HEADLINES

Mike Tannenbaum

AFC East Notes: Bills, Ryan, Revis, Dolphins

January 10th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Today’s thrilling divisional playoff contest between the Patriots and Ravens may end up being the best game of this year’s postseason, and it also ensured that at least one coveted offensive coordinator would become available for head coaching interviews. Josh McDaniels and his New England offense will advance to the AFC championship game, but Gary Kubiak is now free to speak to teams about head coaching positions.

As our head coaching search tracker shows, reports have suggested the Bears, 49ers, and Jets have interest in Kubiak, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that New York still has a request in for an interview. The club is “intrigued” by the Ravens offensive coordinator, per Rapoport. However, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets, Kubiak didn’t say after Baltimore’s loss whether he’d interview for the Jets’ opening, indicating that he’d rather not talk about it today.

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

  • Rex Ryan is expected to be a finalist in the Falcons’ search for a head coach, and at least one report says the former Jets coach has serious interest in the 49ers. Now, it appears we can add the Bills to the list of Ryan’s legitimate suitors — Adam Schefter and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com report that Buffalo conducted a second interview with Ryan tonight in Florida. A source tells Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (Twitter link) that the interest between Ryan and the Bills is mutual, but Buscaglia cautions that it’s too early to tell if things will move forward.
  • The Patriots and cornerback Darrelle Revis will meet to discuss a new contract once the team’s season ends, with mutual interest in continuing the relationship, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). Howe adds that the idea would be to rip up Revis’ current contract and work out a new agreement. The star corner didn’t have a great game against the Ravens today, but was one of the Pats’ most important contributors during the regular season.
  • After registering a complaint about Washington’s hiring of Scot McCloughan, the Fritz Pollard Alliance – which monitors the NFL’s Rooney Rule – is also concerned about the Dolphins‘ hiring of Mike Tannenbaum. “We believe the Dolphins need to clarify Tannebaum’s role such as what role he has controlling the draft board and his overall duties and responsibilities,” Fritz Pollard Alliance counsel Cyrus Mehri tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.  “Further, they need to explain, given his title, why they think the Rooney Rule does not apply. It appears the Rule applies given his title, but they mistakenly thought it didn’t. If they made a mistake they should own up to it.”

AFC Mailbags: Ravens, Dolphins, Jets, Jags

January 10th, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags to answer questions from readers. Let’s first take a look at some of the rumbling coming out of the AFC…

  • The Ravens can’t realistically expect rookie defensive back Rashaan Melvin to continue exceeding expectations. As a result, Jamison Hensley believes the team should still draft a defensive back, forcing Melvin to compete with Asa Jackson for the fourth cornerback spot.
  • If the Dolphins struggle next season, James Walker expects the organization to “clean house.” This would allow new executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum to bring in his own staff.
  • When asked which Jets coaches could ultimately stick around for 2015, Rich Cimini points to defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, quarterbacks coach David Lee and running backs coach Anthony Lynn.
  • Meanwhile, Cimini has no interest in paying Jets wideout Percy Harvin his $10.5MM salary next season, with the writer suggesting a more reasonable $6MM deal.
  • When it comes to some of the notable free agents, Michael DiRocco would support the Jaguars pursuit of wideout Randall Cobb or safety Devin McCourty. However, the writer isn’t as high on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Coach/GM Notes: Falcons, Bears, Jets, Eagles

January 7th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Luke Adams

According to our head coaching search tracker, there are eight candidates involved in the Falcons‘ hunt for Mike Smith‘s replacement, and if no new names are added to that list, the team’s first round of interviews should conclude tomorrow after a meeting with Todd Bowles. So it makes sense that Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests today (via Twitter) that Atlanta intends to bring in its finalists for a second round of interviews. According to Rapoport, Rex Ryan will be among those finalists, though it’s not clear yet who will join him.

Here are a few more items from around the league related to coaches and front offices:

Coaching:

  • Todd Bowles and Frank Reich completed their interviews with the Jets today, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Bowles’ next visit will be with the Bears.
  • A Tuesday report indicated that the Bears would likely meet with Mike Shanahan about their head coaching position after hiring a new general manager, but despite Shanahan’s past success with Jay Cutler (and Brandon Marshall), he’s not currently on Chicago’s list of candidates, says Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We’ll have to see if anything changes on that front after the team makes its GM hire.
  • After sitting in on the Raiders‘ interview with Shanahan, John Madden is expected to be in attendance for Tony Sparano‘s meeting with the club as well, tweets Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com.
  • In the wake of Perry Fewell‘s dismissal, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com offers a few suggestions for the Giants to consider for their defensive coordinator job, including Bills defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, who Graziano thinks could be among New York’s top candidates.

