Kerney a goner?

Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney may quickly follow wide receiver Ashley Lelie, as the second Falcon free agent to move on to a new team. Kerney had a busy opening weekend to free agency. He visited the Denver Broncos on Friday, a team that has long been rumored to be interested in him. The Broncos hired former Falcons defensive line coach Bill Johnson in January, and Kerney has indicated that would play a role in where he decided to sign.

On Saturday, Kerney flew from Denver to Seattle to visit the Seahawks. Reportedly, former Falcons head coach Jim Mora was on the flight that carried Kerney away from Denver. Mora took over as secondary coach for the Seahawks after being fired by the Falcons at the end of the season.

The Falcons havebeen interested in retaining Kerney, but he was expected to be a hot commodity once he became available on the free agent market. The Broncos already offered him a contract. Whether he leaves Seattle with a contract offer in hand is not yet known, but could be expected. It may be difficult for the Falcons to match any offer that either the Broncos or Seahawks submit.

The Falcons other major free agent, fullback Justin Griffith, visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday. But no deal seems imminent.

Zimmer a candidate in San Diego

The AJC's Steve Wyche reports that the new Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is a candidate for the recently vacated San Diego Chargers head coaching position and will interview at some point. The Chargers chose to fire coach Marty Schottenheimer on Monday, despite leading the Chargers to a 14-2 record, the best ever in franchise history.

The Chargers ownership cited the ongoing feud between Schottenheimer and GM A.J. Smith as one of the primary reasons for his surprising dismissal. Schottenheimer first came under fire after losing to the New England Patriots in the playoffs, but had seemingly avoided being fired in the week following. But the exodus of both offensive and defensive coordinators Cam Cameron and Wade Phillips, also contributed to his dismissal. Cameron interviewed for the Falcons head coaching gig before it went to Bobby Petrino. He eventually was hired by the Miami Dolphins, and Phillips by the Dallas Cowboys.

Zimmer was one of the first hires made by Petrino after the team hired him on January 7. This is not the first head coaching opportunity Zimmer has had. He interviewed for the job in St. Louis last season, that eventually went to Scott Linehan, and also for the vacant job in Nebraska in 2004 that went to former Oakland Raiders head coach Bill Callahan. Prior to joining the Falcons, Zimmer had spent the past seven seasons as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.

Several candidates are expected to interview soon, including former Falcons head coach Jim Mora, who joined the Seattle Seahawks staff as defensive backs coach after his dismissal. The timing of Zimmer's interview is not yet known, according to the AJC report.

Falcons to interview Whisenhunt

The Atlanta Falcons plan to interview Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt today for their vacant head coaching position. Whisenhunt is the first scheduled interview for the team after firing head coach Jim Mora on Monday. Whisenhunt played for the Falcons between 1985 and 1988 as a tight end before ending his playing career with the New York Jets in 1992. Whisenhunt has been the Steelers offensive coordinator since taking over the position from Mike Mularkey in 2004.

Under Whisenhunt's leadership, the Steelers won Super Bowl XL last season. The Steelers offense ranked 5th in total yards this past season, with previous rankings of 16th and 14th in 2005 and 2004, respectively. Whisenhunt's offenses have featured strong rushing attacks, ranking as high as 2nd in 2004, 5th in 2005, and 10th this past season. The passing game has steadily improved under his leadership, ranking 28th in 2004, and then improving to 25th in their Super Bowl year. But ranked 8th this past season.

Prior to his promotion, Whisenhunt served as the Steelers tight ends coach for three seasons, where. He served in that same position in 2000 on the New York Jets coaching staff. He was also the tight ends coach for the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons (1997-98). He also coached Cleveland Browns special teams in 1999.

Whisenhunt is a local, born on February 28, 1962 in Atlanta, GA. He attended Georgia Tech, where he ranked second in the school's all-time receiving yards list and fourth in career receptions. He went on to have a productive seven-year NFL career. In four seasons with the Falcons, he caught 56 passes for 551 yards and 5 touchdowns. In one season with the Washington Redskins (1990) and two with the New York Jets, he caught a total of 6 passes for 45 yards.

Whisenhunt is considered one of the leading candidates among current NFL assistants for various positions around the league. His name has been mentioned and linked to current open vacancies in Miami and Arizona. He was considered an early favorite for the vacant Oakland Raiders job last season that eventually went to Art Shell. He also conducted a phone interview for the vacant St. Louis Rams position that wound up going to Scott Linehan.

The Search Begins...

The Falcons announced yesterday that head coach Jim Mora would not be retained. The team's 15-16 record since their appearance in the NFC Championship Game in January 2005 is the main reason for Mora's dismissal. But consecutive 2-6 finishes in the second half of the past two years, and comments made about interest in other coaching positions on the radio definitely weighed poorly in Mora's favor. But now the Falcons must begin a new era, as Arthur Blank looks to hire the third coach of his short five-year term as Atlanta Falcons owner.

There is no official list of candidates, although many have concluded that the Falcons will lean towards an offensive-minded coach due to the team's struggles in the passing game the past few years. Michael Vick's presence on the team also plays a factor into the team's search as Falcons GM Rich McKay indicated, although it won't be a final judging factor. Hiring a coach that can get the most out of Vick's abilities will be a significant factor however.

Blank indicated there is no set timetable to hire a coach, although Mora himself was hired in less than two weeks after the Falcons concluded their 2003 season. If a similar process occurs again, it probably favors a coach that is currently under the employment of a college program or on a non-playoff team in the NFL.

Also the fate of the remainder of the Falcons coaching staff is unknown. McKay indicated their fate will be at the full discrepancy of the new head coach.