Eagles Eyeing Chris Polian For Exec Role
MONDAY, 10:41am: A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links) that Polian hasn’t actually interviewed twice with the Eagles, but Mosher adds that he still thinks Polian is a “serious candidate” for the team’s front office opening.
SUNDAY, 4:09pm: The Eagles have been searching for a general manager since they restructured their front office on January 2, and it seems like they could be getting closer to finding their front office executive. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jaguars director of pro scouting Chris Polian recently had a second interview with the Eagles, and is considered a “serious candidate” for the position. ESPN’s Adam Caplan had appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic on Friday, speculating that Polian was the favorite for the job because he was simply the most qualified of the candidates (link via BleedingGreenNation.com).
The protracted nature of Philadelphia’s GM hunt must be in part attributed to a lack of definition of roles (at least from an outsider’s perspective). In announcing their front office changes in January, the Eagles said head Chip Kelly, who already owned final say over the 53-man roster, would take control of the club’s personnel department, while former GM Howie Roseman was “promoted” to the executive vice president of football operations, a position that will see him deal with cap and salary management.
Because Kelly and Roseman seem to have control over the two main functions of a front office, the question then becomes: what exactly would Polian’s role be? It’s a query that candidates interested in the position have surely asked, and one that Jacksonville should also be concerned with. If Polian won’t have say over the roster, or the draft, or cap management in Philadelphia, what is the Jaguars’ incentive to let him leave? These questions only add to the confusion reported by McLane earlier today, as many around the league still aren’t sure how the Eagles’ front office is structured.
Polian, 42, is the son of longtime NFL executive Bill Polian. He served as general manager of the Colts from 2009-11 after his father was promoted to team president, but was fired after the club posted a 2-14 record in ’11. He’s one of only two candidates known to have interviewed for the Eagles’ GM job, with the other being the Texans’ Brian Gaine, whose flirtation with Philadelphia earned him a promotion to director of player personnel. Polian is the only contender who has interviewed twice for the position.
Eagles’ Front Office Creating Confusion
When the Eagles announced new roles for head coach Chip Kelly and GM Howie Roseman earlier this month, with Roseman elevated to the role of executive vice president of football operations and Kelly appointed to oversee the player personnel department, there were bound to be some growing pains as Philadelphia’s front office adapted to its new structure and other teams figured out how to interact with that structure.
However, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says there may be more to this situation than the expected transitional hurdles. Roseman was conspicuous only by his absence at the Senior Bowl, which has led some league insiders to wonder about Roseman’s true role with the club. After Kelly was granted complete control over personnel, Roseman was expected to be in charge of the salary cap and contracts. But a number of agents who represent Eagles with possible contract situations have said they were unsure who would be handling negotiations, while others said they still expected to work with Roseman.
Meanwhile, director of football administration Jake Rosenberg met with agents representing players both on and off of the Eagles roster last week, and he is currently conducting contract talks with impending free agent Jeremy Maclin. At the same time, Kelly gave his phone number to two agents with Eagles players, which represents “another indicator of his increasing say over all facets of football operations.”
The fact that Roseman was vacationing with his family while Kelly was scouting college all-star practices has created the perception that the front office restructure was not as peaceful as initially thought, and that Philadelphia is currently a hostile, divided organization.
Citing ESPN’s Adam Caplan, Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com writes that at least two people turned down the chance to interview for the Eagles’ vacant GM post, with one of the candidates saying he wanted to work for an organization in which the coach, GM, and owner were on the same page. This is not to say, of course, that the team will be unable to hire a quality GM, or that the key players in Philadelphia’s front office cannot overcome whatever turmoil there might be. But it does make one wonder if the organization’s internal dynamics will detract from its ability to navigate through the offseason as smoothly as it would like.
NFC Links: Cowboys, Britt, Maclin
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would prefer his organization holds on to All-Pro teammates DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant. The 34-year-old told 103.3 [KESN-FM] that he’s been hounding owner Jerry Jones and members of the front office to bring the duo back. Via Jon Machota of the Dallas News:
“I’m pretty consistently [talking to Jones], and everyone around the building, about bringing them both back. I think everybody understands how great these guys are and how lucky we are to have them.
