Musket Fire » Coaching Search

St. Louis Rams interview Mike Singletary

Joe Soriano — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:01:31 +0000

Minnesota Vikings assistant and former San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary was interviewed by the St. Louis Rams for their defensive coordinator vacancy that has still not been filled. The news comes to us from CBS college football reporter Jeremy Fowler.

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Singletary is the Vikings linebackers coach, and he has been instrumental in that role since being hired a couple of years ago. One of the greatest linebackers of all-time while with the Chicago Bears, Singletary is also a special assistant to former Bears teammate (CB) and Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier. Singletary has been a valuable assistant for the Vikings with his expertise at the linebacker position and rapport with Frazier, so losing him to the Rams would undoubtedly be a blow.

Ever since former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator decided that he actually didn’t want to coach the Rams after all as a DC, it’s been a difficult search for the Rams organization to find a new defensive coordinator. We’ll see how things move forward between both parties, as Mike Singletary is a good enough coach to qualify for a defensive coordinator gig. He isn’t the best head coach out there, but he knows a ton about the defensive side of the ball as one of the premier defensive players to ever play the game.

Former Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator and Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron is also on the Rams radar, and there isn’t much for Jeff Fisher to choose from. I bet he has more than just two candidates, but the list of available, quality DCs is not a large one.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Cleveland Browns want to interview Tom Gamble

Joe Soriano — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:19:02 +0000

After firing GM Tom Heckert on Black Monday, the Cleveland Browns are looking for a new GM to take his place and improve the team with a new head coach helping the cause. Owner Jimmy Haslam made a confusing comment when he stated that the Browns would be looking for a head coach before a GM, which is the opposite of what conventional wisdom states. In the head coaching search, the Browns lead candidate is clearly Oregon Ducks head coach Chip Kelly, who stated after the Ducks huge Fiesta Bowl victory over the Kansas State Wildcats that he is open to leaving for the NFL. Kelly also wants almost total operational control, which is a tough sell for not only him but also for the Browns in trying to add a GM.

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San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel Tom Gamble is one of the hottest names on the market, and he might be “the” biggest name out there up for a GM promotion. According to NFL Network insider Albert Breer, the Browns have asked the 49ers permission to interview Gamble for their vacant GM position.

Gamble is already a top target for the New York Jets (Gamble is a New Yorker), the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the San Diego Chargers.

Now the important thing here is that it gets the rumors wheels churning. I mean, if Haslam wants a coach first but now he wants to interview a GM, does that mean the Browns have already added Chip Kelly? Does that mean Gamble actually wants to be the GM of a team with Kelly making significant personnel decisions as a coach? Because Gamble could probably land with San Diego in a more attractive situation for a GM with a team that likely won’t be giving the new head coach nearly as much personnel power.

Steve Keim, David Caldwell, Jason Licht, John Idzik, Ray Farmer, and Michael Lombardi are also possible GM hires for the Cleveland Browns.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Chicago Bears want to interview Tom Clements

Joe Soriano — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:58:17 +0000

Chicago Bears GM Phil Emery wants to revamp the Bears offense, and he needs an offensive guru at the head coaching spot in order to do so. According to a source close to David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune, Emery has asked the Green Bay Packers for permission to interview offensive coordinator Tom Clements for the vacancy.

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Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy is also high on the Bears watch list, but he is high on pretty much every team’s watch list as arguably the hottest head coaching candidate on the market. The Bears have also shown interest in Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-year offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, but it seems too early to promote the former New York Giants position coach to a head coaching gig at this point in time.

McCoy and now Clements look like the two main options, and Emery would reportedly like to have a good rapport with his next head coach. More importantly, he wants that head coach to be an intelligent coach on the offensive side of the ball who can also work well with QBs. Both McCoy and Clements fit that bill, as McCoy took Tim Tebow to the playoffs with a friendly option scheme while Clements is credited with being influential in grooming Aaron Rodgers.

We’ll see how things move forward for the Bears and their hated rivals’ offensive coordinator.

Sullivan may lack experience, but he’s actually done a good job for the Bucs this season. I would rather have McCoy, but Clements was also a quarterbacks coach just two seasons ago before being promoted after Joe Philbin left for the Miami Dolphins. Sullivan and Clements are both two of the top QB gurus in the league, and you can credit a lot of Eli Manning’s development to Sullivan’s ability as a coach. I briefly covered the Bucs this spring and was a big fan of the Sullivan hire for Tampa.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.