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Todd Bowles

Poll: Top Head Coaching Candidate?

January 10th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been nearly two weeks since the 2014 regular season ended, but none of the six teams looking for a new head coach have made a hire yet. The slow process can be partially attributed to the fact that several strong head coaching candidates are still alive in the postseason, but there are plenty of viable targets available now.

Of course, many of this year’s noteworthy candidates are talented coordinators who don’t have any previous head coaching experience, so it’s not necessarily easy to identify the top options. Rex Ryan, Mike Shanahan, and Doug Marrone have had varying degrees of success in past head coaching roles, while Dan Quinn (Seahawks), Todd Bowles (Cardinals), and Teryl Austin (Lions) led three of the league’s best defensive units this season. Throw in Adam Gase, whose Broncos offense has ranked in the top three in DVOA for three consecutive seasons, and there are a number of intriguing coaches out there interviewing for multiple job openings.

So what do you think? If you were running an NFL franchise and tasked with hiring a new head coach, which of these candidates would you make your top priority? We’ve limited our poll to the eight aforementioned names, but feel free to weigh in below in the comments section if you feel strongly about a coach not listed here.

Jets Targeting Mike Maccagnan, Dan Quinn

January 9th, 2015 at 10:58pm CST by Luke Adams

10:58pm: The Jets aren’t expected to make any hires this weekend, tweets Mehta.

7:31pm: Now that the Bears have hired Ryan Pace as their general manager, the Jets are the league’s lone team searching for both a GM and a head coach, but it appears the club has its sights set on a pair of top targets. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan has emerged as the favorite for the Jets’ GM vacancy, while Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is the frontrunner for the head coaching position.

While former Bills head coach Doug Marrone was initially viewed as the top candidate to replace Rex Ryan in New York, Marrone isn’t one of the team’s preferred options at this point, a source tells Costello. Instead, Quinn, Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable are the most serious contenders, having had the best interviews of New York’s candidates so far.

Quinn was busy during Seattle’s bye week, speaking to the Falcons, Bills, Bears, and 49ers as well, so the Jets will have competition for the coveted defensive coordinator. However, the team’s interest in Quinn is mutual, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that the Seahawks DC has told friends that New York is his top choice.

As for Maccagnan, both Costello and Mehta indicate that the GM hopeful is meeting with Jets owner Woody Johnson and the club’s front office brass for dinner tonight. Maccagnan is the only candidate to receive a second interview with the Jets to date, and Mehta writes that Johnson, team president Neil Glat, and consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf have made the Texans executive their top target.

If Maccagnan is tabbed as John Idzik‘s successor, the Jets may bring aboard a veteran contract negotiator and cap expert to complement his skill set. According to Mehta, if Quinn were to land a head coaching job, he would like his new team to add former Buccaneers GM (and current ESPN analyst) Mark Domenik to the front office — the Jets have reached out to Domenik about a possible role, per Mehta.

Although a front office hiring or two could happen soon, the Jets won’t get the chance to speak to Quinn again until the Seahawks are eliminated from the postseason or win the NFC title game. Assuming Seattle defeats the Panthers this weekend, as is expected, that means the Jets would have to wait until at least January 18 to talk to or hire the Seahawks coordinator.

Coach Updates: Bears, Raiders, 49ers, Rams

January 9th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier tonight, we learned that Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has emerged as the possible frontrunner for the Jets‘ head coaching position, with mutual interest between the two sides. Let’s round up a few more Friday coaching updates from around the NFL….

  • The Bears have requested permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for their head coaching job, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. We should expect Chicago’s coaching search to ramp up now that the team has hired Ryan Pace as its general manager.
  • The Raiders would like to hire an established, veteran coach for their head coaching opening, but the structure of the front office is making some candidates wary about the job, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole specifically mentions Mike Shanahan as an ideal target for Oakland, given his experience and track record.
  • Speaking to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com, Raiders owner Mark Davis said a candidate with previous head coaching candidate would be “preferable,” but didn’t rule out the possibility of hiring someone who hasn’t even had a coordinator job — that seems unlikely, since all of the team’s reported candidates so far have been either coordinators or head coaches. In any case, Davis added that there’s no set deadline for his club to make a hire.
  • Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the contracts for all the Raiders‘ assistants except Tony Sparano are set to expire next Tuesday night.
  • Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link) confirms that Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles had his interview with the 49ers in Santa Clara today. Maiocco calls it the Niners’ last “known” interview, which suggests there’s nothing currently on tap with rumored candidates Jim Mora, Jim Tomsula, and Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco also reportedly had interest in Gary Kubiak, whose Ravens are still alive in the playoffs.
  • Speaking of the 49ers, they’ve granted the division-rival Rams permission to speak to offensive coordinator Greg Roman about the same job in St. Louis, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The Rams also want to speak to Kyle Shanahan, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Coaching Notes: Fisch, Texans, Bears, Haslett

January 9th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Ben Levine

Some within the Lions organizations could be working elsewhere next season, but general manager Martin Mayhew has no issues with that. In fact, he spoke fondly about two members of his staff, endorsing both vice president of pro personnel Sheldon White and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Mayhew first touched on White, who is being considered for the GM job with the Eagles. Via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein:

“He’s been phenomenal. He’s exceptional at what he does. Outstanding evaluator. There are a lot of guys on this roster that he brought to the table. Rashean Mathis, for example, is a guy that he saw on tape and he brought up his desire to work Rashean out. I was against it. I was saying this is an older guy — how is this guy going to help us.

