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Who To Watch:
Obviously all of us will want to keep an eye on the seven teams who have their head coaches contracts' expiring. Rarely though, are those the only teams who will make coaching changes. Teams who are unhappy with the performance of their current coaching staff, or parts of it, will also be making moves. We are going to highlight a few of those teams, and take a guess at who they will go after.
Head Coach Hunting:
Houston Renegades-This Houston team is full of young talent, and that talent has not yet performed anywhere near what is expected by ownership. Head Coach Mack Viola is great working with players. He has great motivational skills, and has always been able to maintain a high level of discipline. Two things that you would think would be good for a young team. It has not worked though, and the local press is calling for the job of Viola. Someone who is a top notch X's and O's guy is perhaps just what is needed. Norfolk's O.C. Walt Boege could be just the guy for the job.
Iowa City Snipe Hunters-Another team who, along with lack of talent, has had their coach questioned for his ability to make in game adjustments and call the right play at the right time. Head Coach Jorge Hostetler is also 63 years old right now, and the team may want to move in a different direction. A coach with excellent play calling skills would definetly be a different direction. Louisiana's O.C. Edward Ramirez could be a good fit, unless management wants to focus heavily on the defensive side, and they could go after Cleveland's H.C. Courtney Armstrong. We do think the Snipe Hunters do try to retain D.C. Phil Tyler, who just needs more talent to work with.
Madison Demons-Yes, we understand that this team has back to back NFC North division titles. But if they lose early in the playoffs, or end up falling to Columbia once again, we hear there could be a change for the Demons. A top level coach is the only guy you could bring in to replace Demon H.C. Vincent Lovett. The fans woould not like to see a coordinator brought in to replace a proven winner. A guy who could get the Demons to the next level if they can't get there this season. That guy could be either West VIrginia's Rico Flannery or perhaps Albuquerque's Dominic Hamrahi.
Vancouver Killer Whales-Last off season, the former Vancouver ownership group made a move that baffled many around the league. They let an excellent head coach, Britt Hatcher, walk away to division rival Oakland. Then they signed a rookie head coach, Ed Donaldson, to the third highest salary in the Imperial League ($5.0 million a year) for 5 years. Add to that the fact that Ed Donaldson was not even considered a very good candidate for a H.C. position, and it starts to spell disaster. Thought of as, and we are being nice here, a stupid move when it was made, it is looked at as that still today. Vancouver fell from a 10-6 team to a 7-9 team. New ownership this year should go after a better head coach though and we can think of a dozen guys who would be better then Donaldson. As with all of these teams, West Virginia's Flannery and Albuquerque's Hamrahi should be top candidates.
The Others-Someone else could go after a head coach, despite having one under contrct for next year, but you never know. Those four are the most likely though. It is more likely you could see a few other teams looking to make a move at a coordinator or head scout position. Of the seven teams who will not have their head coach under contract after this season, we feel Fresno, Pittsburgh, and Newark are the most likely the ones to go after someone besides their current coach. Cleveland is possible to go that direction too. The others, well, they will be looking for someone new if they lose their current guy to someone else in a bidding war.
