PWT36
Cheesehead
Posted Jan. 06, 2006
Payton in, Childress out of coaching search picture
Sean Payton, Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach, interviewed Thursday for Packers head coach.
By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com
Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach Sean Payton interviewed Thursday for the Green Bay Packers’ head coaching job while another candidate, Brad Childress, seems headed to the Minnesota Vikings without ever meeting with Ted Thompson, the Packers’ general manager.
Childress, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator, missed his interview with Thompson on Wednesday because the Vikings kept him in Minnesota longer than anticipated. His interview with Thompson was rescheduled for early next week, but an NFL source said Thursday night that the Vikings had worked out a deal to hire Childress as their next coach.
Payton, who also is the Cowboys’ passing game coordinator, was at the Packers’ offices on Thursday.
He’s one of at least six candidates, excluding Childress, who have interviews scheduled with the Packers. Thompson will meet:
• Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon today.
• Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera in Chicago on Saturday.
• San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy, possibly as early as Sunday.
• San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips on Monday.
• Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates next Thursday.
Thompson also is expected to interview Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm and New York Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis sometime next week. Both are off-limits this week because their teams are in the playoffs; interviews will be allowed next week. Thompson also might be interested in Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.
University of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has not emerged as a candidate, and it’s unclear whether Thompson has tried to set up an interview. Houston reportedly wants an interview with Ferentz, too.
Thompson’s search for a new coach appears to be wide open. It could last into late next week unless a candidate bowls him over before then. His selection will come down to a combination of the type of coach he’s seeking and the feeling he gets from interviews.
He likely has placed a priority on finding a coach who can work well with quarterback Brett Favre if he returns next season and develop first-round draft pick Aaron Rodgers as Favre’s successor. That explains his interest in Childress, Payton and McCarthy.
The list of candidates also suggests Thompson is looking for a more charismatic and hard-nosed coach than the low-key Mike Sherman, who nonetheless re-established order and discipline in the wake of Ray Rhodes’ failed 1999 season. Grimm, Rivera, Bates, McCarthy and perhaps Rivera fit that mold.
Payton, 42, is considered one of the NFL’s brightest young offensive assistants. He has an intriguing background that includes strong ties to Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden and Dallas coach Bill Parcells.
Payton became a Gruden protégé in 1997, when Gruden was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator and he was a quality-control assistant who worked with the Eagles’ quarterbacks. Payton learned the West Coast offense and the teaching methods Gruden learned as an assistant under former Packers coach Mike Holmgren. One source characterized Payton as a “spongeâ€
Payton in, Childress out of coaching search picture
Sean Payton, Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach, interviewed Thursday for Packers head coach.
By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com
Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach Sean Payton interviewed Thursday for the Green Bay Packers’ head coaching job while another candidate, Brad Childress, seems headed to the Minnesota Vikings without ever meeting with Ted Thompson, the Packers’ general manager.
Childress, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator, missed his interview with Thompson on Wednesday because the Vikings kept him in Minnesota longer than anticipated. His interview with Thompson was rescheduled for early next week, but an NFL source said Thursday night that the Vikings had worked out a deal to hire Childress as their next coach.
Payton, who also is the Cowboys’ passing game coordinator, was at the Packers’ offices on Thursday.
He’s one of at least six candidates, excluding Childress, who have interviews scheduled with the Packers. Thompson will meet:
• Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon today.
• Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera in Chicago on Saturday.
• San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy, possibly as early as Sunday.
• San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips on Monday.
• Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates next Thursday.
Thompson also is expected to interview Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm and New York Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis sometime next week. Both are off-limits this week because their teams are in the playoffs; interviews will be allowed next week. Thompson also might be interested in Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.
University of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has not emerged as a candidate, and it’s unclear whether Thompson has tried to set up an interview. Houston reportedly wants an interview with Ferentz, too.
Thompson’s search for a new coach appears to be wide open. It could last into late next week unless a candidate bowls him over before then. His selection will come down to a combination of the type of coach he’s seeking and the feeling he gets from interviews.
He likely has placed a priority on finding a coach who can work well with quarterback Brett Favre if he returns next season and develop first-round draft pick Aaron Rodgers as Favre’s successor. That explains his interest in Childress, Payton and McCarthy.
The list of candidates also suggests Thompson is looking for a more charismatic and hard-nosed coach than the low-key Mike Sherman, who nonetheless re-established order and discipline in the wake of Ray Rhodes’ failed 1999 season. Grimm, Rivera, Bates, McCarthy and perhaps Rivera fit that mold.
Payton, 42, is considered one of the NFL’s brightest young offensive assistants. He has an intriguing background that includes strong ties to Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden and Dallas coach Bill Parcells.
Payton became a Gruden protégé in 1997, when Gruden was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator and he was a quality-control assistant who worked with the Eagles’ quarterbacks. Payton learned the West Coast offense and the teaching methods Gruden learned as an assistant under former Packers coach Mike Holmgren. One source characterized Payton as a “spongeâ€