Extra Points: Goodell, Quinn, Seahawks
The NFL is tempting fate with its inability to handle scandals properly, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The recent bungling of scandals, like the Ray Rice fiasco, will cause someone with real political power to notice the fundamental flaw in the structure of the league — and to suggest a solution that would entail a greater degree of independence from the league for the Commissioner. Florio suggests that a commissioner who isn’t an employee of the owners would do a better job of keeping things on the right track and doling out substantive punishments when needed. More from around the NFL as we gear up for the Super Bowl tomorrow..
- The Falcons have waited long enough to officially name their new coach and they’ll etch it in stone as soon as possible. The Falcons will name Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their new head coach on Monday, the day after the Super Bowl, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). A press conference is expected to take place the following day, on Tuesday.
- The Seahawks are going for their second consecutive Super Bowl, but they have a larger goal beyond that. Seattle wants to duplicate the Patriots’ model for long-term success, as Larry Stone of The Seattle Times writes. The Pats not only have multiple championship rings and conference championship trophies, but they are contenders year in and year out. The Patriots have won in double figures for 12 consecutive years and qualified for the playoffs in 12 of Bill Belichick’s 15 years as coach.
- In today’s presser, Roger Goodell was asked whether there’s any set of circumstances that would result in his resignation. Goodell said he can’t imagine that happening. “No, I can’t. Does that surprise you?” Goodell said, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Still, he acknowledged that 2014 wasn’t his finest year. “It’s been a tough year on me personally,” Goodell said. “It’s been a year of what I would say is humility and learning. We, obviously as an organization, have gone through adversity. More importantly, it’s been adversity for me. We take that seriously. It’s an opportunity for us to get better. It’s an opportunity for us, for our organization, to get better. We’ve all done a lot of soul searching, starting with yours truly.“
South Notes: Titans, Panthers, Falcons, Saints
The Titans have parted ways with vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson, the team announced on Twitter. “This was not an easy decision and I want to thank Lake for his time with the team,” general manager Ruston Webster said. “This new structure will help us streamline things from both the college and pro perspectives. We will move forward without a VP of Player Personnel and the college and pro sides will report directly to me.” It’s a bit surprising that Tennessee would fire Dawson, who’s been with the club since 2007, as he’s been in high demand around the league — he had interviewed for the GM posts in Miami, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Chicago.
Let’s look at some more notes from the South divisions:
- Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis is looking forward to seeing what GM Dave Gettleman and the front office can do this offseason to improve Carolina’s roster, as he tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Gettleman recently said the Panthers would be moving out of the “dollar store” this winter, and Davis was “very encouraged” by those comments. “It’s going to be interesting to see how things go this offseason,” Davis said. “We’ve had two offseasons where we didn’t do a whole lot in free agency. But we’ll see what happens this year.”
- With a new head coach set to be introduced next week and a front office that has undergone some changes this month, it’s not entirely clear who will have the final say on certain football decisions in Atlanta. Speaking to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Falcons owner Arthur Blank repeatedly stressed that he expects most football matters to be collaboratively decided by Dan Quinn, Thomas Dimitroff, and Scott Pioli. Quinn and Dimitroff will report separately to Blank, while Pioli will report to Dimitroff.
- Asked today on The Jim Rome Show about what went wrong for the Saints in 2014 and how it can be addressed for 2015, quarterback Drew Brees pointed to an unusual amount of roster turnover, particularly involving core players: “It’s about getting back to building our organization and framework from the ground up again and make sure we are on the same page” (link via NewOrleansSaints.com).
Coaching Notes: LeBeau, Bills, Raiders, Bears
Former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is no longer in the running to join the staff of the Cardinals, reports Kent Somers of AZCentral.com. Since he resigned from his long time post with the Steelers, the Cardinals seemed like a logical option for the 77-year old Hall of Fame coach. While it was thought that LeBeau would only be interested in coordinator positions, he was reportedly set to be a senior assistant and serve as the Cardinals linebacker coach.
With the Cardinals out of the mix for his services, the only other organization with which he has been linked is the Titans, where he could also serve as a senior assistant in some capacity.
The Cardinals are expected to promote from within to fill their defensive coordinator role vacated when Todd Bowles was hired as head coach of the Jets.
Here are some other coaching notes from around the NFL, with more recent news added to the top:
- The Bills are expected to hire Chris Palmer to their coaching staff as a senior offensive assistant, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Palmer’s long career most recently brought him to the Titans, where he served as offensive coordinator from 2011-2012.
- The Raiders have also added former Lions assistant offensive line coach Bobby Johnson to their staff, reports Thayer Evans of SI.com (via Twitter). Johnson will be the Raiders tight ends coach.