Front office:

  • The Bears confirmed that they interviewed Chris Ballard and Ryan Pace for their GM vacancy, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
  • Jon Robinson‘s interview with the Jets will take place tomorrow, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
  • The Jets announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve lined up an interview with Buccaneers personnel executive Jon Robinson for their general manager position. The club also confirmed the candidates they’ve spoken to so far: Chris Grier (Dolphins), Trent Kirchner (Seahawks), Bill Kuharich (Browns), Mike Maccagnan (Texans), Rick Mueller (Eagles), and their own Rod Graves.
  • The Jaguars have granted pro director Chris Polian permission to interview with the Eagles for their GM job, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network (via Twitter).
  • The Fritz Pollard Alliance, which works with the NFL on minority hiring issues, has filed a complaint with the league over Washington‘s general manager search, writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Washington spoke to Jets executive Rod Graves about the GM job, but didn’t run the request for permission by the league, and seemed to do it only as a formality while working out an agreement with Scot McCloughan, so as to abide by the Rooney Rule.
  • Meanwhile, the Dolphins appear to have evaded a Rooney Rule violation by changing the role of recently-hired Mike Tannenbaum, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains. The club has altered Tannenbaum’s and Dennis Hickey‘s duties since first announcing the hiring, so that Tannenbaum doesn’t qualify as a GM-type hire, meaning the club wouldn’t have needed to meet the Rooney Rule.

Reactions To Dolphins Shakeup

January 6th, 2015 at 7:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned that former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum will join the Dolphins’ front office full-time. Tannenbaum, who has been working as a sports agent in recent years, served as a consultant for Miami during the 2014 season. Now, he takes on a much more significant role. Here’s more on that and related news out of Miami..

  • Tannenbaum made a point to praise GM Dennis Hickey and coach Joe Philbin on multiple occasions in a conference call with reporters earlier today, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. Still, it’s no secret that this upcoming season is playoffs-or-bust for Hickey and Philbin or significant changes could be made, Walker writes.
  • “I don’t think we’re far away,” Tannenbaum said, according to Walker. “I think it’s really critical that we have our self-evaluation of where the roster is. I think it starts with that. … We have to attack our needs aggressively.”
  • The Dolphins (on Twitter) announced that Hickey will report directly to Tannenbaum and continue to lead the personnel and scouting departments. He’ll also maintain control of the 53-man roster.
  • Beasley (on Twitter) wonders what will happen if Philbin and Hickey want Mike Wallace out but Tannenbaum wants him back in 2015.
  • Tannenbaum says he will not be involved in the negotiations of his coaching candidate clients, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. That would include Dan Quinn.
  • The Dolphins’ hiring of Tannenbaum to head the team’s football operations is a move that “creates more questions than it offers answers,” writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • In another piece, Walker wonders if the Dolphins truly believe in Hickey.
  • A Dolphins official spoke with Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) and said,”I’m surprised you were surprised. No one around the team is surprised one bit.“

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Tannenbaum To Head Dolphins’ Football Ops

January 6th, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

3:35pm: According to James Walker of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Dolphins have officially confirmed the hiring of Tannenbaum, who will be the team’s new executive VP of football operations.

1:55pm: After working as a consultant for the Dolphins during the 2014 season, Mike Tannenbaum will join the team full-time for 2015, according to Mike Garafolo and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The duo reports that Miami is expected to hand over its football operations to Tannenbaum in the near future.

Michael Wilkering of Pro Football Talk confirms the move and provides additional details on Tannenbaum’s anticipated role in Miami, writing that the Dolphins will name him their executive vice president of player personnel. Per Wilkering, Tannenbaum will officially start his work with the Dolphins on February 1.

Tannenbaum, a former general manager of the division-rival Jets, has been an agent for NFL and NBA coaches at Priority Sports for the last couple years, and represents a few coaches in the mix for new jobs this offseason, such as Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Sources tell Garafolo and Marvez that Tannenbaum is expected to see his work with those clients through the interview process before transitioning into his full-time position in Miami.

With the season winding down last month, there was speculation that Tannenbaum’s voice in the Dolphins’ decisions was becoming more prominent — Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wrote that the ex-Jets GM would “obviously have say” in what happens with the club’s head coaching situation, which ultimately resulted in Joe Philbin being retained.

