Todd Bowles - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Notes: QB, Dockett, Bowles

January 4th, 2015 at 6:58pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Cardinals’ season is over after losing to the Panthers on Saturday, but the team has a number of decisions to make with their roster as they approach a critical offseason. The team’s front office will have to make a more than a few of choices on personnel, with a number of players’ statuses uncertain for 2015.

Receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive lineman Darnell Dockett both have high cap numbers going into next year and could be asked to take pay cuts to stay with the team, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. The team will also have the opportunity to bring back or move on from free agents Antonio Cromartie, Larry Foote, Tommy Kelly, and Sam Acho.

One of the biggest mysteries will be how the team treats inside linebacker Daryl Washington. Washington could be reinstated from suspension in May but could face a separate suspension for an assault conviction upon his return.

Poor quarterback play ruined the Cardinals’ year after losing both starter Carson Palmer and backup Drew Stanton for the season. The team was forced to roll with Ryan Lindley down the stretch. Head coach Bruce Arians does not believe the team will be able to bring in another veteran signal caller in the offseason, citing the move as too expensive, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN (via Twitter).
An important part of the defense that is expected to return is Dockett, writes Weinfuss (via Twitter). Bob McNaman of the Arizona Republic also writes the team plans on bringing Dockett back, despite a cap hit of close to $9MM next season (via Twitter).
Coach Arians stated that defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has been requested for interviews with multiple organizations, and he expects his assistant coach to pursue openings in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
Arians was extremely complimentary of Bowles, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). “He’s a great teacher, great communicator and players love him,” said Arians. “Very bright guy. He’s soft spoken but a very good motivator and he can get on their asses as good as anybody.”
Arians also noted that he does not expect to make any other coaching changes this offseason, other than Bowles, according to Weinfuss (via Twitter).

Coach Updates: Bowles, Bears, Jets, Marrone

January 3rd, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals suffered an ugly loss in today’s Wild Card game against the Panthers, totaling just 78 offensive yards, a record low for a playoff contest. However, while Ryan Lindley and the offense struggled, Todd Bowles‘ defensive unit held its own, and now that Arizona’s season is over, Bowles will be free to interview for head coaching openings. As our head coaching search tracker shows, every team except the Bills has reportedly requested permission to interview Bowles, so he could be a busy man over the next few days — Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets that the Cards DC is expected to interview with the Raiders next week.

Here are a few more coaching-related updates on a Saturday night:

The Bears confirmed today (via Twitter) that they’ve interviewed Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase for their head coaching position. However, the club has no interest in Rex Ryan, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
After meeting with the Jets this weekend, Doug Marrone is scheduled to interview with the Falcons on Monday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Speaking of Marrone, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News has a column packed with feedback from Bills sources on the team’s former head coach, and it doesn’t paint a flattering picture. Mehta’s sources call Marrone a “control freak,” a “very dangerous person to have in the building,” and “the definition of average,” suggesting that the ex-Bills head coach didn’t get along with a number of players and others within the organization. Based on that assessment, Mehta thinks the Jets can do better with their head coaching hire.
It shouldn’t be a problem for the Jets if the team ends up hiring a head coach before landing a general manager, writes Bob Glauber of Newsday.
Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets a reminder that the league’s Rooney Role doesn’t apply to assistant coaching jobs. Despite the fact that the Fritz Pollard Alliance asked for that two years ago, the NFL turned down the request, and there has been no renewed push for it recently, says Maske.

Raiders Coaching Rumors: Saturday

January 3rd, 2015 at 1:43pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Raiders’ coaching search continues, and while interim head coach Tony Sparano remains in the running, the team has reached out to outside hires as well. The team has already asked for permission to speak with Broncos’ defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.

