off topic Buffalo Bills 2015

[LastPommerFan]

As long as the personnel stays together, I don't see how there could be a real dropoff. They have consecutive years of top-10 (or 5, depending on the metric) with radically different schemes. Barring disaster that's not changing next year.

 

But they might not have a radically different scheme next year.

 

Could that hurt them as the other OCs adjust?

[Hoss]

So apparently Whaley has blamed Manuel's struggles on Marrone. Jesus Christ. Man the ###### up. I'm tired of people within the organization constantly deflecting blame.

 

First Manuel was Nix's pick. Then his problems were because of Marrone... Hmmm...

 

Brandon does the same thing. Meddles in football then deflects blame and claims he's not involved.

[tom webster]

So apparently Whaley has blamed Manuel's struggles on Marrone. Jesus Christ. Man the ###### up. I'm tired of people within the organization constantly deflecting blame.

 

First Manuel was Nix's pick. Then his problems were because of Marrone... Hmmm...

 

Brandon does the same thing. Meddles in football then deflects blame and claims he's not involved.

 

Let someone go on record before you pass judgement. Everyone has an agenda. This is the worst part of the internet. All this gossip is reported so often that in six months people will be quoting it as fact.

[Hoss]

Let someone go on record before you pass judgement. Everyone has an agenda. This is the worst part of the internet. All this gossip is reported so often that in six months people will be quoting it as fact.

 

Meh. There's been enough of this type of reporting on Buffalo that I wouldn't expect anything else but deflected blame. Not that I expect Whaley to walk into an interview and say "hey, I'll be your GM. I'm an idiot." But the blame game is fun.

[tom webster]

 

 

Meh. There's been enough of this type of reporting on Buffalo that I wouldn't expect anything else but deflected blame. Not that I expect Whaley to walk into an interview and say "hey, I'll be your GM. I'm an idiot." But the blame game is fun.

 

I am 100% certain that Whaley, no matter what he believes, would ever lay blame, especially to prospective coaches, and especially while sitting in a room with the Pegulas. You may not like these people working for your favorite football team, you may not even like them as people, but you have to acknowledge that they are not stupid people. No one that has reached their level of success would do what's being reported.

[LastPommerFan]

I am 100% certain that Whaley, no matter what he believes, would ever lay blame, especially to prospective coaches, and especially while sitting in a room with the Pegulas. You may not like these people working for your favorite football team, you may not even like them as people, but you have to acknowledge that they are not stupid people. No one that has reached their level of success would do what's being reported.

 

You can't see whaley saying, "I believe EJ has the potential, he just hasn't had the right coach yet." to a prospective hire?

[tom webster]

 

 

You can't see whaley saying, "I believe EJ has the potential, he just hasn't had the right coach yet." to a prospective hire?

Actually no. It's interviewing 101. You don't blame anyone and you don't want your candidates to blame anyone.

I can see him saying that he still feels their is untapped potential and asking them how they would have handled the situation and how they will handle it, but without establishing blame.

[LastPommerFan]

Actually no. It's interviewing 101. You don't blame anyone and you don't want your candidates to blame anyone.

I can see him saying that he still feels their is untapped potential and asking them how they would have handled the situation and how they will handle it, but without establishing blame.

 

It is possible that you are overvaluing the ability of the NFL Player/Personnel Manager Development system to create strong managerial hiring practices. The NFL General Managers didn't go through GE's Manager Development School.

 

These guys don't get their jobs because they are awesome at interviewing and evaluating coaches. They get their jobs because they are good at finding and evaluating great on-field football talent. Because, like you said, on-field football talent is more likely to make a coach, than the other way around.

[tom webster]

 

 

It is possible that you are overvaluing the ability of the NFL Player/Personnel Manager Development system to create strong managerial hiring practices. The NFL General Managers didn't go through GE's Manager Development School.

 

These guys don't get their jobs because they are awesome at interviewing and evaluating coaches. They get their jobs because they are good at finding and evaluating great on-field football talent. Because, like you said, on-field football talent is more likely to make a coach, than the other way around.

 

I agree with most of this except for the fact that the Pegulas are in the room. If it happened once, it would not happen again. Of that, I am certain.

