Coaching Notes: McCoy, Giants, Titans, Dolphins
With “Black Monday” approaching, there should be a number of decisions made on coaches across the league. Kevin Acee of the Union-Times San Diego argues that Chargers head coach Mike McCoy should among those fired at season’s end.
Here are some other notes from around NFL head coaching positions:
- Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly may have taken himself out of the running for the Giants’ head coaching job, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. He said he’d be unlikely to give up full control unless an NFL team was able to offer him the same privileges.
- The Giants haven’t fired Tom Coughlin yet, but the head coach hasn’t turned to the media to make a case for himself, writes Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News. Rather than talk about his future, he’d rather focus on winning in Week 17.
- While the Titans are exploring their next head coaching candidates, Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 has picked out three potential fits among former NFL head coaches. He writes that Jim Schwartz, Chip Kelly, and Mike Smith would all be fits in Tennessee.
- Greg Cote of the Miami Herald plays a similar game as Marvez, picking out potential head coaches for the Dolphins. He puts Sean Payton and Chip Kelly at the top of his wish list.
- Speaking of the Dolphins job, if Chuck Pagano is fired in Indianapolis, Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com believes that Pagano could be a fit in Miami (via Twitter).
- The Eagles have obstacles to climb in order to find a new head coach, as they are looking for a new leader without a quarterback of the future and without a second-round pick, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. If they beat the Giants, they won’t have a top-10 pick in this draft either.
Chip Kelly Notes: Eagles, Belichick, Navy
Reaction to Chip Kelly’s firing in Philadelphia has been widespread, as it is one of the biggest surprise decisions to come this season. Many have weighed in with opinions and theories as to what went wrong, and offered ideas for what the next step in Kelly’s career would be.
Here are a few more notes coming from the aftermath of that decision:
- A lack of success ultimately doomed Kelly, but Jeff McClane of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines on a few other reasons the Eagles decided to move on from the embattled head coach. Chief among them was a lack of transparency. McClane points to Kelly’s insistence that he wasn’t the general manager, when everyone knew he had final say in personnel decisions. He also cited releasing DeSean Jackson because of his size, while re-signing the under 6’0″ Jeremy Maclin and targeting undersized receivers Josh Hugg and Nelson Algohor in the draft, and the challenged notion that LeSean McCoy wouldn’t restructure his contract.
- Kelly seems to have had the support of another NFL coach in Bill Belichick, who was disappointed the Eagles were so quick to make a decision on their coach, writes Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe. “Yeah, I would say it’s really disappointing,” said Belichick. “Chip Kelly is a good football coach, I think he’s done a good job with that team. It’s disappointing to see. Josh [McDaniels] in Denver, I mean there’s a lot of examples. Pretty much everyone is on a one-year contract in this league. I don’t know how you build a program in one year.”
- While Kelly might want to stay in the NFL, Chris Mortensen of ESPN believes the former Oregon coach would be intrigued by the Navy coaching job if the position became available.
East Notes: Chip, Dolphins, Bills, M. Williams
Hours after being fired as head coach of the Eagles, Chip Kelly released a statement reflecting on his tenure (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports). The statement, which can be read in full at the link, saw Kelly thank both owner Jeffrey Lurie and Philadelphia fans, while expressing regret that he wasn’t able to lead the club to a Super Bowl title.
Here’s a look at more from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports lists three potential candidates for the Dolphins‘ head coaching job, identifying former Lions coach Jim Schwartz, Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula, and UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. as viable options for Miami.
- Bills safety Aaron Williams‘ season is over, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), who reports that Williams’ practice period has expired. Williams, who was on injured reserve/designated to return, was said to be mulling retirement earlier this month as he deals with a neck injury.
- Former Syracuse offensive tackle Sean Hickey, who has spent time with the Saints and Patriots this year, visited the Bills, according to Wilson (Twitter link).
- Wilson also passes along a workout note on the Giants, tweeting that New York auditioned defensive back C.J. Conway this week. Conway is a familiar face for the Giants, having started the year on the team’s practice squad before being cut in Week 2.
- We learned earlier today that the Bills plan to cut defensive end Mario Williams during the offseason, and that decision won’t disappoint at least of Williams’ teammates, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News (Twitter links), who quotes a fellow Bill as saying Williams displays “zero effort,” “doesn’t care about anybody but himself,” and has “totally checked out.”
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Eagles Expected To Hire Personnel Chief
As we learned yesterday in the wake of head coach Chip Kelly‘s firing, the Eagles don’t plan to hire a full-time general manager to take control of roster decisions. However, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Philadelphia does intend to bring in a head of personnel “at some point.” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) confirms this, relaying that the Eagles will hire a “personnel chief” to run day-to-day operations.
