 record)
Interview: Requested from the Cardinals according to Josina Anderson, but it can’t actually happen until after this week.

Relevant Experience:
2008-2011: Secondary Coach, Miami Dolphins. Bowles also has coached the secondaries for the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys. In Miami, he had the 25th-, 24th-, eighth- and 25th-ranked pass defenses. When Tony Sparano was fired in 2011, Bowles was the choice to serve as the interim coach over coordinators Mike Nolan and Brian Daboll.

2012: Defensive Backs Coach/Defensive Coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles. Bowles started as the defensive backs coach for the Eagles after Joe Philbin brought in his own team to Miami. Halfway through the season, however, Andy Reid fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, and Bowles took over. The Eagles finished ninth in pass defense under Bowles’ reign.

2013-14: Defensive Coordinator, Arizona Cardinals. Bowles has put together one of the top defenses in football, finishing in the top 10 in points allowed each of the previous two seasons. Despite dragging behind them an anemic offense, the Cardinals have gotten to double-digit wins each of the last two seasons and are currently in the playoffs.

Positives: Runs a 3-4 system, so would fit in well with the current collection of talent the 49ers have.  Used to working with a team with a better defense than offense. He’s been a head-coaching candidate for years, so he’s well-respected around the league.

Negatives: Arizona’s allowed a lot of yards this season, making it something of a bend-but-don’t-break-style defense. Bowles just signed a contract extension in Arizona this season, so he may be happy where he is.

Vic Fangio, Defensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Age: 56
Head coaching experience: None
Interview: Occurred on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

Relevant Experience:
2006-2010: Special Assistant to Head Coach, Baltimore Ravens. Fangio worked with Brian Billick and John Harbaugh as a special assistant to the defense, and the linebackers in particular. Working with coordinators Rex Ryan and Greg Mattison, the Ravens finished in the top 10 in yards allowed every season.

2010: Defensive Coordinator, Stanford Cardinal. Going from John Harbaugh to Jim Harbaugh, Fangio’s defense ranked 22nd in the nation in 2010, as Stanford won the Orange Bowl over Virginia Tech—their first BCS bowl victory in school history.

2011-14: Defensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers. Fangio’s work with the 49ers’ defense needs no introduction. The 49ers have ranked in the top five in yards allowed and top 10 in points allowed in every season since Fangio took over. The last time they finished in the top 10 in both categories was 1997.

Positives: Beloved by his players and familiar with the situation. NaVorro Bowman is on record hoping Fangio stays on in some capacity. Fangio not only has been the coach of the unit that’s led the 49ers to their recent run of success, but also managed to put together a great defense despite missing a dozen key players due to injury or suspension.

Negatives: Fangio is very blunt and can rub people the wrong way sometimes. The ownership might want to make a clean break from the Jim Harbaugh era, which would require moving on from Fangio. Fangio also has only been considered for a head coaching job once before, back in 1997—perhaps the NFL doesn’t believe he’s head coaching material.

Adam Gase, Offensive Coordinator, Denver Broncos

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Age: 36
Head coaching experience: None
Interview: Interviewed on Friday, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

Relevant experience:

2008: Offensive Assistant, San Francisco 49ers. Gase was an assistant to Mike Martz, who brought him in from their time together with the Detroit Lions. The 49ers jumped from dead-last on offense to the upper 20s, their best performance since the Jeff Garcia era.

2009-2012: Wide Receivers/Quarterback Coach, Denver Broncos. Gase was not kept by Mike Singletary and instead went to join Josh McDaniels’ staff in Denver. As a positional coach, Gase worked with receivers like Brandon Marshall and Brandon Lloyd, as well as quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning. A wider variety of quarterbacks you will not find.

2013-14: Offensive Coordinator, Denver Broncos. Gase was kept on despite McDaniels’ firing and was promoted to the top slot by John Fox. Running Peyton Manning’s offense, the Broncos were the top offense in the league in 2013 and finished in the top four in both yards and points this past season.

Positives: Colin Kaepernick has essentially Tim Tebow’s skill set, only to a much more successful degree. Gase’s experience finding ways for Tebow to be successful could come in handy. He runs the Erhardt-Perkins offensive system, which should fit the 49ers’ current personnel well.

Negatives: Gase is very young and inexperienced. How much of his current success is his own ability, and how much of it is having Manning at quarterback?

