Palmer: From the Giants to the Titans

I've been vocal about Chris Palmer's performance as the Colonials head coach in 2010. It looks like a moot point now, as Palmer has left the UFL for greener pastures (still with hash marks) and taken the position of offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.

I think it's very telling that, in the article linked above, Titans' head coach (and a former player under Palmer with the Oilers) Mike Munchak referred to coach Chris as "...a great teacher of the game...". Palmer has simply not proven himself capable of holding down the top spot on the coaching roster. His record as a head coach at the pro level is an abysmal 8-32. You can cut him some slack for being handed a talent-poor expansion Browns team in 1999, and I won't say that he did as poor a job as Sentinels coach Ted Cottrell, but there's nothing in his past that says he is a good head coach. As such, I'm fine with the move.

As Munchak said, Palmer is a great teacher. You can see it in the careers of quarterbacks like the NFC East's Tony Romo and Eli Manning, and it doesn't seem unlikely that Palmer's primary reason for being given a job with the Colonials was the development of younger players. Ryan Perriloux specifically, given the coaches scheme of rotating Perriloux into the offense on every third possesssion.

But a good teacher is not necessarily a good coach, and Palmer had some trouble keeping his charges on track. Halftime adjustments and strategy are powerful tools in finishing a game strong, and it never seemed that the Colonials were able to capitalize on their leads. This is to say nothing of events like the catastrophic second week loss to Omaha when the team had a thirteen point lead at the half, and ultimately gave up seventeen points in the fourth quarter to drop the game.

Some cite the fact that the Colonials were only a few plays away from being a 5-3 team, which is at best a dubious measuring stick. By the same logic the Florida Tuskers were an awful team in 2010 because they were eight points away from being a 3-5 team (the Tuskers won two games by only a field goal). A better measurement might be the Colonials lack of traction in the second half. Hartford had halftime leads in six of their eight games, but only went on to win two of those.

Developing talent is a fine goal, but not at the expense of a"W." I'm sure that coach Chris is a fine position coach, maybe even a good coordinator (as his playoff runs with the expansion Jaguars suggests), but he was in over his head in Hartford, and I think he's in a better situation for all involved now.

Of course, that being said, we're now left to wonder who will be around to coach for the Colonials in 2011. According to Bill Mayer, the search is already well under way.

"I, too, know the pain of coaching for the Browns."

Rumors have been floating around that former Jets, Browns coach Eric Mangini, a Connecticut native, may be on the list of possible replacements for Palmer. Mangini has also spent two seasons coaching a struggling Cleveland team, and though their record didn't change from 2009 to 2010 (5-11 each year) I think it's plain to see that the quality of the club had improved and the Browns played with some heart. If nothing else, I think credit can be given for the trade of notoriously bad QB Brady Quinn to the Broncos for monster running back Peyton Hillis. The Browns are severely starved for talent. Don't get me wrong; Mangini is not a world class coach. But he does some things well and the team seemed to be on the upswing when he was let go.

Other than that? I'm curious to see if Hartford secondary coach Jerry Holmes is given a chance. There's been some buzz about sending him to Virginia to lead the Destroyers franchise, primarily due to his numerous social and professional ties to the area. If he's good enough to be the head coach of the Destroyers, it makes sense for him to be considered in Hartford. Though if being a Virginia native is the primary reason he's being sought, I'd prefer that Hartford pass in favor of someone with more qualifications. That being said, Hartford's secondary played admirably last year without much of a pass rush to help them, and I believe he's a good position coach.

But is that enough? Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see.