The NFL head coach hiring cycle is already ramping up, with the Titans' and Giants' searches underway. And it's shaping up to be one of the most wide-open in recent memory.

There is no Ben Johnson-type candidate -- the young, innovative offensive coordinator with such a track record of success that practically everyone clued into the hiring process believes he's a slam dunk to get a head job if he wants one.

Like last offseason -- when the Patriots moved swiftly to hire Mike Vrabel a week after dismissing Jerod Mayo, the then-73-year-old Pete Carroll was the Raiders' surprise pick and 50-somethings Brian Schottenheimer and Aaron Glenn both got their first head jobs -- this could be a cycle for the older and/or experienced guys. Mike McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner with a .608 career winnin

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