Chargers interview two more for vacancy
The list of Chargers coaching candidates continued to grow Thursday.
Former Stanford coach David Shaw and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel were interviewed to replace Brandon Staley as the Chargers' next coach. Shaw and Vrabel were the 10th and 11th prospective coaches to be interviewed, according to the team.
In addition, the Chargers are now in compliance with the NFL's Rooney Rule and are free to hire their new coach. Shaw would be an intriguing choice, having coached at Stanford for 16 seasons, including 12 as the head coach. He didn't coach this past season, but he did interview for the Denver Broncos' job last year.
Denver went on to hire Sean Payton as its coach.
Shaw, 51, departed Stanford as the winningest coach in school history with a 96-54 record. Three of his players were Heisman Trophy finalists: Running back Bryce Love in 2007, quarterback Andrew Luck in 2011 and running back Christian McCaffrey in 2015.
Luck (first overall) and McCaffrey (eighth) were top-10 NFL draft picks.
Vrabel, 48, was a defensive coordinator with the Houston Texans in 2017 before he was hired to be the head coach of the Titans. He spent six seasons with Tennessee and compiled a 54-45 record before the Titans fired him on Jan. 9 after they finished out of the playoff picture with a 6-11 record.
Vrabel is a former NFL linebacker who played 14 seasons with the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots. He began his coaching career as a linebackers coach at Ohio State, his alma mater, in 2011.
The Chargers began interviewing candidates to replace Staley on Jan. 9, starting with interim coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is the most high-profile candidate to interview so far, and the favorite among NFL pundits and Las Vegas oddsmakers.
— Elliott Teaford
McCarthy still believes Cowboys on right path
Mike McCarthy sifted through several versions of selling his belief that the Dallas Cowboys can find a level of postseason success that has eluded the storied franchise for nearly three decades.
The coach faced reporters a day after a meeting with owner and general manager Jerry Jones ended with them agreeing McCarthy would return for a fifth season despite a stunning wild-card loss to Green Bay.
The Cowboys won the NFC East and entered the postseason with a chance to play at least twice at home, where they had a 16-game winning streak.
They exited as the first No. 2 seed to lose to a conference's last team in since the 14-team format was adopted in 2020. Dallas trailed by 32 points in the fourth quarter of the 48-32 loss to the Packers.
“We have established a championship program. It's just not a world championship yet,” McCarthy told a packed news conference Thursday. “We know how to win. We know how to train to win. We have the right people.
“But we have not crossed the threshold winning playoff games,” McCarthy said. “It's extremely disappointing to be sitting here talking about. But I know how to win. We will get over that threshold. I have total confidence in that, and that's why I'm standing here today.”
Falcons plan to give Belichick a second interview
The Atlanta Falcons are planning for a second interview with Bill Belichick after talking with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson for the head coaching vacancy on Thursday.
Belichick made the Falcons his first known interview on Monday since leaving the New England Patriots. Belichick won a record six Super Bowls in his 24 seasons with New England. He will be the first candidate to have a second interview with Atlanta. The team has not disclosed details of the second meeting with Belichick, 71.