Mularkey hired as Jacksonville head coach
Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey chats with the local media. (D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER/AJC)
UPDATE: The Jacksonville Jaguars have confirmed the hiring of former Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey as their third head coach.
The Florida Times-Union is reporting, through a source, that the Jaquars have hired Mike Mularkey as their new head coach.
FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is interviewing for the vacant head coach position with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Les Snead, the team’s director of player personnel is interviewing for the general manager’s post in St. Louis, today.
He’s set to interview with Miami later in the week.
Should Mularkey land the Jacksonville or Miami job, he could take a couple of assistant coaches with him. There has been very little turnover from Smith’s original staff. With former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder’s swift departure to the college ranks, five of the original 16 members have moved on to other jobs.
Mularkey was a candidate last season for head coaching jobs in Cleveland and Denver. He interviewed with Cleveland, but withdrew from the Denver search. Cleveland hired Pat Shurmur and Denver hired John Fox.
Mularkey’s son Patrick is a scouting assistant with the Jaguars. He wants to be a head coach again. He was Buffalo’s head coach in 2004-05 and posted a 14-18 record.
Mularkey and former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have been lauded league-wide for their fast development of quarterback Matt Ryan and for turning the Falcons’ offense into one of the league’s better units which has powered the team to a 43-21 record and three trips to the playoffs.
Mularkey is attractive because of his background in coaching power football. Jacksonville also needs someone to develop quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who struggled in his first year in the league. Miami will likely be in the market for a quarterback in the draft.
Mularkey was Miami’s offensive coordinator in 2006 and their tight ends coach in 2007.
Mularkey’s unit was stymied in the 24-2 loss to the New York Giants in the NFC wild-card playoff game on Sunday. The Falcons were 4 of 14 on third downs and 0 for 3 on fourth downs as they were kept out of the end zone.
Jacksonville dismissed Jack Del Rio this season. He was replaced on an interim basis by Mel Tucker. Miami parted ways with Tony Sparano.
After the 2010 season, Mularkey was selected as the coordinator of the year by The Sporting News.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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415 comments Add your comment
JoeBrave
January 11th, 2012
12:24 am
3. Chris Chandler ONLY SUPERBOWL QB!
JoeBrave
January 11th, 2012
12:25 am
4. Matt Ryan 4 winning seasons in a row! the only one to accomplish that
JoeBrave
January 11th, 2012
12:26 am
5. Number 7
Not So Fast
January 11th, 2012
12:30 am
I always liked Chris Miller for some reason.
Not So Fast
January 11th, 2012
12:31 am
I think the bigger problem is Michael Turner. He is overrated to me.
HeeHawSam Wainwright
January 11th, 2012
12:34 am
Ahh yes… VanGorder and Mularkey. Kinda sounds like a comedy team or a wine spritzer.
JoeBrave
January 11th, 2012
12:35 am
Statisctially speaking Matt Ryan is number 1 with an 88.0 passer rating, and number 7 is 2nd with an 80.9 passer rating
DR. FALCON
January 11th, 2012
12:38 am
WHO CARES? GOOD RIDDANCE! BYE!! SH@#T!!!!
JSS
January 11th, 2012
12:40 am
@ FMcM and other “serious bloggers”
See why folks rarely take Falcons fans too seriously?
BREADMAN
January 11th, 2012
12:43 am
Thank God both of them are gone!!!! Now we can win some games we have to much talent to lose every playoff game.
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
January 11th, 2012
12:48 am
If Mularkey gets any job other than the Falcons OC, then it is A GREAT DAY IN ATLANTA!!!!! I am so hoping that Jacksonville’s owner is dumb enough to take Mularkey.
JSS
January 11th, 2012
12:49 am
Your franchise has not won a playoff in nearly 7 years (0-4)… In your last four playoff games (spanning the regimes of three coaches with only two of them making the playoffs) you’ve been outscored by an aggregate of 129-to-57… And you are worrying about a “best?”