Here are some other notes surrounding the team’s search:

Sparano has remained confident in his abilities to lead the Raiders, but that may not be the best course of action for him, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio compares it to Hue Jackson campaigning for the job three years ago when on the brink of being fired, noting that owner Mark Davis was turned off by his public comments.
Defensive line coach Terrell Williams has left the team to join the staff of the University of Florida, reports Steve Corkran of the San Jose Mercury News. Williams spent three seasons with the Raiders, and Corkran notes that other assistants are expected to leave the team soon.
Raiders’ assistant coaches are all signed for only ten more days, reports Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Sparano is the only one under contract for 2015. Tafur writes if Sparano was to get the job, he would have the opportunity to hire a fully new staff to coach under him (via Twitter). Davis has made a habit of only signing assistants to one-year deals, and Sparano was the exception due to interest the Buccaneers had in him (via Twitter).
Cardinals’ defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is on the team’s wish list, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes that he could be very choosy in selecting a job (via Twitter). Rapoport picks Atlanta and Oakland as two jobs that he would be interested in taking.

Coach Notes: Jets, Ryan, McDaniels, 49ers

December 30th, 2014 at 8:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Not long after he was fired by the Jets, Rex Ryan jumped on a plane to Florida to watch his son’s Clemson Tigers play in the Russell Athletic Bowl, as Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post writes. When asked what it was like to speak with his players for the final time, Ryan said, “It was rough, man. But hey, that’s the way it is.’’ With a vacancy in New York and others elsewhere, here’s a look at the latest coaching rumors..

Charley Casserly, who is now consulting the Jets, inquired about UCLA head coach Jim Mora‘s buyout clause and contract language last week, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter).
Former Jets coach Rex Ryan has interviews scheduled with the Falcons and 49ers for their openings, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will interview with the Falcons and 49ers this week, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
The 49ers will interview Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn tonight, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
There may not be a head coaching candidate more sought after this offseason than Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles — according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter), every team with a head coaching vacancy has contacted the Cards about interviewing Bowles. That includes the Raiders and Bears, which hadn’t been previously reported. Since Arizona plays in the Wild Card round, Bowles won’t be able to interview with any teams until next week.
The Bears are the third team to request permission to speak to Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The Falcons and 49ers had previously asked to interview Gase, who can talk to clubs during Denver’s bye week.
The Titans‘ and Jaguars‘ coaching staffs will participate in the Senior Bowl game, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The 2-14 Buccaneers passed on the opportunity, and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) is curious about the team’s motives, considering the benefits of participating in the game. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets that he heard last week from one Jaguars official that the Bucs may pass on the Senior Bowl because they’d be busy looking for an offensive coordinator — of course, as of today, the Jags are in the same boat.

Coach Rumors: Raiders, Jets, Ryan, Holmgren

December 30th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Black Monday wasn’t quite as eventful around the NFL in 2014 as it has been in some recent years, with only three head coaches being handed their walking papers. Still, with the Raiders on the lookout for a more permanent head coach, and the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh agreeing to part ways, that makes a total of five teams currently conducting coaching searches. That should make for an interesting few weeks, as those clubs – the Jets, Falcons, Bears, Raiders, and Niners – eye several of the same candidates. Here are the latest coaching-related rumblings from across the league:

Current 49ers assistant and former Browns and Jets head coach Eric Mangini is scheduled to interview with the Raiders for the club’s head coaching job, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). In his five seasons in New York and Cleveland, Mangini recorded a 33-47 overall record, earning one playoff berth with the Jets. In addition to Mangini, Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will also interview for the Raiders’ position, according to Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com (Twitter link).
Garafolo has more details on the Raiders‘ head coaching hunt, reporting that the team actually offered more money to Harbaugh than the University of Michigan did, extending a proposal that would have made him the NFL’s highest-paid head coach (Twitter video link).
In addition to setting up an interview with Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the Jets have also requested permission to speak to Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Seahawks assistant head coach Tom Cable, Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, and Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
While former Jets head coach Rex Ryan intends to explore potential head coaching opportunities, he’s meeting with ESPN executives today for a possible role with the network, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). It sounds as if TV would be Ryan’s second choice after a head coaching job, but it may depend on what opportunities are available for him.
Speaking to Dave Mahler of KJR in Seattle (Twitter link), former Packers and Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren said he’s “gotten a couple of inquiries” from teams searching for a head coach, though he didn’t identify the clubs. According to Mahler (via Twitter), Holmgren said he’s “mulling things over” when it comes to current coaching opportunities.
The Buccaneers currently have an opening at offensive coordinator, and the team is interested in Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Atlanta has kept Koetter on board for now, after firing head coach Mike Smith yesterday, but if the team parts ways with its OC, the Bucs will almost certainly be in touch.

