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Darrell Bevell

Coaching Staff Notes: Browns, Lions, Jaguars

January 1st, 2016 at 11:29am CST by Rob DiRe

Mike Pettine isn’t giving up his position as Browns head coach without a fight, as he has already offered up the suggestion that he would make significant changes to his coaching staff if the ownership decided to retain him, writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.

It is unusual for a head coach to be so willing to give up his staff in exchange for his job, which points towards the likelihood of him getting fired. However, owner Jimmy Haslam vowed not to blow up the franchise back in August, and might consider keeping Pettine for continuity’s sake.

Here are some more notes involving current coordinators and coaching staffs in the NFL:

  • Despite offensive struggles this season, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has not lost any confidence in Scott Linehan’s ability to coordinate the offense, writes David Moore of DallasNews.com.
  • Jim Caldwell may be on the hot seat in Detroit, but his coaching staff is even more uncertain. Many Lions’ coaches could be in the running for better jobs elsewhere, while others could decide to jump ship if any opportunity should arise, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
  • Of all the Lions’ staff, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is least likely to return, as he will be a top head coaching candidate around the league this hiring cycle, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.
  • The Jaguars offensive took a big step forward this year, but defensive coordinator Bob Babich might not have done enough to keep his job into 2016, writes Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com.
  • The Bears are expecting offensive coordinator Adam Gase to be offered a head coaching job this year, after interviewing with five teams a year ago, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains will be in consideration, as could Ken Whisenhunt and Pat Shurmur.
  • Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan looked like a head coaching candidate during the team’s 5-0 start, but the disappointing finish put that status into question. Still, Shanahan is excited to be back with the team in 2016 to build on what the offense started, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.
  • Despite completely turning the Seahawks offense around midseason, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell isn’t receiving much head coaching buzz this season, writes Sheil Kapadia of ESPN. He has been in the discussion the past two offseasons but has not been able to come away with a job. His 2015 performance might be the best offense he put on display, but he doesn’t seem to be as hot as other candidates.
  • Some changes will be made on the 49ers coaching staff, but defensive coordinator Eric Mangini believes they won’t wait long to find out, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. For one, linebackers coach Clancy Pengergast is expected to leave to join USC’s coaching staff.

Seahawks Notes: Bevell, Lynch, Coyle, Hill

December 9th, 2015 at 8:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell won’t be a candidate for the BYU head coaching position, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (in several Twitter links). Carroll relayed that he had spoken with BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe, but told the AD that the timing isn’t right for Bevell to leave his current post. Bevell himself also confirmed to Condotta that he is not interested in the job.

Let’s dive into some more notes on the Seahawks, with all links courtesy of Condotta…

  • Running back Marshawn Lynch has returned to the Seahawks’ practice facility, two weeks to the day after he underwent abdominal surgery, writes Condotta, but the club still isn’t certain as to when he’ll return. “He’s rehabbing,” said Carroll. “And when he’s ready to start working with us we’ll get him going. Not quite yet.” Undrafted rookie free agent Thomas Rawls has usurped the starting running back gig during Lynch’s three-game absence, rushing for almost 400 yards in that span.
  • The Seahawks placed second-year linebacker Brock Coyle on injured reserve/designated to return in late October, meaning he’s eligible to return to game action in Week 15. And according to Carroll, Coyle will do just that, as he’s apparently fully healthy and ready to contribute (Twitter link).
  • In other injury news, it’s possible that defensive tackle Jordan Hill will return this week, tweets Condotta. Hill suffered a ankle injury in Week 12 and didn’t play against the Vikings on Sunday. The 24-year-old dealt with a similar injury earlier this season, so it’s possible Seattle will be cautious.
  • Condotta also rounds up the rest of Carroll’s media comments today, including notes on why Seattle released receiver Chris Matthews, and the difficulty of sustaining a Super Bowl-caliber roster.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, MJD, Pryor, Chiefs

January 7th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

After a report yesterday indicated that former Raiders head coach John Madden sat in on the team’s interview with Mike Shanahan, Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell revealed that Oakland owner Mark Davis wasn’t even in attendance during his meeting with the team, tweets Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. While that doesn’t necessarily mean anything – perhaps the timing just didn’t work out, with Bevell’s interview window set to close – it may not be a good sign for his candidacy, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk.