FalconsDenmark
January 11th, 2012
1:13 am
I feel sorry for the Jags…
John
January 11th, 2012
1:17 am
Is it possible for the Falcons to get Steve Spagnola/ the Rams former coach? He was a excellent DC. He would work wonders with of defense
Peter
January 11th, 2012
1:24 am
Yes there is Hope for the Falcons…..Now a guy to toughen up Ryan !
JSS
January 11th, 2012
1:25 am
Its Spagnuolo and he’s rumored to be going to the Eagles as early Friday…
Clean House
January 11th, 2012
1:32 am
Well, Atlanta Falcons have no OC and DC….I guess those guys couldn’t wait to leave here…Now the speculations of who wants to come to this dysfunctional team and clean up this mess will be interesting…we shall see
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:38 am
shortly before the playoffs the Falcon’s defense was ranked 9th..and finished up 12th overall by less than 3yards per game…..wow what a bad Def Cord…we had..!!
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:39 am
the Saints def is rank 24th or so…wow what a great Def Cord they have….
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
1:39 am
Bart became an good QB after ‘78 when LeBarron finished drafting his ELITE OFFENSIVE LINE to go with Van Note.
Dimitroff — TAKE NOTE and get to work. History dictates it. Then we can bag on Ryan all day long if he fails to produce. But not with this ragtag group (minus Blaylock & McClure).
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:40 am
I believe New England’s defense is rank 31st or so….wow what a great Def Cord they have…!!!
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:42 am
Green Bay’s defense if ranked at the bottom as well…wish we had their defensive cord…wow that would really help us…
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:45 am
maybe the new cord will help Matt step up in the pocket to actually avoid some of the pressure…that’s the time 5th year QB’s develop “pocket presence” right?
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:48 am
Maybe the new OC can actually call the play that makes the QB throw to the back shoulder for a TD while stepping up in the pocket…..which play is that…?
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:50 am
maybe the new OC can call the play that makes the QB actually scramble to pick up 3 yrds for the first down as opposed to throwing the ball out of bounds on 3 and 3…..what play is that I wonder?
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
1:54 am
Maybe the new OC will NOT call 15-yard passes on 3rd and 1.
Maybe the new OC will have a 4th down package that does not involve running right up the gut as was DONE EVERY TIME THIS SEASON.
Maybe the new OC will have a revamped ELITE OL that will allow our QB to do what he does best — throw into tight windows with an extremely talented group of receivers.
Maybe the new OC will COMMIT to running 20+ times per game and not allowing Ryan to throw more than 30 times per game.
Maybe the new OC will have a SCREEN PACKAGE that will allow the Falcons to unleash the talents of one JacQuizz Rodgers.
But as long as the new OC is not named MIKE MULARKEY we have a shot. A good one.
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:55 am
maybe the new OC will actually see the QB completing the long pass with touch and accuracy in practice so that it can be implemented in the game….our prior OC wasn’t at the practices when the QB was amazing the team with these completions…
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:57 am
Go back look at the first 3 games…the screen passes were all negative losses…check the tapes before you post….additionally, the OL was not fast enough to secure the blocks..that’s why there were no more screen passes….before careful when you post….
JP
January 11th, 2012
1:58 am
cant run 20 times per game when you’re behind…again check the tapes before you post…
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:00 am
I’ve been at the practices…Matt never had success with the long pass in practice..hence you don’t see it in the game…..these guys do football all day..its not often as easy as we think….
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:00 am
Oh I’m really careful. And I’m well aware of the Chicago game.
That was one game. We were coming off an 0-4 preseason with no OTAs. Rodgers was playing his 1st game.
Falcons had no screen game and it killed us all year.
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:00 am
your offensive line issue is on Demitroff…not the OC…
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:01 am
And you don’t need a big arm for screen game.
Come on.
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:02 am
You’re right — OL is on Dimitroff. But Mularkey could have demanded better OL. And to at least re-sign Dahl.
If you’re committing to Ryan that’s one area you don’t screw with at all.
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:03 am
Rodgers is a guy who singlehandedly beat USC 3 years ago.
It’s also on TD he drafted him in the 5th round. USE HIM.
