We were just starting to get to know you Mike!  Source:  Byron Hetzler-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars began their head coaching search after they hired a general manager.  Dave Caldwell had the opportunity to retain incumbent Mike Mularkey or fire him and begin a search well after teams had already been looking for a period of time.  As a result, some names are off the market.  While I doubt the Jaguars were ever interested in Rob Chuzinski or Andy Reid, names like Gus Bradley and Mike McCoy did.

News is that McCoy will be named the new head coach of the San Diego Chargers later today.

Chargers are nearing a deal to make Mike McCoy their head coach. Looks like it will be finalized today. More ahead @cbssports

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 15, 2013

Despite reports that Bradley will interview with the Jaguars later this week, it looks like the Philadelphia Eagles have other plans.  Philly.com reports that Bradley and the Eagles are close to coming together in holy head coaching/team matrimony. The Eagles have a second interview scheduled with Bradley, speculated to be in Philadelphia.  Rumors are that the Eagles are “all in” on Bradley and there haven’t been any red flags that would stop a deal between the two.  The second “interview” could be to finalize a deal between both parties.

It may be the end of the line for a couple possible head coaches, but there are still plenty more left in the sea.  Two potential head coaches do not ruin the entire search.  Sure, the Jags don’t want to turn to someone like Chuzinski (no slight meant toward him), but as some of the bigger name coaches continue to get poached before the Jags get their hands on them, it may be too late.  The field is narrowing and it isn’t on the Jags’ terms.

Fortunately, there is always Greg Roman and Brian Schottenheimer to look at.

- Luke N. Sims

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Jason LaCanfora continues to point us toward potential HC candidates and notes that the Jaguars will look to interview McCoy if the Broncos lose their divisional playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.  The top ranked Broncos may well continue on and McCoy – along with San Francisco 49ers OC Greg Roman and other Jags candidates – may not be available for an interview until after the playoffs.

Tebow benefitted greatly from McCoy’s willingness and ability to adapt.  Source:  Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

McCoy earned a lot of attention last season with his complete overhaul of the Denver offense to accomodate Tim Tebow at quarterback.  The passing offense finished 31st in the league (32nd in attempts), but the rushing offense finished first and provided a decent ball-control complement to the punishing Denver defense.  Tebow consistently found magic in McCoy’s schemes, despite struggles throughout games.  The Broncos managed to make the playoffs and shock the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime.  With the arrival of Peyton Manning, McCoy’s offense has reached even greater heights.

The versatility of McCoy may be his most intriguing factor.  McCoy has shown that he is able to generate a decent offense with a Tebow type quarterback, a mediocre standard quarterback in Kyle Orton, and with a legend in Manning.  His offenses are balanced (leaning toward the pass, usually) and use well thought out schemes that force the defense to play to the Broncos’ strengths.  McCoy’s tasks in bringing in a rehabilitating Manning or in scrapping an entire system on the fly in favor of Tebow are not to be overlooked.  Not many coaches are able to find success by completely changing their philosophy and investing in something that does not seem natural to them.

In McCoy’s case, it has worked out well.  If the Jaguars get a chance to interview McCoy soon I would imagine he quickly becomes one of the top candidates.  I like his body of work and I think that his ability to adapt is desirable in a head coach.  His four seasons as an OC have shown growth and that McCoy is not afraid of change.

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

How Could you NOT Hire a Face Like That?

Editor’s Note: This article is from Black and Teal’s newest contributor, Daniel Lago.  He’s got some pithy insight into the Jaguars going into the offseason.

Before we delve into the Jaguars coaching search, let’s take a look at a few numbers and pose a question.

1. 36 Wins – 44 Losses. One playoff appearance as a head coach
2. An offensive coordinator who just led the lowest scoring offense in the NFL.
3. An offensive coordinator who just led the highest scoring offense in the NFL.

If you were to hire one of these three candidates to coach the Jaguars, which one would choose? Follow the jump to find out. (more…)