As Garafolo notes (Twitter link), executive Tom Donahoe is currently running front office operations, and while the club isn’t using the “interim” label on him, that’s essentially what his title is. For the time being, Howie Roseman is in charge of the personnel department, Rapoport tweets that this prospective new executive will work alongside Roseman. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie spoke yesterday about instituting a more “collaborative” front office approach, and by bringing in a third person to work with Roseman and Donahoe, it seems like the club is trying to do just that.
It’s unclear what – if any – ramifications this news might have on Philadelphia’s upcoming coaching search. Kelly had wrested away personnel power from Roseman, but with the latter now back in a position of authority, it seems likely that the club will look for a coach to focus on just that — coaching. While the trifecta of Roseman, Donahue, and a third executive might dissuade head coaching candidates who are looking for some degree of roster control, it might also entice candidates looking for a clear separation/structure of responsibilities.
Because Donahoe’s background is in scouting, and Roseman’s in administration/salary cap, the Eagles won’t be forced to find an executive to shoehorn into either department. Rather, it seems as though the club will be able to look for the best overall candidate, perhaps someone who could as a go-between for the two decision-makers.
Eagles Notes: Kelly, Johnson, Bradford
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson had plenty to say Wednesday on the heels of the Chip Kelly firing, per Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com.
Asked if the players were afraid to take any complaints to Kelly, Johnson said, “Yeah, I mean, to be honest, yeah. There’s always talk in the locker room you don’t quite say to the coach. We’ll say it to the position coaches, but I don’t know if it ever leaves that room.”
Johnson does think Kelly “had good intentions,” but he also labeled him as “standoffish” – particularly toward the media.
Further, Johnson says he and the players knew about the power struggle between executive Howie Roseman and Kelly.
“Chip and Howie weren’t happy together, didn’t deal well. Just a lot of tension up there that didn’t need to happen, because when you throw it up there it does trickle down to the team, and the team knows what’s going on. It’s just a negative energy that doesn’t need to exist.”
On whether Kelly’s practice schedule’s was too grueling, Johnson stated, “I definitely think so … It takes a toll on you.”
Johnson added Kelly’s moves last offseason contributed to the offense’s inability to function effectively in his high-tempo attack.
“The tempo’s very effective whenever you’re able to do it well. I think we did well the first two years. Made a lot of changes this offseason and I don’t know if everyone is the best fit for what it was.”
More on the Eagles as the post-Kelly era begins:
- Quarterback Sam Bradford, whom Kelly traded for last offseason, said Wednesday he was “shocked” about Kelly’s ouster, according to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com. Bradford, who called his relationship with Kelly “great,” isn’t sure whether he’ll be an Eagle beyond this season. “Obviously, I think a lot of it depends on who they hire as a head coach now and what type of offensive system he wants to run,” said the free agent-to-be.
- Owner Jeffrey Lurie is making a mistake in handing the reins of the Eagles’ front office to Roseman and Tom Donahoe, opines Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. Frank cites Roseman’s questionable draft record and inability to coexist with others as reasons for concern. As for Donahoe, he hasn’t been associated with a playoff team since 1997 and had a less-than-stellar run as Buffalo’s general manager from 2001-05. Frank believes the Eagles need a fresh approach, which Roseman and Donahoe won’t provide.
- Zach Berman of Philly.com took a look at possible Kelly replacements for the Eagles. Seven current NFL assistants, three of whom have head coaching experience in the league, and three college head coaches are listed as potential successors.
- Bob Brookover, also of Philly.com, writes that the Eagles’ best selection to take over for Kelly is interim head coach Pat Shurmur – who went 9-23 with the Browns from 2011-12.
Eagles Notes: Kelly, Front Office, Coach Search
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie addressed reporters today to discuss his decision to dismiss head coach Chip Kelly, and confirmed that, as we heard this morning, he didn’t offer Kelly a chance to keep the job without the control over the team’s personnel (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports).
As Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets, Lurie explained the timing of his decision by telling the media that he wanted to get a headstart on the search for a new head coach, allowing Kelly to begin looking for a new job as well.
Perhaps most importantly, the fact that the move was made several days early gave Lurie time to have a players-only meeting today and to plan on meeting with certain Eagles players later today and on Monday as well. As he considers who to hire as Philadelphia’s new head coach, Lurie clearly wants some input from the players, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
Here are several more highlights from Lurie’s presser….