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:05 am
its a scoring league now….QB’s have to make plays when the original play breaks down..ie…when Drew Brees avoids the pressure makes the back shoulder throw for a first down and or a touch down….also see A Rodgers highlights against the Falcons last year in the playoff’s…we had the correct def plays called …he ..meaning A Rodgers beat us by making plays…..Players have to play….
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:06 am
OL…..
Baker – HORRIBLE
Svitek – RESERVE
Reynolds – RESERVE
Blalock – ELITE
McClure – VERY GOOD
Hawley – RESERVE, BUT IMPROVING
Clabo – REGRESSED, NOT STARTING MATERIAL ANY LONGER.
You cannot win with this group. Falcons had ZERO signature wins in 2011. Really backed into the playoffs with what turned out to be an easy schedule.
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:07 am
No dispute there,,..doesnt sound like an Offensive Cord issue…sounds like a player GM issue…?
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:08 am
What Ryan has to work on is his release time. That’s what sets Brees and Rodgers apart.
He’s not athletic enough to have escapability so you have to work with his strengths. We need to get him ELITE linemen and an offensive philosophy that is not based on BOMBS AWAY.
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:10 am
You are partly correct when you say we are committed to Ryan…again, when I was up a several practices….the offense or former offense was designed around Ryan….thus, what we see on game day is a replica of what he does best in practice…don’t believe me…go to the practices with the new OC you will see what I saw…..
NFL roundup: Jaguars hire Mike Mularkey as coach – Detroit Free Press | myalicherif
January 11th, 2012
2:11 am
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution [...]
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:11 am
No — Mularkey didn’t play to the strength of the offense. He tried to turn the Falcons into a pass first team without having all the tools — in fact — minus Dahl. This could have all waited for next season.
Mularkey unleashed this “creative” playbook to show off his supposed smarts — a resume booster — without regard for the strengths of the team. He screwed the players, screwed Smith and screwed the fans.
He’ll get what he has coming to him in Jacksonville.
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:14 am
you again are correct..an elite offensive line will make him better. and create an offense that more suited to his strengths …….problem is…if you revisit the last 5 super bowls….all QB’s at some point made plays to extend the drive after the protection was broken…
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:16 am
if Matt doesn’t improve on his arm strength, touch and pocket awareness…it will not matter who the cord is ….you know that…….
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:18 am
And that’s why I say we have to find out if Ryan can be elite.
1976 – 1978 – Falcons drafted Scott, Bryant, Thielmann and Kenn to go with Van Note. Bartkowski soared. Of course he had a better arm, but he’s a guy who had his knee blown out twice.
Ryan is a tough guy. But if the OL doesn’t improve we’ll be seeing him on the sidelines with a cast on and then we’ll have ZERO chance.
This is a blaring area of weakness that HAS to be improved IMMEDIATELY or we’re heading down the standings in a hurry.
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:19 am
And I’d just like to WIN a playoff game. ONE.
This team has to start addressing the line of scrimmage issues.
10-6 is a near miracle the way this team played this season.
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:21 am
Elite QB play will win the Super Bowl this year as the prior years trend have already shown…when you go back and look at the prior Super Bowl winner’s …honestly ask yourself if our QB can make the same throws …ie..Elie Manning’s escape-ability while having the wherewithal to make a completed throw down field…if you look a little deeper you will see this…
JP
January 11th, 2012
2:28 am
I concur…one playoff game win would be good….just think we are putting too much stock into the cord’s and then the OL…..they can only protect for so long…then what…….not sure if he can be elite..he does not have the ‘heart’ to overachieve….if it’s not scripted and perfect Matt can’t deliver….if you ever played sports you know that the coaches son is often just that …then coaches son…no matter how much coaching he gets he will never be elite…..”Matt is just a coaches son..!!”
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:28 am
Give him an OL and then we can answer all the questions.
Contract year next year. Pocket collapsed consistently all season. He needs help.
Then we can judge him.
Loserville USA
January 11th, 2012
2:30 am
I GUARANTEE YOU that if we get ELITE OL we can make a playoff run.
Might not be possible with the Jones deal but 2nd and 3rd round picks should be OL. And we should sign one in FA. And re-sign McClure. We lose McClure we’re screwed.