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Coach Rumors: Holmgren, Giants, Dolphins

Fantasy Football
January 8, 2016

Mike Holmgren has reportedly expressed interest in the 49ers‘ head coaching job for the second consecutive year, and ESPN’s Bill Williamson (Twitter link) hears that the veteran NFL coach would still be open to talking to teams — especially the Niners. However, San Francisco has not yet contacted Holmgren about the team’s head coaching job, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

  • Momentum appears to be building for Doug Marrone as a Giants head coaching candidate, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who writes that several league insiders have mentioned Marrone to him within the past couple days. Depending on how Saturday’s interview goes, the former Bills head coach could emerge as a serious candidate for the Giants.
  • Before meeting with Marrone tomorrow, the Giants spoke to Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase today about their head coaching job, confirming in a press release that the interview has completed.
  • The Dolphins confirmed today in a press release that they’ve interviewed interim head coach Dan Campbell for the permanent job in Miami. Campbell is one of two interviewees for the Dolphins today, along with Marrone.
  • Chargers interim special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman will likely take the permanent role for 2016, general manager Tom Telesco said today, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).

Chiefs Sign TE Demetrius Harris To Extension

Fantasy Football
January 8, 2016

The Chiefs and tight end Demetrius Harris have agreed to a contract extension that will keep Harris in Kansas City for at least another season,Demetrius Harris (Featured) according to agent Buddy Baker (Twitter link). Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were nearing a deal.

Kansas City’s second tight end behind Travis Kelce, Harris caught seven balls for 74 yards and his first career touchdown in 2015. The 24-year-old took an unlikely path to the NFL, having focused on playing basketball, rather than football, in college. The Chiefs nonetheless took a flier on him as an undrafted free agent in 2013, and after spending a season on the club’s practice squad, Harris made Kansas City’s active roster in 2014.

Harris had been on track to become an exclusive-rights free agent this offseason, so it’s possible the Chiefs just added one more year at the minimum salary to his contract. Details of the deal aren’t known yet, but if that’s the case, the tight end would be eligible for restricted free agency a year from now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AP Announces 2015 NFL All-Pro Team

Fantasy Football
January 8, 2016

The Associated Press announced its All-Pro teams for 2015 today, with Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson earning unanimous selections. The 15-1 Panthers led the way with an impressive six players named to the NFL’s All-Pro first team.

Meanwhile, Raiders edge defender Khalil Mack became the first player ever to earn first team All-Pro honors at two different positions, having received enough votes to qualify at both defensive end and outside linebacker.

Here’s the complete first team:

Offense:

QB: Cam Newton (Panthers)
RB: Adrian Peterson (Vikings), Doug Martin (Buccaneers)
FB: Mike Tolbert (Panthers)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
WR: Antonio Brown (Steelers), Julio Jones (Falcons)
T: Joe Thomas (Browns), Andrew Whitworth (Bengals)
G: Marshal Yanda (Ravens), David DeCastro (Steelers)
C: Ryan Kalil (Panthers)

Defense:

DE: J.J. Watt (Texans), Khalil Mack (Raiders)
DT: Aaron Donald (Rams), Geno Atkins (Bengals)
OLB: Von Miller (Broncos), Thomas Davis (Panthers), Khalil Mack (Raiders)
ILB: NaVorro Bowman (49ers), Luke Kuechly (Panthers)
CB: Patrick Peterson (Cardinals), Josh Norman (Panthers)
S: Eric Berry (Chiefs), Tyrann Mathieu (Cardinals)

Special teams:

K: Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots)
P: Johnny Hekker (Rams)
KR: Tyler Lockett (Seahawks)

Chargers Extend Mike McCoy Through 2017

Fantasy Football
January 8, 2016

Four days after announcing that they would be retaining Mike McCoy for the 2016 season, the Chargers have gone one step further. General manager Tom Telesco announced today that the club has added another year to McCoy’s contract, extending him through 2017 (Twitter link). The agreement will keep the San Diego head coach from entering ’16 on a lame-duck deal.Mike McCoy

In a statement on Monday confirming the decision to retain McCoy, Chargers president of football operations John Spanos admitted that he was disappointed with the club’s results in 2015. However, he expressed confidence in San Diego’s decision-making group going forward.

“I have the utmost confidence in our leadership. Tom Telesco, Mike McCoy, and I have already begun evaluating every aspect of the team to take the essential steps to put a winning product back on the field. We will waste no time in making the necessary changes,” Spanos said. “Throughout a trying season, our players never wavered in their dedication or commitment to the team. I firmly believe the decisions made today and moving forward will get us back on track in 2016.”

Since then, the club has parted ways with offensive coordinator Frank Reich, with Telesco indicating today that the Chargers want to go in a different direction on offense, and are hoping for “a little bit more balanced” (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Philip Rivers led the NFL in 2015 with 661 passing attempts, easily topping second-place finisher Drew Brees (627). Per Telesco, the Chargers have spoken to a “good amount of people” this week about the six vacancies on their coaching staff, but haven’t yet met with Ken Whisenhunt, who is considered a candidate to return to the team as its offensive coordinator (Twitter link via Gehlken).

As for McCoy, he’ll continue on as the Chargers’ head coach whether the franchise is playing its games in San Diego or Los Angeles in 2016. In his three years with the club, he has compiled a 22-26 record, though the 4-12 mark in 2015 contributes significantly to bringing down his winning percentage. San Diego was 9-7 in consecutive seasons in 2013 and 2014, winning a playoff game in McCoy’s first year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach Rumors: 49ers, Shula, McDaniels, Gruden

Fantasy Football
January 8, 2016

The 49ers‘ head coaching search is starting to heat up, with meetings for Chip Kelly, Anthony Lynn, and John DeFilippo having been reported since Thursday night. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee weighs in with a couple more updates on the search, writing that the team may circle back to candidates it interviewed last year after it finishes with its first round of interviews. That group could include Mike Shanahan, Adam Gase, and Josh McDaniels, among others.

According to Barrows, the 49ers have also inquired about Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula. However, Shula’s agent has indicated that his client doesn’t plan to interview for jobs while Carolina remains alive in the playoffs. So if the Niners hope to talk to Shula, they’ll have to wait until at least January 17th, and possibly longer.

Let’s round up some more of Friday’s coaching-related items….

  • Despite having generated interest from multiple teams, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won’t interview for any head coaching jobs during New England’s bye week, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk rightly observes, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie prefers a head coach who can co-exist with Howie Roseman, and won’t engage in the same sort of power struggle Chip Kelly did. So even if Jon Gruden has interest in the Eagles’ head coaching job, he may not be the type of candidate the team is seeking. I discussed the Gruden rumors earlier today.
  • At least two teams have conveyed interest in speaking with former Niners head coach Jim Tomsula, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tomsula figures to draw interest as a defensive line coach or defensive assistant.