*One reason Todd Bowles may have been promoted to defensive coordinator by the Eagles is he had been the league’s informal No. 1 candidate to become the next minority head coach, and the plan was to push him for head coaching interviews. Even the brain trust in Philly had him on a short list to succeed Andy Reid. A solid showing by the Eagles defense would have easily put him in the driver’s seat for upcoming interviews. However the performance of the Eagles D will most likely seriously diminish his stock as a head coaching candidate. The top minority candidate now could be Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

*Nick Saban probably isn’t going to make the jump to the NFL. He’s comfortable being a college head coach and he has a good situation at Alabama. But the NFL is going to come knocking. And, from what we are hearing, Saban will listen. Like he always does. They say there you can buy anything for the right price, and people in the league believe you can definitely buy Saban if you want to pay a ridiculous price.

*A lot of the credit for drafting Russell Wilson should be given to Seahawks general manager John Schneider. He had conviction about Wilson early in the process, and was determined to take him no matter what. However, head coach Pete Carroll also became a fan and supported pulling the trigger on Wilson in the third round. Having the general manager and head coach on the same page on draft day helps to create a stable and fast track development environment for any player.

*Jim Schwartz is expected to be safe in Detroit despite the fact that the Lions have had a very disappointing season, there are some organizational issues, and Schwartz’ four-year win percentage is .361. Why? Because he signed a five-year contract last offseason. It is unlikely Lions ownership would eat four years of the deal.

*Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is catching the eyes of some NFL front offices and is likely to be a candidate for a head coach opening. He interviewed for the Broncos vacancy two years ago and we hear he impressed John Elway mightily. Elway has told people it was very close between Koetter and John Fox.

*Bill Kuharich has been out of the league since being let go in a purge by the Chiefs three years ago, but we’re hearing he could be getting back in this year. Kuharich’s record as a talent evaluator both in Kansas City and New Orleans is pretty solid, and NFL front office men have taken notice.