On the decision to fire Kelly:
- Issues between Kelly and the Eagles’ players were a factor in the decision to fire Kelly, but Lurie doesn’t believe that the head coach lost the locker room (Twitter links via Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com and Albert Breer of the NFL Network).
- Lurie indicated that a recent conversation with DeMarco Murray had “zero” to do with his decision, noting that he talks to a lot of players (Twitter link via Breer).
- Lurie acknowledged something that Kelly had long denied, confirming that Chip had insisted on specific power and personnel control, tweets Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. The end result of giving Kelly that power was “mediocrity,” Lurie said (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post).
On the Eagles’ front office:
- Going forward, Howie Roseman will be responsible for making the player personnel department is as good as it can be, while Tom Donahoe will oversee day-to-day operations, Lurie announced (Twitter link).
- Lurie is hopeful that the team can employ a “more collaborative approach” between the head coach and the front office, suggesting that no one person will dictate personnel decisions (Twitter link via Breer).
- The Eagles don’t plan on hiring a new general manager. Roseman, Donahoe, and the new head coach will be the club’s primary decision-makers (Twitter links via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
On the search for a new head coach:
- The Eagles’ brain trust spent the morning researching head coaching candidates and making calls, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). At his presser, Lurie confirmed that the club immediately got its coaching search underway last night.
- Internal candidates may be considered for the head coaching job, according to Lurie (Twitter link). The Eagles owner isn’t ruling anyone out — college coaches, NFL coordinators, and offensive- and defensive-minded coaches will all be in play (Twitter link via Breer).
- Lurie indicated that the team’s next head coach will have to be able to open his heart to players and understand “emotional intelligence.” Mosher tweets that that’s a “clear shot” at Kelly’s inability to communicate with his players.
Additional Eagles notes:
- Asked about Kelly’s dismissal today, Eagles lineman Lane Johnson said that the former head coach was unapproachable, and also cited tension within the front office as a problem for the team (Twitter links via Breer and ESPN’s Ashley Fox).
- Director of player engagement Marcus Sedberry is among the Eagles execs no longer with the team after yesterday’s shake-up, tweets Berman.
More Leftovers On Eagles’ Firing Of Chip Kelly
In the wake of Chip Kelly‘s dismissal, multiple reports on Tuesday suggested that the Eagles wanted to strip Kelly of his personnel control, and then decided to fire him when he balked. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has heard that scenario isn’t accurate.
According to both Rapoport and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter links), it doesn’t sound like there was any big event or dramatic moment that led to Kelly’s firing — owner Jeffrey Lurie simply called Kelly in and informed him of his decision.
While the build-up to Kelly’s firing may not have been dramatic, there has certainly been no shortage of reaction and follow-up to the move. We rounded several additional details and reactions to the story last night, but with many more surfacing since then, we’re doing it again. Let’s dive in….
- Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) gets the sense that Lurie parted ways with Kelly to get the Eagles’ building back. Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News hears something similar, with a source telling him that Lurie wanted to “take back the team.”
- According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Kelly still had two years and $12.4MM left on his contract. If Kelly is hired by another team within the next two years, it would save the Eagles some money due to offset language in the deal.
- One Eagles player tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links) that Kelly is “definitely someone who doesn’t communicate,” adding that he “wouldn’t make a few changes here and there to make the players better.”
- With Kelly gone, Sam Bradford‘s future in Philadelphia is up in the air, writes Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com.
- Alex Marvez of FOX Sports identifies interim Eagles coach Pat Shurmur, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, and Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub as three possible candidates to replace Kelly.
- What Lurie and the Eagles need more than a head coach is a smart, football-minded general manager who can fix the roster, says ESPN.com’s Ashley Fox. As David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News notes, Kelly may be gone, but the impact he had on the Eagles’ roster will linger.
Details, Fallout On Eagles’ Firing Of Chip Kelly
The Eagles’ decision to part ways with head coach – and de facto GM – Chip Kelly was Tuesday’s biggest piece of news, so it’s no surprise that reports since then have been adding new details to the story, exploring the fallout, and looking ahead to the next steps for both Kelly and the Eagles. We’ve got plenty of Kelly-related material to get to, so let’s dive right in…
Details:
- Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie “apparently” spoke to some players before making the decision to fire Kelly, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). However, both McLane and Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) talked to several Eagles players who said they had no idea the move was coming.
- When running back DeMarco Murray spoke to Lurie recently, he expressed a lack of confidence in Kelly, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link) notes that Lurie already knew that the locker room wasn’t thrilled with Kelly and his methods, so that was nothing new, but the situation reached a breaking point.
