Tweet
Raiders to interview Mularkey next week
The Oakland Raiders, who typically conduct laborious and wide-ranging head coach searches, have been granted permission to interview Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for their current vacancy, ESPN.com has learned.
Logistics of the interview are still being arranged and it likely won't take place until sometime next week. The Raiders will become the third team to interview Mularkey over the last two weeks, with Atlanta and Buffalo having preceded them. Mularkey remains one of seven candidates for the Bills opening, which won't be filled before Monday.
Wade Phillips, the Atlanta defensive coordinator who filled the interim head coach job when Dan Reeves was fired, has also contacted the Raiders through intermediaries to let them know of his interest in the job.
Mularkey has interviewed for head coaching positions in past few years and, last January, was actually offered the Cincinnati Bengals job ahead of Marvin Lewis. For contractual and personal reasons, Mularkey turned down the Bengals offer.
While the Pittsburgh offense slipped statistically to No. 22 in 2003, Mularkey remains one of the league's most creative and imaginative coordinators, a trait often attractive to Raiders owner Al Davis. The Steelers were No. 3 offensively in 2001, Mularkey's first season as a coordinator, and were seventh in 2002.
A former NFL tight end, Mularkey, 42, uses personnel packages, motion and the diverse abilities of some of his players to create matchup advantages.
He will become the fourth known candidate to interview for the Raiders vacancy, created by the firing of Bill Callahan. Davis earlier interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders by phone and met in person with former Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green and San Francisco offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp.
Green accepted the Arizona Cardinals' head coach post and Knapp was named Friday as the offensive coordinator for new Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora.
Over the years, Davis has been known to bring in plenty of candidates, and pick their brains in long interviews, before settling on his new head coach. Most observers in the league assume Oakland will be the last team to fill its vacancy.
If the Steelers lose Mularkey it will mean the team would go to training camp with new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Defensive coordinator Tim Lewis was fired earlier this week and quickly landed with the New York Giants in the same capacity. The plan is to elevate offensive line coach Russ Grimm to coordinator if Mularkey departs, but the Steelers on Friday granted the Chicago Bears permission to speak to Grimm about their head coach opening.
Coach Bill Cowher will interview current Buffalo Bills assistant head coach Dick LeBeau next Tuesday for the vacant defensive coordinator's spot. LeBeau's lengthy NFL resume includes five seasons as an assistant for Cowher, first as the secondary coach (1992-94) and then as coordinator (1995-96).
There are likely to be at least two or three more candidates for the Pittsburgh defensive coordinator job.
Source: espn
Logistics of the interview are still being arranged and it likely won't take place until sometime next week. The Raiders will become the third team to interview Mularkey over the last two weeks, with Atlanta and Buffalo having preceded them. Mularkey remains one of seven candidates for the Bills opening, which won't be filled before Monday.
Wade Phillips, the Atlanta defensive coordinator who filled the interim head coach job when Dan Reeves was fired, has also contacted the Raiders through intermediaries to let them know of his interest in the job.
Mularkey has interviewed for head coaching positions in past few years and, last January, was actually offered the Cincinnati Bengals job ahead of Marvin Lewis. For contractual and personal reasons, Mularkey turned down the Bengals offer.
While the Pittsburgh offense slipped statistically to No. 22 in 2003, Mularkey remains one of the league's most creative and imaginative coordinators, a trait often attractive to Raiders owner Al Davis. The Steelers were No. 3 offensively in 2001, Mularkey's first season as a coordinator, and were seventh in 2002.
A former NFL tight end, Mularkey, 42, uses personnel packages, motion and the diverse abilities of some of his players to create matchup advantages.
He will become the fourth known candidate to interview for the Raiders vacancy, created by the firing of Bill Callahan. Davis earlier interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders by phone and met in person with former Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green and San Francisco offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp.
Green accepted the Arizona Cardinals' head coach post and Knapp was named Friday as the offensive coordinator for new Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora.
Over the years, Davis has been known to bring in plenty of candidates, and pick their brains in long interviews, before settling on his new head coach. Most observers in the league assume Oakland will be the last team to fill its vacancy.
If the Steelers lose Mularkey it will mean the team would go to training camp with new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Defensive coordinator Tim Lewis was fired earlier this week and quickly landed with the New York Giants in the same capacity. The plan is to elevate offensive line coach Russ Grimm to coordinator if Mularkey departs, but the Steelers on Friday granted the Chicago Bears permission to speak to Grimm about their head coach opening.
Coach Bill Cowher will interview current Buffalo Bills assistant head coach Dick LeBeau next Tuesday for the vacant defensive coordinator's spot. LeBeau's lengthy NFL resume includes five seasons as an assistant for Cowher, first as the secondary coach (1992-94) and then as coordinator (1995-96).
There are likely to be at least two or three more candidates for the Pittsburgh defensive coordinator job.
Source: espn
Comment