Giants' Fewell On Broncos Radar
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — With Jim Harbaugh heading to the 49ers, John Elway, the Broncos' new football czar said he's only interested in interviewing coaches who have NFL experience, not anybody looking to jump from the college ranks.
First up for interviews on Sunday are New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, who was an interim coach in Buffalo in 2009, and Eric Studesville, who went 1-3 as interim Broncos coach after his promotion from running backs coach following Josh McDaniels' firing last month.
Fewell is also being considered for the Carolina Panthers' open head coaching position.
Elway also said he's seeking permission from the Houston Texans to interview offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, a longtime Broncos assistant who has never been an NFL head coach, and is considering calling former Giants coach Jim Fassel, who tutored Elway in college and in the pros.
"Jim is a possibility. I know him really well from him being my college coach and for two years here and he definitely got some experience with the Giants," Elway said. "So, he's been on the list. We've thrown his name around a little bit. So, we haven't finalized anything on him."
Fassel went 58-53-1 from 1997-03 in New York and led the Giants to the Super Bowl following the 2000 season, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
On Thursday, Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey canceled his interview with the Broncos that was slated for Friday night in Atlanta, saying he wanted to focus on the playoffs, although he kept his scheduled interview with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
Mularkey indicated he'd like to talk to the Broncos if the job is still open when the Falcons finish their season.
"It's tough to wait until another month just because you lose the good coaches that are out there and everything," Elway said. "But I think that he's somebody that is very high on a lot of people's lists and he's still very high on our list. And so I think that we'd still like an opportunity to talk to him."
The Broncos are in need of a major makeover following the McDaniels misadventure that included a series of bad personnel decisions which led to a 4-12 season, the worst in franchise history.
Elway has indicated his next coach should be a believer in Tim Tebow, the rookie who started the last three games after supplanting Kyle Orton at quarterback.
Elway said he was spending Friday moving into his spacious office that Shanahan and, later, McDaniels and then Studesville, occupied.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
