HEADLINES

Nathaniel Hackett

Jaguars Notes: Blackmon, Marrone, Olson

February 5th, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars overhauled the coaching staff underneath head coach Gus Bradley this offseason. Jacksonville added years of high-level NFL experience to the offensive side but, as we know, sometimes too many cooks can spoil the broth. At a press conference earlier today, the Jaguars discussed the breakdown of responsibilities for their coaches heading into 2015 and much more. Here’s a look at the highlights and other news out of Jacksonville..

  • Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon has made some progress towards his reinstatement but still has a ways to go, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links). Blackmon still has to satisfy criteria within the drug program and then apply for reinstatement.
  • New Jags offensive line coach Doug Marrone told reporters, including Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, that he left the Bills without any guarantees of landing a head coaching gig elsewhere.
  • Marrone has taken heat for his departure from Buffalo but he defended himself from that criticism while emphasizing that he wants to move forward. “At the end of the day, I had two outstanding years in Buffalo,” Marrone said, according to DiRocco. “I think that Terry and Kim Pegula, they’re going to be outstanding. I really can’t say enough for the people within the organization, from the trainers, from the PR department, from the equipment people. They were outstanding. At the end of the day, I had a three-day window on my contract, which was obviously difficult because of the time aspect of it. My family and I made a decision to leave.”
  • The challenge, Bradley says will be ensuring that offensive coordinator Greg Olson, Marrone, and quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett all work together cohesively, DiRocco tweets. All three men are former offensive coordinators. Bradley added that he doesn’t want to run the Raiders offense or the Bills offense – he wants to put together what’s best for his players (via Vito Stellino of The Florida Times-Union on Twitter).
  • Bradley said he didn’t know much about Marrone before he started talking to him, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (on Twitter). The head coach did talk extensively before hiring him, however.
  • Bradley said he didn’t talk much to Marrone about how things ended in Buffalo, Stellino tweets. Marrone originally came by just to discuss football philosophy and not to interview, which is why they didn’t get in depth on that (via DiRocco on Twitter).
  • New offensive coordinator Greg Olson said that he had a good experience in Jacksonville in 2012 and is appreciative of the chance to return, according to DiRocco (on Twitter). He was also surprised by the number of different faces that he saw since he was with the Jags in 2012 under Mike Mularkey (link).
  • Adam Gase, Olson, and Marrone all interviewed with the team at the same time, DiRocco tweets.
  • Olson said he talked to the Bears and Rams about offensive coordinator openings, but he didn’t officially interview, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union tweets.
  • The Jaguars have made a few tweaks to their coaching staff, moving quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo to senior offensive assistant and adding the title of run-game coordinator to defensive line coach Todd Wash’s job, according to O’Halloran (Twitter links).

Nathaniel Hackett To Join Jags, Not Rams

January 28th, 2015 at 4:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett had been viewed as one of the top candidates for the Rams’ offensive coordinator opening, if only by default — with several of St. Louis’ other potential targets having found other jobs or having decided to remain with their current teams, Hackett and current Rams assistants Rob Boras and Frank Cignetti were the only known candidates still in the mix.

However, having been scheduled to interview with the Rams for a second time, Hackett has decided to withdraw from consideration for the OC job, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Hackett is instead heading to Jacksonville, where it is believed he’ll become the Jaguars’ new quarterbacks coach. Frank Scelfo, the team’s current QBs coach, is expected to remain on the staff, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

The Jags have made an interesting series of coaching hires on the offensive side of the ball in the last month. After parting ways with former offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, the club brought in ex-Raiders OC Greg Olson to replace Fisch, and now has also added a pair of Buffalo coaches — Hackett and former Bills head coach Doug Marrone

With Hackett no longer in the mix, the path looks clear for either Boras or Cignetti to be promoted to offensive coordinator in St. Louis, though there’s been no indication yet which way the team is leaning, and it’s possible that there are candidates who have yet to be reported. The Rams may also choose to bring in a new outside candidate, but that doesn’t seem likely this far into the process unless they’re waiting on a Patriots or Seahawks assistant.

NFC West Notes: Harvin, Rams, Maxwell

January 27th, 2015 at 8:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks GM John Schneider has no regrets about sending Percy Harvin to the Jets, Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. “It was difficult, but we had talked to ownership about it,” Schneider said. “When you have support of the ownership, it makes it that much easier. So, he knew there were several reasons why it may not work out. As long as we’re communicating with ownership in that regard and explaining why it didn’t work out, it’s much easier to do than waking up in the morning and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this.'”