- The Bears have brought Jay Rodgers onto the staff to coach the defensive line, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Rodgers is the older brother of special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers.
Earlier Updates:
- The Broncos have not tried to hide the fact that they would like to hire Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph as their defensive coordinator, but they may not get a chance until after the Bengals are able to secure another coach, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. The Bengals reportedly have their eye on former Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, and would likely allow Joseph out of his contract if they are able to hire Fewell. The Broncos are willing to wait to see if Fewell is hired by the Bengals before moving on to their next option.
- While there have been no official announcements made, the Raiders have reportedly added Bernie Parmalee as their running backs coach and Rob Moore as their wide receivers coach, reports Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com (via Twitter). He also notes that defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson is the only member of the staff set to return so far.
- The Falcons are planning on hiring Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coach after the Super Bowl, and reports have it that Quinn will be targeting former Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris as part of his staff. However, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes that Morris is being considered for an assistant head coach/passing game coordinator position, and not defensive coordinaor (via Twitter). Jones reports that the deal is not finished, but it is close (via Twitter).
Falcons To Hire Dan Quinn As HC
It may be little more than a formality at this point, but D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that current Seahawks DC Dan Quinn will be named the new head coach of the Falcons on Monday, February 2 in Atlanta.
We learned last week that Atlanta planned to hire Quinn whenever Seattle’s season ends, and, one way or another, the Seahawks’ season will be over at the end of Super Bowl XLIX on February 1. It has been clear for several weeks that Quinn was the Falcons’ top choice to replace Mike Smith, and they have demonstrated all along they were willing to wait for their man. In the meantime, Atlanta named Kyle Shanahan as the team’s new offensive coordinator, and it was also reported that Seahawks defensive backs coach Kris Richard could follow Quinn to Atlanta to become the Falcons’ new defensive coordinator.
However, Ledbetter also reports that the Falcons plan to hire Washington defensive backs coach Raheem Morris for a hybrid assistant-defensive coordinator position. Quinn himself is expected to call the defensive plays, so it remains unclear if Morris’ hiring will affect Richard in any way.
As for Quinn himself, he has engineered two excellent defenses in his two seasons as Seattle’s defensive coordinator, defenses that have played a starring role in at least one, and perhaps two, Super Bowl victories. As our Dallas Robinson recently wrote, “Both of [Quinn’s] Seahawks defenses have finished first in DVOA per Football Outsiders, and in 2014, Seattle allowed just 268 yards per game and 15.9 points per game, both first in the league.” The 44-year-old also brings a decade of NFL experience with him, much of which came as a defensive line coach for the 49ers, Dolphins, and Jets.
Quinn also worked as defensive line coach for Seattle from 2009-2010 before moving to the college ranks as Florida’s defensive coordinator during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. But after returning to the NFL as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator in 2013, Quinn has met with nothing but success, and he immediately established himself as one of the top assistants in the league.
The Falcons, of course, were once considered the favorite to land Rex Ryan, who ultimately became head coach of the Bills, and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was also frequently linked to Atlanta’s top job. The Falcons also interviewed Adam Gase, Josh McDaniels, Doug Marrone, and Keith Armstrong, but Quinn boasted the strongest defensive background of any head coaching candidate this year, with the possible exception of Ryan. For a team that has talent on the offensive side of the ball but a porous defense, Quinn seems to be an almost perfect fit. And, as of February 2, he can begin going to work for his new club.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Kris Richard Likely To Become DC
PFR’s Luke Adams has been keeping track of all the defensive coordinators hired and fired as the offseason goes on, but after the Super Bowl there will likely be two more openings that will need to be filled. The currently open Falcons head coaching job is expected to be filled by Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, which will create a need for the Seattle to replace him. Quinn will also have to hire a coach to run his defense in Atlanta, should he get the job.
Seahawks defensive backs coach Kris Richard is expected to fill one of those roles, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Richard came to Seattle with Pete Carroll after spending two years as an assistant coach under Carroll at USC. He also played for Carroll at USC.
Richard was drafted by the Seahawks as a third-round pick in 2002, playing three seasons with the team as a cornerback. Florio believes this connection to Seattle could sway him to choose the Seahawks over the Falcons should he be offered both jobs.
All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman pressed for his coach to get more attention earlier this month, praising what Richard has accomplished in his time with the team, writes Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com.
“He took kind of a ragtag bunch of DBs in 2011 and made them perennial All-Pros and Pro Bowlers, and you don’t hear his name being mentioned as much for D-coordinator jobs and things like that. Which I think it should be,” said Sherman. “We obviously know what kind of coach he is and what he’s done. But obviously everybody else doesn’t.”
