East Notes: Dolphins, M. Smith, Coughlin
In a fascinating post from Armando Salguero this morning, the Miami Herald scribe dives into the Dolphins‘ front office drama that the team hopes will come to an end in the Adam Gase era. In 2013, Salguero writes that the relationship between then-Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and then-GM Jeff Ireland was on the rocks, and owner Stephen Ross ultimately chose to fire Ireland. Ross also debated firing then-offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, and in order to save his assistant and friend, Philbin privately blamed the team’s offensive struggles on quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Although Philbin continued to toe the company line publicly, reaffirming his faith in Tannehill on numerous occasions–with one or two notable exceptions–his internal discussions had a much different tone. Philbin urged the team to draft Derek Carr in the first round of the 2014 draft, and even after Tannehill enjoyed a relatively successful 2014 campaign, Philbin continued to take out his frustrations on Tannehill, a trend that continued into the team’s difficult start to the 2015 season. Ultimately, that situation was one of the factors that led the Dolphins to hire Gase, who they expect to forge a relationship with the quarterback they’ve committed to and to make him the best player he can be.
Now let’s dive into a few more notes from the league’s east divisions, beginning with more out of South Beach.
- James Walker of ESPN.com affirms that Dan Campbell‘s future with the Dolphins will be determined by Gase, but Walker does add that Ross would like to keep Campbell on the team’s coaching staff. In a separate piece, Walker writes that Gase will be calling the team’s offensive plays.
- Mike Smith will interview with the Giants for their head coaching vacancy tomorrow, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
- Mike Garafolo of FOXSports tweets that there were “rumblings” that the Giants would interview Hue Jackson for their head coaching job, but they may not get that chance, as there are multiple reports suggesting that the 49ers could hire Jackson as early as today.
- Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer says former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin will meet with the Eagles tomorrow to discuss their head coaching vacancy. Interestingly, Berman calls the meeting an “interview,” and not a “feeling-out” as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested yesterday.
- Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News compiles an offseason to-d0 list for the Bills, a list topped by an extension for GM Doug Whaley and a release of Mario Williams.
- David Moore of the Dallas Morning News looks into why the Cowboys have been unable to land an adequate backup quarterback for Tony Romo, and Moore says head coach Jason Garrett should bear as much responsibility for that failing as owner Jerry Jones.
Extra Points: Dolphins, H. Jackson, Bucs, Texans
Before hiring Adam Gase as their head coach Saturday, the Dolphins considered several other candidates. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald passes along some interesting information on a handful of those names.
The Dolphins interviewed ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith, but they felt he lacked “some of the gravitas” for the position. In Mike Shanahan‘s case, Miami’s bigwigs were worried that too many of the two-time Super Bowl winner’s potential assistants had jobs elsewhere, which would’ve negatively affected his ability to assemble a staff. They also had concern about whether Shanahan would be prone to complacency. The Dolphins discussed the idea of pursuing another two-time champion, Tom Coughlin, but they decided the soon-to-be 70-year-old was too advanced in age to factor into their long-term plans. Dan Campbell, the Dolphins’ interim head coach for most of the 2015-16 campaign, was the runner-up to Gase. The team simply didn’t think he was ready for the full-time job. Doug Marrone came in third place, largely because his plan for quarterback Ryan Tannehill wasn’t as enticing as Gase’s.
Tannehill didn’t have the belief of ex-head coach Joe Philbin, Salguero offers, but the Dolphins are confident the relationship between him and Gase will bear more fruit.
“We’re convinced you’ll see a different Ryan Tannehill next year,” a team source told Salguero. “That’s how much Adam will affect things around here.”
More from around the NFL:
- Although a report Friday stated that Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is in the lead for the 49ers’ head coaching job, they’ll have serious competition for his services from the Browns, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Jackson will enter his Sunday interview with the Browns viewing them and the 49ers on a level playing field, per Cabot, who notes that other teams with head coaching vacancies could join them in trying to land the 50-year-old. As our head coaching search tracker shows, the only other current opening that Jackson has been connected to is the Giants’, though they haven’t requested a meeting with him at this time.
