Jacksonville Jaguars extend head coach hunt to interview officials from more teams – NFL News
The Jacksonville Jaguars have continued their search for a potential candidate to fill their vacant head coach slot and are reported to have sent requests to more teams, seeking permission to interview their officials for the position.
Shahid Khan, the Illinois-based and Pakistan-born American businessman, accepted the Jaguars ownership rights on Wednesday, January 04, 2011, in a $770 million deal, reached on November 29, 2011, from former owner Wayne Weaver.
The first task before Shahid is now to find a head coach for his side, because their former coach Del Rio had been fired by Weaver on the day he sold the club to Mr Khan.
The new owner has already started the hunt and interviewing potential candidates to take over the coaching duties from Jaguars interim coach Mel Tucker. Tucker is in charge since departure of Rio.
In pursuit of their search, the team management has sent requests to a number of teams for permission for interviewing their officials for the head coaching position at the Jaguars.
The teams approached so far include Carolina Panthers for offensive co-ordinator Rob Chudzinski, New York Jets for offensive assistant coach Brian Schottenheimer, Atlanta Falcons offensive coaching staff Mike Mularkey and New England Patriots for offensive
co-ordinator Bill O’Brien.
However, reports have hinted at the Cincinnati Bengals offensive co-ordinator Jay Gruden emerging as one of the strong candidates for the head coaching job at the Jaguars.
Gruden was told by the Jaguars that he held greater prospects for the job. However, the Bengals’s official has apparently declined to be interviewed at this point of time, saying he wanted to remain focus on the Bengals’ wild-card game against the Houston
Texans to be played on Saturday, January 07, 2011.
The coach is reported to have had a great influence on the improved performance by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and it was this reason of him becoming a front runner in the Jaguars’ hunt for a head coach.
Reports have further hinted that inspite of the delay from Gruden the Jaguars were still interested to interview him at some point after the weekend’s playoff games.
Nothing leads so far to conclude the Jaguars preference in finding a right head coaching candidate; the names mentioned here point out at their focus on the offensive officials for interviews. It could possibly be that they are looking for an offensive head
coach.
Rio had come under fire from media and football circles for his role in the team’s performance after the Jaguars were met with consecutive losses mid-way through the NFL past regular season.
He reportedly had been given the target of taking the team to postseason round by the former owner and was released on failing to achieve it.
The team finished the season at the score of 5-11 on the league table, a performance that not impressed the former owner and cost the head coach job.
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