Whichever way he decides, Richard will likely be calling a defense for the first time in his career in 2015.
Falcons To Hire Kyle Shanahan As OC
The Falcons have hired former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as their new offensive coordinator, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
The Falcons still have a head coaching vacancy, and it is unusual for a team to hire a prominent assistant coach before a head coach, but it is believed that Shanahan and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are a package deal, writes Schefter.
Shanahan had other options, with the Ravens and Broncos both interested in the young coordinator. However, he was expected to go with Quinn, who is presumed to be hired by the Falcons after the Super Bowl, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Shanahan’s offensive reputation is high after the past few seasons. He directed some high scoring offenses with the Texans under head coach Gary Kubiak, before joining his father in Washington and leading Robert Griffin III to the Offensive Rookie of the Year and a playoff berth. Shanahan also brought success to Brian Hoyer and the Browns early in the season, leading them to a surprising 7-4 record before collapsing down the stretch.
While it may seem strange, especially considering the uncertainty that involves waiting for Quinn to become available, the Falcons seem focused on signing Quinn and are content to wait for his season to be over.
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).
Falcons Plan To Hire Dan Quinn
Along with the Broncos, the Falcons are one of two teams remaining with a head coaching vacancy, but it appears as if Atlanta has made a decision on whom they want to hire. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Falcons “have privately told people their plan” is to hire Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Quinn, who cannot accept a head coaching position until Seattle is eliminated from the playoffs, will meet with Atlanta again on Monday, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported earlier. If the Seahawks lose to the Packers today, it sounds like Quinn could be announced as the Falcons’ HC following tomorrow’s interview.
After Atlanta fired Mike Smith, the prevailing opinion was that ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan was the favorite to land with the Falcons, but he instead chose to sign with the Bills. Other candidates, like Todd Bowles and Teryl Austin, have been viewed as likely to garner the Atlanta job at various times, but it’s possible that Arthur Blanks, Thomas Dimitroff, and the rest of the Falcons contingent wanted Quinn the entire time, and simply had to wait for the Seahawks’ postseason run to conclude. During its coaching search, Atlanta has also interviewed Adam Gase, Josh McDaniels, Doug Marrone, and Keith Armstrong.
Quinn, 44, has been Seattle’s defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, and has more than a decade of NFL experience; he’s also served in the college ranks, acting as Florida’s DC from 2011-12. Both of his Seahawks defenses have finished first in DVOA per Football Outsiders, and in 2014, Seattle allowed just 268 yards per game and 15.9 points per game, both first in the league.
The Falcons restructured their front office a few weeks ago, and while Dimitroff will retain control over free agency and the draft, it’s unclear who will have final say over the 53-man roster. NFL.com’s Albert Breer noted at the time that such authority could go to the new head coach, meaning Quinn would have his hand in personnel as well as coaching. Meanwhile, the Seahawks will have to prepare for life without Quinn, and Rapoport tweets that secondary coach Kris Richard is capable of ascending to the DC role. It’s not clear if Rapoport is merely speculating here, but the point stands — Richard, who’s been with Seattle since ’12, has helped develop one of the more imposing defensive backfields in NFL history.
Falcons To Interview Dan Quinn Again
It appears increasingly likely that Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will become the next head coach of the Falcons. PFR’s Luke Adams wrote several days ago that Quinn was expected to get a second interview with Atlanta this week, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the interview will happen tomorrow.
If the Seahawks lose today’s NFC Championship Game against Green Bay, Quinn could be announced as the Falcons’ head coach by the middle of the week. But even if Seattle advances to the Super Bowl, the interview can still take place and an informal agreement could emerge during that interview. Even though Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is ostensibly still in the running for Atlanta’s top job, it seems as though he will return to Detroit to further bolster his head coaching candidacy.
Teryl Austin Narrows Choices to Falcons, Lions
Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has been one of the top options for a number of head coaching opportunities, but with the Bills, Jets, Bears, and 49ers already filling their vacancies, it seems to be Falcons or bust for Austin, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
There is serious interest from the Falcons, as they have likely narrowed their own options down to Austin and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, although our own Luke Adams writes that there might be one other candidate still in the mix. The team is expected to interview Quinn once more after the NFC Championship game next week.
Austin decided to remove himself from consideration for the Broncos’ opening as it became more clear that Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is the number one option in Denver. Doug Marrone followed Austin’s lead, canceling his interview with the Broncos as well.
With the Falcons his last hope for a head coaching job this offseason, Austin is prepared to return to the Lions as defensive coordinator should Atlanta decide to go in a different direction. 2014 was Austin’s first season as a defensive coordinator, and he led the charge for a team that was among the top defenses in the league, and one of the best at stopping the run in recent history.