HEADLINES

Steve Spagnuolo

NFC Coaching Notes: Quinn, 49ers, Rams

January 10th, 2015 at 3:37pm CST by Rob DiRe

Here are some updates on open NFC coaching positions:

  • If Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn gets a head coaching job, potential offensive coordinators he could hire include Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable or former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • Since losing offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the University of Georgia, the Rams have expressed interest in 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman and former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to fill the open position, reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
  • The 49ers announced that it would take seven to ten days to hire a new coach, but made the announcement on December 29th, and have yet to make significant progress, reports Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. Gutierrez notes that three candidates are still coaching playoff teams, and lists the eight coaches interviewed so far.
  • The three candidates for the 49ers job that will be coaching this weekend are Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. If everything breaks perfectly, all three could be available by Sunday night.
  • Six coaching jobs have opened up this offseason and six jobs remain unfilled. Everyone may have their own theory for why it is taking so long to hire new head coaches, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report believes it is because teams are waiting for the Seahawks‘ season to be over and for Quinn to become available (via Twitter).
  • As the Giants continue to search for a new defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo is among leaders in the clubhouse for the job, reports Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter). Spagnuolo was the defensive coordinator under Tom Coughlin during the team’s 2007-08 Super Bowl run.

Giants Part Ways With DC Perry Fewell

January 7th, 2015 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

10:09am: Per Graziano (via Twitter), the Giants are also letting go of defensive backs coach Peter Giunta, who has been with the organization since 2006.

9:53am: The Giants have made a change to their coaching staff today, having decided to part ways with defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Earlier this week, reports had suggested Fewell would likely be returning for the 2015 season, but it appears the team had a change of heart.

Fewell, who had been on Tom Coughlin‘s staff since 2010, was viewed as a candidate to be fired this offseason after his unit dipped from sixth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA in 2013 to 25th in 2014. At his end-of-season press conference, Coughlin strongly defended Fewell’s performance, indicating that he felt the players responded to the defensive coordinator, but if the head coach went to bat for Fewell in subsequent meetings, it appears not everyone in the building agreed with his assessment.

With an opening at the defensive coordinator position, it shouldn’t be long before we start hearing candidates linked to the Giants. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun suggests (via Twitter) that one of those candidates could be Ravens secondary coach Steve Spagnuolo, who previously worked for the Giants as their DC. ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link) agrees that Spagnuolo could be on the Giants’ radar, but expects the club to cast a wide net in its search.

East Notes: McDaniels, Jets, Giants

December 29th, 2014 at 8:57pm CST by Zachary Links

A look at the AFC and NFC East..

  • Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a popular man. A source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) that the Falcons and 49ers have asked for permission to chat with him.
  • The Jets will interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in Seattle on Saturday, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). Even though they’ll chat with him about their coaching vacancy, the organization’s preference is to get a GM in place first.
  • The Jets have requested to interview Seahawks director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Kirchner is GM John Schneider‘s right-hand man and has been mentioned as a possibility for the Jets in the past.
  • Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that Steve Spagnuolo is a possibility for the Giants‘ defensive coordinator job if Perry Fewell is let go. However, it’s not a certainty that Fewell will be fired.

AFC North Notes: Taylor, Burress, Spagnuolo

January 29th, 2014 at 4:48pm CST by Rob DiRe

Ike Taylor has been the Steelers’ top corner for a number of years, but Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Sulia link) believes he could be released this offseason. With a salary of $7MM and a cap hit of close to $13.9MM, the best case scenario Dulac envisions is the long time Steeler taking a big pay cut to stay with the team. Here is other news from around the AFC North:

  • Former Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress is reportedly mulling retirement, according to Kyle Meinke of mlive.com. “We’ll see how I feel,” Burress said. “If I don’t (feel healthy), I’m very satisfied with things in this business. I’m not just going to go out there and risk my physical health, just to go out and prove people wrong.” Burress did not appear in a regular season game for the Steelers last year, and was unlikely to be with the team in 2014.
  • The Ravens have hired former Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo as their secondary coach, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Spagnuolo came to fame as the coordinator of the great Giants’ defense that stopped the 2007 Patriots’ bid for a perfect season. He was also named assistant head coach. The Ravens also hired Brian Pariani as their tight ends coach, previously the tight ends coach for the Texans.
  • The Browns were reportedly turned off by Gary Kubiak‘s contract demands, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. He allegedly asked to be “head coach of the offense”. Kubiak went on to be hired as the offensive coordinator of the Ravens, replacing Jim Caldwell.