[LastPommerFan]

I agree with most of this except for the fact that the Pegulas are in the room. If it happened once, it would not happen again. Of that, I am certain.

 

I can agree with this.

[SwampD]

Blame is for the media. Everyone else is just trying to get stuff done.

[Hoss]

Updated the list. Ordered everybody by date of the reported interviews. If I'm missing somebody let me know.

 

 

Jim Schwartz, Buffalo Bills DC

History: Worked as a college coach from 89-92 before jumping the Browns scouting staff in '93. Worked with the Ravens and Titans linebacking corps from '96-00 before becoming the Titans DC in 2001. His defenses were always seen as one of the best. Worked in that role until 2008 when the Lions hired him for their head job. He took an 0-16 team and improved them by 2, 4 and 4 wins for three straight season, resulting in a playoff appearance at 10-6. The team fell quickly after that and he was fired two seasons later. His teams were always considered undisciplined. Last season, he led one of the best defenses in the NFL. He is loved by his players across the board which is something you want to see in your coach.

Head-coaching record: 29-51 in five years with Detroit, one postseason appearance

Interview: Already occurred, unclear when

 

Darrell Bevell, Seattle Seahawks OC

History: Four-year starting QB at Wisconsin but never played professionally. Worked a few years in the college ranks before becoming the assistant QB coach in Green Bay prior to the 2000 season. Dropped the "assistant" title from 2003-2005. In 2006 he was brought to Minnesota to be their offensive coordinator. Had Adrian Peterson for all but his first season there and led Brett Favre to his best season statistically in 2009. After losing his job when Todd Frazier brought in his own staff he was scooped up by Seattle. He has won a Super Bowl with Seattle and helped Marshawn Lynch look like a Hall of Famer. Russell Wilson has seen great success under Bevell. No head coaching experience.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 3rd

 

Dan Quinn, Seattle Seahawks DC

History: Spent most of the 90s working his way up as a college assistant. Defensive line coaching positions with San Francisco, Miami, New York and Seattle helped him become the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. He returned to Seattle to become their defensive coordinator in 2013 and led a talented group of varying personalities to one of the best defensive seasons in history and a Super Bowl ring. He has been commended for leading a group of boys to become men and help the Seahawks win their first championship. This bodes well for his abilities as a head coach. Has never been a head coach.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 3rd.

 

Adam Gase, Denver Broncos DC

History: Started his coaching career under Nick Saban at Michigan State and LSU. This helped him jump to the Detroit Lions in various roles, including QB coach. He made a brief stop as an offensive assistant in San Francisco before heading to Denver. He was their quarterback coach for two seasons, one of which saw them win a playoff game with Tim Tebow at quarterback. He has been the offensive coordinator there for two seasons. His first season was one in which Peyton Manning shattered multiple passing records, but his second one has given him more credit as a coach. Manning has seemed to have slowed down a bit, but Gase adjusted accordingly and made CJ Anderson look like a star by getting the running game more involved. That type of adjustment is what you need out of a head coach and offensive mind. No previous experience and working with Peyton Manning has made him a bit of a question mark. Likely would've been the Browns coach last offseason if he was interested.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 3rd

 

Frank Reich, San Diego Chargers OC

History: Former backup for the Buffalo Bills. Tailor of the greatest comeback in NFL history. More relevant is that he has gained some credit as a bit of a "QB guru" in his time as a coach. He worked with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis which was likely more of a learning than teaching experience. He spent a year with the Arizona Cardinals as a WR coach before becoming the quarterback coach in San Diego. He spent a year in that position before moving to offensive coordinator once Mike McCoy was hired as head coach. There are some questions about his experience and how involved he is with the play calling on offense.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Sunday January 4th

 

Mike Shanahan, former LA Raiders, Broncos and Washington HC

History: Won two Super Bowls in Denver with John Elway and Terrell Davis. Took a pretty bad Washington team to the playoffs where his controversial management of RGIII resulted in pretty terrible knee injuries. Has been in the NFL since 1984.