Here’s more from around the AFC West, with a focus on the Raiders:

  • We heard during Wild Card week that the Raiders were one of five teams interested in Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, but now that Bowles is eligible to interview for head coaching jobs, Oakland seems to rank as his fifth priority, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The Jets, Falcons, 49ers, and Bears have interviews lined up with Bowles, beginning today, while the Raiders were “essentially told to get in line” behind those clubs, per Tafur.
  • In a second tweet, Tafur adds that the Raiders haven’t ruled out a pursuit of Bowles or Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio – who won’t talk to teams until Denver’s season is over – but neither coach appears to be a strong candidate for the position at this point.
  • Appearing today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), veteran running back Maurice Jones-Drew said he hopes to remain in Oakland and help turn the team’s fortunes around in 2015. While MJD says his body feels good and he wishes he had seen the field more in 2014, the Raiders wouldn’t carry any dead money if they decided to cut the 29-year-old and his $2.5MM cap hit, so he’s certainly no sure bet to be back.
  • Free agent Terrelle Pryor is working out for the Chiefs as a quarterback today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Kansas City already has four signal-callers on its roster, but with offseason limits now applying to the team, it’s possible one more could come aboard.

Coach Updates: Shanahans, Bears, Bills, Jags

January 6th, 2015 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Mike Shanahan has already talked to the 49ers, Bills, and Raiders about their head coaching vacancies, and it sounds like he’ll have at least one more interview. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Shanahan will meet with the Bears about their head coaching position after the team hires a general manager, which could happen soon — Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times says the team has set a Saturday deadline.

As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter), there are multiple signs pointing to Shanahan as a viable candidate in Chicago. For one, Chiefs executive Chris Ballard is considered a strong contender to be the Bears’ next general manager, and he’d likely be pro-Shanahan. La Canfora adds that Shanahan and quarterback Jay Cutler have remained close, and believe they could thrive together.

According to La Canfora (Twitter links), while it’s possible that Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan ends up working for the same team as his father, the two men are charting their own courses, and aren’t shopping themselves as a package. The younger Shanahan is set to interview for the Bills‘ head coaching opening on Thursday, tweets La Canfora.

Here are a few more non-Shanahan coaching updates from around the NFL:

  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms (via Twitter) that in addition to Shanahan and Teryl Austin, Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will interview with the Bills this week.
  • Rapoport also has an update on Washington‘s defensive coordinator interviews, reporting that Chargers linebacker coach Joe Barry arrived in town yesterday to meet with the team, while 49ers defensive backs coach Ed Donatell will speak to the club on Wednesday (Twitter links). Wade Phillips‘ interview for the Washington DC job is scheduled for Thursday, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com.
  • With no concrete updates to provide on the Jaguars‘ hunt for an offensive coordinator, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union suggests that head coach Gus Bradley either hasn’t shifted the search into high gear, or he’s secretly casting a wide net.

Coaching Rumors: Marrone, Phillips, Del Rio

January 3rd, 2015 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

As the carousel continues to spin, we’ll get you caught up on all the latest coaching rumors right here..

  • The Jets will formally meet with Doug Marrone today, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips will interview for Washington‘s defensive coordinator opening this week, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • The Raiders asked for permission late last night to speak to Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and an interview could come as soon as today, according to ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson (on Twitter). Del Rio, he adds, has to be considered a favorite in Oakland (link).
  • Gary Kubiak is generating interest, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). When the Ravens’ season is over, Rapoport expects the 49ers and Jets to talk with him. Of course, if the Ravens’ season extends to February, there’s no guarantee those teams will wait for him.
  • The Bills will interview Mike Shanahan and it could take place as early as this weekend, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Facebook).
  • Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is interviewing today with the Bills for their head coaching job, according to Rapoport (on Twitter).
  • The Bills will interview Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich on Sunday and the Jets will speak with him on Monday, according to NFL.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).
  • The Bills requested permission to interview Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, a team source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Latest On Bills’ Head Coaching Search

