Monday's NFL coaching rumors: Eagles to interview Bengals' Jay Gruden
For the Philadelphia Eagles the search continues for Andy Reid's replacement, as Andy had his introductory press conference with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday.
Monday's NFL coaching rumors: Eagles to interview Bengals' Jay Gruden
Michael Kaskey-Blomain
UPDATE (4:30 p.m.) - The Eagles have been granted permission to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, reports Les Bowen of the Daily News.
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For the Philadelphia Eagles the search continues for Andy Reid's replacement, as Andy had his introductory press conference with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. Early Philadelphia favorites Bill O’Brien of Penn State and Chip Kelly of Oregon have both selected to return to their respective schools. The Eagles were also rumored to be interested in Syracuse’s Doug Marrone, who agreed to become the Buffalo Bills head coach on Sunday.
With some of their top targets already accounted for, the Eagles will turn their eyes elsewhere, as they are expected to request permission to interview Bengals’ offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who is also set to meet with the Arizona Cardinals about their vacancy. The Cardinals, keeping their options open, have also received permission to speak with Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator Todd Haley, according to ESPN.
Broncos’ offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, whom the Eagles have expressed interest in, was also interviewed by Arizona, and is reportedly a candidate in Chicago.
Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who missed Sunday’s game with an illness, are both still options for the Eagles. Nolan has already interviewed, and Arians is expected to at some point this week, as Philadelphia fans wait anxiously to see who will be Reid’s successor.
Elsewhere around the League, the Cleveland Browns are looking into other options after going in a different direction than original target Chip Kelly, and are set to interview Marc Trestman of the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. Trestman has led Montreal to two CFL titles in his five years with the team.
The Chargers, a talented team that has failed to meet expectations the past several seasons, are still in the market for a new head coach, and are rumored to be interested in ex-Bears coach, Lovie Smith. However, it seems the team is interested in finding a new GM before filling the coaching vacancy.
In other GM news, the Jaguars will interview David Caldwell for a third time about their own general manager position. Caldwell, the Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel, is on the short list for the position, and it seems that the fate of current coach Mike Mularkey will be up to the newly-hired GM.
The Jeff and Howie Road Show has thus far been consistent: No one in their right minds want to work for them.— NM Eagle fan- Total moronic comment. The guys they've interviewed that are in the NFL are mostly on playoff teams. None of them is going to make a decision, or even think about it, until their season is over.— beegal99
- Not totally moronic, only partially. What this team really needs is a qualified football lifer as GM and VP to run this coach search, not a couple of lightweights. This is not fantasy football.— jrzdvl
McCoy or Bradley at this point. Can't really see them going with anyone else on the list.- I nominate juan castillo for head coach, honest this is not a joke— wildgreenman
- I'd be cool with that. He did a great job with the O-line and turned around and finished in the top third in defense in 2011 and had that group of gutless, talentless quitters ranked pretty high before he took the fall for Vick and Reid this year. He'd probably be a successful head coach. — jtj06
- Castillo was at his limit of ability when he was o-line coach. — fmMD
- my last job (before i realized i was totally incapable of working for someone, no matter how seemingly plum the gig) was in the front office of the eagles. i learned a few things in my brief tenure there. one was don't be too hasty hiring as your head another team's sub-coach, no matter how accomplished in his area of expertise, coz very, very few can make the huge jump in responsibilities (controlling 40 massive egos, for a start). another was do not under any circumstance give a head coach more power than head coach. and thirdly, a truly successful college coach would be a complete idiot to exchange campus life for the total insanity of the nfl. the eagles brain(?)trust seems to be, to use the popular philly term for defining fellas at the top of our sporting clubs, clueless in these regards. reid had far too much control. and people i know, who claim to know, told me weeks back that absolutely no way was chip kelly gonna leave the delightful, cozy (and strongly supportive) confines of eugene, oregon (one of the finest small cities in america), for the cauldrons of cleveland (yuk) or philly. so the brain(?)trust, perhaps a bit panicky that no one wants to take over our thoroughly discombobulated eagles, seems about to pluck the first sub-coach with a decent record who says, oh, well, yeah, okay...— bubba church & granny hamner
- When he wasn't ogling young women tonight, Brent Musburger said it well in reference to Nick Saban. Why go somewhere where you only get one first round pick per year when you can work at Alabama (or Oregon or Penn State) and get 4 or 5 every year? Any coach of a successful Pac 12, Big 10, SEC program would be crazy to go to the NFL. And an organization that hires them is equally crazy because the skill set is completely different. — jtj06
- The wrong brother Philly curse— Jay Grace 69
- The Eagles management really did spend 9 hours meeting with Chip Kelly on Saturday. Because they sure didn't see the Bengals offensive output on Saturday. I watched the whole game and didn't see the Bengals offensive output either.— AreaMan
- Very interesting post, bubba, I particularly agree with the comment about too much power for the head coach. However, since you are ruling out assistant coaches, which I assume also means coordinators,and you don't think a college coach would take the job, who then are you suggesting? Seems to me that a coordinator, either side, with 4 or 5 yrs of successful experience is the sensible choice.— jrzdvl
- Brian Billick— Sam Crow
- Anyone dumb enough to take this job is someone you don't want so they will definitely get their man.— eaglescali
- how could anyone want to be the head coach of the eagles. and the wa
y they are going the coach will not be head coach material anyway.— wweezeer44