Head-coaching record: 8-12 in just over a year with LA Raiders, no postseason; 138-86 in 14 seasons in Denver, 7 PS appearances and 2 SBs, 8-5 PS record; 24-40 in four Washington seasons, one PS appearance; 170-138 career regular season and 8-6 postseason

Interview: Sunday January 4th

 

Pat Shurmur, former Cleveland Browns HC current Philadelphia Eagles OC

History: He broke through the NFL ranks on the Eagles staff as a TE/OL coach in 1999, but he switched to QB coach from 2002-2008. Donovan McNabb became a consistent NFL starter under Shurmur's watch and that gave Shurmur the credibility he needed to jump to the St. Louis Rams as offensive coordinator. This job lasted two years and his offenses were 29th and 26th in total yards those two seasons, but the Cleveland Browns believed he was ready to be a head coach. That job also ended up lasting just two years as he was fired with a 9-23 record. He has since worked alongside Chip Kelly in Philadelphia for two seasons where he has helped create one of the best and highest-paced offenses in the league.

Head-coaching record: 9-23 in two seasons with Browns, 0 playoff appearances

Interview: Tuesday January 6th

 

Hue Jackson, Cincinnati Bengals OC

History: Bounced around various colleges in coordinator and other minor roles from 1987 until 2001 when Washington hired him as running backs coach. Spent one season in that role before moving on to Cincy as WR coach. Atlanta hired him as offensive coordinator and that lasted one season before he became QB coach in Baltimore. He then became Oakland's offensive coordinator for one season before they named him head coach. This was another one-year job and he has since worked his way back up the ranks in Cincy to become their offensive coordinator. He has worked all over offensive staffs, but it's tough to know if that's a good or bad thing.

Head-coaching record: 8-8 in one season with the Raiders without a PS appearance

Interview: Wednesday January 7th

 

Kyle Shanahan, Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator

History: He gained experience as the Texans TE coach in 2006 and QB coach in 2007 which helped him take over as the team's offensive coordinator in 2008 as the youngest coordinator in the league by over three years. His group made the jump from 14th the previous year to 3rd overall in yards per game, but their scoring dipped a bit. 2009 saw the scoring jump into the top ten and the yardage get into the top five. His dad, Mike Shanahan, snatched him away from the Texans to be his offensive coordinator in Washington before the 2010 season. The first two seasons saw an offense in the middle of the pack before a huge surge (thanks largely to the play of superstar rookie Robert Griffin III) into the top five in yardage and scoring. The season may have been an outlier as the production dipped to 23rd the next year which was likely caused by a lack of overall health with RGIII. He was fired along with his father, but he found work as Mike Pettine's offensive coordinator in Cleveland. Cleveland's offense was near the bottom of the league in most categories, but there wasn't much to work with there.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Thursday January 8th

 

Rex Ryan, former New York Jets HC

History: College coach from '87-93 before joining Arizona's defensive staff. Became Cincinnati's DC for two seasons before moving back to college as Oklahoma and Kansas State's defensive coordinator for one season each. Baltimore brought him in in 1999 to coach the defensive line that helped Ray Lewis become one of the best linebackers ever. He was the team's defensive coordinator from 2005-2008 which gained him a lot of respect around the league. The Jets took a shot on him in 2009 and he ended up with one of the league's best defenses while appearing in two AFC Championship Games with Mark Sanchez as QB. Fell out of favor when the defense faded a bit and his antics grew tiresome. Still seen as a good coach around the league.

Head-coaching record: 46-50 in six seasons with the Jets, two postseason appearances in which he went to the AFC Championship Game in his first two years; 4-2 PS record

Interview: Thursday January 8th

 

Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers OC

History: He was an offensive line assistant in the first seven seasons of the Carolina Panthers existence. He never moved up the ladder within the organization prior to becoming tight ends and quarterback coach for Houston Texans in their first four seasons of existence. He was smart to latch onto new franchises, but he fell back into just an offensive line assistant role with the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons. In 2008 he left the Ravens and became the offensive coordinator at his alma mater Holy Spirit High School. He joined Jim Harbaugh's staff at Stanford as tight ends and offensive tackle coach which positioned him to become the 49ers offensive coordinator once Jim Harbaugh made the jump to the NFL. He was credited with the creativity and versatility of an offense that could move the ball through the air and ground with Alex Smith/Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore. Any running back that has played under him has had success. He understands the running game in a complex offense. However, he has come under fire in the past season due to falling offensive performance. One of his offensive lineman recently complained about his coaching.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Friday January 9th