- Dirk Koetter isn’t the prohibitive favorite to land the Buccaneers’ head coaching job, and they didn’t fire Lovie Smith because they were worried about losing Koetter, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs canned Smith because their ownership was fed up with his ability (or lack thereof) to build a quality coaching staff, his struggles with repairing their defense, and his uninspiring work when it came to putting together the 53-man roster. General manager Jason Licht believes the team will find a capable replacement for Smith. “It’s an excellent situation,” he said. “I’ve already been shown from the interest we’ve received that people want to come to Tampa and coach.”
- After quarterback Brian Hoyer‘s five-turnover performance in the Texans’ 30-0 wild-card round loss to Kansas City on Saturday, Houston could look for a better option under center this offseason. With that in mind, Mike Sando of ESPN.com examined which roads the Texans might take in the coming months (Insider required). Draft-bound Penn State signal caller Christian Hackenberg, whom Texans coach Bill O’Brien recruited when he was at the helm of the Nittany Lions, is an obvious option. Otherwise, Sando lists Colin Kaepernick and free agent-to-be Sam Bradford as possible fits for the Texans.
49ers Meeting With John DeFilippo
SATURDAY, 7:38pm: The 49ers did interview DeFilippo, but they view him as a candidate for their offensive coordinator job more than their vacant head coaching position, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 10:18am: After having interviewed former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and Bills assistant HC Anthony Lynn, the 49ers are meeting today with Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), today’s sit-down between the DeFilippo and the Niners is more of an “informational” meeting, rather than a formal interview.
[RELATED: 49ers meet with Chip Kelly, Anthony Lynn]
DeFilippo, in his first year as the Browns’ offensive coordinator, has also drawn interest from the Rams for St. Louis’ OC position, even though he didn’t exactly work miracles in Cleveland. The Browns’ offense finishing 25th in the NFL in yards per game (331.9) and 30th in points per game (17.4).
Still, given the players he had to work with, it may have taken a miracle for DeFilippo to produce above-average results. The Browns started three different quarterbacks – Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, and Austin Davis – and saw free agent signee Dwayne Bowe, who received a $9MM guarantee, catch just five balls. The team was also missing top wideout Josh Gordon, who was suspended for the year.
As for the 49ers, Rapoport describes their mutual interest with Kelly as “very real” (Twitter link), while Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) hears that Kelly is a big fan of Colin Kaepernick. That may work in Kelly’s favor as the Niners consider their head coaching options, but as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes, several other candidates for the job would be excited about working with Kaepernick, or have had interest in him in the past.
Be sure to check out PFR’s head coaching search tracker for the latest on San Francisco’s hunt for Jim Tomsula‘s replacement, as well as updates on the other six openings around the NFL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Browns, 49ers Coaching Vacancies
The Browns and 49ers progressed in their searches for new head coaches, interviewing new candidates Saturday.
Matt Patricia interviewed with the Browns, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, and Dirk Koetter met with the 49ers, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
The 41-year-old Patricia’s only been connected to two teams, and the other, the Dolphins, decided on a coach today.
A Patriots assistant since 2004, Patricia’s been the defensive coordinator in New England since 2012, leading a series of imposing units. As Ulrich points out, Patricia would gel with the Browns’ new analytics-geared approach. An engineering major who spent time in that field before 
breaking into coaching, Patricia helped modernize the Patriots’ film study.
Before Patricia, the Browns interviewed Adam Gase, Teryl Austin, Doug Marrone and Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson. Cleveland would need to wait out the Patriots’ playoff campaign before hiring Patricia.
Considered a strong candidate to fill Lovie Smith‘s spot, the 56-year-old Koetter aided the Buccaneers’ offense after guiding the Falcons’ and Jaguars’ units the previous eight seasons. Prior to running the Atlanta attack, Koetter served as current 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert‘s first offensive coordinator in Jacksonville in 2011.
Architect of the Bucs’ fifth-ranked offense this season, Koetter interviewed for the 49ers’ job in Tampa, Inman reports. Koetter’s also been mentioned as a candidate for the Eagles’ top sideline opening.
