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POSTED 7:40 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
REX RYAN TO D.C.?
Early speculation in some league circles is that former (kind of) Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan could emerge as the leading candidate to replace Joe Gibbs in Washington.
Ryan, as we hear it, is tight with agent Gary Wichard, who's very tight with Commanders' personnel honcho Vinny Cerrato.
And while Cerrato has had his share of detractors over the years, there's a school of thought held by at least one leauge insider that Cerrato and owner Dan Snyder "have themselves fooled into believing they are heading in the right direction."
The fact that Snyder and Cerrato presumably want to retain influence makes understandable the report from Adam Schefter of NFL Network that former Steelers coach Bill Cowher isn't interested. Though money isn't an issue for Snyder (and we think he'd pay a guy like Cowher more than $10 million per year), Cowher wants to call the shots.
Seven years ago, Snyder tried that with Cowher's mentor, Marty Schottenheimer, who insisted on full control and fired Cerrato. It lasted all of one year.
As we heard it back in June, Cowher was privately making it known that he'd want to be in control of the football operations, and that he'd want to bring with him someone like Kevin Colbert or Omar Khan to help him run the show.
But, per Schefter, Cowher might never come back to coaching.
"Bill is enjoying the simple things, the simple pleasures in life," one of Cowher's friends told Schefter on Tuesday. "He's dabbling in life without football, and he is far from finished with that process."
Still, there's only so much golf a guy can play, and only so good he can get at the piano (especially when he's spitting all over the keys). Sooner or later, the fire will be raging again.
The only thing we know is that it won't be happening in 2008, even with the team that would likely pay him the most money now looking for a coach.
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POSTED 7:15 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
SCHWARTZ TO FALCONS?
Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper reports that the Falcons have requested permission to interview Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for the vacant head-coaching position in Atlanta.
Schwartz also has been linked to the job in Baltimore, but we're hearing that Schwartz actually is not considered to be a serious candidate for the Ravens job.
He actually worked for the Browns/Ravens from 1995 through 1998, and has been with the Titans since 1999.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 5:38 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
HALEY DECLINES DOLPHINS INTERVIEW by Michael David Smith
In another sign that people in league circles think the Dolphins have already decided to hire Tony Sparano as their coach, Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley has declined the Dolphins' interview request and decided to remain in Arizona.
According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Haley cancelled his trip to Miami, where he was supposed to interview for the head-coaching position, and instead signed a contract extension with the Cardinals through the 2010 season.
Haley was a Cowboys assistant from 2004 to 2006 and worked in Dallas with Sparano and the new bosses in Miami, Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland.
Although Haley has not publicly explained his decision to turn the Dolphins down, it stands to reason that if he thought he really had a chance to get a head-coaching job, he would interview for it.
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POSTED 4:13 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
49ERS HIRE MIKE MARTZ by Michael David Smith
Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that the San Francisco 49ers have hired Mike Martz as their new offensive coordinator.
Martz replaces Jim Hostler, who had one disastrous year as the 49ers' offensive coordinator. Martz spent the last two years as the offensive coordinator in Detroit, and seven years before that in St. Louis, first as offensive coordinator and then as head coach.
Martz will now be tasked with the difficult job of making Alex Smith look like the franchise quarterback the 49ers thought he was when they chose him with the first pick in the 2005 NFL draft. This season Smith was limited by injury to just seven games, and he had a completion percentage of 48.7 percent, with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
This development makes agent Bob LaMont a powerful figure in San Francisco: LaMont represents Martz, head coach Mike Nolan and assistant head coach-defense Mike Singletary.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 3:30 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
COWHER NEXT IN WASHINGTON? by Michael David Smith
In the hours since the resignation of Commanders coach Joe Gibbs, one name has been repeated over and over again as Gibbs' most likely successor: Bill Cowher.
Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post lays out the case for Cowher and says that a source who knows Commanders Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato well said Cerrato believes the Commanders' next coach will be Cowher. Moreover, if Cowher wants total control of football operations, that would be doable, and Cerrato could move to a consulting role to make room for a coach with more authority.
