Coaches In Waiting?

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano

Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley

Earlier this week, the New York Jets announced that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer would not return at the position next season. The same day, sources revealed that Tony Sparano, former Miami Dolphins head coach, would be hired as the new offensive coordinator. The next day, it was revealed that Todd Haley, former Kansas City Chiefs head coach, would be joining the staff as well as an offensive assistant.

The headlines for the Jets this week, however, wasn't the hiring of both individuals. It was the blasting of Mark Sanchez by several anonymous players on the team. This is only continuing the friction that first appeared during the final game of the season, when Santonio Holmes was benched during the last two minutes of the game because of his attitude. The saga continued when Rex Ryan told reporters he didn't have the "pulse" of the team.

Backup quarterback Greg McElroy made it a whole lot worse with his comments on an Alabama radio station. His comments about the selfish behavior in the locker room inflamed the situation to a high point. For the optimists, the move to make Sparano the offensive coordinator is a good move because he loves to run the football. However, with Haley in the fold now, he might encourage Sparano to throw the football more.

While that is one situation, the other scenario is very interesting. With two head coach quality guys running the offense, many will wonder whether Rex Ryan's job is officially on the line. Ryan has had three quality seasons so far, taking the Jets to the AFC Championship Game twice. However, his bold statements and failure to deliver that long-awaited Super Bowl he always talks about may have the Jets' brass tired of his antics.

This upcoming season will be different, yet very interesting. If the Jets struggle, will Ryan be replaced by one of them? What happens if Sanchez and the offense struggles again? Who takes the blame? The Jets will be looking to get back to where they were the previous two seasons, but we'll see if Ryan can survive the 2012 season.