He last served as a head coach for Arizona State, running the Sun Devils’ operation from 2001-06. The 49ers have already interviewed Chip Kelly, Anthony Lynn and John DeFilippo, and will meet with
Hue Jackson on Sunday.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Extra Points: Dolphins, Chargers, Lynch, Lions
When reports came out earlier today regarding Adam Gase being hired as the Dolphins head coach, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that Bengals defensive back’s coach Vance Joseph was expected to join the staff as Miami’s new defensive coordinator. However, Rapoport later clarified (via Twitter) that Joseph will be a target, but no deal has been finalized. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that Joseph has had zero discussions with the Dolphins regarding the position.
If Joseph does end up joining Gase’s staff, he’s expected to hire several notable names. Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez tweets that Bengals linebackers coach Matt Burke, Bears defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, and Cowboys defensive back’s coach Jerome Henderson would presumably join Joseph’s staff.
Meanwhile, Albert Breer tweets that Hue Jackson is scheduled to have his interviews with the 49ers and Browns tomorrow. If he secures any of those head coaching jobs, Breer believes Joseph will be a target to become defensive coordinator (with Mike Solari an option at offensive coordinator).
Let’s take a look at some more assorted notes from around the league…
- The Chargers request to interview Buccaneers defensive line coach Joe Cullen was denied, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafalo.
- Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times gives a list of reasons why it’d be in the Seahawks best interest to move on from Marshawn Lynch (via Twitter): they’d save $6.5MM against the cap, he’s 30-years-old, and he only appeared in seven games this season.
- The Jets, Browns, Texans and Rams are among the teams scouting North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz at today’s FCS title game, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
- Count Gil Brandt among those who are big fans of new Lions general manager Bob Quinn. “He’s not one of these guys that’s known because he doesn’t seek out jobs,” Brandt told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But he knows the personnel part of it, he knows the cap part of it. He knows how to make people better at the job they do. You’ll like this guy because … he’s a hustler, and he’s very low-key.”
Hue Jackson Favorite For 49ers Job
Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is the “clear front-runner” for the 49ers head coaching vacancy, a source tells Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link). Jackson has yet to even interview for the position — that meeting will take place on Sunday — but the impression is that he is very interested in the job, per Kawakami (via Twitter).
The 49ers’ initial search focused on two candidates: Jackson and Saints head coach Sean Payton, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link). With Payton choosing to remain in New Orleans, San Francisco has apparently turned its attention to Jackson, who cannot interview with the club until the conclusion of Cincinnati’s Saturday Wild Card game.
[RELATED: Dolphins, 49ers request permission to interview Hue Jackson]
As our head coaching search tracker shows, Jackson is a very popular candidate on the coaching circuit, having been linked to four of the seven clubs with openings. In addition to the 49ers, he’ll also interview with the Dolphins and Browns on Sunday, and he’s been mentioned in connection with the Giants job.
San Francisco has already interviewed two other candidates — former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and current Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn — but it appears as though those two might be on the outside looking in. The 49ers are also expected to meet with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan at some point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Coach Rumors: Giants, L. Smith, Bucs, Dolphins
Asked today on The Michael Kay Show if the Giants will consider Lovie Smith for their head coaching opening, team co-owner John Mara said he’s “certainly aware” the former Buccaneers head coach is available. According to Mara, he’ll talk to his fellow decision-makers about Smith, but he isn’t sure yet whether the club will try to bring him in (Twitter links via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).
For now, New York is targeting highly-regarded assistants, having interviewed their own coordinators, as well as Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
Here are a few more coaching-related updates from around the NFL:
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that he would be “very surprised” if former Falcons head coach Mike Smith doesn’t emerge as a strong candidate for the Buccaneers‘ vacancy. Smith interviewed with the Dolphins this week and has been mentioned as possible candidate for the Titans as well.
- According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), the Dolphins would’ve been one of the teams – along with the Eagles – that had interest in John Harbaugh if he became available, but Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere. The Dolphins continued their head coaching search today by interviewing Dan Campbell and, per a team release, Doug Marrone.
- The Jaguars will interview Falcons secondary coach Marquand Manuel for their defensive coordinator job, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). ESPN’s Vaughn McClure tweets that the meeting will take place on Tuesday.