- According to McLane (Twitter link), Lurie and Kelly had a meeting today that didn’t go well, with the decision to fire the head coach coming shortly thereafter. ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio has heard something similar, reporting that Kelly balked at the idea of ceding personnel control in a recent meeting with Lurie (link via Pro Football Talk).
- However, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter links) says he wasn’t able to confirm the rumor that the Eagles wanted to strip Kelly’s personnel power, and Garafolo (Twitter link) adds that word out of Philadelphia suggests the team didn’t make Kelly an offer to remain as head coach without that personnel power.
- James Harris, Kelly’s “chief of staff,” was also let go by the Eagles today, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link).
Fallout:
- Kelly insists he wants to remain in the NFL, rather than go back to college, and says that at his next stop he just wants to coach, rather than overseeing personnel decisions as well, reports Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Of course, as Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com observes (via Twitter), Kelly said he wasn’t interested in making personnel calls when he joined the Eagles as well.
- The Dolphins are a team that will be in the market for a head coach this winter, so James Walker of ESPN.com and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald explore whether or not the team should pursue Kelly. Neither scribe views him as a great fit for Miami.
- Rapoport (Twitter link) heard from a high-ranking Titans source several weeks ago that Kelly wasn’t on the team’s list of head coaching candidates since he was under contract. Now that that’s no longer the case, perhaps Kelly will be added to Tennessee’s list of possible targets, though Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com is unconvinced he’d be the answer for the Titans.
- Albert Breer of the NFL Network and Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links) offer of a couple of potential Eagles head coaching targets, with Breer naming Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott and Mosher identifying Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/15
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Mike Kafka (Twitter link via team)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Sean Baker (press release via team)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DE Jordan Williams (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Jeff Luc (Twitter link via Wilson)
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: S Chris Hackett (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com), G Cole Manhart (press release via team)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Kevin Monangai (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Ross Ventrone (Twitter link via Caplan)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Kyle Sebetic (link via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com)
Eagles Part Ways With Chip Kelly
6:52pm: While the Eagles didn’t announce it publicly, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) believes Roseman will return to the head of the team’s personnel department.
6:19pm: With one week left in the regular season, the Eagles have announced in a press release that they’re parting ways with head coach Chip Kelly. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will serve as the club’s interim head coach in Week 17.
“I have made a decision to release Chip Kelly this evening,” owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. “I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change. As we move forward, the search for a new head coach will begin and will be led by myself, Don Smolenski and Howie Roseman. To the extent that we are able, we will try to keep you informed as we go through this process.”
The move comes as a surprise, particularly given the timing, since teams making head coaching changes typically wait until after their season ends to announce them. Since Kelly also served as Philadelphia’s de facto general manager, overseeing the construction of the 90-man roster in the offseason, the team figures to be making several new hires in the coming weeks.
One executive that has already been replaced is vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz, who has been let go along with Kelly. When the club re-assigned Roseman earlier this year, Kelly was tasked with picking a new personnel executive, and ultimately decided on Marynowitz, who received a promotion within the organization. Former NFL GM Tom Donahoe, who had been serving as a senior football advisor for the Eagles since 2012, will take over Marynowitz’s old role, at least for now.
In addition to the changes coming to the Eagles’ front office and coaching staff, the roster figures to be retooled this offseason, after Kelly’s overhauled it and brought in his own players. It was Kelly, of course, who orchestrated this year’s trade for Sam Bradford, so with the former first overall pick eligible for free agency this winter, it’ll be interesting to see if Philadelphia’s new decision-makers attempt to lock up Bradford, via the franchise tag or a longer-term deal.
During his three seasons as Eagles head coach, Kelly had a solid 26-21 record. However, after consecutive 10-6 seasons, the wheels came off a little this year, as the new-look roster, which was supposedly tailored to Kelly’s vision, struggled to produce on the field.
Although Kelly only took over final say of Philadelphia’s roster moves from Roseman a year ago, he influenced the team’s moves before then as well, and many talented players left town after not always seeing eye to eye with the head coach. DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, and Evan Mathis are a few of the players that have departed within the last couple years.
As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets, Kelly still had two years and at least $12MM left on his contract, so he doesn’t necessarily have to rush into any decisions on a new job this offseason. But it’s worth keeping an eye on the Titans, who will be in the market for a new head coach, and have Kelly’s old Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota on the roster. With Mariota and possibly the No. 1 overall pick this spring in play, the Tennessee position could definitely be of interest to Kelly, though it’s not clear yet if the Titans would reciprocate that interest.
The Eagles, meanwhile, join the Dolphins and Titans as teams that will definitely be hunting for a new head coach this offseason, with the Lions, Giants, Saints, Browns, 49ers, and Rams among the teams that could potentially join them.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.