In Nashville, Jason Wolf in a front-page piece reports Buccaneers Dir of Player Personnel Jon Robinson has "agreed in principle to become" Titans GM. Robinson oversaw the Buccaneers' college and pro scouting departments the past two seasons and "spent the previous 12 years with the Patriots." Robinson "replaces Ruston Webster, who was fired on Jan. 4, the day after the regular-season finale." The Titans "interviewed six external candidates" for GM. It is "unclear who Robinson would prefer as head coach, or how much say he'll have in the hiring process." The Titans' four-person interview committee "has included" team Controlling Owner Amy Adams Strunk, co-Owner Kenneth Adams IV, President & CEO Steve Underwood and VP/Football Administration Vin Marino (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 1/15).
WHAT'S OUR FALLBACK?: The Eagles reportedly will name Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as their new coach when the Chiefs' season is over, and in Philadelphia, Bob Ford writes if the coaching search is really over, "then the Eagles absolutely blew it." That does not mean they are "hiring the wrong guy," as Pederson "represents for the Eagles something very attractive at the moment, stability and familiarity." However, the team "blew it ... by not taking full advantage of the search, which can be an incredible tool for learning what the sharpest minds in the league think about how the game is developing and changing." It is a "chance for the franchise to not only cast a wide net over the field of candidates, but to pick their brains for ideas" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 1/15). Also in Philadelphia, Jeff McLane notes the Eagles' search and how it was "conducted over the last 16 days suggests that Pederson was more of a fallback selection than the No. 1 (or 2 or 3) target" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 1/15).
NEVER HAPPENED: In Baton Rouge, Joel Erickson notes Saints Exec VP & GM Mickey Loomis on Thursday "echoed" coach Sean Payton's comments last week by "saying he never discussed ending their partnership by discussing the possibility with Payton or another NFL team about the kind of compensation it would take to get Payton out of the final two years of his contract." Loomis: "I never had a discussion with another team. No one called me, and I didn’t call anyone else. ... His first statement when he walked in the room was hey, I want to be here. It never really went beyond that" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 1/15).
