Reports: Dirk Koetter Interviewing For Multiple Head Coaching Gigs

I've decided to distract you from this news with a picture of Falcons cheerleaders.

The problem with having a great football team is that your coaches become quasi-mystical figures. That's how Mike Mularkey managed to get a head coaching job despite a spotty track record and a tendency to dive under his covers at the mere mention of a screen pass.

It's now Dirk Koetter's turn.

A year after being fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Koetter is riding high on the back of a Top 10 NFL offense. He's piloted this team to a fine offensive season featuring two 1,000 yard receivers, the best season of Matt Ryan's career and plenty of effective screen passing. He went from "not good enough to be the head coach of the Jaguars" to "awesome offensive coordinator" in an awful hurry.

It shouldn't be a surprise that several teams have him on their radar. According to Alex Marvez of FOXSports and others, Koetter is at least in the running for the Browns, Chiefs and Eagles jobs, with a fourth unnamed job a possibility as well. He would presumably spend this relaxing bye week flying around and interviewing.

Obviously, the knee-jerk reaction here is to be angry that Koetter would not be giving 100% of his attention to the Falcons gameplan over the next two weeks, a reaction I understand. We know that this is an inevitable part of today's NFL, however, and I don't begrudge him in the interviews if he's still preparing and gives the team his total focus next week. That doesn't mean I'm thrilled about it, however.

Before you panic about this, however, know that the Falcons have enough talent on offensive that another coordinator can probably squeeze plenty of production out of them. A guy like Norv Turner, who was just fired, could make an excellent coordinator if Koetter moves on to another head coaching job. That said, I would hate to lose him, because he's done a nice job of getting excellent play out of most of the offense.

There have been vague rumblings about Mike Nolan, as well, and we'll keep you up to date on what's happening on that front. With any luck, Koetter and Nolan will return in 2012, but it's far from a guarantee.

**Update**

Jay Glazer is reporting Mike Nolan will interview with the Eagles on Friday. This just keeps getting better and better. Darn these coaches for performing so well this season.

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