Ideal Landing Spots for Fired NFL Head Coaches

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Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith on the sideline against the Carolina Panthers at the Georgia Dome. The Panthers defeated the Falcons 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike Smith – Oakland Raiders Head Coach

The 2014 season was not kind to Mike Smith, to the point where national writers were feasting on his ineptitude as a clock manager. With that aside, however, Smith once guided a franchise in peril through a transition period, making him uniquely equipped for a similar task in Oakland.

Smith’s personality is of the no-nonsense variety, and in Raider-land, that would be a welcome element. The 55-year-old Smith picked up the pieces from the Bobby Petrino disaster in Atlanta and subsequently won 66 games in seven seasons (more than nine per year), and if not for the heightened expectations that he helped to create, he would be gainfully employed at this point.

The Raiders are often known for attempting to make big splashes, as they reportedly tried to do with Jim Harbaugh, but simply hiring a proven winner would be a much more effective approach. Mike Smith doesn’t move the needle, but he has a solidly above .500 record as an NFL coach, and the Raiders need safety and stability. He brings it.

Next: Tony Sparano

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