The guys next in line for NFL head coaching jobs

Mort & Schefter: The guys next in line for NFL head coaching jobs1h ago - NFL ESPNDetroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Shula are both hot names. USA TODAY Sports, AP PhotoAdam Schefter/Chris MortensenThe holiday season coincides with the NFL's firing season and teams' shopping season.Going back to the turn of the century, NFL teams have fired an average of 6.9 head coaches per season. In each of the past three years, they have fired seven. The number figures to be right in that range, give or take two or three, which means teams will be scrambling to hire the best coaches and minds out there.Based on multiple conversations with people around the league, here is a list of 10 alphabetized names likely to be on the shopping lists of any team in the market for a new head coach this winter.Lions defensive coordinator Teryl AustinDuring the past three weeks, he has helped shut down the Eagles', Raiders' and Packers' offenses. Austin interviewed well last year, especially in Chicago, where he was a finalist for the Bears' job. Austin's time appears to be coming.Bears offensive coordinator Adam GaseA finalist with San Francisco last year, Gase could turn out to be a candidate there or in other places again. Gase has helped elevate Jay Cutler's play, and he did the same in Denver with Peyton Manning, who helped make Gase into the top coordinator he is today.Steelers offensive coordinator Todd HaleyArizona advanced to the Super Bowl when Haley was its offensive coordinator and he took the Chiefs to the playoffs in one season as the head coach in Kansas City. Haley can fiery but as his success with Pittsburgh has proven, he also can be effective.Bengals offensive coordinator Hue JacksonCoordinating one of football's top offenses this season, USC recently called to interview him but was denied permission. NFL teams will not be denied permission to interview him for a head coaching job and Jackson has experience there from his time with Oakland, where his Raider teams were some of the more respectable in recent memory.Bills assistant head coach Anthony LynnThe Jets really liked Lynn when they interviewed him for their head coaching job last year. Lynn has worked under Bill Parcells and Rex Ryan, with Todd Bowles and Todd Haley, and their influences have rubbed off on him. With the right offensive coordinator, Lynn could be an ideal leader.Jaguars assistant to the head coach Doug MarroneOne top NFL evaluator still considers Marrone to be a young Bill Parcells. There were some with the Jets who wanted to hire him last season instead of Bowles. A victim of negative PR after he opted out of his Bills' contract, many still regard Marrone as a top-flight head coaching prospect.Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDanielsMcDaniels might just be the top candidate available. There are no assurances he would leave New England, where he is comfortable and appreciated, but any assistant would have a tough time turning down a great head coaching opportunity.Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermottOnce considered a hot coaching candidate as the late Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's protégé before he was let go in Philadelphia because the job turned out to be too big. McDermott needed to go on his own and prove his worth. He has, taking the Carolina defense to new heights.UCLA head coach Jim MoraHas the NFL experience as a head coach with the Falcons and Seahawks, with varying degrees of success, and he would be a popular selection on the West Coast, where fans know what he has done at UCLA.Panthers offensive coordinator Mike ShulaAlways had the bloodlines, but now has the credentials to go along with them. Shula has brought together a Panthers offense that lacked weapons and elevated it to levels few expected. Now Shula's name is mentioned prominently amongst those who are expected to be on NFL teams' shopping lists, though any team that wants to hire him or McDermott might have to wait a while.Ten other coaches on teams' shopping lists who also are expected to be in head-coaching conversations: Chiefs running backs coach Eric Bieniemy; Seahawks assistant head coach/offensive line coordinator Tom Cable; Jets wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell; Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly; Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter; Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo; Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia; former Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano; Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan; Stanford head coach David Shaw; Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.