Josh McDaniels, Offensive Coordinator, New England Patriots

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Age: 38
Head coaching experience: Two years with the Denver Broncos (11-17 record)
Interview: Will happen sometime this weekend, according to Jason La Canfora

Relevant Experience:

2009-2010: Head Coach, Denver Broncos. McDaniels came to Denver as the then-youngest head coach in the NFL. McDaniels won his first six games in Denver but stumbled to an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs. McDaniels was then fired halfway through the 2010 season, after starting 3-9.

2011: Offensive Coordinator, St. Louis Rams. McDaniels sat out the rest of the 2010 season and then became coordinator in St. Louis. The 2011 Rams ranked dead last in points scored and 31st in yards, both drop-offs from the year before. McDaniels was released at the end of the year and was allowed to return to New England as an offensive assistant.

2006-08, 2012-14: Offensive Coordinator, New England Patriots. McDaniels is a head coaching candidate not for his time in Denver or St. Louis, but for what he’s managed to do in New England. The Patriots have finished in the top 10 in points scored every year McDaniels has been in charge in New England, as well as in the top 11 in yards gained. In both 2007 and 2012, the Patriots boasted the best offense in football.

Positives: McDaniels is arguably the best offensive coordinator in football today. He's an innovative play-caller who excels at putting players in the best situations possible.

Negatives: He has never succeeded out of New England. He famously had fallings out with both Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler, which doesn’t bode well for personnel management, and he couples poorly with rumors he’s a “boy tyrant” behind the scenes. He's still very young, though you can’t call him inexperienced.

Rex Ryan, Ex-Head Coach, New York Jets

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Age: 52
Head coaching experience: Six years with the New York Jets, including two AFC Championship Game appearances (46-50 record)
Interview: Sunday, according to Kimberly Jones

Relevant Experience:

1999-2004: Defensive line coach, Baltimore Ravens. Working with names like Tony Siragusa, Larry Webster, Rob Burnett, Michael McCrary, Sam Adams, Rob Burnett, Peter Boulware, Kelly Gregg, Adalius Thomas, Anthony Weaver and Marques Douglas, Ryan put together one of the top defensive lines in football in Baltimore. He was an assistant on their 2000 Super Bowl winning team, setting records along the way.

2005-08: Defensive coordinator, Baltimore Ravens. Ryan was promoted to defensive coordinator when Mike Nolan left to coach the San Francisco 49ers. Ryan continued Baltimore’s tradition of defensive excellence, finishing in the top six in terms of yards allowed every season in Ryan’s tenure.

2009-2014: Head coach, New York Jets. Ryan’s tenure with the Jets started off brilliantly, with Ryan’s first draft pick, Mark Sanchez, leading the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Games.  The 2011 campaign was a rougher season, with the Jets falling to 8-8 but still looking decent. Then the wheels fell off, with Ryan flipping between multiple quarterbacks. The 4-12 record the Jets stumbled to this year was the last straw, and Ryan was fired.

Positives: One of the greatest defensive minds in the game; his defenses have never finished below 11th in yards allowed. With a halfway decent quarterback (i.e., not Sanchez or Geno Smith) he might have more success on offense. He has expressed interest in Kaepernick in the past.

Negatives: He's certainly not a controversy-free coach. Ryan is one of the more outspoken coaches in the NFL, which doesn’t seem to be what Trent Baalke and Jed York are looking for. He has never had an offense in the top 10 of anything as a head coach.

Dan Quinn, Defensive Coordinator, Seattle Seahawks

Scott Eklund/Associated Press

Age: 44
Head coaching experience: None
Interview: Last Tuesday, according to Mike Garafolo.

Relevant Experience:

2009-2010: Defensive Line Coach, Seattle Seahawks. A very well-liked position coach with a very hands-on style, Quinn helped the turnaround that turned the Seahawks from a laughingstock on defense to a top-10 unit by the time he left. Helped come up with the unbalanced line concept which has done so much to further Seattle’s success.

2011-12: Defensive Coordinator, Florida Gators. A two-year departure from Seattle saw Quinn take over the defensive reins for Florida, to great success. The Gators ranked eighth and fifth in yards per game in Quinn’s two seasons in Florida. They won the Gator Bowl in 2011 and lost the Sugar Bowl in 2012.

2013-14: Defensive Coordinator, Seattle Seahawks. A return to Seattle saw Quinn take over the best defense in football—the Seahawks have finished tops in both points and yards allowed in both of the last two seasons, earning him the title of the best defensive coordinator in football.