January 2nd, 2015 at 8:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills, after seeing head coach Doug Marrone opt out of his contract on New Year’s Eve, officially kicked off their search for a new head coach yesterday by requesting permission to interview Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. As Buffalo looks to play catch-up to the five other teams looking to fill head coaching vacancies, we’ll track all of today’s updates on the club’s coaching hunt right here. The latest:

  • It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bills set up an interview with Mike Shanahan, since “there is some interest” there, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Based on La Canfora’s wording, it’s not clear if it’s the Bills or Shanahan with the interest, but I’d guess it’s probably coming from the team.
  • The Bills have now scheduled interviews with Bevell and Quinn, according to Graham (Twitter link).
  • As we noted in this evening’s round-up of coaching rumors, the Bills weren’t able to line up an interview with McDaniels this weekend, according to Peter King of TheMMQB.com.

Earlier updates:

  • The Bills have requested interviews with Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Quinn, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • As hoped, the Bills’ interview with Reich will go down on Sunday in San Diego, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • According to Graham (Twitter links), Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula will sit in on the Bills’ head coach interviews, which will be conducted by Whaley and Brandon. Graham notes that the next Buffalo head coach will report directly to Terry Pegula, who – according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) – would still like to hire a football czar to “oversee the building.”
  • The Bills are trying to arrange an interview with Reich for Sunday in San Diego, before he leaves to interview with the Jets, tweets Graham. According to Graham (via Twitter), even though Reich was viewed as a Bill Polian favorite, and Polian is no longer ticketed for Buffalo, mutual interest between the Chargers’ offensive coordinator and the Bills remains high.
  • General manager Doug Whaley is leading the Bills’ coaching search, and Gase will be the first candidate to interview on Saturday, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter). Graham adds that the club will also speak to offensive coordinator Frank Reich, as expected, while John Wawrow of The Associated Press tweets that Bills CEO Russ Brandon will serve as an advisor to Whaley during the process.
  • According to Graham (via Twitter), the Bills also have interest in talking to Rex Ryan about their head coaching opening, but nothing has been scheduled at the moment.
  • Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and current Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz are two names to keep an eye on for potential interviews with the team, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR550. We’ve previously heard Schwartz mentioned as a possible candidate, and Quinn is no surprise either, considering he’s already been linked to several teams with head coaching vacancies.
  • Speaking of Schwartz, Bills defensive players are pushing for the defensive coordinator to remain in Buffalo, writes Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests promoting Schwartz to head coach could provide much-needed stability and continuity for the club.
  • John Kryk of the Toronto Sun (all Twitter links) thinks the Bills shouldn’t hire a head coach until they install a new football czar, since it seems clear that the Pegulas want to hire one. If they do hire one, that new czar can decide whether or not to keep Whaley, and if they don’t hire one, they should announce they aren’t looking, and promote Whaley to VP of football operations.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Coach Notes: Kubiak, Raiders, Giants, Sumlin

December 31st, 2014 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Already cited as a candidate for multiple head coaching jobs, Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak told reporters today that he isn’t currently thinking about those opportunities (link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). According to Kubiak, his entire focus is on winning this Saturday’s game against the Steelers.

“I told you guys before that I’m consumed with what I’m doing,” Kubiak said. “It’s not time for stuff like that. It’s always flattering as a coach to be mentioned by any organization in football. My total focus is on our football game and trying to enjoy what I’m doing right now.”

As our head coaching search tracker shows, the Bears and Jets have requested an interview with Kubiak, so perhaps if the Ravens lose this weekend, those two clubs will have a chance to speak to him next week.