“He talked me into working him out and he had a phenomenal workout. He was exceptional in every way, shape and form, so we ended up signing him. Obviously he’s worked out great for us the last two years, having Rashean here.

“George Johnson is a guy who he brought to me who I had never seen, we signed him. I had never seen him on tape at the time that we signed him and, as you know, George made our team this year and was a big-time contributor for us. He’s always looking; he’s always in his office evaluating tape and trying to find players that can help us win. I think he’d be a great general manager.”

Mayhew also spoke about his defensive coordinator, who has multiple interviews for head coaching positions:

“He did a phenomenal job with the group and I think he has a lot of ability. I think he’s certainly capable of being a head coach in the NFL. I think I said that when he got here that at some point he’d have an opportunity to do that.

“He’s certainly worthy of the opportunity.”

Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from around the league…

  • Former Jaguars offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch will be joining Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, as Peter Schrager of Fox Sports tweets that he’ll be offered the pass game coordinator job with the Wolverines. Bruce Feldman adds that Fisch will also be the quarterbacks and receivers coach. Fisch was let go by Jacksonville in late December.
  • We learned yesterday that the Texans wouldn’t be bringing back offensive line coach Paul Dunn, and the team has already found a replacement. Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez tweets that Houston will add Jets assistant coach Mike Devlin to their staff to replace Dunn.
  • The Bears announced (on Twitter) that they interviewed Todd Bowles for their head-coaching position yesterday. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the interview went well, adding that the Cardinals defensive coordinator is set to meet with the 49ers today.
  • Following up on a report that the Giants requested permission to interview Washington defensive backs coach Raheem Morris for their defensive coordinator opening, Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that Washington granted gave the division-rival Giants the green light, while Albert Breer of the NFL Network says (via Twitter) that the interview will happen this morning.
  • Since leaving his role as Washington‘s defensive coordinator, Jim Haslett has received inquiries from a number of teams, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link), who adds that it’s not clear yet whether he’ll interview for jobs.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Coach Notes: Philbin, Ryan, Bowles, Trestman

January 8th, 2015 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced last month that the team would be retaining head coach Joe Philbin for the 2015 season, and the next step is to lock up Philbin with an extension. As Aramando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins will indeed make an extension offer to Philbin, to ensure that he doesn’t enter 2015 as a lame-duck coach, and to make sure his price tag doesn’t go up if Miami has a strong ’15 campaign. Of course, if the Dolphins take a step back next season, Philbin could still be dismissed — Ross and the team would just have to eat the remaining cost of his deal.

Here are a few more Thursday coaching updates from across the league:

  • Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle is hearing that Rex Ryan‘s first choice is the 49ers, followed by the Falcons (Twitter link). However, it’s not clear if Ryan would be atop the Niners’ list as well.
  • The Falcons pushed their interviews for Teryl Austin and Todd Bowles back to Friday and Saturday, respectively, due to the passing of Molly Blank, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That’s why Bowles is meeting with the Bears today instead of Saturday.
  • Meanwhile, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says (via Twitter) that the Raiders have been “knocked off” Bowles’ list, while Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears the Cardinals defensive coordinator is making a “very strong impression” in his head coaching interviews. Bowles met with the Jets yesterday, and had the Bears on tap today, before he moves on to the 49ers on Friday and Falcons on Saturday.
  • Following Kyle Shanahan‘s departure from the Browns, Marc Trestman‘s name has come up as Cleveland considers new candidates, and the former Bears head coach would be interested in talking to the team, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
  • The Jaguars, on the other hand, aren’t leaning toward Trestman to be their new offensive coordinator, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter).
  • The Giants have requested permission to interview Washington defensive backs coach Raheem Morris for their defensive coordinator position, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Noting that the contract of Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver expires in less than two weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) says Tarver is a DC target for some head coaching candidates around the league. The Raiders would like to keep him, but Tarver could choose to pursue a DC job under a new head coach for another team, depending on who lands where.

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.

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: Pep, Shanahan, Trestman

January 5th, 2015 at 7:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although previous reports indicated that Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton wouldn’t take any interviews this week due to logistical concerns, Hamilton actually did find the time to speak with Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie after Indianapolis’ victory on Sunday night, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the meeting wasn’t a formal interview, but McKenzie was very impressed with Hamilton, and Oakland believes the 40-year-old OC could play a significant role in the development of quarterback Derek Carr (TwitLonger link via Josina Anderson of ESPN). Let’s look at some more notes on head coaching vacancies around the league:

