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Let's make a deal Jaguars are set on hiring Del Rio, SavagePosted: Thursday January 16, 2003 2:12 PMBy Don Banks, Sports Illustrated No deals have been consummated, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the process of conducting final interviews Thursday with Jack Del Rio and Phil Savage, who are expected to be named their head coach and general manager, respectively. Though an official announcement may not come until Friday, NFL sources said the Jaguars have settled on Del Rio and Savage. Del Rio, the Carolina defensive coordinator, is in Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon interviewing a second time with Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver. Savage, Baltimore's college scouting director, is scheduled to fly to Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon for an evening interview with Weaver. He first interviewed with Weaver earlier this week. "It looks like just a matter of process at this point," said one NFL source. "Jack and Phil are both in the position of having the jobs, as long as nothing unexpected happens in their interviews." There were unconfirmed reports Thursday afternoon that Jacksonville already has offered the position to Del Rio, who was seen accepting congratulations from his fellow coaches before leaving the Senior Bowl workouts in Mobile, Ala. Reached Thursday afternoon, Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey said he was hearing the same reports of Del Rio's imminent hiring, but that he had yet to hear anything official from Weaver and the Jaguars. Mularkey and Del Rio were left standing as Jacksonville's top two candidates on Wednesday after fired 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci sent word through his agent that he wasn't interested in the Jaguars job, and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz announced his intention to remain with the Hawkeyes. Del Rio, who has just one year's worth of experience as an NFL coordinator, would replace the fired Tom Coughlin, the only head coach in Jacksonville's history. The exact title that Savage would hold is still unknown, but it will have GM-level authority, even if the team chooses to name him director of football operations. Del Rio, 39, and Savage, 37, worked together in Baltimore until last season. Del Rio was the Ravens linebackers coach from 1999-2001, during which time Baltimore's defense led the way to the team's Super Bowl season of 2000. Savage has been with the Ravens since the franchise moved from Cleveland in 1996. Before that he spent the previous five seasons in the Browns organization, as an assistant coach and eventually a member of the team's personnel department. |
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