At the time, I noted that the role of Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey in the team’s major decisions was unclear. Now, it appears as if Hickey will remain in his current role, but will report to Tannenbaum, who will oversee Miami’s football operations. While Hickey will report to Tannenbaum, Philbin is expected to continue to report directly to owner Stephen Ross, says Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links).

Latest On Joe Philbin, Dolphins

December 15th, 2014 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Alex Marvez of FOX Sports notes in his latest column that as of a few weeks ago, Dolphins owners Stephen Ross “wasn’t itching to make a coaching change,” and had spoken highly of Joe Philbin. However, since then, the Dolphins barely squeaked out a win against the Jets and then lost two key games against AFC contenders, all but eliminating their playoff chances. If Miami wins its final two games, Philbin could survive to coach the club in 2015, but if the team loses one or both, “all bets are off,” writes Marvez.

Although Marvez suggests there’s still some hope for Philbin in Miami, beat writer Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald paints a much bleaker picture, writing that the head coach’s “days are numbered,” and adding that it’s hard to imagine Philbin getting a pat on the back for winning two meaningless games to finish the season. For his part, Philbin says he’s focused on those two games, rather than his future, though he acknowledged that both he and Ross were disappointed after the team’s showing in New England yesterday (Twitter links via James Walker of ESPN.com).

As Philbin’s future in Miami hangs in the balance, it’s also worth keeping an eye on which members of the organization will have a say in the head coach’s fate, writes Salguero. According to the Miami Herald scribe, Dan Marino – a special advisor to Ross – and Mike Tannenbaum – a front office consultant – were both seen talking to the team’s owner after this weekend’s loss to the Patriots.

Pointing out that Tannenbaum still acts as an agent and has several potential head coaching candidates on his roster of clients, including Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, Salguero writes that Tannenbaum and Marino will “obviously have say” in what happens with the head coaching situation. As such, general manager Dennis Hickey finds himself in an interesting situation — Hickey was hired in January of this year, meaning he inherited Philbin, and it’s not clear how much input he’d have in the hiring of a new head coach. Typically, a team’s GM plays a significant role in that process, but with so many voices seemingly involved in the Dolphins’ decision-making, there’s no guarantee of that for Hickey.

Dolphins’ Internal Strife Continues

September 28th, 2014 at 8:38am CST by Rory Parks

Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin was at the source of some mild team controversy earlier this week, when he was asked about the job security of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill but gave an ambivalent response. Philbin later expressed regret that his noncommittal approach to the question created a distraction for the club, which has fallen to 1-2 after a promising opening week win against the Patriots.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, however, a deeper and more troubling internal struggle may be brewing in Miami. La Canfora writes that Dolphins players have expressed concerns with Philbin and his coordinators, and the relationship between Philbin and team executive Dawn Aponte has become frayed. Aponte hired former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum as a team consultant, but since Tannenbaum’s primary job is as an agent representing coaches–like Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who will likely be on the list of top head coaching candidates after the season–it is fair to wonder how much longer Philbin will be roaming the Dolphins’ sidelines.

La Canfora adds that owner Stephen Ross has not, as he promised after the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin debacle, taken a more active role in the guidance of his team, but he is said to be covertly trying to lay the foundation to trade for current 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Between those rumors and Philbin’s apparent wish to play backup signal-caller Matt Moore–which has displeased the front office, who have committed to Tannehill–the Dolphins may soon be in for a second front office overhaul in as many years.

Dolphins Notes: Jones, Tannenbaum, Incognito

August 8th, 2014 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Here’s the latest out of Miami, where the Dolphins have announced some front office moves and lost a key defender for the first month of the season….

  • Safety Reshad Jones has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the team announced today (Twitter link). Jones, who has started every game for the Dolphins over the last two seasons, was penciled in as a starting safety alongside newcomer Louis Delmas for 2014, but the suspension means that he, like Dion Jordan, will miss the month of September.
  • Per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter), Jones’ suspension figures to cost him about $1MM in salary. For his part, Jones released a statement through the NFLPA explaining that he took a supplement he didn’t know was banned by the league, and apologized to the team and its fans.
  • The Dolphins announced a series of front office promotions and additions today, and the most notable one of the bunch was the hiring of former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum as a consultant. Tannenbaum, who will continue on as an agent for Priority Sports and Entertainment, has been working with the club in that consultant role for several weeks already, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Richie Incognito, who was at the center of last year’s bullying scandal, told Josh Peter of USA Today that his agent has received “a few nibbles” from teams this offseason. While it’s fair to assume that the free agent guard won’t be rejoining the Dolphins, it seems likely that he’ll catch on with another club at some point.