Here are a few more coaching-related updates, as we get ready to turn the page on 2014:

  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed that his offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, has already interviewed for the Raiders‘ head coaching position.
  • Following the departure of quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf for Nebraska, the Giants have re-hired a familiar face for the position, bringing back Mike Sullivan, the team announced today in a press release. Sullivan was the club’s quarterbacks coach in 2010 and 2011.
  • Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin has informed multiple NFL teams with interest in his services that he’ll remain with the Aggies, sources tell ESPN.com. Will Carroll of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears from a source that Sumlin’s agent was contacted by three NFL clubs.
  • Speaking of Texas A&M, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets that Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver was on the school’s radar for the same position with the Aggies. As ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson writes, Tarver’s contract with Oakland is set to expire, so there’s a good chance he’ll be on the move this offseason, especially if the team doesn’t make Tony Sparano its permanent head coach.

West Links: Seahawks, Raiders, Chargers

December 10th, 2014 at 9:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Following coach Gary Anderson‘s departure to Oregon State, a head coaching job at Wisconsin suddenly opened up. Both Albert Breer and ProFootballTalk (via Twitter) suggested that Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell would be a worthy candidate for the job.

The former Badgers quarterback was asked about the coaching vacancy following Seattle’s practice (via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times):

“Being a head coach someday is of interest to me. I would say I have thought about college. I don’t know exactly at this point where it would be or what it would be. But I do feel like I want to be a head coach someday.”

Bevell was the Badgers quarterback from 1992-1995, when he set several single-game and career passing records.

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFL’s western divisions…

  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com writes that Jack Del Rio could be included in the Raiders inevitable head coaching search. “He has experience, he is doing well in his current job, he is from the East Bay Area and he is highly respected around the league,” Williamson says of the Broncos‘ defensive coordinator.
  • Williamson adds in a tweet that Jim Harbaugh would be the Raiders top choice for the job, noting that the 49ers coach is a more realistic target than Jon Gruden. However, the writer warns that securing Harbaugh’s services “may not be easy.”
  • The Chargers signed Mat McBriar yesterday, but that wasn’t the only punter the team looked at. According to Howard Balzer (on Twitter), the team also worked out Robert Malone, Zoltan Mesko and Brian Moorman.

Poll: Best Head Coaching Candidates

November 14th, 2014 at 11:02pm CST by Rob DiRe

Colts‘ offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Browns‘ offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have accomplished plenty on their offenses this season, with each team currently leading its current division through nine games. Those performances could lead to big paydays as head coaches next season.

They are not the only coordinators being rumored for head coaching jobs. Giants‘ offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has been talked about as a possible successor for Tom Coughlin. Broncos‘ offensive coordinator Adam Gase could follow the path of his predecessor, Mike McCoy, who jumped from a record-setting Peyton Manning-led offense to the top job for the Chargers.

The defending champion Seahawks have taken a step back from last season, but the market may not have cooled on both of their coordinators. Both offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have both been talked about as head coaching candidates, with particular interest coming from the Jets if general manager John Idzik is retained in New York and head coach Rex Ryan is fired.

Todd Bowles has helped put together a great defense in Arizona, as the Cardinals have gone 8-1 despite injuries on the defense. Lions‘ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could be in a similar position, as his team is currently leading it’s division based on the strength of the defense.

Add to the mix the possibility of Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher returning to the sidelines, or even the possibility of a college coach like David Shaw of Stanford jumping to the NFL, and teams will have a number of options should they decide to pursue a new coach in 2015. That list does not include the head coaches that will lose their jobs at the end of the season, a number of them will hit the open market with impressive records of success. That list could include Ryan, Mike Smith, and Jim Harbaugh, among others.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Packers, Bears, Cowboys

January 29th, 2014 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

While the Eagles have made significant splashes in free agency a handful of times during the last several years, GM Howie Roseman says the team isn’t necessarily looking at big-name free agents this winter, as Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com details. According to Roseman, the club doesn’t want to compromise its flexibility in the long-term by committing heavily to one or two pieces that may not work out.

“If you only sign two guys in free agency and you put a lot of resources in them, and for one reason or another a guy doesn’t work out, you’re hamstrung,” Roseman said. “But if you go after a bunch of guys that you think may fit and a couple don’t work out as much as you want every one of them to work out, you feel like, you know what, as long as I have a good batting average on these guys, I’m improving the quality of our football team.”

Here’s more from around the NFC: