Sean McDermott - Pro Football Rumors

South Notes: Titans, McDermott, Falcons

January 29th, 2016 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

In a fascinating piece for Bleacher Report, former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist shared some details about his recent interview for the Titans‘ GM position, explaining what he would have done during his first days, weeks, and months on the job if he had been hired by the club.

The entire piece is worth reading, and features a handful of interesting tidbits from Sundquist, who writes that there were some indications that Titans ownership, which wanted to retain head coach Mike Mularkey and stay the course within the front office, “wasn’t necessarily looking for a complete diagnosis of its problems.”

Here’s more Friday reading from around the NFL’s South divisions:

Albert Breer of the NFL Network echoes what Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported earlier today, writing that the Titans are “very open to the idea” of shopping the first overall pick. However, Breer cautions that the Titans still want to walk away from the draft with an elite prospect, so there will be a limit to how far the team is willing to trade down. A handful of clubs picking between 11 and 15 could be in the market for a quarterback, but that would be a long way for those teams to move up, and a long way for Tennessee to move down, says Breer.
While the Buccaneers ultimately opted to name Dirk Koetter their new head coach, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott interviewed “very, very well” with Tampa Bay, according to Breer. McDermott figures to be a strong candidate for a head coaching job in 2017.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff acknowledged that 2016 feels like a make-or-break year for him, though he added the caveat that he views every year that way, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Dimitroff also suggested that the Falcons will continue to shop for discounts and values in free agency rather than making a big splash, and said the team has yet to make a decision on Roddy White‘s future, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details in a pair of articles.

Coaching Rumors: Dolphins, Giants, McDermott

January 10th, 2016 at 8:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

After hiring Adam Gase, the Dolphins are acting quickly to form their new coaching staff.

But few holdovers are expected. According to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (on Twitter), only special teams coach Darren Rizzi to be retained. All of the Dolphins’ other assistants, excepting possibly Dan Campbell, will be fired.

Campbell’s status remains uncertain. The interim coach for most of 2015, Campbell reportedly finished second in the race to become the Fins’ next full-time head coach.

A Marvez report Saturday linked Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph, whom the Fox reporter has set to head to Miami as the team’s defensive coordinator, and a number of position coaches to comprise Gase’s defensive staff.

Here are some more coaching-related items as wild-card weekend concludes.

Although Hue Jackson has emerged as a candidate late in the process, the frontrunners to become Tom Coughlin‘s successor with the Giants are offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and Jaguars assistant head coach Doug Marrone, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports. McAdoo’s familiarity with Eli Manning and his helping the quarterback to a career resurgence is driving his candidacy, with the 38-year-old only having two seasons of coordinator experience. With Vacchiano noting the 51-year-old Marrone may not retain McAdoo if he becomes coach, Big Blue avoiding another offensive reboot will factor into its decision.
Both Vacchiano and the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz report John Mara prefers a candidate with head-coaching experience. Vacchiano points McAdoo in the Eagles’ direction if they are indeed serious about hiring Tom Coughlin. Schwartz believes Mara sees similarities in Mike Smith, who will interview with the team on Monday, and Coughlin. Their ages (Smith is 56; Coughlin was 57 when hired in 2004) and histories as head coaches are similar, and Schwartz notes Smith is one of Coughlin’s top confidants among head coaches.
The Giants, per Vacchiano, have also discussed requesting permission to interview Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, but since they didn’t do so during the Panthers’ bye week, the Giants must wait until either Carolina’s season concludes or the Panthers’ potential Super Bowl bye week.
The Browns did interview the 41-year-old McDermott on Sunday, Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com reports. A defensive coordinator since 2009, with the Eagles and Panthers, respectively, McDermott also interviewed with the Buccaneers.
Jackson spoke with the Browns for 3 1/2 hours and talked with the 49ers for five hours Sunday in Cincinnati, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Cleveland’s now interviewed seven candidates. The 49ers have met with five, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
The Colts offered 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster the same position in Indianapolis, Marvez reports (on Twitter). The Dolphins offensive coordinator in 2004, Foerster’s been an offensive line coach with the Ravens, Washington and the 49ers since 2005. He’s served multiple stints in San Francisco, presiding over the 49ers’ line from 2008-09 and returning to the Bay Area in 2015 after five seasons in Washington.

Sunday Roundup: Wood, Burfict, Koetter

January 10th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

As the Vikings and Seahawks do battle in frigid Minneapolis, let’s take a look at some links from around the league:

New Lions president Rod Wood admits to not having any football experience, but no one was especially concerned about that, as Wood is expected to handle the business side of the club while new GM Bob Quinn will handle the football side. But as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Detroit’s press release announcing Quinn’s hire noted that Quinn would report to team ownership and to Wood, which suggests that Wood could be wielding more power than initially believed.
Unsurprisingly, Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict is facing a suspension for his hit on Antonio Brown last night, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
ESPN’s Ed Werder believes it is “unlikely” that the Bengals will part ways with head coach Marvin Lewis (Twitter link), and Mark Maske of the Washington Post lays out the reasons for his belief that Lewis should stay.
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel believes the Packers‘ efforts this season have been hampered by GM Ted Thompson‘s lack of in-season roster moves to address the team’s weaknesses. Since 2010, Green Bay has been awarded just two players on waivers, and Thompson has gone to the practice squad 70% of the time to fill vacancies on the 53-man roster.
Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune tweets that Dirk Koetter is still the leading candidate for the Buccaneers‘ head coaching job, though Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Koetter “really impressed” the 49ers during his interview with San Francisco yesterday. Tampa Bay also interviewed Panthers DC Sean McDermott yesterday.
Gus Bradley is taking his time with the Jaguars‘ search for a new defensive coordinator and has yet to establish a deadline for the decision, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union.
Texans unrestricted free agents Ben Jones and Jared Crick both expressed their desire to remain in Houston, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Meanwhile, two notable players have declared that they will enter the NFL draft: Arkansas RB Alex Collins (Twitter link via ESPN’s Joe Schad) and Utah State LB Nick Vigil (Twitter link via Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net).

Latest On Browns’ Head Coaching Search

January 8th, 2016 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Browns confirmed today that they have interviewed Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson for their head coaching position, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Henderson’s meeting with Cleveland had been reported earlier this week.

Having concluded their sit-down with Henderson, the Browns have now interviewed four candidates for their head coaching vacancy. The Cowboys’ defensive backs coach joins Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, and Jaguars assistant head coach Doug Marrone as the coaches who have spoken to Cleveland so far this week.

The Browns’ interview process will continue this weekend, but it sounds like the team’s Sunday schedule won’t be quite as jam-packed as initially anticipated. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), the Browns don’t have a formal interview lined up yet with Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, despite a previous report suggesting he would talk to the club on Sunday. That doesn’t mean Guenther won’t talk to Cleveland — the two sides just don’t have anything officially scheduled for now.

According to Cabot (Twitter link), however, the Browns will still have a busy day on Sunday, with previously-reported meetings with Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott still on their schedule. The Jackson interview is set to take place in Cincinnati, with the McDermott interview happening in Charlotte.

To stay up to date on the head coaching searches for the Browns and the six other teams looking for a new coach, be sure to check out our tracker.

Buccaneers To Interview Sean McDermott, Harold Goodwin

January 8th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

10:55am: According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), McDermott’s interview with the Buccaneers will take place on Saturday.

8:14am: Dirk Koetter may be the odds-on favorite to replace Lovie Smith as the head coach in Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers intend to look beyond their own offensive coordinator as they consider their options. According to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link), the Bucs will interview Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott this weekend.

The Buccaneers will have to get their meeting with McDermott in by Sunday, since the Carolina assistant is eligible to interview during the team’s bye week, but not during the week leading up to its divisional playoff game. McDermott is expected to interview with the Browns as well, on Sunday, and has been cited as a potential candidate for the Giants’ and Eagles’ jobs too, though, it’s not clear if either NFC East team has set up a formal interview.

Speaking of the Eagles, McDermott’s time in Philadelphia – he spent more than a decade with the team from 1999 to 2010, in various roles – likely contributed to him landing on Tampa Bay’s radar. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht also worked for the Eagles during McDermott’s stint there, with Licht holding multiple player personnel jobs in Philadelphia from 2006 to 2008.

Of course, McDermott’s work in Carolina over the last few years, and particularly this season, probably garnered the Bucs’ interest as well. Under his guidance, the Panthers gave up only 322.9 yards per game in 2015, good for sixth in the league. The front seven was particularly successful, surrendering just 88.4 rushing yards per contest to opposing teams.