Scout/Age | Current | Comments |
| Teddy Shwartz, 38 |  | Known to be very good with WR's and D-linemen. He has never had as good of an eye for younger talent, DB's, and RB's. The Matadors could try to resign, but my have competition. |
| Luther Ostrowski, 58 |  | An extremely well respected scout who would be good for any team. The Bolts will have to find some money to retain his services, as other teams are sure to try to get him as their scout. |
| Fred Jamison, 52 |  | Has not been much more then an average guy in the scouting world, but is known for his accuracy with young players. He should end up somewhere, but he won't be first on anyone's list, even the Renegades'. |
| Terrell Copeland, 66 |  | Copeland is up there in age and so if he goes somewhere or even stays in Lawrence, it probably won't be long term. |
| Ricky Hampton, 32 |  | Currently the youngest scout in the league, he has a very good eye for QB's and is good with the other skill positions. He will only get better and should be sought after by several teams. |
| Alan Robbins, 34 |  | Another young scout in Robbins, he is not the best right now but with some more time could grow into a very good scout. Should land a job if Madison doesn't resign him. |
| Ernie Montano, 43 |  | The Firebirds will possibly have competition for retaining Montano's services. He is above average, but teams looking for a guy who knows linemen may be scared away. |
| Desmond Patton, 52 |  | The Assassin scout has no glaring weakness, and will make for a solid lead scout for any team. His strength is both sides of the line. |
| Horace Anderson, 45 |  | Horace may find himself looking for a job elsewhere. Pittsburgh will most likely try to upgrade and Horace will end up being someone a team settles for when they lose out on another guy. |
| Norbert Bartel, 42 |  | Stronger on the offensive side of the ball and not so hot scouting young players. Someone, if not Reno, will end up hiring this guy until they can try to get someone better in a later year. |
| Howie Yohn, 48 |  | The Tulsa scout is weak with LB's and QB's, but very solid everywhere else. Tulsa could try to resign him but should be a team that has competition to keep their own guy. |
Coach/Age | Current | Position/Comments |
| Dominic Hamrahi, 59 | | Head Coach - Considered a good coach across the board, and very good with his defensive play calling. He has been successful with a young Matador team and someone may try to steal him away from them. |
| Courtney Armstrong, 47 |  | Head Coach - Took Columbia to the NFC Champ. game in 2003, but only signed a one year deal with Cleveland. He failed to even get the Clawz back into the playoffs and his reputation as being a poor offensive coach may mean he is searching for a job. |
| Freddie Cristal, 50 |  | Head Coach - His motivation techniques became well known this year when a weak Chaos managed 5 wins, more then expected. He may be welcomed back in Fresno is someone else does not try to lure him away. |
| Kris Howard, 52 | | Off. Coordinator - Hard to say if Fresno re-ups his deal. He is not very good working with the skill positions, but his experience with youth could be a big help to this team. And is good a getting a line working together. |
| Phil Tyler, 48 |  | Def. Coordinator - Not the best D.C. in the league, but don't blame the Snipe Hunters' horrible defense on him. That is more about lack of talent, so if they don't want him back someone should take him. |
| Bryant White, 48 | | Off. Coordinator - This is a guy who is highly thought of as an O.C. and could be in high demand for several other teams. Lawrence has their hands full trying to keep him. |
| Edward Ramirez, 66 |  | Off. Coordinator - Despite his age, he should make for a solid guy to have on a coaching staff for a couple of years. Good with RB's and gets a lot out of WR's. Never been real great with QB's though. |
| Thurman Kawakami, 62 | | Off. Coordinator - The Toads expect competition for Thurman's services. He has never been known for being real good with QB's and RB's, but if they are younger guys then he is good for them. He has not hurt Given and Dixon, thats for sure. He is also excellent with WR's. The Toads may not be able to keep him. |
| R.J. Montgomery, 46 |  | Def. Coordinator - Known as a solid D.C., he could get offer from a couple other teams. His defense for the Mules has not been top notch, but it is hard when they are on the field so much. |
| Walt Boege, 59 |  | Off. Coordinator - Boege is one of the best O.C.'s in the league and is very good getting the most out of all the guys under his eye. He could be THE hot guy of the year for teams needing an O.C. Word has it though one or two teams could be eyeing him for a head coach spot, because of his excellent play calling. |
| Eddie Morris, 54 |  | Head Coach - After a disappointing two seasons in Newark, Morris may not be back. His inability to call a game on the offensive side of the ball has more then outweighed his great defensive knowledge. |
| C.J. Gunn, 41 | | Head Coach - Hard to say what the future holds for Gunn. He was shown the door after one year, and a Wildcard birth, in Hartford. He was never Pittsburgh's top choice, that is the reason of the one year contract. Pittsburgh played well under him though, but may go after someone else to take them to the next level. |
| Jerry Armstrong, 55 | | Head Coach - Has a division title and a disappointing 8-8 season in Reno. Despite the lack of success this season, there should be a good market for Armstrong, who runs a tight ship and gets guys to play for him. His offensive play calling could use a little work though. |
