Jan 15, 2013 2:54pm
By Andrew Kulp? (email)
The700Level.com
There are endorsements, and then there are glowing endorsements. And then there is what Gus Bradley?s peers have been saying about him.
Bradley arrived in Philadelphia this afternoon for a second interview for the Eagles? head coaching vacancy, and the buzz is he could be offered the job today. While most fans seem to be enthusiastic about the possible selection, many coaches around the league believe emphatically that this is the right man for the job.
We know Gus can coach defense, as evidenced by what he has done over four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. 2012 was his best effort yet coordinating their defense, which finished fourth in the NFL in yards, and number one in points allowed.
That?s great and all, but it doesn?t necessarily make him a great head coach. If those numbers don?t do it for you, maybe the words of Pete Carroll and Monte Kiffin will do it for you.
Here?s Carroll in an ESPN.com story about Bradley?s candidacy:
"He's got a brilliant football mind," Seahawks coach Peter Carroll said this week. "He's got a way of reaching people and touching people and getting the best out of them, coaches and players alike. He's got everything that you're looking for."
Okay, Carroll might be a little biased because Bradley works for him. He has to say to nice things about the guy as long as he intends to have him back if this head coach thing doesn?t work out ? although it seems unlikely Bradley wouldn?t get hired by somebody.
Kiffin of course is the legendary mastermind behind the Tampa Cover 2 scheme, and as the recently hired defensive coordinator in Dallas, is under no such obligation to speak highly of Bradley. Yet he first recommended Bradley to then-Seattle chief Jim Mora, describing him as a ?once-in-a-lifetime coach.? What does he think, Phil Sheridan?
"He was born to be a head coach," he said. "I'll tell you that right now. I promise you. He will be a head coach in the NFL and a good one.
"He's great with players. They really respond to him. They work hard for him. He's a great people person. The fans will love him. The players will love him. Everybody in the building will love him.
"He's tough, but he knows when to pull off. He knows when to be tough and when not to be tough."
Bradley got his start in the NFL as quality control and then a linebackers coach under Kiffin and Jon Gruden at Tampa Bay, so I guess it?s natural he would only have good things to say, too. Still, this is nothing like the tepid-by-comparison endorsement Peyton Manning gave Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy a few weeks back, saying he?s paid his dues and all sorts of other comments that played it safe.
According to those who have worked with him closest, Bradley is a hell of a coach. Now what?s the latest on the Eagles hiring him?
We don?t know, but Kiffin added this in Sheridan?s story from last week:
"I've told people I've talked to in the last week or so, if you interview him, there's a good chance you'll hire him. He'll walk in [to the interview] and take over the room."
Tags: eagles, Pete Carroll, Gus Bradley, Monte Kiffincondoleezza rice Perry Hall High School bill cosby us open bill nye Hurricane Isaac 2012 Snooki Baby
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