Before the Bucs speak to McDermott, they’ll sit down today with Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin to discuss their head coaching vacancy, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Like McDermott, Goodwin is eligible to speak to teams this week since his club has a bye. And like McDermott, Goodwin has some history with Licht — the Tampa Bay GM spent the 2013 season as Arizona’s vice president of player personnel, during Goodwin’s first season as the club’s offensive coordinator.

Goodwin’s unit in Arizona was one of the NFL’s most potent offenses in 2015, leading the league in yards per game (408.3) and ranking second in points per contest (30.6). After ranking 23rd in offensive DVOA in 2014, the club finished fourth this season, per Football Outsiders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach Rumors: Browns, Marrone, Giants, Bucs

January 7th, 2016 at 5:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Fritz Pollard Alliance, an organization that works with the NFL to ensure that minority candidates are considered – and hired – for coaching and front office jobs, has put out its list of recommendations for this offseason, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

As Tomasson outlines, the group’s top six picks for head coaching candidates this winter are Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, Bills running backs coach and assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, and Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson.

Jackson and Austin are viewed as particularly strong candidates, with both men having scheduled multiple interviews with teams seeking new head coaches. Lynn and Henderson have also lined up HC interviews, so we’ll see if Edwards and Goodwin can follow suit.

Here are more of today’s coaching notes and rumors:

Reports indicated that Doug Marrone and Sean McDermott were both on the Browns‘ interview schedule for today, but only the Jaguars assistant head coach actually met with the team. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Panthers defensive coordinator will now interview on Sunday, which is shaping up to be a busy day for Cleveland — the Browns are also scheduled to meet with Bengals assistants Paul Guenther and Hue Jackson on Sunday.
Within that same piece, Kabot cites sources who say there’s some concern among Browns players about the possibility of Marrone landing the job, since he’s not considered a players’ coach. Joe Thomas has indicated he may ask for a trade if he’s not happy with Cleveland’s new head coach, and fellow offensive linemen Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz could both depart in free agency, so the Browns may want to proceed with some caution.
The Giants have officially confirmed that they interviewed Teryl Austin for their head coaching job today, bringing their total number of interviewees so far up to three, as our tracker shows. Adam Gase and Marrone also have meetings lined up this week with Big Blue, with Jackson and McDermott potentially in the mix for interviews as well.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was upset by the sudden firing of Lovie Smith, sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. Koetter also may have more interest in a head coaching job in the Pacific Northwest, where he grew up, but he “relishes” coaching Jameis Winston, so if he gets the opportunity to land the Bucs’ HC job, he could be a good fit. Mortensen adds that, while the Bucs tried to hire Chip Kelly back in 2012, the former Eagles head coach probably won’t be a candidate this time around.

Coach Rumors: Gase, Eagles, Pederson, Jets

January 7th, 2016 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have not yet scheduled a second interview with Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase for their head coaching position, a league source familiar with the club’s thinking tells Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. While Frank suggests that this contradicts a previous report on Gase, that Wednesday report didn’t actually say a second interview had been formally set up by the Eagles — just that the team wanted to bring him back for a second meeting.

Although it hasn’t been scheduled yet, a second interview between Gase and the Eagles could still happen. However, Frank suggests that the club may not finish its first round of interviews and regroup until next week sometime.

In other coaching news out of Philadelphia, Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson will interview with the Eagles on Sunday for their head coaching job, regardless of how Kansas City does in its playoff game, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Here are several more coaching-related updates from around the NFL:

The Jets have parted ways with special teams coach Bobby April, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Special teams assistant Steve Hagen and assistant offensive line coach Ron Heller have also been let go by the club.
If he doesn’t get a head coaching job somewhere, look for ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith to be a candidate for the Buccaneers‘ defensive coordinator job, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Leslie Frazier is on his way out in Tampa Bay.
Panthers GM Dave Gettleman says he has talked to several teams looking for a head coach about defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. At the moment, only the Browns have formally asked for an interview, as David Newton of ESPN.com writes. McDermott has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Eagles and Giants as well.
Per Mike Wells of ESPN.com, the Colts have officially confirmed several previously-reported changes to their coaching staff, including the dismissal of defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. The club also announced it has parted ways with strength and conditioning coach Roger Marandino and running backs coach Charlie Williams.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Giants’ Head Coaching Search

January 6th, 2016 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

With the Giants having formally said goodbye to head coach Tom Coughlin at a Tuesday press conference, the team is now moving on to identifying his replacement. Let’s round up the known candidates so far for Big Blue, including the latest updates on each of them….

