The Oakland Raiders have said they want to hire a head coach before they decide upon their new front-office regime. But the candidates to replace Bill Callahan have been kept, for the most part, in a cloud of secrecy. But now, one more candidate is now emerging.
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| Cowboys offensive guru Sean Payton will be considered for the Raiders' head-coaching vacancy.(Getty Images) |
Payton is expected to meet with Raiders boss Al Davis and now joins Falcons offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp and Cardinals head coach Denny Green as the other interviewees for the Silver and Black for the job.
Payton is close with Jon Gruden and viewed to run a similar offensive system. After clashing with Giants head coach Jim Fassel late last season, Payton was released from his deal and bolted to Valley Ranch, where he was hired by Davis' crony Bill Parcells.
This season, several Giants players spoke about how much they missed Payton as Fassel's other duties prevented him from being a full-time offensive coordinator. Players complained they were not on the same page as much as they were when Payton was running the offense -- even though it labored at times in Payton's final season with the team.
It is unclear when the Raiders will make a hire, but they have already fulfilled the league's requirement of interviewing a minority candidate. There has been a wild rumor running through league circles that Art Shell, who works for the NFL front office, is also a strong candidate, but this has not been confirmed. Considering the Redskins hired Joe Gibbs, nothing in this league can be discounted.
Rams stand to lose Smith?
Mike Martz's decision to play it close to the vest and head to overtime rather than attempt a victory in regulation could end up hurting him more than he knew. Why? Now that the Rams are out of the playoffs, there is a chance he could lose his defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.
The NFL Today and SportsLine.com have learned the Bears are planning to bring Smith back in for a second interview early this week, perhaps as early as Monday. Smith and Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm appear to be the two choices furthest ahead if the Bears do not fall in love with another college coach who responds to their feelers.
Had the Rams won, then Smith would not have been able to interview for at least another week and perhaps more. The Bears want to have a coach in place this week in order for him to have a solid chance at a decent staff of assistants. At the same time, Chicago assistants have admitted the team brass told them they would only have to wait a few more days before they learn if they have a future with the team.
Smith was thought to be a front-runner in Atlanta but rumors soon cropped up he had a bad interview. However, both the Bears and the Giants say Smith did a tremendous job in their meetings. In fact, Giants sources say they were "blown away" by Smith but already had set their sights on Tom Coughlin.
Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan was told by GM Jerry Angelo they would interview Sunday after the GM had to postpone for a meeting with Nick Saban. However, that meeting too has been postponed (or canceled if they hire someone before the interview can take place) as Grimm is slated to fly to Chicago to interview instead of Nolan.
Other game-day notes
- Former Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell told The NFL Today and SportsLine.com he is slated to fly to San Diego to meet with the Chargers on Monday and Pittsburgh on Thursday regarding their vacant defensive coordinator jobs. Cottrell already has been offered the Vikings' coordinator's job, but he did not want to jump at the first job available.
- By the way, one name that isn't getting much play is former Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis. Memo to any team looking for a defensive coordinator: You guys are nuts if you don't look at this man! He is one of the most respected defensive coaches in the NFL. But he has perhaps been marred by his stint in the Abyss, er, Arizona.
- Had Mike Zimmer left the Cowboys for the Nebraska job, Dallas sources say McGinnis had a very strong chance to land on Bill Parcells staff as defensive coordinator.
- While we're mentioning Zimmer, why has nobody mentioned him for an NFL head-coaching post? Can anyone figure this one out? In the past three years, he has run the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses in the NFL. Players love him. In fact, they consistently rave about him; yet, his name is never mentioned with the likes of Jim Mora Jr., Lovie Smith, Mike Mularkey and other hot assistant names.
- Another curious omission has been Eagles' offensive coordinator Brad Childress. Like Zimmer, he has not gotten so much as a sniff despite consistently running an offense that consistently makes it to the NFC title game.
