Texans to interview Bills D coordinator Gray

[Pistons < Spurs]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2279089


BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray is a candidate for the vacant Houston Texans coaching job.

Gray, who played college at Texas and one season with the former NFL Houston Oilers, is scheduled to interview with the team later this week, his agent, Gary O'Hagan, said Tuesday.

The Texans are seeking a new coach after Dom Capers was fired Monday following a 2-14 season.

Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is also a candidate for the job.

The interview comes at an uncertain time for Gray, whose status is in question after his fifth year in Buffalo. The team is coming off a 5-11 season, and Bills owner Ralph Wilson has vowed to restructure his front office. That shake-up could begin with team president Tom Donahoe and affect the team's coaching staff.

Gray has one year left on his contract but is coming off a tough season in which his defense finished 29th in the NFL in yards allowed, a significant drop-off after the unit finished second in each of the last two seasons.

Hurting the Bills was the loss of two starters, including Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes, to season-ending injuries in the first month. The Bills also failed to re-sign run-stuffing defensive tackle Pat Williams, who signed with Minnesota in March.

A former defensive back, Gray was a three-time Pro Bowl selection during a nine-year NFL career. He spent four years as a Tennessee Titans assistant before coming to Buffalo.

The native of Lubbock, Texas, previously interviewed for the Bills head-coaching job following the 2003 season, but lost to Mike Mularkey. Last year, Gray was a candidate at Syracuse, but lost that job to Greg Robinson.

[ducks]

I would ask mike sherman

not a huge fan of him but players would respect him and would want him come to texas

[Rescueone]

I think he will get the head coaching job in Buffalo if Mularkey is fired by the new GM.

[Horry For 3!]

http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/images/2004_05/012/gray_400_11.jpg

[sa_butta]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3563835.html

Search leans to offense
Miami assistant hits town to talk to Texans brass; Ferentz considered

By JOHN MCCLAIN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Beginning with Miami offensive coordinator Scott Linehan today, the Texans have set up a revolving door for candidates who are interested in replacing the fired Dom Capers.

Scheduled to be interviewed after Linehan are Kansas City offensive coordinator Al Saunders (Thursday), Texans receivers coach Kippy Brown (Thursday), Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak (Friday), Buffalo defensive coordinator Jerry Gray (Saturday) and San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron (Sunday).

The Texans received permission from Philadelphia to interview offensive coordinator Brad Childress, but a date hasn't been set. The Texans also are expected to interview University of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, possibly as early as next week.

Washington defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was high on the list, but the Texans eliminated him as a candidate Tuesday when he signed a three-year, $8 million extension to remain with the Redskins.

Other candidates, including college head coaches with NFL experience, could emerge.

Two high-ranking NFL officials close to Bob McNair said Tuesday that Kubiak and Ferentz rank highest on the owner's wish list — one that is heavily tilted toward coaches whose focus is offense.

"We want to hire the best coach we can get, and it doesn't matter if he has an offensive or defensive background," McNair said.

Of seven coaches the Texans have plans to interview, only Gray is a defensive coordinator.

Kubiak, Linehan, Saunders, Cameron and Childress are coordinators who have built some of the NFL's most prolific offenses. Although Brown isn't a coordinator, McNair respects his work with receivers enough to grant him an interview.

Ferentz, the hottest college coach in the country as far as attracting NFL interest, was the offensive line coach at Cleveland (1993-95) under Bill Belichick and at Baltimore (1996-98) under Ted Marchibroda.

Kubiak, the Houston native and former backup to John Elway, runs one of the NFL's most balanced offenses.

Kubiak is getting a lot of praise around the NFL for the terrific job he's done with quarterback Jake Plummer.

McNair is expected to give quarterback David Carr an $8 million bonus to extend his contract through the 2008 season, and the owner wants a coach with a good track record with quarterbacks.

"Well, David is critical to our team," McNair said. "Certainly, we'd like to give David better tools than we've given him so far, and we'd like to see him continue to develop. And we want to make sure he has the necessary resources to allow him to do that."

The Texans can't admit it, but they're expected to use the top pick in the draft on Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush if Bush leaves school — and that's another reason they're looking at more offensive-oriented coaches.

With the exception of Kubiak, the candidates whom the Texans have scheduled for interviews will come to Houston to meet with McNair, general manager Charley Casserly, consultant Dan Reeves and Cal McNair, the owner's son.

They have to fly to Denver to interview Kubiak. Teams with byes in the playoffs can grant permission for assistants to be interviewed only in their home cities. A second interview can't take place until the team loses.

First up is Linehan. In three years at Minnesota under Mike Tice, Linehan built one of the league's best offenses.

He left for Miami last season to work under new coach Nick Saban.

"It's an honor to be (a candidate)," Linehan said after arriving in Houston on Tuesday night. "I'm excited about being here. They'll be evaluating a lot of things. Obviously, I'm an offensive guy, and we'll talk about what might be implemented. We have a lot to look at on the other side of the ball and special teams, too."

[Extra Stout]

It will take an incredible coach to mold the crap players that Casserly drafts into a decent team.