FRISCO – Our Dallas Cowboys Coach Tracker … keeping you informed while the “Team of America” makes the decisions of the coaching staff …
THURSDAY: LINEHAN TO PARTICIPATE IN URBAN MEYER? Scott Linehan is reportedly one of the top candidates to be the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator under his new coach, Urban Meyer.
Yes, Meyer is coming to the NFL, Jimmy Johnson style …
READ MORE: ‘Ruthless’: Are Urban Meyer and Jags the equivalent of Jimmy Johnson in Dallas?
And yes, as ESPN notes in its report, Meyer has a connection to Linehan, who served as Dallas’ offensive coordinator before being purged, along with coach Jason Garrett, after the 2019 season.
“Failed ”? That’s part of the deal. But Linehan is also a former NFL coach … who was at LSU last year … and now he can return to the scene – to mentor the likely # 1 choice. QB Trevor Lawrence – thanks to the confidence that Meyer apparently has in him.
THURSDAY: EAGLES WANTS TO VISIT KELLEN MOORE Remember when Cowboys COO Stephen Jones suggested that Kellen Moore move to Boise State to “be patient”?
Now Kellen Moore sees why.
Doug Pederson is gone and the Philadelphia Eagles are fighting … and have now requested an interview with Cowboys offensive coordinator Moore, as ESPN noted.
Moore, 32, signed a three-year contract at the end of the 2020 season to remain with the Cowboys, thus refusing employment with his alma mater in Boise. We suggest that Moore falls short of “favorite” status in Philadelphia; Agent Bob LaMonte will have a lot to say about his eventual hiring. But that doesn’t stop Cowboys from sweating a little. .
WEDNESDAY: JONESES MEETS EDWARDS In addition to the interview with George Edwards’ coordinator, conducted by Head Coach Mike McCarthy at 8 am on Monday (before Dan Quinn was hired), the Jones family has already talked to Edwards about the idea of the Cowboys senior assistant staying at The Star in some capacity.
Edwards, the former Vikings coordinator, came here a year ago not as an employee of Mike Nolan, but as hired by McCarthy. He has been on the same staff as the Dolphins with Quinn. And he has trained linebackers for the Cowboys.
WEDNESDAY: WHITT JR. COME ON BOARD A The Cowboys fulfill their double wish: Coach Mike McCarthy hired Joe Whitt Jr. as his “defensive pass game coordinator / secondary coach”. Whitt has been authorized to terminate his contract in Atlanta (which could have happened anyway to whoever the Falcons hire as his next trainer) and he gets a two-year contract here.
Whitt spent a decade on the McCarthy Packers team and is likely to be assisted by Al Harris, the former Packers player who joined Dallas last year as a DB coach. With Whitt arriving, Mo Linquist is likely to leave.
Dallas is also working on adding a new D-line coach. We report on Tosh Lupoi and Travis Jones. (See below.) Now add Giff Smith for the mix.
TUESDAY: COACH CAMPBELL? Will Dan Campbell, the former Cowboys tight end, be the next Detroit Lions coach? A source told CowboysSI.com that although Niners coordinator Robert Saleh entered the process as a favorite, there is “influence on the building” in Detroit that could “favor” and therefore push Campbell – who was formally interviewed for the work on Monday – for the front of the package.
Campbell is currently the assistant chief coach of the New Orleans Saints, and in 2015 he was the acting chief coach of the Miami Dolphins. Campbell, 44, is a native of Clifton, Texas, and a product of Texas A&M, and would bring a traditional approach to the Lions team.
MONDAY: LAST WORDS ‘Grace, Character And Brotherhood’ … Dan Quinn came on board on a three-year contract. Want a background? Read here: “What does Dan Quinn’s ‘last words’ mean when the Dallas Cowboys hire him as a defensive coordinator. ”
MONDAY: QUINN TEAM? Dan Quinn’s second interview (this face-to-face) is taking place on Monday, and one of the topics will be his team composition proposal.
Quinn plus Joe Whitt Jr. (as the main defensive assistant, with a title as “passing game coordinator” or something) is the thinking of many within The Star. Whitt would take the high school, which was a failure at the hands of McCarthy – selected employees in 2019.
One potential obstacle: what if Raheem Morris gets the job of head coach in Atlanta? In that case, Whitt could stay there as his coordinator. … which can make Jason Simmons get the position of “passing / secondary coordinator”.
In addition, there is a seat in Dallas on the D-line bus. The estate would like to retain Leon Lett as an assistant. An interesting name if it is available via change in Atlanta is Tosh Lupoi, Quinn’s defensive line coach in 2019 and run-game coordinator. On his resume is a five-season stint in Alabama. Another name: Travis Jones, another Atlanta employee who was also with Nick Saban at LSU.
