I'm not in the corner of bringing Hop back. But for those that say 'no way, he's proven he can't coach'...
From 1991 - 1995 Bill Belichick coached the Cleveland Browns to a 37-45 record. For 4 of those years his DC was Nick Saban. Just saying that record does not always tell you much about the quality of the coaching.
In my opinion, the argument you're attempting to make is rather weak, and not convincing.
As a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, I wouldn't insinuate that Belichick floundered, etc. at his first gig. Prior to Belichick getting to Cleveland, the Browns came off a dismal 3-13 record. After his first season, he had back to back 7-9 seasons in a division where the Steelers and Houston Oilers were playoff teams. As many folks who follow the NFL closely realize, there's not much difference between a 7-9 team v. a 9-7 one, or a 6-10 team v. a 10-6 one. A play here, a fumble there, a missed call/bad call in critical moments, specific/crucial injuries to key players, etc.
In his 4th season, Belichick had the Browns at 11-5 and in the playoffs. They won their first playoff game that year as well. Prior to that '94 playoff season, the Browns hadn't been in the playoffs since '89. After that '94 season, the Browns have only been to the playoffs twice, in '02 and last year.
Unlike Hop (third straight season missing the Dance) Belichick had the Browns headed in the right direction each year he was there prior to '95. Prior to that '95 season, many prognosticators predicted the Browns to make the Superbowl that year. Well, once wind got caught about that dirtbag Modell moving the team to Baltimore, and it became formally announced in early November of that year, it was practically impossible for the coaches, players, the city of Cleveland and its huge metro area to focus on the actual games. It was, and still to this day a complete nightmare.