| Joel Kooiker, 41 |  | Off. Coordinator - The Cardinals had a pretty high powered passing attack this season, and Kooiker was one of the forces behind that. Expect the Cardinals to do what they can to keep him, but it may cost them as other teams drive up the price. Hell, he may even get offers for a D.C. possition. |
| Rufus Schneider, 37 | | Def. Coordinator - A good young coach who could still use some time to get better in a couple of areas. Still, he has done well with the Cardinals defense. Being part of a staff that has won two division title in a row will add to his job prospects. He has even been rumored as a head coach candidate. |
| Rex Eller, 61 | | Def. Coordinator - Outstanding with LB's and DB's, but really that is about it. The Tornadoes could be looking to move on from the aging Eller, especially after the teams second half collapse in 2004. |
| Dennis Schulz, 58 | | Off. Coordinator - This is a guy Tulsa will want to keep around. He is a solid coach in every area of the game, and could even make a better D.C. then Eller. Should stay on the offensive side of the ball though. Expect interest from other teams. |
| Zack Brown, 53 |  | Off. Coordinator - Pretty damn good O.C. but is not the top guy if you want someone to work with young players. Will get the most out of a veteran QB though, and should be keyed in on by other teams for that reason. Also very good with WR's and OL. |
| Rico Flannery, 61 |  | Head Coach - Has the best regular season record in the league the last two years with the Beasts. His team was bounced early in last years playoffs, so his future in W.V. could depend on how his team does this year. Ownership may bring him back no matter what though, if they can find the money to do so. |
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Who To Watch:
Obviously all of us will want to keep an eye on the seven teams who have their head coaches contracts' expiring. Rarely though, are those the only teams who will make coaching changes. Teams who are unhappy with the performance of their current coaching staff, or parts of it, will also be making moves. We are going to highlight a few of those teams, and take a guess at who they will go after.
Head Coach Hunting:
Houston Renegades-This Houston team is full of young talent, and that talent has not yet performed anywhere near what is expected by ownership. Head Coach Mack Viola is great working with players. He has great motivational skills, and has always been able to maintain a high level of discipline. Two things that you would think would be good for a young team. It has not worked though, and the local press is calling for the job of Viola. Someone who is a top notch X's and O's guy is perhaps just what is needed. Norfolk's O.C. Walt Boege could be just the guy for the job.
Iowa City Snipe Hunters-Another team who, along with lack of talent, has had their coach questioned for his ability to make in game adjustments and call the right play at the right time. Head Coach Jorge Hostetler is also 63 years old right now, and the team may want to move in a different direction. A coach with excellent play calling skills would definetly be a different direction. Louisiana's O.C. Edward Ramirez could be a good fit, unless management wants to focus heavily on the defensive side, and they could go after Cleveland's H.C. Courtney Armstrong. We do think the Snipe Hunters do try to retain D.C. Phil Tyler, who just needs more talent to work with.
Madison Demons-Yes, we understand that this team has back to back NFC North division titles. But if they lose early in the playoffs, or end up falling to Columbia once again, we hear there could be a change for the Demons. A top level coach is the only guy you could bring in to replace Demon H.C. Vincent Lovett. The fans woould not like to see a coordinator brought in to replace a proven winner. A guy who could get the Demons to the next level if they can't get there this season. That guy could be either West VIrginia's Rico Flannery or perhaps Albuquerque's Dominic Hamrahi.
Vancouver Killer Whales-Last off season, the former Vancouver ownership group made a move that baffled many around the league. They let an excellent head coach, Britt Hatcher, walk away to division rival Oakland. Then they signed a rookie head coach, Ed Donaldson, to the third highest salary in the Imperial League ($5.0 million a year) for 5 years. Add to that the fact that Ed Donaldson was not even considered a very good candidate for a H.C. position, and it starts to spell disaster. Thought of as, and we are being nice here, a stupid move when it was made, it is looked at as that still today. Vancouver fell from a 10-6 team to a 7-9 team. New ownership this year should go after a better head coach though and we can think of a dozen guys who would be better then Donaldson. As with all of these teams, West Virginia's Flannery and Albuquerque's Hamrahi should be top candidates.
The Others-Someone else could go after a head coach, despite having one under contrct for next year, but you never know. Those four are the most likely though. It is more likely you could see a few other teams looking to make a move at a coordinator or head scout position. Of the seven teams who will not have their head coach under contract after this season, we feel Fresno, Pittsburgh, and Newark are the most likely the ones to go after someone besides their current coach. Cleveland is possible to go that direction too. The others, well, they will be looking for someone new if they lose their current guy to someone else in a bidding war.
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