  • The Rams did not have their second interview with Nathaniel Hackett as was once planned, according to Jim Thomas of the Post Dispatch (Twitter links). However, St. Louis still plans on discussing its offensive coordinator vacancy with him and that follow-up chat could come later this week.
  • Earlier today, Seahawks GM John Schneider said that re-signing cornerback Byron Maxwell will be one of the team’s top offseason priorities, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Seattle has already locked up several of its key impact players and a new deal for quarterback Russell Wilson is likely around the corner. Keeping Maxwell might be something that the Seahawks want to do, but carving out the space for it is another matter.
  • The Eagles interviewed the Seahawks‘ director of college scouting, Scott Fitterer, for their personnel executive opening, but he decided to stay in Seattle, Schneider said. “He spoke with the Philadelphia Eagles, kept it on the down low,” Schneider said, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s staying with us.” The Eagles have interviewed at least three candidates for a job that could have the GM title, McLane writes. Chris Polian, former GM of the Colts, recently had a second interview and is considered a serious contender.

NFC Notes: Glennon, Rams, Eagles, Fewell

January 26th, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Assuming the Buccaneers intend to draft a quarterback in April with the first overall pick, that should make Mike Glennon expendable, and this spring could be an ideal time to move him in a trade, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. As Cummings points out, the free agent market for QBs is weak, and there are few viable rookie options besides Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. For teams looking to add a potential starting quarterback, Glennon may actually be one of the best options available, and should only cost a mid-round pick.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Former Buffalo offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has a second interview lined up with the Rams for their offensive coordinator position this week, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Per La Canfora, the Bills would like to bring back Hackett, who is also drawing interest from Washington and the Jaguars as a potential quarterbacks coach.
  • In addition to considering Chris Polian for their front office opening, the Eagles have Dolphins scout Chris Grier and internal candidate Ed Marynowitz at or near the top of their list of targets, reports Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. One source tells Mosher that he believes Grier is coming in to interview for a second time with Chip Kelly.
  • Ex-Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has an offer from the 49ers to become their defensive backs coach, says John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). However, before he makes a decision on that offer, Fewell is speaking to Washington about a similar role on Jay Gruden‘s staff, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
  • CFL receiver Duron Carter is expected to make a decision on his NFL team this week, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities, who tweets that the Vikings and a couple other teams remain well-positioned — one of those other suitors is certainly the Colts, who were reported on the weekend to be the frontrunners. Carter can’t officially sign an NFL contract until February 10 unless the Montreal Alouettes release him from his CFL deal.
  • Speaking to reporters in Arizona, Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said it was “very tough” to pass up a free agent offer last year from the Bears, who offered him “way more money.” Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the quotes and the details.
  • Locking up linebacker Lavonte David to a long-term deal, perhaps in the neighborhood of $7MM annually, should be a priority for the Buccaneers this season, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com.

Latest On Teams Still Seeking OCs

January 23rd, 2015 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

There’s been plenty of turnover among the offensive coordinator ranks around the NFL already this offseason, with about a third of the league’s franchies hiring new OCs so far — 10 teams have hired replacements for their old coordinators, while the Cowboys are technically the 11th to install a new OC, having given Scott Linehan the official title that Bill Callahan previously held.

As our coordinator search tracker shows, even after those 11 teams have made changes, there are still three clubs with vacancies at the position, though it’s possible only two of those clubs will actually make a hire. Here’s the latest on the three teams still without an offensive coordinator:

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners have already added one notable name to their offensive staff, hiring ex-Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano as their tight ends coach, but are still in need of a coordinator to oversee the offense. The club pursued former Broncos OC Adam Gase before he landed with the Bears, which leaves three candidates who have been linked to the club since the hiring of head coach Jim Tomsula: Mike Shanahan, Lane Kiffin, and Rob Chudzinski.

Shanahan’s name came up about a week ago, but he hasn’t received much buzz since then, and it looks to me as if Kiffin and Chudzinski are the favorites for the position. In fact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that Kiffin appeared to be the frontrunner. Since then, the Colts have rebuffed San Francisco’s attempt to speak to Chudzinski, which would seem to further solidify Kiffin as a top option, but we shouldn’t rule out the Colts assistant quite yet. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that Chudzinski’s contract with Indianapolis expires on Monday, at which point he’s expected to interview with the 49ers and Rams.

St. Louis Rams

As noted above, the Rams are expected to interview Colts assistant Rob Chudzinski when his contract with Indianapolis expires on Monday, and the fact that both San Francisco and St. Louis are willing to wait on Chudzinski suggests he’s a viable candidate for both clubs. Like the 49ers, the Rams had interest in Adam Gase and have been declined permission to speak to Chudzinski until now — St. Louis was also turned away when the team attempted to speak to Packers assistant Alex Van Pelt, and has seen a number of potential targets, including Greg Roman and Kyle Shanahan, land jobs with other clubs.