“Any time you get talented guys where you can put more than two on one side of the ball, you get three, four, if you’re lucky enough to ever get five, it’s one of those things where if you can put a group like that together you can make a run and be very difficult for teams to deal with for years.
“I think that’s what you’re trying to build ultimately is to have sustained success. We have an opportunity to have that.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas News writes that the Cowboys will be unable to pursue some of the top defensive free agents unless they clear cap room. As of right now, the writer believes Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul are out of the team’s price range.
- After only one season with the club, upcoming free agent wideout Kenny Britt is looking to stay in St. Louis. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the 26-year-old’s agents have already started discussions with the Rams regarding a new contract.
- ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan made an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly on Friday, and the writer discussed Jeremy Maclin‘s impending free agency. Caplan had previously sounded optimistic about the receiver’s return to the Eagles, but the writer clarified that a lot has changed since that time. “That was before Maclin changed his agent from Ben Dogra,” Caplan said (via Brandon Lee Gowton of BleedingGreenNation.com). “I mean he must have easily done two dozen contracts with the Eagles over the years. The Eagles have a great working relationship with him…Now, Dogra broke off from CAA, and his partner was Tom Condon. Ironically, Tom Condon now represents Maclin. And Condon… I just get the sense he doesn’t have the same relationship with that Dogra did. I’m not saying the deal won’t get done, I’m just not nearly as optimistic as I was before.”
Coach Updates: Eagles, Raiders, Bucs, Fewell
We’ve already seen one club make a defensive coordinator hire today, as the 49ers promoted Eric Mangini from tight ends coach to DC. Let’s take a look at some position coach hires and news from around the league…
- The Eagles are expected to add Boston College offensive coordinator Ryan Day as their quarterbacks coach, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Day, who’s been at BC for nine years, will replace Bill Musgrave, who left to take the Raiders’ OC position. Day has a history with Eagles HC Chip Kelly, as Day played under and coached with Kelly at New Hampshire.
- The Raiders have also found a new QB coach, as they are set to hire Bills quarterbacks coach Todd Downing, per Caplan (on Twitter). Downing also interviewed for roles with the Browns and Buccaneers, according to Caplan.
- Not to be outdone, the Buccaneers have become the third team to hire a new QBs coach, as they’ve brought in Mike Bajakian to fill their vacancy, reports Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune (Twitter link). Bajakian, previously the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee, worked under Tampa Bay head coach Lovie Smith with the Bears. The Bucs have also added ex-Falcons assistant Andrew Weidinger as an offensive quality control coach, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
- Ex-Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has an interview lined up with the 49ers, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (via Twitter). San Francisco just hired Mangini, so Fewell is presumably a candidate for the Niners’ DB coach job, as Cam Inman of the Mercury News tweets.
- Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com expects (Twitter link) that Falcons assistant offensive line coach Wade Harman will remain on staff as the tight ends coach; as McClure notes, Harman held that same role in Baltimore from 1998-2013.
- Former 49ers secondary coach Ed Donatell has accepted the same position with the Bears, but as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes, Donatell might have missed out on other opportunities in the past. In each of the last two offseasons, San Francisco blocked Donatell from accepting interview requests from the Buccaneers and the Saints, per Maiocco.
Draft Notes: Perryman, Dolphins, Lions
The Senior Bowl means plenty of draft speculation and talk of the Dolphins tapping local star Denzel Perryman has been a hot topic in recent days. However, drafting Perryman is going to require a long and thoughtful debate in Miami, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. While GM Dennis Hickey doesn’t often mind drafting players that do not meet prototypical size and speed requirements (see: Jarvis Landry), assistant GM Eric Stokes does not feel the same way. Perryman, unfortunately, does not have the size one would usually want in a middle linebacker. More draft news..
- Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could wind up as the next coach of the Falcons, but he’s not neglecting his duties in Detroit, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Austin booked interviews with Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton, Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant, Miami (Ohio) cornerback Quinten Rollins, and Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty last night.