Dallas is certainly inclined towards a return to 4-3 defense and for people who have experience as “teachers” to command high school.
We would note that although Dallas appears to be approaching Quinn, a formal interview with senior employee George Edwards took place. Details here.
In addition: While McCarthy would certainly like to retain Scott McCurley as coach of the linebackers, the board will have a say – and Sean Lee’s availability as a retired player who wants to start a coaching career can also.
MONDAY: INTERVIEWS WITH QUINN The Dallas Cowboys added to their list of candidates to take on the role of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, a former Atlanta Falcons coach.
Quinn was the head coach of the 2015-2020 Falcons, a race that included two playoff spots with a Super Bowl participation in 2016.
READ MORE: Interview with Cowboys Falcons Ex Dan Quinn
Click above. The coordinator’s credentials are impressive … and then read below how this is not necessarily Mike McCarthy’s “guy” … which can be a good thing.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON: IT’S ‘MCCARTHY IS RENT’, BUT … A source told CowboysSI.com that this “hiring McCarthy”. But we were also told that, during the interview process, a “top frontline executive” may also be present for the visits.
SUNDAY: INTERVIEWS WITH CAROLINA’S ASSISTANT Another candidate comes to the fore as the Panthers’ defensive / secondary pass coordinator, Jason Simmons, interviewed for the position of coordinator in Dallas, a visit that, according to ESPN, included Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones for the Dallas Cowboys. This information coincides with our report that a top front-line executive will be involved in interviews with McCarthy.
Simmons and McCarthy, as you can imagine, worked together in Green Bay.
SUNDAY MORNING: PACKAGE? a year ago, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy would hire Joe Whitt as his defensive coordinator before the job went to another McCarthy friend, now retired Mike Nolan.
Joe Whitt Jr. is back in the mix, doing an interview this weekend for the vacancy. And perhaps one of the most attractive things about him – considering his work last year as the “pass game coordinator” for an Atlanta team that finished last in the NFL in defense of passes – is who can come along with him.
Sources tell CowboysSI.com that while McCarthy doesn’t have a private connection with former Falcons coach Dan Quinn, Whitt obviously does – since Quinn is the guy who signed Whitt in Atlanta. Furthermore, the idea that McCarthy could get what he wants with Whitt’s hiring (which the head coach is defending) may be more palatable if Quinn can also come to the Star, say, as the defensive line coach.
If McCarthy gets what he wants and hires Whitt – there are still no guarantees, as other viable candidates, including current Cowboys advisor George Edwards, also deserve discussion) – this increases the likelihood that other McCarthy employees will keep their jobs. In the case of an Edwards hire, he could demand some personnel changes, as any outsider would.
But if McCarthy can attract Whitt and Quinn (who, in all fairness, certainly has the highest eyes than being a position coach)? The Joneses may be impressed enough to allow McCarthy to do what he wants to do with the rest of the defensive team that remains in place.
SATURDAY: EASY EDWARDS A smart and “easy” move? Raise George Edwards. Edwards, the former Vikings coordinator, is already in the building, but technically he was not part of Nolan’s team.
READ MORE: Marvin Lewis, Quinn, Edwards among Dallas’ top contenders?
It could represent a compromise between the Jones family and McCarthy.
SATURDAY: WHITT FOR INTERVIEW – WITH A PUSH Joe Whitt Jr. is a wise name for McCarthy.
READ MORE: Sources: McCarthy Pushing For Whitt – Who He Almost Hired Last Year
But Whitt, despite his connection to Green Bay, cannot exactly use his last season in Atlanta as a resume builder.
FRIDAY: TOP DC CANDIDATES We created our list … some of them our names, but most of them names from within the building or names with obvious connections to those within the building.
READ MORE: Who do Cowboys hire to replace Mike Nolan?
FRIDAY: NOLAN AND TOMSULA FIRE After just one season in Dallas, McCarthy’s two top defensive aides are out.
READ MORE: BREAKING: Mike Nolan Fired; Dallas Cowboys’ 3 Choices
The 2020 Cowboys allowed for the most TDs and points in one season in the franchise’s history.
January 2: KELLEN IS STAYING ‘Boys or Boise? Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore made his choice.
READ MORE: Kellen Moore staying with the cowboys
It is a three-year contract to remain in effect in Dallas.
SEAN LEE AS A COACH? McCarthy spoke to the veteran linebacker about a post-retirement career as a coach.
READ MORE: McCarthy encourages Sean Lee to enter coaching
“If you’re stupid enough to coach, ” McCarthy said jokingly to Lee,” we should definitely talk. ”