 

Teryl Austin, Detroit Lions DC

History: This is a name that entered the fray late. He gained steam as the season went on and the Detroit Lions defense got better and better. His defensive front especially, but he's known as a defensive backs coach which is where his background is. He coached on defensive staffs at Penn State, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Michigan before he became the Seahawks defensive backs coach from 2003-2006. One of those season (2005) ended up in a Super Bowl appearance for the Seahawks when the lost to Pittsburgh. He hopped to another NFC West team in Arizona in the same role from 2007-2009. He once again coached in a Super Bowl loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008. He left the pros for one season as Florida defensive coordinator before returning to coach defensive backs in Baltimore. He was there for three seasons before becoming the Lions defensive coordinator this season. The defense showed great strides under his watch, but they retained the undisciplined look that they had under Jim Schwartz. He's a relative unknown despite retaining good jobs in the league. No head coaching experience.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 13th

 

Pep Hamilton, Indianapolis Colts OC

History: Worked at Howard University as QB coach from '97-2001. Added offensive coordinator to his title for the last three seasons he coached there before joining the Jets staff. He had various offensive staff roles there, in San Fran and in Chicago (QB and WR coach in those places) before Stanford brought him in as WR coach in 2010. He switched to QB coach and offensive coordinator in 2011. He was Andrew Luck's OC/QB coach for a year which led to Luck being taken first overall by the Indianapolis Colts. He joined Luck in Indianapolis a year later as offensive coordinator. He has experience on offensive staffs throughout the league and has become a respected assistant, but his biggest success came when he followed Andrew Luck. He's the biggest question mark on this list, but it's clear why he's an intriguing candidate. No previous HC experience.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: To be determined

 

Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots OC

History: After two seasons at Michigan State he became an assistant with the New England Patriots in 2001. His start came on the defensive side of the ball, but he became the QB coach from 2004-08. Tom Brady's QB rating had never gone over 90 before McDaniels became his QB coach, but he exceeded it 3/4 seasons McDaniels coached him, including one in which he threw for 4,800 yards and 50 TDs. He became the team's OC in 2006 on top of his duties as QB coach prior to landing the Denver head coach job. He was instrumental in the team's first-round selection of Tim Tebow. He rubbed some people the wrong way and only lasted two seasons there. He spent one season as St. Louis' OC before returning to New England. Some question whether or not he's capable of coaching without Belichick.

Head-coaching record: 11-17 in a year and a half with Denver, no postseason

Interview: To be determined

[LastPommerFan]

Blame is for the media. Everyone else is just trying to get stuff done.

 

Sports are for the media.

[sicknfla]

Updated the list. Ordered everybody by date of the reported interviews. If I'm missing somebody let me know.

 

 

Jim Schwartz, Buffalo Bills DC

History: Worked as a college coach from 89-92 before jumping the Browns scouting staff in '93. Worked with the Ravens and Titans linebacking corps from '96-00 before becoming the Titans DC in 2001. His defenses were always seen as one of the best. Worked in that role until 2008 when the Lions hired him for their head job. He took an 0-16 team and improved them by 2, 4 and 4 wins for three straight season, resulting in a playoff appearance at 10-6. The team fell quickly after that and he was fired two seasons later. His teams were always considered undisciplined. Last season, he led one of the best defenses in the NFL. He is loved by his players across the board which is something you want to see in your coach.

