Coaching Buzz: Getting To Know Mike McCoy

On last night’s Birds 24/7 Radio show (podcast links here!), Tim and I discussed several potential candidates to replace Andy Reid as the Eagles’ next head coach.

One name we both agreed is worth keeping an eye on is Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

McCoy has spent four seasons in Denver, and what makes him attractive is he’s had to adapt his offense to various personnel. It is Peyton Manning this year – every coordinator’s dream. But it was Tim Tebow in 2011 and Kyle Orton before that.

Considering injuries, free agency, players aging and so on, the ability to adapt to different personnel is a key quality in a head coach.

“We’re firm believers here that you have to adjust to who you have,” McCoy told Andrew Mason of the Sporting News.

Prior to working with the Broncos, McCoy spent nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers as an offensive assistant. He was the quarterbacks coach for the team that reached the Super Bowl in 2003 and also the team that reached the NFC championship in 2005. Jake Delhomme made the Pro Bowl under McCoy’s tutelage.

McCoy, 40, has spent 13 years in the league but has only been with two organizations. He interviewed with the Dolphins for their head-coaching job last year and also drew interest from the Raiders and Jaguars.

Jeffrey Lurie should be at least somewhat familiar with McCoy. He spent training camp with the Eagles as a player back in 1998. McCoy also apparently has some characteristics that Lurie appreciates with his current coach, Andy Reid. From the Sporting News:

Those sentiments are echoed around the Broncos’ locker room for an assistant coach who keeps his emotions in check, doesn’t use public statements to cut down his players and displays a placid, but palpable, authority over the offense, which John Fox has entrusted to him.

“I think Mike has done an outstanding job,” Fox said. “He did an outstanding job a year ago. He’s done the same thing again this year. You like to see people get opportunities and have those options. I’m sure it will be no different this year.”

According to NFL rules, assistant coaches whose teams have a first-round bye are allowed to interview for head-coaching jobs next week. They can take part in a second interview either after their team loses or following the conference championship games.

The only way the Broncos wouldn’t get a first-round bye is if they somehow lose to the 2-13 Chiefs and the Patriots beat the Dolphins, which is unlikely.

In other words, if the Eagles are interested in McCoy, it’s likely that they’ll have already interviewed him by this time next week.

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Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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