Miami's coaching search hotter than summer

[sixdart]

Miami's coaching search hotter than summer
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com

(Jan. 10, 2007) -- No team has interviewed more head coaching candidates this offseason than the Miami Dolphins.

Nor will any team stretch out the interview process as long as the Dolphins.

After wrapping up their 10th, 11th and 12th head-coaching interviews with Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis and Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz, the Dolphins are expected to call back five candidates to Miami for another round of face-to-face, pure-football-type interviews.

The Dolphins have not finalized the Phase 2 list ... at least not yet.

But one name not expected to be on it is USC Trojans coach Pete Carroll.

Multiple sources around the league believe that if Carroll were going to take the Dolphins head-coaching job, he already would have done it.

Carroll could be using the Dolphins job, or other NFL interest, as a smokescreen to get more money out of USC. The school is thought to pay him just under $3 million per season, below what Alabama pays Nick Saban and what NFL teams would pay Carroll. Money is hardly what drives Carroll, yet it is always nice to have some leverage.

But Carroll also knows what a tough job Miami's is, coaching in the AFC East against two coaches who already have won Coach of the Year awards -- New England's Bill Belichick and Buffalo's Dick Jauron -- and another coach who finished as runner-up for the award in New York's Eric Mangini. Thus, Miami has begun making plans for more talks with other candidates.

The Dolphins aren't the only franchise getting ready to conduct a second round of interviews. The Arizona Cardinals are bringing back Texans assistant head coach Mike Sherman for another interview on Jan. 11. The Cardinals want to hear more from the former Green Bay Packers head coach, and Sherman isn't the only one.

The Cardinals also want to speak again with one of the assistants involved in this weekend's playoffs -- either San Diego's offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Chicago's defensive coordinator Ron Rivera or Indianapolis' assistant head coach Jim Caldwell -- after any of them drop out of the playoffs.

Plus, Arizona is tracking what Pittsburgh decides to do and could be interested in talking again with either Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt or assistant head coach Russ Grimm -- whichever one doesn't get the head-coaching job in Pittsburgh.

On maybe the best weekend of football games all season, the NFL has plenty of intrigue going on off the field as well.

GIANT MOVE

Now that the Giants and Tom Coughlin have agreed to a one-year contract extension, look for New York's head coach to hire Kevin Gilbride as his offensive coordinator.

The move already has been discussed, the offer is thought to have been made, and it could be announced as early as Jan. 11. But Gilbride, the man who took over the play-calling duties in the Giants' regular-season finale at Washington, now is expected to be the team's offensive coordinator for the 2007 season.

Gilbride's chief challenge will be elevating the level of play of quarterback Eli Manning. One of the points that Coughlin emphasized in his talks with Giants ownership is that this team is going to improve because its quarterback is going to improve.

It largely will be up to Gilbride to make it happen.

BILL COMES DUE

Any day now, the Cowboys will learn whether or not Bill Parcells will return next season as their head coach.

But the feeling of those who have spoken to and know Parcells is that the coach will be back for more football in 2007.

Having spoken to Parcells, their belief is that football is in his blood, the Cowboys are on the rise, and the head coach is unwilling to walk away from it at this time. Of course, Parcells is one of football's most unpredictable figures, but the smart money is on his return.

Around the Cowboys complex, he has been operating as if he will come back. His characterizations of the future include himself -- using words like "we" instead of "you guys" -- as opposed to speaking about the season ahead as if he were on the outside looking in.

TIME FOR TOMLIN

Most expect either Whisenhunt or Grimm to land the Steelers' vacant head-coaching job.

But Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin has made his mark on the Steelers and Dolphins, the two organizations he has interviewed with for head-coaching jobs.

The feeling from a front-office executive is that, if Tomlin doesn't land a head-coaching job now, then he is expected to be a head coach within the next year.

If Pittsburgh and Miami pass him up now, another team will not do the same during the next round of firings.

[kjbad]

Got one more article to add here:

2 coaches don't share Miami's philosophy
Of the three assistants interviewed Wednesday, the Giants' Tim Lewis and the Lions' Mike Martz have expressed views contrary to what the Dolphins want for the near future.

BY ARMANDO SALGUERO
asalguero@MiamiHerald.com

The Dolphins have not had deep football conversations about schemes and on-field philosophies during this initial phase of interviews with coaching candidates, Dolphins Enterprises chief executive officer Joe Bailey said this week.

