You really think Shottenheimer and Carroll were top tier candidates? I'd take McCarthy, Moore, Kafka, and Weaver over them any day of the week.
Maybe it's about how you define top tier. Vrabel, Glenn, and Johnson were certainly the hot names, although during the season when Glenn was mentioned most of the board called him sheet and said it would just be another lazy hire by Loomis, so if that's how you define top tier then sure we aren't getting top tier. But, that doesn't mean guys like McCarthy and Moore are low level hires. Especially when compared to Shottenheimer and Carroll. I mean, say what you will about McCarthy being past his prime, but he has won a Super Bowl and Moore is the OC for one of the two teams in the Super Bowl. I'm not sure how either could be considered low tier.
I'm also not sure you should define the tier a coach based only on who gets hired first. And if that is the definition who really gives a sheet when it would put Shottenheimer and Carroll over McCarthy and Moore.