Head-coaching record: 29-51 in five years with Detroit, one postseason appearance

Interview: Already occurred, unclear when

 

Darrell Bevell, Seattle Seahawks OC

History: Four-year starting QB at Wisconsin but never played professionally. Worked a few years in the college ranks before becoming the assistant QB coach in Green Bay prior to the 2000 season. Dropped the "assistant" title from 2003-2005. In 2006 he was brought to Minnesota to be their offensive coordinator. Had Adrian Peterson for all but his first season there and led Brett Favre to his best season statistically in 2009. After losing his job when Todd Frazier brought in his own staff he was scooped up by Seattle. He has won a Super Bowl with Seattle and helped Marshawn Lynch look like a Hall of Famer. Russell Wilson has seen great success under Bevell. No head coaching experience.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 3rd

 

Dan Quinn, Seattle Seahawks DC

History: Spent most of the 90s working his way up as a college assistant. Defensive line coaching positions with San Francisco, Miami, New York and Seattle helped him become the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. He returned to Seattle to become their defensive coordinator in 2013 and led a talented group of varying personalities to one of the best defensive seasons in history and a Super Bowl ring. He has been commended for leading a group of boys to become men and help the Seahawks win their first championship. This bodes well for his abilities as a head coach. Has never been a head coach.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 3rd.

 

Adam Gase, Denver Broncos DC

History: Started his coaching career under Nick Saban at Michigan State and LSU. This helped him jump to the Detroit Lions in various roles, including QB coach. He made a brief stop as an offensive assistant in San Francisco before heading to Denver. He was their quarterback coach for two seasons, one of which saw them win a playoff game with Tim Tebow at quarterback. He has been the offensive coordinator there for two seasons. His first season was one in which Peyton Manning shattered multiple passing records, but his second one has given him more credit as a coach. Manning has seemed to have slowed down a bit, but Gase adjusted accordingly and made CJ Anderson look like a star by getting the running game more involved. That type of adjustment is what you need out of a head coach and offensive mind. No previous experience and working with Peyton Manning has made him a bit of a question mark. Likely would've been the Browns coach last offseason if he was interested.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 3rd

 

Frank Reich, San Diego Chargers OC

History: Former backup for the Buffalo Bills. Tailor of the greatest comeback in NFL history. More relevant is that he has gained some credit as a bit of a "QB guru" in his time as a coach. He worked with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis which was likely more of a learning than teaching experience. He spent a year with the Arizona Cardinals as a WR coach before becoming the quarterback coach in San Diego. He spent a year in that position before moving to offensive coordinator once Mike McCoy was hired as head coach. There are some questions about his experience and how involved he is with the play calling on offense.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Sunday January 4th

 

Mike Shanahan, former LA Raiders, Broncos and Washington HC

History: Won two Super Bowls in Denver with John Elway and Terrell Davis. Took a pretty bad Washington team to the playoffs where his controversial management of RGIII resulted in pretty terrible knee injuries. Has been in the NFL since 1984.

Head-coaching record: 8-12 in just over a year with LA Raiders, no postseason; 138-86 in 14 seasons in Denver, 7 PS appearances and 2 SBs, 8-5 PS record; 24-40 in four Washington seasons, one PS appearance; 170-138 career regular season and 8-6 postseason

Interview: Sunday January 4th

 

Pat Shurmur, former Cleveland Browns HC current Philadelphia Eagles OC

History: He broke through the NFL ranks on the Eagles staff as a TE/OL coach in 1999, but he switched to QB coach from 2002-2008. Donovan McNabb became a consistent NFL starter under Shurmur's watch and that gave Shurmur the credibility he needed to jump to the St. Louis Rams as offensive coordinator. This job lasted two years and his offenses were 29th and 26th in total yards those two seasons, but the Cleveland Browns believed he was ready to be a head coach. That job also ended up lasting just two years as he was fired with a 9-23 record. He has since worked alongside Chip Kelly in Philadelphia for two seasons where he has helped create one of the best and highest-paced offenses in the league.

Head-coaching record: 9-23 in two seasons with Browns, 0 playoff appearances

Interview: Tuesday January 6th

 

Hue Jackson, Cincinnati Bengals OC

History: Bounced around various colleges in coordinator and other minor roles from 1987 until 2001 when Washington hired him as running backs coach. Spent one season in that role before moving on to Cincy as WR coach. Atlanta hired him as offensive coordinator and that lasted one season before he became QB coach in Baltimore. He then became Oakland's offensive coordinator for one season before they named him head coach. This was another one-year job and he has since worked his way back up the ranks in Cincy to become their offensive coordinator. He has worked all over offensive staffs, but it's tough to know if that's a good or bad thing.