Positives: Players love Quinn, and he is a likable guy overall.Quinn is not married to one system and can find the best places to use his players in order to maximize their value. He doesn’t get married to the blitz or to dropping players into coverage; he adjusts well to the situation at hand. He's a hands-on teacher type, which Jed York said he is looking for.

Negatives: How much of Seattle’s defensive success is Quinn, and how much is Pete Carroll? Quinn also has no head coaching experience whatsoever. There might be some bad blood between players on the 49ers and one of the top executives from their most ferocious recent rival.

Mike Shanahan, Head Coach, Retired

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Age: 62
Head coaching experience: Two years with the Los Angeles Raiders, 14 with the Denver Broncos and four with the Washington Redskins. Two Super Bowl titles.
Interview: Upcoming, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News

Relevant experience:

1992-94: Offensive coordinator, San Francisco 49ers. Shanahan, alongside Mike Holmgren, is in the running for the best offensive coordinator in 49ers history. Working with the classic Steve Young/Jerry Rice version of the 49ers offense, Shanahan’s 49ers finished first in points scored in three straight seasons and were in the top two in yards every year as well. He worked with a scrambling quarterback in Young.

1995-2008: Head coach, Denver Broncos. He led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1997 and 1998, setting records along the way—the Broncos went 46-10 from 1996 through 1998. Shanahan not only won with John Elway but worked with a system that churned out 1,000-yard rushers year after year. He went 138-86 with the Broncos but was fired after three straight non-playoff seasons.

2010-13: Head coach, Washington Redskins.  Shanahan only made the playoffs one time in four years in Washington, but it was an incredibly memorable season. Behind rookie Robert Griffin III in 2012, Washington recovered from a 3-6 start to win the NFC East, losing to Seattle in the Wild Card round thanks in large part to Griffin’s knee injury.  He was fired after a 3-13 season the next year.

Positives: Shanahan has the best credentials of any of the coaching candidates, as he’s the only one who can bring Super Bowl rings to the table. He has roots with the team and the area. He’d probably bring his son Kyle in as the offensive coordinator—Kyle’s a head-coaching candidate in his own right and devised the system that gave RGIII success in Washington.  It would be a great system for Carlos Hyde to excel in.

Negatives: At age 62, the game may have moved past Shanahan at this point. His best years came with Steve Young and John Elway as his quarterbacks; without them, he’s missed the playoffs more than he’s made them. He probably mishandled the RGIII situation during his injury in 2012. How would he get along with Trent Baalke, who will insist on keeping control of the 53-man roster?

Jim Tomsula, Defensive Line Coach, San Francisco 49ers

Dave Shopland/Associated Press

Age: 46
Head coaching experience: One game in the NFL as Mike Singletary’s replacement at the end of 2010 (1-0); 6-4 record as coach of NFL Europe’s Rhein Fire
Interview: Upcoming, according to Jason La Canfora

Relevant experience:

2004-05: Defensive Coordinator, Berlin Thunder. In Tomsula’s reign as the chief defensive coordinator for NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder, they won World Bowl XII over the Frankfurt Galaxy. His defense boasted future NFL regular Israel Idonije, as well as All-NFL Europe stud Anthony Floyd.

2006: Head Coach, Rhein Fire. Tomsula got the head coaching position in the second-to-last year of NFL Europe’s run and led the Fire to a 6-4 record, good for third in the league but one game out of the World Bowl. Led by quarterback Drew Henson, the Fire got off to a hot start before fading late.

2007-2014: Defensive Line Coach, San Francisco 49ers: Tomsula’s only NFL experience comes with the 49ers, where he’s been in charge of the defensive line since 2007. Working with everyone from Bryant Young and Marques Douglas through Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, Aubrayo Franklin and Isaac Sopoaga, Tomsula has survived two previous head-coaching changes on his way to being considered a candidate for the head coaching position. He was named interim coach in 2010 over coordinators Greg Manusky and Jason Michael.

Positives: He's well-loved by his players—and by management; Definitely the “teacher” type York and company were hyping up in their first post-Harbaugh press conference—that was his role as a coach in NFL Europe, a developmental league. He's respected throughout the league and has interviewed for head-coaching positions before.

Negatives: He has no coordinator experience at the NFL level whatsoever, much less any head coaching experience. While a good coach is a good coach, promoting someone directly from a positional coach position to a head coaching job is a massive jump, even if he has experience with the mechanics of the position from NFL Europe.

Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him @BryKno on twitter.