Still, the Rams did interview a candidate this week, in former Bills OC Nathaniel Hackett. Perhaps at this point Hackett is a top target by default, but a Thursday report indicated that the team may be comfortable promoting an in-house coach into the OC role. Tight ends coach Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti are viewed as strong candidates who are already on the staff, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who adds that Boras would probably get the nod over Cignetti if the Rams stay in house.

Houston Texans

The Texans didn’t have an offensive coordinator on staff in 2014, with head coach Bill O’Brien serving as the de facto OC. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier in the week that Houston could add an OC to the staff for 2015, but there has been no news on that front since La Canfora addressed the topic. The CBSSports.com scribe noted that Doug Marrone would be a strong candidate for such a position, so the fact that Marrone ultimately accepted a non-OC job in Jacksonville suggests the Texans may not be hiring an OC after all. Nonetheless, it’s a situation worth monitoring.

Rams Notes: Los Angeles, Hackett, OC

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:07am CST by Zachary Links

The perception that St. Louis has failed to adequately support the Rams is getting on the nerves of the Post-Dispatch’s Bernie Miklasz. Some have been critical of the city waiting too long to conceive plans for a new stadium. That’s a ludicrous thing to say, in Miklasz’s view, and doubly ludicrous when you consider Los Angeles, a city that has stalled on the issue for decades. Here’s more on the Rams..

  • Former Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett interviewed for the Rams’ offensive coordinator opening yesterday, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Hackett interviewed for the Jaguars‘ OC opening earlier this winter and was considered a top candidate.
  • The Rams’ offensive coordinator search continues to drag on as several names initially linked to the Rams have accepted NFL offensive coordinator jobs elsewhere, Miklasz writes. That list includes Kyle Shanahan (new OC with Falcons), Greg Roman (new OC with Bills), and Adam Gase (new OC with Bears). Even with attractive coordinator candidates landing in other places, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Fisher is getting shut out or will fail in his bid to hire someone he covets. At the same time, there are factors that have made the Rams’ opening less attractive than others, and Miklasz lays them out.
  • While the Rams will continue to look outside, they feel they have a pair of strong in-house candidates in tight ends coach Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
  • More from Thomas, who looks at Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion as a possibility for the Rams.

AFC Mailbags: Jets, Chiefs, Jags, Titans

January 17th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN’s NFC mailbags earlier today. Let’s now check out some notes from the AFC…

Coach Notes: Bucs, Bears, Marrone, Coyle

January 16th, 2015 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers have parted ways with quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Arroyo stepped in to run Tampa Bay’s offense during the 2014 season during Jeff Tedford‘s absence, but hadn’t been mentioned as a candidate to step into the role permanently since the team officially let Tedford go at season’s end.

Let’s round up a few more afternoon news items and rumors on the coaching front….

  • One coach the Buccaneers tried to interview for their OC opening was Mike Mularkey of the Titans, but Tennessee turned them down. John Fox and the Bears are expected to seek permission to speak to Mularkey about the offensive coordinator position in Chicago, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter), so we’ll see if the Titans say no to Fox as well.
  • Following Teryl Austin‘s lead, Doug Marrone has canceled his head coaching interview with the Broncos, which had been scheduled for Saturday, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Marrone will wait to see what happens with Gary Kubiak, who is set to talk to Denver on Sunday, and is viewed as the frontrunner for the position.
  • Despite some initial uncertainty at the end of the regular season, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle will remain with the Dolphins for the 2015 campaign under head coach Joe Philbin, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • Current and former Falcons coaches are among Jack Del Rio‘s targets for the Raiders, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com and Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 in Washington (Twitter links). Williamson continues to hear that Del Rio has interest in Mike Tice, but Atlanta won’t give the Raiders permission to interview the offensive line coach. Per Russini, Del Rio is trying to hire Mike Smith as his defensive coordinator, but it most likely won’t happen.
  • Russini (Twitter link) is hearing that Mike Shanahan may be in play for the 49ers‘ offensive coordinator job under Jim Tomsula.
  • Former Bills offensive coordinator Nate Hackett is interviewing with the Jaguars today for the team’s OC opening, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that at least two other clubs are also interested in Hackett.
  • We can also add the Jaguars to the list of teams looking to interview Adam Gase for their offensive coordinator opening, tweets Schefter. The Falcons and Rams want to speak to Gase about an OC role as well.
  • If Teryl Austin lands the Falcons‘ head coaching job, Packers safeties coach Darren Perry looks like a candidate to become his defensive coordinator, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

AFC East Links: Bills, Dolphins, Jets

October 5th, 2014 at 11:31am CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this morning, we looked at some rumblings out of New England. Let’s now take a look at what is happening with the other three AFC East teams…