NFC Notes: Melton, Falcons, Clark, McManis

December 29th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Ndamukong Suh‘s one-game suspension is the bigger story, but the Lions may not be the only team in this weekend’s Wild Card showdown with the Cowboys that’s missing a key defensive tackle. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported (via Twitter), Cowboys lineman Henry Melton sustained a leg injury that could sideline him for the postseason. Melton’s agent, Jordan Woy, confirmed to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link) that his client suffered a bone bruise on his knee, and the timeline for his return appears to be a matter of weeks rather than days.

Here’s more from around the NFC on a busy Monday:

In addition to requesting permission to speak to Dan Quinn and Adam Gase about their head coaching vacancy, as we’d previously learned, the Falcons have also asked for interviews with Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Both coaches have Wild Card games coming up, so they aren’t allowed to interview for head coaching jobs this week.
Speaking to reporters today, including Jeff Darlington of NFL.com (Twitter link), Washington head coach Jay Gruden said he’ll recommend to owner Daniel Snyder and GM Bruce Allen that the club should retain defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.
Washington‘s Ryan Clark has yet to decide whether he’ll continue his playing career, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who tweets that the veteran safety is expected to make his decision within the next couple days. Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 believes Clark will call it a career, tweeting that the safety will simply sign the necessary papers rather than making a big announcement.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), the Bears made an attempt last week to lock up cornerback Sherrick McManis to a two-year contract extension, but the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement.
The Buccaneers will be on the lookout for an offensive coordinator in the coming days and weeks, and head coach Lovie Smith says he wants to “talk to as many people as I possibly can,” according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, who is eligible for free agency this winter, said today that he’ll start researching potential landing spots later in the week, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities.

Dan Quinn Receiving Interest As Head Coach

December 29th, 2014 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Three teams with head coaching openings – the 49ers, Falcons, and Jets – have requested an interview with Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), those clubs haven’t necessarily filed formal requests yet, but all three are expected to do so shortly.

Quinn, who drew interest as a head coaching candidate a year ago, led the Seattle defense to another outstanding season in 2014. The Seahawks ranked first in the league by a wide margin in yards allowed per game, giving up a mere 267.1 — the second-place Lions allowed 300.9 yards per contest. The Seattle D, which allowed the third-fewest rushing yards per game, was also the only unit to allow fewer than 200 passing yards per game (185.6).

Because the Seahawks have a first-round bye, Quinn is permitted to interview for head coaching jobs this week, and it looks like he’ll have the opportunity to be in the mix for at least three of the five current vacancies.

Of the teams linked to Quinn so far, the division-rival 49ers represent perhaps the most interesting potential destination. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Quinn isn’t the only NFC West defensive coordinator the Niners are eyeing early in the process — the club has also asked permission to interview Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Arizona is scheduled to play its Wild Card game this Saturday, so Bowles won’t be permitted to interview for any head coaching jobs this week.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Bears, Giants, Eagles

December 28th, 2014 at 3:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Once Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers inevitably part ways at some point this week, the club will need to begin its search to find his replacement as head coach. Appearing on FOX Sports, Jay Glazer (Twitter link via his colleague, Mike Garafolo) listed several candidates that San Francisco will likely interview: Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles, Jim Tomsula, Teryl Austin, Adam Gase, Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, and interestingly, UCLA head coach Jim Mora. Mora, who’s held head coaching positions with both the Falcons and Seahawks, was also mentioned as an NCAA coach likely to jump to the NFL by Albert Breer of NFL.com on Daniel Jeremiah’s Move the Sticks podcast two weeks ago. Here’s more from the NFC…

Bears assistant coaches believe they will believe they will be fired after today’s game, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who notes that “wholesale changes” could be coming to Chicago. In the same vein, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune examined what the future holds for the Bears, who are expected to fire head coach Marc Trestman and possibly GM Phil Emery.
Tom Coughlin hasn’t been made aware of his status for 2015, but the expectation is that he will return to coach the Giants next year, per Rapoport (Twitter link).
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been unequivocal in explaining that he won’t give New York a deal when it a comes to negotiations, and today he offered an even stronger, and quotable, declaration of his feelings. “Do you give discounts?” he asked Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link). “Do you get discounts when you go to Macy’s?”
Eagles FB/TE James Casey is due $4MM next season, and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter) doubts that he’ll return to Philly next season. Per Berman, Casey signed on with the Eagles in the hopes of getting extensive time on offense, but he’s become more of a special teams player.
49ers linebacker Dan Skuta is a free agent at season’s end, and Cam Inman of the Mercury News believes (Twitter link) that he’ll follow current San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to his next stop.

