Running "Half the coaches in the league are all but fired" commentary

Lions interviewing Haslett, Kubiak for coach's job
1/6/2006, 5:02 a.m. ET
The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Fired New Orleans Saints coach Jim Haslett was eager to meet with Detroit Lions officials about their open coaching job, his agent says.

"Obviously, he's excited about the interview," Peter Schaffer said on Thursday, one day before his client's scheduled meeting in Detroit.

"The Lions have a great facility, a great organization. They have a lot of young talent. There's a lot to be excited about with the opportunity," Schaffer told the Detroit Free Press.

The Lions interviewed interim Detroit coach Dick Jauron on Wednesday about taking the job long-term.

The interview was "quite thorough" and lasted most of the day, said agent Donald Yee. "I hope the Lions seriously consider Dick. If anyone watched the last five games, they could tell the Lions played very hard for Dick under adverse circumstances."

Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is scheduled to meet with Lions officials Saturday in Denver, the Rocky Mountain News reported. It said the Houston Texans were to interview him in Denver on Friday about their coaching job.

"It's an opportunity that he's earned," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan told the Denver newspaper Wednesday. "He has an opportunity to probably have some choices. You always hate to lose a great coach, but he's earned the right to be a head man."

Detroit also has inquired about Buffalo defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, agent Gary O'Hagan told the Free Press. And the team has contacted Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, an assistant with San Francisco.

 

I like Haslett, but it amuses me that so many teams are approaching him as one of their better head coaching options. Sure he struggled through a tough situation this year, but he's done absolutely nothing with a very talented team the last few years.

 

Vikings May Name Eagles' Childress Coach
Posted: Friday, Jan 06, 2006 - 0613 am PST
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI



MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings scheduled a news conference Friday amid reports the team was set to hire Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress as its new head coach.

Both the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the two sides were in intense negotiations late Thursday. The Star Tribune, citing unidentified sources close to the team's search, said Childress would be hired Friday.

"We worked late into the evening last night and it's a competitive process," Vikings vice president Lester Bagley told the AP Friday morning, but stopped short of announcing the hiring. "We're still working on the final details of the contract."

Bob LaMonte, the agent for Childress, didn't return a call from the AP.

The 49-year-old Childress would replace Mike Tice, fired Sunday after Minnesota beat the Chicago Bears 34-10 to finish the season 9-7. The Vikings didn't qualify for the playoffs.

Childress joined the Eagles as quarterbacks coach under Andy Reid in 1999 and became offensive coordinator in 2002. He helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl after the 2004 season. Before joining the Eagles, Childress was an assistant under Barry Alvarez at the University of Wisconsin.

He has never been a head coach and would be the sixth coach in Vikings history.

Minnesota also interviewed its own defensive coordinator, Ted Cottrell, and has considered several others, including Washington assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams, Kansas City assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Al Saunders and Indianapolis assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell.

 

I like it, mostly because it screws Philadelphia.

 

seems like a lot of these guys are getting courtesy interviews - the coordinators in limbo who are getting mention elsewhere, who probably won't be hired to be promoted where they're at, and might or might not be kept by their new HCs.


By 'considering' them for new jobs, it puts in their mind that that franchise is interested in them as a coach, even though the team most likely won't hire that coach at all.

Not to say that an Al Saunders or Jim Bates isn't qualified to lead a team, but being able to say, if you're a guy like Haslett, that you feel you could get Saunders, and Saunders was interviewed, it sticks in Al's mind that "well, Detroit wanted me, and KC turned me down." You can better justify a lesser known coach that way. Even though the sum was the same, that neither actually hired him for a HC position.

You just seem to find that more with steady coordinators that could soon be without jobs, than coordinators that have bosses at this point.

 

Another team has apparently approached the jets about Edwards…not sure who at this point. This comes from a beat writer on another board.

 

I can't believe they're dickering over 4th round picks. I wouldn't even want that shit publicized that someone thought I wasn't worth a first day pick.

If they're smart, Detroit's the other team.


Funny, though, usually by this time of the year two or three coaches are hired. Don't know what they're waiting on.

 

It looks official for the Vikes...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2281820

 

This is funny

Peter Schrager, FoxSports.com: “Anyone else absolutely baffled over the fact that Herm Edwards is considered a ‘hot’ coaching candidate? Another team actually WANTS him? Almost rivals the whole ‘Nicole Richie is pretty’ thing on the confusion scale.”

 

'bout time.

Childress is quality, I think he would've made more sense in GB because the staff could've remained more intact. If I had the choice, I'd take having the option of keeping Bates.

I don't think the Eagles will be as good under Mornhinweg, FWIW, but maybe they'll have some offense outside Westbrook next year. Might be interesting to see if they let Childress have Pat Shurmur.