  • The Bills have requested permission to interview Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan for their head coaching position, per Schefter (Twitter link). Shanahan, 35, has called plays for the Texans and Washington in addition to Cleveland, and although he’s been linked to the 49ers vacancy this offseason, this is the first official interest displayed by another club.
  • In their search to find a new offensive coordinator, the Buccaneers have interviewed former Bears head coach Marc Trestman, per Rapoport (on Twitter). Trestman, of course, would have some familiarity with Tampa Bay quarterback Josh McCown, who started five games for Chicago in 2013. The Bucs have also met with Greg Roman and Dirk Koetter, two in-limbo play-callers, as they look for their new OC.
  • The Falcons have interviewed special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong for their head coaching job, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The interview, which satisfies the Rooney Rule, could pave the way for Atlanta to hire Rex Ryan after his interview on Tuesday, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who adds that the hiring process could pick up this week.
  • Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is one of the most popular head coaching candidates available, and he’ll meet with four teams this week, tweets Rapoport. He’ll do one interview per day starting on Wednesday, starting with the Jets, and finishing the week with the Falcons, 49ers, and Bears. Per Anderson (via TwitLonger), Bowles is open to working with a team that “needs development on either side of the ball,” but wants a strong front office and a few key pieces that he can work with.
  • Doug Marrone is considered the favorite to land the Jets HC job, but according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), his interview with New York did not go well. This report comes on the heels of Marrone’s assistant head coach from his time at Syracuse calling him “self-centered, selfish, [and] greedy” (link via Seth Walder of the New York Daily News).
  • Despite rumors to the contrary, La Canfora says (Twitter link) that UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. does not have an interview scheduled with the Jets. Speculation has arisen that Mora Jr. is looking to make a return to the NFL, but it sounds like nothing is planned with Gang Green at this time.

Jets Notes: Ballard, Pace, Grier, Bowles

January 5th, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Chiefs executive Chris Ballard will interview for the Bears’ general manager opening later this week, but he won’t meet with the Jets about their GM position. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Ballard has declined New York’s request for an interview. While there are a number of reasons why Ballard may be open to exploring the Chicago job and not the Jets’ opening, it’s not a great look for Woody Johnson and company, who were also officially turned down by Saints director of player personnel Ryan Pace, per Breer (via Twitter).

As the Jets shift their focus to GM candidates who will speak to them, let’s round up the latest out of New York….

  • Dolphins scouting director Chris Grier will interview with the Jets for the general manager position on Tuesday, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link).
  • The Jets will also continue to speak to head coaching candidates this week, with Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles lined up for an interview on Wednesday, tweets Costello. Per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Jets will be the first team to meet with Bowles, followed by the Falcons on Thursday, and likely the 49ers and Bears after that.
  • Former Jets head coaches are also busy these days interviewing for head coaching jobs — Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports (via Twitter) that the 49ers’ interview with Rex Ryan took place on Sunday, while Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 in Washington tweets that Eric Mangini‘s meeting with the Raiders is happening today.

Coaching Rumors: Sunday

January 4th, 2015 at 8:13pm CST by Rory Parks

We will keep you apprised of any new coaching rumors right here over the course of the day:

  • Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will be a busy man over the next few weeks, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that he will be interviewing with the Jets, 49ers, Falcons, and Raiders (via Twitter). As we learned earlier, the Bears are also expected to be on that list.
  • Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 confirms that Bowles will meet with all five of those organizations, and notes that he will likely begin his interviews on Tuesday or Wednesday (via Twitter).
  • The Bears and Jets have both asked permission to interview Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, but the former Texans head coach has decided not to pursue openings until his season is over, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis hopes to return to the team in 2015, but knows that is not guaranteed after another dismal playoff performance, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN. “Tomorrow’s not promised for anyone,” Lewis said. “That’s part of life in the NFL and the finality of losing when you lose in the playoffs.”
  • Despite both teams losing this Wild Card weekend, Cardinals defensive coordinator Bowles and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have impressed D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). He notes that Austin’s ability to create pressue should have him moving up the Falcons’ list of candidates (via Twitter).
  • Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich will interview for the Jets’ open head coaching position on Wednesday, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).
  • In addition to Reich and Bowles, the Jets will interview Dolphins director of college scouting Chris Grier in the coming days, reports Kimberly Martin of Newsday (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • We’ve previously heard that every team with a coaching vacancy had contacted the Cardinals about defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 tweets that official request for interviews have come from the Falcons, Bears and Jets.
  • Current Bengals offensive coordinator (and former Oakland head coach) Hue Jackson has at least one fan in former Raiders CEO Amy Trask. “There is a misconception … that Hue is difficult to work with,” said Trask (via Twitter of Contra Costa Times Steve Corkran). “He is delightful…Hue Jackson is one of the most brilliant offensive minds I have ever had the privilege and pleasure of working with…He does what you hope a coach will do, which is put his players in the best position to win.”
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the Raiders have requested permission to interview Cowboys passing game coordinator Scott Linehan. Linehan compiled an 11-25 record as head coach of the Rams from 2006-2008, but his subsequent work as the Lions‘ offensive coordinator and as Dallas’ passing game coordinator–a position that includes play-calling duties–has revived his reputation as a top offensive mind.
  • Schefter also tweets that the Bills have requested permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Buffalo, which will be interviewing Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn today, has cast a very wide net as it seeks to replace Doug Marrone.
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