Jon Gruden and the Miami Hurricanes: 5 Reasons Why Gruden Is the Best Fit
He's fiery, motivated and has one of the best coaching pedigrees of any coach without a job in the country.
He's a Super Bowl champion, a former quarterback and has coaching experience at both the college and NFL levels.
He hasn't stayed in one city for his entire coaching career like Randy Shannon, and he's been successful as a head coach in more than one city. He's got a no-nonsense mentality with an infectious personality, and he knows how to win.
His name is Jon Gruden, and he's set to become the next head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.
It will be the best hire for the Miami program since Jimmy Johnson, and the Hurricanes will instantly become one of the top programs in the nation.
Here are five reasons why Jon "Chucky" Gruden is the best fit for Miami.
Coaching Pedigree
1 of 5
Miami's last head coach, Randy Shannon, was a homer. He played linebacker at Miami in the '80s and liked it so much he decided never to leave the city.
Not to say guys that coach at their alma mater can't succeed—just look at Virginia Tech and Frank Beamer—but Shannon didn't have a very diverse coaching background.
Gruden, on the other hand, has been everywhere. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee, and he went from that to a quarterbacks coach to an offensive coordinator and eventually became a head coach.
He was mentored by Mike Holmgren in Green Bay in the early 1990s, which launched his NFL career. He's also had current NFL head coaches Mike Tomlin and Raheem Morris on his coaching staff while in the NFL.
Gruden is seasoned, experienced and has been subject to a lot of different cities and situations, making him a good fit in a place like Miami.
Proven Winner
2 of 5
Many say Gruden took Tony Dungy's Super Bowl title away after he won it in Tampa Bay in 2002. However, Gruden left a pretty good Oakland Raiders team behind, which he faced off against in the Super Bowl that year.
Gruden likely would have gotten the Raiders to the Super Bowl in 2001 if it wasn't for the "Tuck Rule Game" against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
He's 95-81 as a regular season head coach in the NFL and 5-4 in the playoffs with a Super Bowl victory on his résumé.
The U Has Pieces in Place
3 of 5
If you haven't noticed or been paying attention, Miami has a lot of good players on its roster. Shannon is the primary reason for that. He was a great recruiter who happened to be a below-average coach.
That sounds like another Florida team that had the same problem for a couple of years and then hired that guy from Utah. Oh yeah, it was Florida.
Shannon is Miami's version of Ron Zook, so is Gruden Miami's version of Urban Meyer, as far as winning is concerned? That remains to be seen, but Gruden has come into an organization in the past with the pieces in place and won a championship; see Tampa Bay and slide No. 2.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
High-Profile City Needs a High-Profile Coach
4 of 5
Miami is a big city that expects big results. That's why when you turn on the TV and see Miami playing football in Sun Life Stadium, there's no one in the stands. There are better things to do in Miami than go watch the Hurricanes play below-average football.
Gruden will change that. The stands will be full of those high-profile fans watching one of the best teams in the nation.
Miami fans are criticized for their loyalty, but let's be honest with ourselves, Miami isn't Iowa. If the Hawkeyes are awful, people will still go to the games because, guess what, there's nothing else to do.
It takes winning to fill the stands in Miami, and if Gruden's filling the stands, it means the trophy case will be full as well.
Miami Needs a Head Coach with Head Coaching Experience
5 of 5
The last three coaches Miami hired were Butch Davis, Larry Coker and Shannon. None of those guys had any head coaching experience at the college or NFL levels before arriving.
Now, when Davis arrived in Miami he had to deal with a number of violations and lack of scholarships thanks to the Dennis Erickson era. Davis did a great job of working with what he was given and likely would have won a national title if he had different circumstances.
Davis left for the NFL after the 2000 season, and Coker came in and led the Hurricanes to back-to-back national title game appearances, winning the first and losing the second. Coker was 60-15 in his time at Miami but was a benefactor of previous success. Coker wasn't a great recruiter and went 6-6 in 2006 when he was fired.
Then Shannon came in, and we know his story. He was a great recruiter and below-average coach.
Gruden has the head coaching experience, has coached in big games and won't have a problem getting players to come to Miami. If Miami wants to get over the hump, it will need Gruden to lead the way.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