One typical question, according to a person familiar with the interviews, is asking the candidate to talk about himself and what defines him as a person.

But more football-intensive talks might have come in handy Wednesday when the Miami brain trust interviewed Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Detroit offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

Martz and Lewis have either expressed opinions or run schemes that are contrary to what the Dolphins are apparently committed to in the near future.

The Dolphins began the day by interviewing Lewis, who has been embattled after the Giants yielded a combined 94 points in the final three regular-season games.

TRAVEL TEAM

The interview team that included owner Wayne Huizenga, Bailey and Dolphins president Bryan Wiedmeier left the Newark, N.J., meeting with Lewis and traveled to Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y., where they interviewed Schottenheimer.

The group then flew to Detroit to interview Martz.

What is intriguing is that Lewis favors a Tony Dungy-inspired Cover 2 defense that runs a 4-3 front.

The Dolphins abandoned the 4-3 in favor of the 3-4 two seasons ago and, after initial resistance, excelled in the new scheme. Jason Taylor adapted to the hybrid rush end/linebacker spot in the 3-4 and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year this season.

Middle linebacker Zach Thomas embraced the scheme and made the Pro Bowl. Taylor and Thomas became fans of the 3-4 and were named to the All-Pro team.

''I enjoy the new position, I enjoy the change, the variety, the freedom,'' Taylor said when asked if he would welcome a change back to a 4-3. ``It would be tough to move back, but again, I don't always get to make those decisions.''

But in their seek-everyone's-opinion mode, the Dolphins are likely to ask Taylor about his preference, and that is not likely to help Lewis' chances.

In that sense, Lewis, 45, already doesn't make sense as a candidate, except for the fact he is a favorite of former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino from the time they attended the University of Pittsburgh together.

It's unclear if quarterback Daunte Culpepper will be contacted about his opinion on an incoming coach.

But in interviewing Martz, 55, the Dolphins' brass is talking to a coach who doesn't have a high regard for Culpepper.

Several football people close to Martz say that Martz thought the Dolphins made a mistake when they, in effect, exchanged Gus Frerotte for Culpepper before the 2006 season.

Frerotte, Martz told them, is a good backup who makes good decisions. Culpepper, though, is a more gifted player but is limited in his ability to read defenses and understand offensive concepts.

NOT BIG ON THE RUN

Martz also is known for discarding the running game. Miami's second-biggest offensive investment is at running back. Ronnie Brown was the No. 2 overall pick in 2005 and Ricky Williams is expected to return next season.

Schottenheimer, 33, changed his offensive concepts this season when he joined the Jets. On coach Eric Mangini's urging, Schottenheimer installed a no-huddle attack that New York used 90 percent of the time.

If the Dolphins hire Schottenheimer, they would weaken the Jets, their rival in the AFC East.

''If and when he would leave, we'd have to work hard to replace him,'' Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said Wednesday. ``If it's in the division, that's just another obstacle we'd have to deal with.''

Bailey has said the Dolphins will trim their list of candidates -- a dozen after Wednesday's interviews -- to about five after the initial phase is over. At that point, they might include people such as Don Shula, Marino and perhaps GM Randy Mueller in the process so the conversations can become more football-intensive.

Huizenga favored Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll when the interview process began, but it is unclear if he still feels that way or if Carroll could be convinced to leave college.

Carroll stated earlier this week he would not leave USC.

Nick Saban, the Dolphins' coach the past two seasons, said he would not become the Alabama coach before leaving to take over the Crimson Tide.

[CaliCardFan]

Saw an interview last night with Carroll on channel 7 news here in L.A. and he stated he is not comming to the NFL and never had plans to. The media blew it up into something that was not there.

[kjbad]

Well thanks to Saban, nobody believes ANYTHING that coaches say anymore. So who knows?

[Capt. Obvious]

Should be interesting if Parcells leaves DAL and JJ/Wayne get in a bidding war to try to lure Pete back to the pros.

[kjbad]

Should be interesting if Parcells leaves DAL and JJ/Wayne get in a bidding war to try to lure Pete back to the pros.

If Parcells leaves DAL, Jones will do everything in his power to lure Lovie Smith from CHI.