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Penn State Nittany Lions head coach and former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy (another hot name), Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter (hot name for other teams), San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians (huge interest from the San Diego Chargers among other teams).

The Inquirer also reported that the Eagles requested permission to interview Atlanta Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, in addition to asking to interview Koetter.

If owner Jeffrey Lurie wants to land his top choice (and the Cleveland Browns top choice) Chip Kelly, then he will have to grant his request to give Kelly almost total operational control over personnel decisions. That’s a rather outlandish request for a college head coach with no major NFL experience to request, and it seems like something Lurie or Kelly will have to make concessions for.

All the Falcons assistants and Roman will be able to interview with Lurie and the Eagles this weekend, because their teams have secured the two playoff byes in the NFC.

Lurie and GM Howie Roseman have been working together for some time now, and I highly doubt Lurie will give an incoming college coach power over Roseman. That’s something to keep in mind, and it’s the one thing that makes it hard to see Kelly coaching the Eagles.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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First off, Belichick told insider extraordinaire Tom E. Curran, ”I do think that the end of the season last year was important, was good, because it gave him an opportunity to interact and see and be involved with first-hand where we were with some of those guys, Some of them weren’t here when he was here before.”

That experience was definitely valuable for both McDaniels and the Patriots as a whole, and it allowed the transition into the offseason, training camp, and 2012 regular season to be seamless for the offense. That sort of leg-up is invaluable for a team, and the value of having McDaniels during the playoff run was a good help for both the present and future of the Pats. I like Bill O’Brien, but I’ve always valued McDaniels’s offensive expertise more than O’Brien. But there’s no doubting that O’Brien has the advantage when it comes to head coaching success.

Anyway, the most important quote was the praise Bill Belichick showered on his offensive coordinator, ”Josh, he does a good job in all areas. Player evaluation, scheme, technique, playcalling. He’s done a good job. I’ve been really fortunate with Charlie (Weis), Josh, Billy O’Brien. We’ve had really good offensive coordinators here along with the rest of the offensive staff because they all work together on it. There’s a lot of things that they all contribute in addition to the coordinator. (Josh) has done a solid job for us, as all the assistants have.”

I get a little annoyed when I hear about the lack of success Patriots assistants have outside of New England, because the whole purpose of having assistants is to, well, assist in running that portion of the team. Those three guys (Weis, McDaniels, O’Brien) have been perfect in that role, and those three have had success in other stops as either offensive coordinators or, in O’Brien’s case, as a head coach.

Josh McDaniels may not be head coaching material even if Michael Lombardi reportedly thinks so (referencing the Cleveland Browns rumors), but he is a good offensive coordinator in this league and fits the Patriots perfectly. The continuity he has brought to the table has been crucial for this team, and I can put up with him being “too cute” sometimes given the good he brings to the table for the Pats.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

April 21, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Matt McGloin (11) looks to pass in the second quarter during the spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Christy-US PRESSWIRE

Anyway, here’s the quote from the Philadelphia Daily News:

“I’m definitely excited,” said McGloin, who’s completed 54 percent of his career passes, with 22 TDs and 14 interceptions.  ”I don’t think we’re too far apart, Tom Brady and myself. But sure, we’ve watched him a lot over the spring and summer. I mean, who better to try and learn from than him? Hopefully, we’ll have some type of success like they did. But you can’t expect to go out and be the same as the New England Patriots.

Well, to be fair, Penn State’s head coach is Bill O’Brien who did coach up Tom Brady as the offensive coordinator for the team and is a guy Brady respects. McGloin took a step back as a junior after tossing 14 touchdowns passes with nine picks and an average of 7.2 yards per attempt as a sophomore in 2010. Last year, his completion percentage fell a little bit from 54.9% to 54.1%, and he finished with a passer rating that was about ten points less.

Hopefully O’Brien can help him get better, and the first-year coach has given McGloin a vote of confidence due to his intelligence and development as a player. He should take a big step as a senior, and it’s interesting that he chose to compare himself to Tom Brady. He isn’t exactly one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, but he is a good leader and could make strides.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.