New Head Coach Search Commences! Rumors and all else goes here!

My first choice is Dave Toub, my second choice is Kyle Shanahan.

Why Dave Toub? Highly accomplished special teams coach whose units are perpetually in the Top 3 in the NFL. As a ST coach he has to work with both offense and defense. He's highly regarded by his players, the coaches he's worked with and coaches and personnel executives around the NFL. He is a former NFL draft pick and has worked for a long time under both Andy Reid and Lovie Smith. He has a reputation for being a tough, fiery leader that emphasizes the importance of defense and special teams. A DC or OC with his level of consistent excellence would have gotten a HC gig long ago. If the 49ers were to hire Chris Ballard from KC as GM, Toub would likely be his choice for head coach.

Despite the roster turnover, the Chiefs ranked first in both kickoff and punt return yardage while scoring on a punt and a kickoff and allowing no touchdowns.

An obvious hire in Kansas City after his exemplary work in Chicago, Toub guided five different Bears players to eight Pro Bowl berths, including Johnny Knox (2009), Brendon Ayanbadejo (2006-07), Robbie Gould (2006), Corey Graham (2011) and — most notably — Devin Hester's three selections (2006-07 and 2010).

During Toub's tenure, Chicago had an NFL-high 22 kick return touchdowns compiled by six different players, and he helped Hester develop into the NFL's all-time leader in kick return touchdowns by adeptly breaking down the other teams' coverage unit.

For example, because the Vikings typically covered the whole field, keeping everyone wide, Toub would instruct Hester to return it up the gut against Minnesota.

"He knows how to get the best out of his players," Mannelly said.

His football acumen was at the root of one of this year's best plays. During a punt return against the Seahawks, Tavon Austin set up on the left like he would catch the sailing punt, and his Rams blockers drifted to that side. But the punt actually went to the right, and Stedman Bailey ran it back 90 yards for the touchdown.

That copied Toub's design from a 2011 game against the Packers. Tim Masthay's punts regularly went to the left. Knowing Hester would be the focal point of the Packers coverage unit, Toub had Hester on the other side and feign catching a punt while Knox lined up on the left. Uncovered, Knox caught the punt and returned it for a touchdown, though a dubious holding penalty nullified the play.

"Dave Toub's schemes were exceptional," Mannelly said

A gifted coach, perhaps Toub can follow the footsteps of another bright mind — his former boss and current Ravens head coach — and guide his own team.

"Put him in that John Harbaugh category," Reid said. "Dave would be very good."

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/why-dave-toub-deserves-a-head-coaching-job/

As well qualified as those candidates are, there is another coach out there who we seldom hear about but who is just as good if not a better candidate. That coach is Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub.

Toub has been coaching in the NFL since 2001 and has been a special teams coordinator for 13 years. In that 13-year period, he has become without a doubt the top special teams coordinator in the NFL and he was voted the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year in 2006.

Since Toub has been a coordinator, his return units have scored 30 times in the past 13 years, easily the best in the NFL. He has also sent five different players to the Pro Bowl for their special teams play. That number could go up this year as Chiefs returner Tyreek Hill is an odds-on-favorite to be voted into the Pro Bowl in his rookie year.

While Toub has spent the majority of his time as special teams coordinator, he also has worked with the defensive linemen at both the NFL and college level.

Special teams coordinators are often overlooked as head-coaching candidates, but reality is their job is easily as difficult as an offensive or defensive coordinator. On top of that, the special teams coach has to work with players from both sides of the ball every day in practice, teach them specific skills, and coordinate units that have a lot to do with winning or losing in any given game. Special teams coordinators have to game-plan on a weekly basis just as the other coordinators do. Toub has done that very successfully for 13 years. The fact is, year in and year out, Toub's special teams are in the top third in the NFL in every category rated.

When looking for a head coach, clubs look for a person who has outstanding motivational and leadership skills, can communicate with both players and management and be able to put together a strong staff. Under Toub's leadership, several of his assistants have gone on to lead coordinator jobs around the league.

Having worked with Toub for eight years I know and understand his ability to prepare and motivate. Those traits are among the best of any coach I have ever worked with and I have worked with some of the best (Parcells, Belichick, Dan Reeves, Tom Coughlin and Ron Rivera). Toub is an excellent evaluator of talent and I doubt you will find a more loyal person anywhere.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2016/12/19/greg-gabriel-chiefs-special-teams-coordinator-dave-toub-should-be-an-nfl-head-coach-in-2017/a9bleyy/

"He's a combination of Harbaugh and John Madden," one of Toub's former colleagues said. "He is the real deal. This guy can coach. Period. He's a big guy, physically, who can take over a room when he has to. He gets people to buy in. These guys love playing for him. He comes from a great [coaching] family tree. Look at Andy Reid's assistants over the years. This guy is ready. All he needs is a chance."

A personnel exec who used to work with Toub, 54, said: "If Dave Toub can't get a job in this league, then I give up. Talk to other coaches in the league. They know who is for real and who is horses**t or the flavor of the month. This guy can coach a football team. He'd be the first guy I'd talk to, and it isn't even really close."

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/the-12-best-nfl-coaching-candidates-and-the-one-that-teams-are-too-scared-to-hire/

[ Edited by Phoenix49ers on Jan 1, 2017 at 5:30 PM ]