Archives for January 20, 2006

‘A decision on the head coach is expected by Tuesday, a person said with direct knowledge of the search process told The Associated Press on Friday.’

‘Caldwell, who took over briefly for Tony Dungy following the suicide of Dungy’s son last month, has been part of a Colts offensive the past four years that has been among the most successful passing attacks in the NFL. In 2004, quarterback Peyton Manning had perhaps the finest season by any NFL quarterback. Manning completed 336 of 497 passes for 4,557 yards and 49 touchdowns, while posting a 121.1 seasonal rating. Manning’s 49 scoring passes broke the prior NFL record of Dan Marino (48, 1984), while his rating eclipsed the prior mark of Steve Young (112.8, 1994).’

‘Saban likes to move quickly when hiring aides, so if the interview goes well, it would not be surprising if he made an offer before Mularkey left town. In what might have been a preemptive move, the New England Patriots promoted quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels to offensive coordinator, a position that had been vacant since Charlie Weis left for Notre Dame before this season. McDaniel would likely have been a target of the Dolphins and other teams if he went to next week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., without the coordinator title.’

‘Caldwell, who took over briefly for Tony Dungy following the suicide of Dungy’s son last month, likely would be the final candidate brought in by Bills owner Ralph Wilson and general manager Marv Levy.’

‘Capers brings 20 years of NFL coaching experience to the table and was the first coach of the Texans (18-46 record) and Panthers (31-25 record) when they entered the league as expansion franchises.’

‘The Bills have sought permission to interview Indianapolis Colts assistant head coach Jim Caldwell, a person with direct knowledge of the search process told The Associated Press.’

‘At this point, trying to read the Bills’ organization and figuring who their new head coach will be is about as easy as quantum physics. Most Bills fans that I’ve spoken with want Sherman, but will the organization see it that way? Either way, the team needs to find a successor to Mike Mularkey right away. The Senior Bowl practices begin next weekend for college players, and that’s where coaches scout college players with the remainder of the staff. How are the Bills going to put a staff together in time for next weekend and be adequately prepared for scouting? It’s imperative that they name a coach by the end of this upcoming weekend.’

‘His relationship with Bills Assistant GM Tom Modrak may have been a factor in getting an interview. Modrak headed the Steelers’ college scouting department when Capers was there. Capers is known as a classy guy with great integrity and has a proven defensive background. However, some of his choices for assistant coaches were viewed as questionable.’

‘"I was looking for a team that wanted a young guy to develop and was looking for a third guy," Ochs said Thursday. "I wanted to continue my development and look for a team that didn’t have too much depth."’

‘Of the seven new head coaches named so far, six are first-timers. The Bills, whose last two hires (Gregg Williams and Mike Mularkey) had never been head coaches before in the NFL, are expected to break that trend.’

‘Capers has garnered interest around the league as a defensive coordinator, but he was hoping another head coaching opportunity would arise. He will be the third former NFL head coach to interview with the Bills.’

‘In our 13-WHAM online poll we asked you who the Bills should hire as coach. Here are the results…’.

‘Mularkey was in Atlanta on Thursday interviewing with the Falcons for their quarterback coach job. Mularkey and Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr. are very close friends, and Mora is hoping to have Mularkey help tutor star quarterback Michael Vick, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, the consideration for Mularkey might be whether he would like a higher position of authority in hopes of again becoming a head coach in the NFL. Last week, Mularkey walked away from the final two years of his contract after being forced by Bills management to fire coaches.’

‘Dolphins coach Nick Saban, who lured Linehan away from the Vikings last season with a lucrative contract worth $2.5 million over three years, must decide whether to promote an assistant from within the organization or bring in outsiders with more experience, such as Mularkey — who resigned as the Bills coach last week — or Martz.’

‘Nevertheless, Mularkey is widely regarded as one of the game’s most creative coaches.’