From the Desk of Eagles Outsider Barry Bowe

Please – Jeff Lurie, Howie Roseman, Tom Donohoe, and whoever else may be involved in hiring the next coach of the Philadelphia Eagles – whatever you do, DO NOT hire Jon Gruden.

Just the thought of seeing his weasel-face over and over again in union with the Eagles over the next X-number of years turns my stomach. In my opinion, he’s a pompous, thinks-he-knows-it-all jackass who’s a bump over .500 in his 11 seasons as a head coach in the NFL:

• 38-26 (.594) in four seasons with the Oakland Raiders
• 57-55 (.509) in seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 95-81 (.540) in his eleven seasons.

Oh, yeah, I know. I didn’t forget. Yes, he won a Super Bowl in the 2002 season as the Buccaneers head man. But he won that Super Bowl with a roster of players he inherited from Tony Dungy. Left to his own resources thereafter, his record reflected his coaching prowess with a record of 45-51 – six games below .500 – over his final six seasons in Tampa.

That’s the real Jon Gruden.

Is that who you want?

Sorry, but I want no parts of him.

Between you and me, I dislike Jon Gruden to the extent that I mute the volume on my TV during Monday Night Football, turn on my radio, and listen to the Westwood One broadcast with Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason or Kurt Warner:

• Much more down-to-earth.
• Much more knowledgeable.
• Much more entertaining.

Anybody else would be better than Gruden – except, of course, Chip Kelly.

WHO DO I WANT?

Thinking outside the box, I’d hire Mike Shula as next head coach of the Eagles. I’ve yet to hear his name in connection with the Eagles vacancy, but he’s a front-runner to become head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

The fact that I haven’t heard his name concerns me because it makes me wonder how deeply the Eagles brain trust is digging to find the best candidate.

If his last name sounds familiar, it should. He’s the son of one of the greatest coaches in NFL history – Don Shula. He’s also the Offensive Coordinator for the 15-1 Carolina Panthers.

In regard to qualifications, Mike Shula quarterbacked Alabama for three seasons and served as head coach of the Crimson Tide for four seasons. He’s 50 years old.

EAGLES GM

In the header photo above – you know the one with the international symbol for no encircling Jon Gruden – is my choice to be the next Eagles GM. If Jeff Lurie doesn’t hire me – and I haven’t gotten any phone calls from him yet – Lurie should hire Ron Jaworski.

BTW – Jaworski played for Don Shula with the Dolphins and I guarantee you that Jaws and Mike Shula would be thinking along similar wave lengths.

In addition to being the official Eagles Outsider for BlameMyFather.com, Barry Bowe is also the author of:

• Born to Be Wild
• 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
• 12 Best Eagles QBs
• Birth of the Birds
• Soon-to-be-published sexy, police procedural Caribbean Queen
• Soon-to-be-published novel Stosh Wadzinski
• Soon-to-be-published novel Polish Widow