Mike Munchak Titans New Head Coach; Perry Fewell Rooney Rule Tool

The Internet's buzzing with the news that long-time Tennessee Titans Offensive Line Coach, and Houston Oilers Legend Mike Munchak (photo at left) became the man to replace the departed Head Coach Jeff Fisher. But as Munchak celebrates his new title, New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell (photo below) is fast becoming a "Rooney Rule" tool, having been rejected by the Cleveland Browns, the Denver Broncos, and now the Tennessee Titans.

The "Rooney Rule" was installed at the behest of Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Dan Rooney, who noted the wild imbalance between blacks on the playing field (a lot), and in the front office (too little). The problem that is to be erased is one of perception: that a person can be a better coach because his skin is light.

Ryan Isley of Cleveland.com said it best :

The “Rooney Rule” is a rule that the NFL instituted in 2003 that requires teams to interview minority candidates for their head coaching vacancies, which initially may have seemed like a good rule in principle. Unfortunately as time has gone on, the rule has become a sham.

While some claim The Rooney Rule works, it's causing a number of well-qualified minority coaches to be used over and over again as persons to talk to. The other side of the argument is that The Rooney Rule opens a wider field of possible coaching candidates, but the unfolding dynamic is that many of the white counterparts hired were not interviewed over and over again.

A Better Way

I think a better way is for the NFL to have a giant list ranking coaches by a kind of scorecard developed to eliminate possible race-bias and favoritism.  The top 10 coaches at the top of the list should form a pool of people interviewed for coaching openings.   While not perfect, the algorithm used would at least be a step in the direction of reducing human bias that's produced the problem the Rooney Rule was created to address.

Stay tuned.