For any owner currently looking for a new coach, here’s something to keep in mind.

Old coaches might not be a bad idea.

And we don’t mean “old” as in Len Pasquarelli saying Joe Gibbs is too old.  We mean “old” like “former.”

Of the final eight teams this year, five of them – five! — were coached by a guy who had previously been fired elsewhere.  Among the final four, three of the treasured coaches were someone else’s trash. 

Pats coach Bill Belichick was bumped off by the Browns, Chargers coach Norv Turner was given the heave-ho by the Raiders and the Redskins, Colts coach Tony Dungy got dumped by the Bucs, Giants coach Tom Coughlin was coughed up by the Jags, and Cowboys coach Wade Phillips got his walking papers from the Broncos and the Bills.

Does it mean that any of the four (and counting) teams with vacancies should hire someone who has been fired?  Nope.  But it suggests that it might be wise to at least explore candidates who have head-coaching experience.  To date, the 2008 hiring cycle simply doesn’t involve many candidates of that kind.