La Canfora also notes that even if Commanders owner Daniel Snyder wants Cowher, he would need to interview a minority candidate first. La Canfora writes that Commanders defensive coordinator Greg Blache would not want to "be a part of any dog and pony show" and interview for the job if the feeling around Commanders Park is that Cowher will get the job.
At today's Commanders news conference, Snyder said he has not talked to Cowher. He also said he "tried very, very hard" to convince Gibbs to stay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 11:31 a.m. EST, January 8, 2008
BIG CHANGES COMING IN TAMPA? by Michael David Smith
Reading between the lines of the news coming out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization, it's hard not to get the impression that big changes are coming on the coaching staff, changes which may or may not include the head coach.
For starters, Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the contracts of about two dozen members of the coaching and football support staff are set to expire. That includes not only defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, but also most of the offensive coaches, including line coach Bill Muir, assistant line coach Aaron Kromer, receivers coach Richard Mann and running backs coach Art Valero.
And Stroud reports that Gruden met with his staff for five minutes Monday and then told coaches to make an appointment with General Manager Bruce Allen to discuss their future. Head coaches usually make their own decisions on the future of their assistants. Telling the assistants, "Go meet with the G.M." isn't typically the way head coaches begin off-season plans with their coaching staffs.
If all the offensive assistants are on the way out, it could open the door to Gruden hiring his former Oakland Raiders assistant Bill Callahan, who was fired as head coach at Nebraska in November, to run the offense in 2008.
Except that it's not completely clear that Gruden will be there in 2008.
When asked about his own contract status, Gruden told the Orlando Sentinel, "I don't get into all these things. I'm really proud of the progress we've made, I certainly am. Whether it's good enough for a new contract -- or whatever it warrants -- I really don't care at this point. I'm just confident that we're going to continue to work as hard as we can to get our football team in a position to win a world championship."
Gruden has one year and $4.5 million left on his deal. NFL head coaches rarely coach into the final season of their contracts without an extension.
REX RYAN TO D.C.?
Early speculation in some league circles is that former (kind of) Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan could emerge as the leading candidate to replace Joe Gibbs in Washington.
Ryan, as we hear it, is tight with agent Gary Wichard, who's very tight with Commanders' personnel honcho Vinny Cerrato.
And while Cerrato has had his share of detractors over the years, there's a school of thought held by at least one leauge insider that Cerrato and owner Dan Snyder "have themselves fooled into believing they are heading in the right direction."
The fact that Snyder and Cerrato presumably want to retain influence makes understandable the report from Adam Schefter of NFL Network that former Steelers coach Bill Cowher isn't interested. Though money isn't an issue for Snyder (and we think he'd pay a guy like Cowher more than $10 million per year), Cowher wants to call the shots.
Seven years ago, Snyder tried that with Cowher's mentor, Marty Schottenheimer, who insisted on full control and fired Cerrato. It lasted all of one year.
As we heard it back in June, Cowher was privately making it known that he'd want to be in control of the football operations, and that he'd want to bring with him someone like Kevin Colbert or Omar Khan to help him run the show.
But, per Schefter, Cowher might never come back to coaching.
"Bill is enjoying the simple things, the simple pleasures in life," one of Cowher's friends told Schefter on Tuesday. "He's dabbling in life without football, and he is far from finished with that process."
Still, there's only so much golf a guy can play, and only so good he can get at the piano (especially when he's spitting all over the keys). Sooner or later, the fire will be raging again.
The only thing we know is that it won't be happening in 2008, even with the team that would likely pay him the most money now looking for a coach.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 7:15 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
SCHWARTZ TO FALCONS?
Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper reports that the Falcons have requested permission to interview Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for the vacant head-coaching position in Atlanta.
Schwartz also has been linked to the job in Baltimore, but we're hearing that Schwartz actually is not considered to be a serious candidate for the Ravens job.