Head-coaching record: 8-8 in one season with the Raiders without a PS appearance

Interview: Wednesday January 7th

 

Kyle Shanahan, Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator

History: He gained experience as the Texans TE coach in 2006 and QB coach in 2007 which helped him take over as the team's offensive coordinator in 2008 as the youngest coordinator in the league by over three years. His group made the jump from 14th the previous year to 3rd overall in yards per game, but their scoring dipped a bit. 2009 saw the scoring jump into the top ten and the yardage get into the top five. His dad, Mike Shanahan, snatched him away from the Texans to be his offensive coordinator in Washington before the 2010 season. The first two seasons saw an offense in the middle of the pack before a huge surge (thanks largely to the play of superstar rookie Robert Griffin III) into the top five in yardage and scoring. The season may have been an outlier as the production dipped to 23rd the next year which was likely caused by a lack of overall health with RGIII. He was fired along with his father, but he found work as Mike Pettine's offensive coordinator in Cleveland. Cleveland's offense was near the bottom of the league in most categories, but there wasn't much to work with there.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Thursday January 8th

 

Rex Ryan, former New York Jets HC

History: College coach from '87-93 before joining Arizona's defensive staff. Became Cincinnati's DC for two seasons before moving back to college as Oklahoma and Kansas State's defensive coordinator for one season each. Baltimore brought him in in 1999 to coach the defensive line that helped Ray Lewis become one of the best linebackers ever. He was the team's defensive coordinator from 2005-2008 which gained him a lot of respect around the league. The Jets took a shot on him in 2009 and he ended up with one of the league's best defenses while appearing in two AFC Championship Games with Mark Sanchez as QB. Fell out of favor when the defense faded a bit and his antics grew tiresome. Still seen as a good coach around the league.

Head-coaching record: 46-50 in six seasons with the Jets, two postseason appearances in which he went to the AFC Championship Game in his first two years; 4-2 PS record

Interview: Thursday January 8th

 

Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers OC

History: He was an offensive line assistant in the first seven seasons of the Carolina Panthers existence. He never moved up the ladder within the organization prior to becoming tight ends and quarterback coach for Houston Texans in their first four seasons of existence. He was smart to latch onto new franchises, but he fell back into just an offensive line assistant role with the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons. In 2008 he left the Ravens and became the offensive coordinator at his alma mater Holy Spirit High School. He joined Jim Harbaugh's staff at Stanford as tight ends and offensive tackle coach which positioned him to become the 49ers offensive coordinator once Jim Harbaugh made the jump to the NFL. He was credited with the creativity and versatility of an offense that could move the ball through the air and ground with Alex Smith/Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore. Any running back that has played under him has had success. He understands the running game in a complex offense. However, he has come under fire in the past season due to falling offensive performance. One of his offensive lineman recently complained about his coaching.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Friday January 9th

 

Teryl Austin, Detroit Lions DC

History: This is a name that entered the fray late. He gained steam as the season went on and the Detroit Lions defense got better and better. His defensive front especially, but he's known as a defensive backs coach which is where his background is. He coached on defensive staffs at Penn State, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Michigan before he became the Seahawks defensive backs coach from 2003-2006. One of those season (2005) ended up in a Super Bowl appearance for the Seahawks when the lost to Pittsburgh. He hopped to another NFC West team in Arizona in the same role from 2007-2009. He once again coached in a Super Bowl loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008. He left the pros for one season as Florida defensive coordinator before returning to coach defensive backs in Baltimore. He was there for three seasons before becoming the Lions defensive coordinator this season. The defense showed great strides under his watch, but they retained the undisciplined look that they had under Jim Schwartz. He's a relative unknown despite retaining good jobs in the league. No head coaching experience.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: Saturday January 13th

 

Pep Hamilton, Indianapolis Colts OC

History: Worked at Howard University as QB coach from '97-2001. Added offensive coordinator to his title for the last three seasons he coached there before joining the Jets staff. He had various offensive staff roles there, in San Fran and in Chicago (QB and WR coach in those places) before Stanford brought him in as WR coach in 2010. He switched to QB coach and offensive coordinator in 2011. He was Andrew Luck's OC/QB coach for a year which led to Luck being taken first overall by the Indianapolis Colts. He joined Luck in Indianapolis a year later as offensive coordinator. He has experience on offensive staffs throughout the league and has become a respected assistant, but his biggest success came when he followed Andrew Luck. He's the biggest question mark on this list, but it's clear why he's an intriguing candidate. No previous HC experience.