- East Carolina wide receiver Justin Hardy said he a great meeting with the Ravens at the Senior Bowl, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- Penn State linebacker Mike Hull and defensive end Deion Barnes have each met with the Eagles at the Senior Bowl, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter). Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith and USC cornerback Josh Shaw have also met with the Eagles (link).
- The Giants met with wide receivers Sammie Coates and Devin Smith, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
East Notes: Hughes, Mariota, Murray
Bills coach Rex Ryan says that he “absolutely” envisions impending free agent Jerry Hughes returning to the team next season, writes Ross Jones of FOX Sports. However, the defensive end has said that he’s not interested in taking a hometown discount to stay. While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s more from the East divisions..
- A person familiar with the Eagles‘ offseason plans says the team “is going to try” to move up in the NFL Draft to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Mark Eckel of The Times Of Trenton writes. It won’t be easy, of course, but the Eagles will at least explore going from No. 20 to No. 1 to get the Ducks star.
- Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter) is skeptical that anyone is privy to Chip Kelly‘s draft plans. He also feels it’s a no-brainer that the Eagles will at least look into Mariota, but it’s far too early for them to start making calls.
- One team contract negotiator who spoke to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com today indicated that he expects Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to “open his checkbook” and put a 2012 running back market price on DeMarco Murray (Twitter link). The running back position, of course, was valued more highly three years ago than it is now.
- Michigan State safety Kurtis Drummond has already met with the Eagles and made plans to chat more on Tuesday night, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com (on Twitter).
- Utah defensive back Eric Rowe apparently has the interest of the Eagles as he has a meeting scheduled with Kelly and Bill Davis, according to Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com (on Twitter).
- Ryan told reporters, including John Kryk of the Toronto Sun (on Twitter) that he expects to have the Bills‘ coaching staff complete by the end of the week.
- The Jets spent a significant amount of time with Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett after his weigh ins, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter).
- University of Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman told James Walker of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he met with the Dolphins at the Senior Bowl.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Coach/GM Notes: Gase, 49ers, Eagles
Following his nine seasons as John Elway‘s backup, Gary Kubiak bounced around a bit when he entered the coaching profession. He started as the running backs coach at Texas A&M before spending a year with the 49ers as the quarterbacks coach. Kubiak then spent more than ten seasons with the Broncos before he was hired as the Texans head coach. Last season, the 53-year-old was the Ravens offensive coordinator.
As a result, Kubiak is hoping to have a lengthy tenure in Denver (via Mike Klis of The Denver Post):
“I’m excited. I’m looking forward to the work. It’s great to be home again.
“Hopefully it works out so this is the last coaching job I have in my career.”
Here are some more assorted coach and front office notes from around the league:
Coaching:
- Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase will interview with the Ravens this evening, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Ironically, Gase’s meeting would be for the position previously held by the current Broncos head coach.
- The 49ers have requested permission to interview Colts special assistant Rob Chudzinski to become the team’s offensive coordinator, tweets Rapoport. We learned earlier today that the Bears had also requested permission.
- The Eagles have hired former Broncos defensive backs coach Cory Undlin for the same role, the team announced. The team also promoted assistant Justin Peelle to tight ends coach.
- Meanwhile, former Eagles defensive backs coach John Lovett and former tight ends coach Ted Williams will stay with the organization in the pro scouting department, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (via Twitter).
Front office:
- The Buccaneers have denied the Eagles the opportunity to interview director of player personnel Jon Robinson for the open general manager vacancy, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While the Philadelphia job may have the GM title, Chip Kelly will have final say over roster and personnel decisions, so it wouldn’t necessarily be a promotion for an exec who already holds a director of player personnel title.
- The Eagles will have an opportunity to interview candidates from the front offices of both the Patriots and Seahawks this week, reports Jeff McClain of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). However, the team will still need organizational permission to reach out to candidates.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Lucas, Bears, Eagles, Cowboys
The Bears have hired Josh Lucas as the team’s new director of player personnel, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. The team has already hired former Saints executive Ryan Pace to be their general manager, and he dipped into the Saints front office to bring Lucas with him.
Lucas was one of the Saints’ top scouts, and was serving as one of the two regional college scouts, working closely with the director of scouting in New Orleans.