He actually worked for the Browns/Ravens from 1995 through 1998, and has been with the Titans since 1999.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 5:38 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
HALEY DECLINES DOLPHINS INTERVIEW by Michael David Smith
In another sign that people in league circles think the Dolphins have already decided to hire Tony Sparano as their coach, Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley has declined the Dolphins' interview request and decided to remain in Arizona.
According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Haley cancelled his trip to Miami, where he was supposed to interview for the head-coaching position, and instead signed a contract extension with the Cardinals through the 2010 season.
Haley was a Cowboys assistant from 2004 to 2006 and worked in Dallas with Sparano and the new bosses in Miami, Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland.
Although Haley has not publicly explained his decision to turn the Dolphins down, it stands to reason that if he thought he really had a chance to get a head-coaching job, he would interview for it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 4:13 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
49ERS HIRE MIKE MARTZ by Michael David Smith
Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that the San Francisco 49ers have hired Mike Martz as their new offensive coordinator.
Martz replaces Jim Hostler, who had one disastrous year as the 49ers' offensive coordinator. Martz spent the last two years as the offensive coordinator in Detroit, and seven years before that in St. Louis, first as offensive coordinator and then as head coach.
Martz will now be tasked with the difficult job of making Alex Smith look like the franchise quarterback the 49ers thought he was when they chose him with the first pick in the 2005 NFL draft. This season Smith was limited by injury to just seven games, and he had a completion percentage of 48.7 percent, with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
This development makes agent Bob LaMont a powerful figure in San Francisco: LaMont represents Martz, head coach Mike Nolan and assistant head coach-defense Mike Singletary.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 3:30 p.m. EST, January 8, 2008
COWHER NEXT IN WASHINGTON? by Michael David Smith
In the hours since the resignation of Commanders coach Joe Gibbs, one name has been repeated over and over again as Gibbs' most likely successor: Bill Cowher.
Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post lays out the case for Cowher and says that a source who knows Commanders Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato well said Cerrato believes the Commanders' next coach will be Cowher. Moreover, if Cowher wants total control of football operations, that would be doable, and Cerrato could move to a consulting role to make room for a coach with more authority.
La Canfora also notes that even if Commanders owner Daniel Snyder wants Cowher, he would need to interview a minority candidate first. La Canfora writes that Commanders defensive coordinator Greg Blache would not want to "be a part of any dog and pony show" and interview for the job if the feeling around Commanders Park is that Cowher will get the job.
At today's Commanders news conference, Snyder said he has not talked to Cowher. He also said he "tried very, very hard" to convince Gibbs to stay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED 11:31 a.m. EST, January 8, 2008
BIG CHANGES COMING IN TAMPA? by Michael David Smith
Reading between the lines of the news coming out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization, it's hard not to get the impression that big changes are coming on the coaching staff, changes which may or may not include the head coach.
For starters, Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the contracts of about two dozen members of the coaching and football support staff are set to expire. That includes not only defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, but also most of the offensive coaches, including line coach Bill Muir, assistant line coach Aaron Kromer, receivers coach Richard Mann and running backs coach Art Valero.
And Stroud reports that Gruden met with his staff for five minutes Monday and then told coaches to make an appointment with General Manager Bruce Allen to discuss their future. Head coaches usually make their own decisions on the future of their assistants. Telling the assistants, "Go meet with the G.M." isn't typically the way head coaches begin off-season plans with their coaching staffs.
If all the offensive assistants are on the way out, it could open the door to Gruden hiring his former Oakland Raiders assistant Bill Callahan, who was fired as head coach at Nebraska in November, to run the offense in 2008.
Except that it's not completely clear that Gruden will be there in 2008.
When asked about his own contract status, Gruden told the Orlando Sentinel, "I don't get into all these things. I'm really proud of the progress we've made, I certainly am. Whether it's good enough for a new contract -- or whatever it warrants -- I really don't care at this point. I'm just confident that we're going to continue to work as hard as we can to get our football team in a position to win a world championship."
Gruden has one year and $4.5 million left on his deal. NFL head coaches rarely coach into the final season of their contracts without an extension.