- As first reported by Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links), linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald was fired by the Colts today. Indianapolis hired a new defensive coordinator this week, bringing in former Ravens linebackers coach Ted Monachino, so it looks like he has already started making changes to the unit.
- Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, the Colts are interviewing John Benton (Dolphins), Pat Flaherty (Giants), and Chris Foerster (49ers) for their offensive line coach position, tweets Marvez.
Coach Rumors: Holmgren, Giants, Dolphins
Mike Holmgren has reportedly expressed interest in the 49ers‘ head coaching job for the second consecutive year, and ESPN’s Bill Williamson (Twitter link) hears that the veteran NFL coach would still be open to talking to teams — especially the Niners. However, San Francisco has not yet contacted Holmgren about the team’s head coaching job, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Momentum appears to be building for Doug Marrone as a Giants head coaching candidate, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who writes that several league insiders have mentioned Marrone to him within the past couple days. Depending on how Saturday’s interview goes, the former Bills head coach could emerge as a serious candidate for the Giants.
- Before meeting with Marrone tomorrow, the Giants spoke to Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase today about their head coaching job, confirming in a press release that the interview has completed.
- The Dolphins confirmed today in a press release that they’ve interviewed interim head coach Dan Campbell for the permanent job in Miami. Campbell is one of two interviewees for the Dolphins today, along with Marrone.
- Chargers interim special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman will likely take the permanent role for 2016, general manager Tom Telesco said today, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
Coach Rumors: 49ers, Shula, McDaniels, Gruden
The 49ers‘ head coaching search is starting to heat up, with meetings for Chip Kelly, Anthony Lynn, and John DeFilippo having been reported since Thursday night. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee weighs in with a couple more updates on the search, writing that the team may circle back to candidates it interviewed last year after it finishes with its first round of interviews. That group could include Mike Shanahan, Adam Gase, and Josh McDaniels, among others.
According to Barrows, the 49ers have also inquired about Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula. However, Shula’s agent has indicated that his client doesn’t plan to interview for jobs while Carolina remains alive in the playoffs. So if the Niners hope to talk to Shula, they’ll have to wait until at least January 17th, and possibly longer.
Let’s round up some more of Friday’s coaching-related items….
- Despite having generated interest from multiple teams, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won’t interview for any head coaching jobs during New England’s bye week, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk rightly observes, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie prefers a head coach who can co-exist with Howie Roseman, and won’t engage in the same sort of power struggle Chip Kelly did. So even if Jon Gruden has interest in the Eagles’ head coaching job, he may not be the type of candidate the team is seeking. I discussed the Gruden rumors earlier today.
- At least two teams have conveyed interest in speaking with former Niners head coach Jim Tomsula, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tomsula figures to draw interest as a defensive line coach or defensive assistant.
49ers Meet With Chip Kelly, Anthony Lynn
The 49ers’ head coaching search is underway, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has interviewed Bills assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn about the position. Maiocco adds (via Twitter) that the Niners have also met with former Eagles coach Chip Kelly to discuss the job.
Based on Maiocco’s wording, it’s not clear if San Francisco conducted a formal interview with Kelly for the team’s head coaching vacancy. But either way, it appears there’s some mutual interest between the two sides. Kelly reportedly reached out to the Niners earlier this week to express interest in the job, while Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that the club begin considering Kelly before officially parting ways with Jim Tomsula.
[RELATED: 49ers to interview Mike Shanahan]
There has been some speculation that Kelly would be a good fit in San Francisco to help Colin Kaepernick bounce back, based on his past success with mobile quarterbacks. Of course, if the Niners were to seriously pursue the ex-Eagles head coach, the club would have to confident he could comfortably co-exist with general manager Trent Baalke and CEO Jed York. Kelly’s departure from Philadelphia stemmed in part from him wearing out his welcome within the organization, having been at odds with former Eagles GM Howie Roseman.
As for Lynn, the Niners’ job is one of two head coaching positions he has interviewed for this week. The Buffalo assistant also spoke to the Dolphins about their head coaching job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.