Eagles To Interview Gus Bradley Again Tuesday
The Eagles will meet with Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley for a second time on Tuesday, the team announced.
Bradley, considered one of the top candidates, interviewed with the team on Saturday prior to the Seahawks’ divisional playoff game against the Falcons.
The first sit-down obviously went pretty well.
Reports suggested that Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman and Don Smolenski would meet with Bruce Arians Tuesday. However, the Eagles made it known Monday evening that no interview had been scheduled with the Colts offensive coordinator. Not long after, they revealed their plans to talk with Bradley again.
Bradley’s been Seattle’s defensive coordinator for four seasons. Here’s a look at how his unit has stacked up:
| Scoring Defense | Total Defense (Yards) | Football Outsiders (DVOA) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 25th | 24th | 29th |
| 2010 | 25th | 27th | 29th |
| 2011 | 7th | 9th | 10th |
| 2012 | 1st | 4th | 4th |
Prior to landing in Seattle, Bradley spent three seasons working under Monte Kiffin in Tampa – two as linebackers coach (2007-2008) and one as quality control coach (2006). The 46-year-old was the assistant head coach at his alma mater, North Dakota State, from 2000 to 2005.
Impressing Kiffin has undoubtedly helped him make the steady rise up the NFL ranks. Here’s what Jim L. Mora said about hiring Bradley as the Seahawks defensive coordinator in 2009, per the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
“Monte [Kiffin] says, ‘J.L., listen to me. I have got a guy here in Tampa that is one of, if not, the finest football coaches I have ever worked with. He’s an A-plus. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime coach. You need to talk to him,’ ” Mora recalled.
“He said, ‘J.L., this guy is special. You have to bring him in. You have to talk to him.’ “
According to ESPN.com, Mora originally planned to hire a different defensive coordinator, but Bradley won him over during the interview process and got the job.
A year later, the Seahawks fired Mora and brought in Pete Carroll. Bradley went through a similar process. Kiffin talked to Carroll. Bradley got an interview. And now Carroll speaks glowingly of his defensive coordinator. From The Seattle Times:
“He’s the best teacher I’ve ever been around,” Carroll said. “He’s so thorough, so thoughtful, and he’ll go to such lengths to find ways to make sense of the information so the guys can understand it in practical ways.
“It doesn’t matter how good we teach. It’s how well they learn. I think that connection is really clear with Gus. He’s great at it.”
The Eagles have been on an extensive search over the last two weeks, interviewing college coaches, former head coaches and NFL assistants alike. They brought in both Jay Gruden and Ken Whisenhunt for talks on Monday. Their reported Tuesday date with Arians was the last known interview on the docket. Now that date is reserved for Bradley. Perhaps that will be the last meeting they will need to have.
Sheil Kapadia contributed to this report.