Alstott Is First Class, Not Coach

Speculation is starting to pick up that Mike Alstott may be added to the coaching staff. Jon Gruden said to Alstott at the end of his part of the retirement conference, "we're going to try to hire you to do something." To me, that doesn't sound all that convincing. I know Alstott wants to be part of the team in some capacity, and the running backs coach job is still open, but shouldn't you have to be an assistant at some level before you can be a position coach? When Gruden said that, I was thinking he would make Alstott some kind of public relations ambassador. Or, if Alstott is insistent that the job have something to do with football, maybe a scout.

Not every great player makes a great coach. I know we had this discussion before (and by "discussion", I mean I typed it here and you glossed over it while scanning the site for cheerleaders) when Shelton Quarles stopped playing and was hired on as a scout and I thought he would make a good coach. But Quarles just seems more coachy. Alstott runs his football camp every year and I'm sure he's good at introducing the sport to children. But can he convey the intricacies of playing the running back position to both rookies and old veterans in a way they can easily understand? Can he command the same respect as a teacher that he had as a player? I'm skeptical. Until a running backs coach is hired, his name will be attached to the position, but I don't think it's going to happen. I'd love to see his stay with the team, but in a different capacity.