Coaching, GM Notes: 49ers, Sparano, Jets, Saints

December 22nd, 2014 at 3:04pm CST by Rob DiRe

Saints‘ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been disappointing this season, and with the team eliminated from playoff contention in a historically lackluster division, Ryan’s job could be in jeopardy, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN. The Saints’ players, however, expect their coach back next year, including defensive backs Kenny Vaccaro and Keenan Lewis.

“Rob will be here,” Vaccaro said. “Rob’s my guy. I love Rob. I’ll fight for Rob every game. I’m a Rob guy, so there’s no point even asking me about Rob. He’ll ride with me until the end.”

“I want him back. I’m gonna ride with him 100, no matter what the situation is. A great coordinator,” said Lewis. “You can’t just blame him when things go wrong.”

Here some other organizational notes as we approach the end of this NFL regular season:

The 49ers are already vetting potential head coaches, and could look to a division rival to find their man, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. In the video clip associated with that Bleacher Report article, Cole puts the spotlight on Seahawks‘ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as a top option to replace Jim Harbaugh. Cole also believes the team could target Patriots‘ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The top in-house candidate is defensive line coach Jim Tomsula.
Tony Sparano has gone 3-8 as interim head coach of the Raiders, and while he isn’t expected to be the team’s first choice, he is a legitimate candidate to be the head coach in 2015, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. Harbaugh is thought to be the team’s number one option, but if he decides to take a different job either in the NFL or with the University of Michigan, Williamson believes that Sparano will be among a group of coaches considered for the job.
Williamson also notes that among other coaching candidates to emerge for the Raiders will be Broncos‘ defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Del Rio has previous head coaching experience with the Jaguars.
After hiring Charlie Casserly as a consultant, Jason La Canfora has made a connection between the potential general manager opening with the Jets and Texans‘ scouting director Mike Maccagnan (via Twitter). He believes Maccagnan has a strong relationship with Casserly. La Canfora also highlights Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles as a coaching candidate due to his relationship with Casserly from their time together in Washington (via Twitter).

Coaching Notes: Trestman, Bowles, Shanahan

December 21st, 2014 at 11:09am CST by Rory Parks

We learned earlier today that Mike Smith was unlikely to return as coach of the Falcons in 2015, but there are plenty of head coaching candidates for whom the future appears much brighter, along with a number of others who are likely to be relieved of their duties or otherwise on the move. Let’s take a look:

As we passed along earlier, Bears head coach Marc Trestman is expected to be fired after the season.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is a top head coaching candidate for the Jets and Bears, and the Dolphins have not ruled out a reunion with Bowles.
Although the University of Michigan apparently has a legitimate chance to land 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh as its next head coach, the Wolverines also have the Ravens‘ John Harbaugh, the Saints‘ Sean Payton, the Bills‘ Doug Marrone, and the Cowboys‘ Jason Garrett on their radar, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Outside of Jim Harbaugh, however, the other named candidates are highly unlikely to appear in maize and blue next year.
In the same piece, La Canfora writes that Jim Harbaugh briefly accepted the Michigan job in 2011 before changing his mind shortly thereafter.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that UCLA’s Jim Mora and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn are two collegiate coaches whom NFL teams may consider for head coaching vacancies in 2015. Rapoport adds (Twitter links) that he would expect the 49ers to have interest in Mora and the Dolphins to have interest in Malzahn.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Mike Shanahan has not ruled out a return to coaching in 2015, and Florio lists the Falcons and 49ers as possible destinations. However, Shanahan, who was responsible for drafting Jay Cutler, maintains his belief that Cutler is a franchise quarterback, and the Bears (assuming they hang on to Cutler) may want to pursue Shanahan.