Ben McAdoo / Steve Spagnuolo (Giants):

The two Giants’ coordinators were the first two candidates confirmed to have interviews scheduled for the team’s newly-opened head coaching position, and according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, McAdoo’s interview took place on Tuesday, the same day as Coughlin’s farewell presser. While the offensive coordinator has already sat down with the Giants, the defensive coordinator has not done so yet — Raanan says Spagnuolo’s interview will take place later this week.

Sean McDermott (Panthers):

The Carolina defensive coordinator is free to interview for head coaching jobs during the Panthers’ bye week, and it seems he’ll do so. A report on Tuesday night indicated that the Giants intend to meet with him, though Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets that, as of about 10 hours ago, nothing had been formally set up yet. The two sides will have until Sunday to have their meeting, since McDermott won’t be eligible to interview next week.

Doug Marrone (Jaguars):

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported on Tuesday that the Giants had requested an interview with the Jaguars’ offensive line coach, and he tweets today that permission has been granted — according to Rapoport (Twitter link), Marrone will meet with the Giants on Saturday, a day after he interviews with the Dolphins and two days after his sit-down with the Browns.

Hue Jackson (Bengals):

The Cincinnati offensive coordinator isn’t eligible to interview with teams this week, but he has received multiple requests for next week. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Jackson is believed to be among the Giants’ targets, though as of Tuesday night, New York wasn’t among the teams to request a meeting.

Sean Payton (Saints):

A report on Monday indicated that the New Orleans head coach would be monitoring the Giants’ situation closely, and John Mara suggested on Tuesday that he wouldn’t rule out the idea of New York trading a draft pick for a coach. A source tells Vacchiano that the Giants would “absolutely” be interested in Payton as a candidate, but according to that source, the team also believes the price to land him may be too high.

Adam Gase (Bears):

The Giants requested an interview with Gase and it appears to be in the plans, but there doesn’t appear to be a date set yet. It’s a busy week for the Bears’ offensive coordinator, who met with Philadelphia yesterday and also has meetings lined up with the Browns and Dolphins before Friday.

Giants To Interview Sean McDermott

January 5th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants plan to interview Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, according to league sources who spoke with Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News (on Twitter). McDermott now becomes the fourth known candidate to be lined up for an interview, according to the PFR Head Coaching Search Tracker.

McDermott is eligible to talk to teams about head coaching jobs this week since the Panthers have a bye. The Browns will interview McDermott about their own head coaching vacancy on Thursday but it’s not immediately clear when the Giants will get to sit down and talk with him. McDermott has also been cited as a potential candidate for the Eagles, but no interview has been scheduled yet.

Under McDermott’s guidance, the Panthers gave up only 322.9 yards per game in 2015, good for sixth in the league and virtually just as good as the Cardinals at No. 5 (321.7 YPG) and the Jets at No. 4 (318.6 YPG). The front seven in particular was successful, surrendering only 91.2 yards per contest to opposing teams. Prior to joining the Panthers, McDermott was a longtime coach with the Eagles who was eventually elevated to the role of DC.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Eyeing McDermott, Bengals Assistants

January 5th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

1:06pm: In addition to targeting Jackson, the Browns are also considering the Bengals’ coach on the other side of the ball. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Cleveland will interview Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther next week.

12:06pm: The Browns, who already reportedly have plans to interview at least four head coaching candidates, have added two more names to their list of potential targets. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link), the Browns have requested permission to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Cleveland will interview defensive coordinator Sean McDermott on Thursday.

Because Jackson’s Bengals are playing on Wild Card weekend, he won’t be free to interview with any interested teams this week. After the team’s first playoff game though, whether or not Cincinnati wins, Jackson will be eligible to talk to possible suitors, and it sounds like he’ll have a few — the Dolphins and 49ers have already asked for permission to interview him as well.

As for McDermott, he’s eligible to talk to teams about head coaching jobs this week since the Panthers have a bye. His interview is scheduled to take place on the same day the Browns will reportedly talk to Doug Marrone, and a day after the team is set to meet with Teryl Austin and Adam Gase. Cleveland also is said to have received permission to speak to Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

Any candidate considering the Browns job will certainly have taken notice of the club’s hiring announcement today. In an outside-the-box move, Cleveland added New York Mets executive Paul DePodesta to its front office, suggesting the club will have a significant focus on analytics going forward.

DePodesta will join Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Sashi Brown, and Jed Hughes during the team’s head coach and general manager interviews, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.