Capers in no hurry
By Greg A. Bedard of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Jan. 17, 2009
Green Bay - After watching prospective defensive coordinators Mike Nolan and Gregg Williams take jobs elsewhere after interviewing, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy could see his fourth candidate do the same.
Former Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers coach Dom Capers spent Friday night and all day Saturday talking to the Packers and then returned to his home in Boston, according to his agent, Jimmy Sexton.
Capers may be boarding at least one more flight very quickly. He is the top candidate to replace Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, ESPN.com reported. Spagnuolo was named head coach of the St. Louis Rams on Saturday.
The Dallas Cowboys, who fired coordinator Brian Stewart on Friday, also could have interest in Capers, who spent last season as a special assistant-secondary with the New England Patriots.
Sexton said he "had not heard anything" about either potential suitor as of Saturday night.
Sexton had not yet talked to his client, so he did not know how the interview went - or whether the Packers made an offer. Even if they did, Sexton said Capers wouldn't have an answer very soon.
"We're not in a huge hurry," Sexton said. "We're not in a rush or anything."
Nolan and Williams were the first two candidates interviewed by McCarthy after he fired Bob Sanders. Nolan (Denver) and Williams (New Orleans) then accepted jobs elsewhere.
Former Saints coach Jim Haslett was the third candidate and is still available. And Packers assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss is still on staff.
According to a source close to the Packers' search, McCarthy will interview at least two candidates going forward. The hottest prospects with teams still alive in the playoffs are Philadelphia secondary coach Sean McDermott, Pittsburgh linebackers coach Keith Butler and Baltimore secondary coach Vic Fangio.
The Giants' potential interest in Capers is not a surprise. Capers and Giants coach Tom Coughlin are good friends. Capers was Coughlin's defensive coordinator in 1999 and 2000 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the two reside in the same Jacksonville-area neighborhood during the off-season.
Another marriage between Capers and Coughlin isn't a given, however. The Giants rose to the elite of the NFL because of the 4-3 pressure defense brought by Spagnuolo from the Philadelphia Eagles. Capers favors a 3-4 scheme but can run any defense.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to hire Capers last year as a defensive consultant. But when Stewart admitted having Capers, his former boss with the Texans, on staff would make him uncomfortable, Capers passed on the job. Stewart is now gone, and the Cowboys already run the 3-4.
Jones also has the deepest pockets in the league. Capers was the league's highest-paid assistant when the Miami Dolphins signed him to a three-year extension before the 2007 season.
Posted: Jan. 17, 2009
Green Bay - After watching prospective defensive coordinators Mike Nolan and Gregg Williams take jobs elsewhere after interviewing, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy could see his fourth candidate do the same.
Former Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers coach Dom Capers spent Friday night and all day Saturday talking to the Packers and then returned to his home in Boston, according to his agent, Jimmy Sexton.
Capers may be boarding at least one more flight very quickly. He is the top candidate to replace Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, ESPN.com reported. Spagnuolo was named head coach of the St. Louis Rams on Saturday.
The Dallas Cowboys, who fired coordinator Brian Stewart on Friday, also could have interest in Capers, who spent last season as a special assistant-secondary with the New England Patriots.
Sexton said he "had not heard anything" about either potential suitor as of Saturday night.
Sexton had not yet talked to his client, so he did not know how the interview went - or whether the Packers made an offer. Even if they did, Sexton said Capers wouldn't have an answer very soon.
"We're not in a huge hurry," Sexton said. "We're not in a rush or anything."
Nolan and Williams were the first two candidates interviewed by McCarthy after he fired Bob Sanders. Nolan (Denver) and Williams (New Orleans) then accepted jobs elsewhere.
Former Saints coach Jim Haslett was the third candidate and is still available. And Packers assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss is still on staff.
According to a source close to the Packers' search, McCarthy will interview at least two candidates going forward. The hottest prospects with teams still alive in the playoffs are Philadelphia secondary coach Sean McDermott, Pittsburgh linebackers coach Keith Butler and Baltimore secondary coach Vic Fangio.
The Giants' potential interest in Capers is not a surprise. Capers and Giants coach Tom Coughlin are good friends. Capers was Coughlin's defensive coordinator in 1999 and 2000 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the two reside in the same Jacksonville-area neighborhood during the off-season.
Another marriage between Capers and Coughlin isn't a given, however. The Giants rose to the elite of the NFL because of the 4-3 pressure defense brought by Spagnuolo from the Philadelphia Eagles. Capers favors a 3-4 scheme but can run any defense.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to hire Capers last year as a defensive consultant. But when Stewart admitted having Capers, his former boss with the Texans, on staff would make him uncomfortable, Capers passed on the job. Stewart is now gone, and the Cowboys already run the 3-4.
Jones also has the deepest pockets in the league. Capers was the league's highest-paid assistant when the Miami Dolphins signed him to a three-year extension before the 2007 season.
posted by The Gryphon at 11:35 AM
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