Head-coaching record: N/A

Interview: To be determined

 

Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots OC

History: After two seasons at Michigan State he became an assistant with the New England Patriots in 2001. His start came on the defensive side of the ball, but he became the QB coach from 2004-08. Tom Brady's QB rating had never gone over 90 before McDaniels became his QB coach, but he exceeded it 3/4 seasons McDaniels coached him, including one in which he threw for 4,800 yards and 50 TDs. He became the team's OC in 2006 on top of his duties as QB coach prior to landing the Denver head coach job. He was instrumental in the team's first-round selection of Tim Tebow. He rubbed some people the wrong way and only lasted two seasons there. He spent one season as St. Louis' OC before returning to New England. Some question whether or not he's capable of coaching without Belichick.

Head-coaching record: 11-17 in a year and a half with Denver, no postseason

Interview: To be determined

 

Of all these guys it would not surprise me in the least if they walk away from this as Rex as their guy. Pretty sure he gives a very good, confident interview. Rex will have a few choices though and I don't think we would be his first.

 

 

[Hoss]

I don't think Rex wants the job. I think he's using us as leverage for Atlanta and/or ESPN.

[tom webster]

I don't think Rex wants the job. I think he's using us as leverage for Atlanta and/or ESPN.

 

That is probably correct but there has to be a part of him that wants the chance to beat the Jets twice a year.

[TrueBlueGED]

But they might not have a radically different scheme next year.

 

Could that hurt them as the other OCs adjust?

 

That's an interesting perspective I hadn't considered. Ultimately I think Schwartz is good enough to adjust himself (without looking it up, I believe his Tennessee defenses were high-end for a series of consecutive years) to prevent any meaningful drop off.

 

That is probably correct but there has to be a part of him that wants the chance to beat the Jets twice a year.

 

While I'm sure having an actual QB like Matt Ryan would have a lot of appeal to him coming from the desert in NJ, as a defensive guy I'd have to imagine the Bills personnel on that side of the ball is also very attractive.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Let someone go on record before you pass judgement. Everyone has an agenda. This is the worst part of the internet. All this gossip is reported so often that in six months people will be quoting it as fact.

 

Say hi to Russ for me... :)

[Hoss]

If I'm Rex Ryan I get the Atlanta job and then convince Suh and Revis to join me. That would change everything for that franchise. Add a pass rusher in the draft and prosper.

[Andrew Amerk]

“You have the ring, and I see your Schwartz is as big as mine.” - Dark Helmet

[darksabre]

Man, I look at the list of candidates for this job and just think to myself that there are way too many ways for the Bills to screw this up. Way more than normal.

[Hoss]

Worth noting that K. Shanahan has options (he was fired by the Browns today):

 

@MaryKayCabot: #Seahawks DQuinn wants to hire KShanahan as his OC if he gets job, Quinn's a top candidate, Shanahan also interviewing for #Bills top job

[Eleven]

Worth noting that K. Shanahan has options (he was fired by the Browns today):

 

@MaryKayCabot: #Seahawks DQuinn wants to hire KShanahan as his OC if he gets job, Quinn's a top candidate, Shanahan also interviewing for #Bills top job

 

ESPN reporting it as a mutual decision rather than a firing: http://espn.go.com/n...leveland-browns

 

EDIT: Actually, even Cabot is saying he quit:

 

Mary Kay Cabot @MaryKayCabot · 40m 40 minutes ago

#Browns OC Kyle Shanahan has talked to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and they are parting ways after only one season, source says

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Kay Cabot ‏@MaryKayCabot

After it became clear that #Browns Shanahan wanted out, he sat down with Jimmy Haslam and they parted ways.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Eleven

[Hoss]

Well he asked permission to leave and they agreed to let him go. Either way the Browns decided to let him leave.

[nfreeman]

Re: Kyle Shanahan -- that sure sounds like a precursor to him going somewhere with his dad.