Here are some other notes from around the NFC this Championship Weekend:
- The Bears have hired former Broncos and Panthers coach John Fox to be their new head coach, but the team still needs to find an offensive coordinator. John Mullin of CSNChicago.com believes that job will put whoever takes it in a win-win situation. The reasoning for this is because Mullin believes that a coaching staff has been fired because of Jay Cutler for the last time, and that the next offensive coordinator will either be given credit for turning around Cutler’s career or will be given the opportunity to move on from Cutler with whatever quarterback Pace picks to replace him.
- Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie needs to look long and hard at the teams that have had playoff success in recent years in order to turn the team into a consistent winner, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. While the Eagles are in the top five in the NFL in winning seasons and playoff berths since he took over the team 21 years ago, they are the only member of that prestigious club never to win the Super Bowl. Brookover wants Lurie to study these final four teams’ strengths and weaknesses, including high level quarterback play and great defense.
- The Cowboys had a fantastic ground game in 2014, and with running back DeMarco Murray reaching free agency, the team may have to look to replace their star tail back. Jon Machota of DallasNews.com rounds up a few mock drafts to see who the Cowboys could be interested in, and while most chose to select a defensive player, Machota seems to prefer Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com, who pushes the team to select the nation’s leading rusher and Heisman Trophy Finalist Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin.
Coaching Notes: Quinn, Musgrave, Gailey
With the Seahawks pulling out an impressive win today, their defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have to wait until after the Super Bowl to sign on as the head coach of an NFL team. Our own Dallas Robinson told us that the Falcons are planning on hiring him whenever his season with the Seahawks is over, but will now have to wait until the first week of February to make it official. The team would not be able to sign or announce him as the new coach until after that time, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Quinn is set to have his second interview with the Falcons tomorrow in Seattle, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Here are some other NFL coaching notes from around the league:
- The Raiders have expressed interest in Eagles quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave for the team’s offensive coordinator vacancy, according to Pat Sheridan of ESPN.com. Musgrave has served in either position with the Panthers, Falcons, Jaguars, Washington, and the Vikings.
- The Jets have widely been reported to be close to hiring Chan Gailey to be the team’s offensive coordinator, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the hire is not a done deal (via Twitter).
- The Jets are also close to finalizing a deal that would make Cardinals linebackers coach Mike Caldwell as the team’s assistant head coach, according to La Canfora. Caldwell will rejoin Todd Bowles in New York.
- While it is already known that former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio left his interview with Washington without finalizing a deal to become their defensive coordinator, Zac Boyer of the Washington Times reports that he was not even offered the position (via Twitter).
East Notes: Fangio, Mariota, Dolphins, Jets
Vic Fangio will leave Washington’s headquarters today without an agreement in place to become the club’s defensive coordinator, sources tell Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Nothing official is expected to be announced today regarding Washington and the ex-49ers DC, but Fangio doesn’t have any other interviews lined up (Twitter links via John Keim of ESPN.com). Washington’s search for Jim Haslett’s replacement has been a bit murky, as previous reports had indicated Joe Barry was the favorite to land the job, but a resolution figures to be reached in the coming days. More from the East divisions…
- Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota declared for the 2015 draft last week, and the Heisman winner admits he’s thought about playing for the Eagles and Chip Kelly, Mariota’s former college coach. “Obviously my relationship with Coach Kelly, it’d be a lot of fun to be a part of that offense and be a part of that team ,” said Mariota, via Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. “But for me, any team that wants me to be part of their club, I’m all for it. Whatever happens, happens, and I’m looking forward to the process.”
- Under head coach Joe Philbin, the Dolphins have developed a tendency to rid themselves of any player who either engages in off-the-field trouble or displays a lack of respect towards authority, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who adds that that line of thinking lead Miami to deal cornerback Vontae Davis before he became a top-notch DB. This offseason, the club will have to make decisions on players like Mike Wallace, Jared Odrick, and Rishard Matthews, all of whom have clashed with management.
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com runs down some Jets storylines, including why Todd Bowles entered into a QB-needy situation, whether running back Chris Ivory will fit with the club’s new offense, and the importance of Chan Gailey, who will reportedly be New York’s new offensive coordinator.