New York Jets To Interview Seattle’s Dan Quinn On Saturday

Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn during Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43-8. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets reportedly will interview Dan Quinn for the head coaching job vacated by the firing of Rex Ryan on Saturday. The Jets will have 4 hours with him during the Seattle bye week, and then not be able to speak to him again until after Seattle’s playoff run.

The news was tweeted by Rich Cimini earlier this evening, and has been confirmed by the league as the Jets needed to ask permission to speak with him since he’s under contract with Seattle.

Dan Quinn is Seattle’s defensive coordinator and is a highly respected guy in league circles. Quinn has ties to both the area and to the New York Jets. Quinn is a New Jersey native and coached the Jets defensive line back in 2007 -08. Quinn has moved around the league a bit having coached the defensive lines for San Fransisco (2003- 2004) and the Miami Dolphins (2005 – 2006). He also was the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators in 20011 and 20012. He replaced Gus Bradley in Seattle in 2013, and is credited largely for the defensive schemes that took Seattle to a victory in last year’s Super Bowl.

Quinn is one of the top head coaching candidates in the league this year, so it would appear the ownership is trying to take the fast track on him. Reportedly he has gained interest from three NFL teams, as San Francisco and Atlanta also dismissed their head coaches on Black Monday.

In my opinion, the Jets could do far worse than hire Quinn. He seems to fit Woody Johnson’s preference for defensive head coaches, and unbelievably, is represented by Mike Tannenbaum the Jets former GM. With previous ties to the Jets organization and to Woody Johnson. it might give the edge in landing a coveted coach on the rise.

Dec 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of a Seattle Seahawks helmet on the field during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Rumors also have surfaced that the Jets are seeking permission from the league to speak with Seattle’s Director of Personnel Trent Kirchner for the newly opened GM job. I’d assume that both Kirchner and Quinn have a working relationship already in place, which would make for a very smooth transition to the Jets if they were able to land them both.

Kirchner has an extensive scouting resume working for both the Seattle Seahawks, and before tha,t the Carolina Panthers. Kirchner joined the Seahawaks in 2010 as a scout and rapidly moved up the ranks to become GM’s John Schneider’s right hand man in 2013. The Seattle rise to the top of the league was led by Schneider, and his scouting department has been highly credited for building the championship team that won the Super Bowl.

The ties to Seattle are interesting as the Jets hired John Idzik from Seattle two years ago. Many fans mistakenly credited Idzik for helping build the team, but it reality Idzik was a contractual guy in the organization, not part of the personnel department at all. Kirchner was part of the scouting for Seattle, and did so well by Schneider he promoted him to his current position in 2013. Jets fans have been screaming for years for a GM with scouting and personnel experience. Undoubtedly,if they hire Kirchner, they would be getting what they asked for.

Dec 29, 2014; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets chairman and chief executive officer Woody Johnson addresses the media regarding the dismissal of general manager John Idzik (not pictured) and head coach Rex Ryan (not pictured) at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Woody Johnson isn’t resting on his laurels these days. He took action this morning and by these reports he’s continued to be aggressive in finding a solution to his franchise’s problems. I don’t believe he will allow his search to drag out like it did two years ago. In his presser this afternoon he promised fans to quickly address the issues. Idzik has been searching for those answers for about a month now. He’s reached out within league circles for advice, so these won’t be knee jerk reactions if he indeed hires them both before the end of the weekend.

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One last note. I am not endorsing anyone for the jobs here, simply reporting what is going on around the Jets today. It’s going to be interesting to watch as we move closer to actual hires, but these two candidates both are interesting candidates. Some fans have begun to complain already, they see no point in interviewing a HC before they hire a GM . Some even claim that if they hire Quinn on Saturday, it will be repeating the same mistake Johnson made with retaining Rex Ryan before he hired John Idzik. I disagree, most potential GM’s would love to have Quinn as their head coach, and even if the hire went down before a general manager was hired, I don’t think Quinn would scare many potential hires away.

Jets fans need to take a deep breath and relax. They need to sit back and trust the process throughout. Woody Johnson showed that he really does care about his teams and the great fans that root for them. He’s reached out to professionals inside the league to guide him through the process, and we need to trust him to do the right thing when it comes to the new hires. We as fans need to show patience and watch as the new organization is brought onboard.

Time to let me know what you think. I want to know! Let’s Talk Jets Football!!

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