Kubiak, Kubiak, Kubiak, OK, I get it, that’s all everyone here in . But what about the coach the Broncos are interviewing on Friday, Teryl Austin, the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator? Like, who is he?
We know the Lions’ defense — top against the run last season (69.3 yards), second in total defense (300.8 yards per game) and second in scoring defense (17.6 points per game).
Here are some bullet points about the 49-year-old Austin:
• I texted a reporter who covers the Lions on a daily basis, and the reporter gushed about Austin. Here’s the text:
“He relates to players very well. Smart. Willing to incorporate player ideas into game plans and in-game adjustments. Not an ego problem. He’s a risk, like any first-time HC (head coach), but he’s a smart coach who won’t alienate a locker room. With the Peyton factor, that Jim Caldwell will recommend him should be good for Peyton.”
Indeed, Manning went to a Super Bowl under Colts coach Caldwell, who now coaches Detroit.
• Austin has coached at numerous big-name programs in both college (Penn State, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Michigan, Florida) and the National Football League (Seattle, Arizona, Detroit). He was the Gators defensive coordinator for one season, and this was his first season in charge of Detroit’s defense. He won a Super Bowl as an assistant with Baltimore in 2013 (yes, he coached against Denver in the Rahim Moore game), and he lost Super Bowls in 2005 and 2008 with the Seahawks and Cardinals.
• Here’s an interesting twist about Austin, per ESPN.com. It involves Adam Gase. So, Austin is a candidate for the Atlanta Falcons job, as is Dan Quinn, the Seahawks defensive coordinator I wrote about in .
Per on Thursday: A source indicated part of Austin’s pitch to become the Falcons’ head coach is to bring Gase along as his offensive coordinator. Gase, the offense coordinator for the Denver Broncos this season, was a finalist for the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching job and was among the first group of candidates interviewed by Falcons owner Arthur Blank and the search committee.
Although Dan Quinn emerged as the favorite for the Falcons following the first round of interviews, Austin had a chance to make a strong case during his second interview Thursday. The addition of Gase to the mix could be a formidable combination that might not only fix a broken defense, but also add more juice to an already potent offense led by quarterback Matt Ryan and Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones.
• Here’s a little insight to Austin with the Palm Beach Post, back in his 2010 season as the Florida Gators DC.
Q: You seem kind of soft spoken now, but what are you like on the sidelines?
A: “I don’t know if you want me to yell right now. What I am, every situation is different. I’m not a “lose my mind” guy. I like to coach hard during the week, get after my guys. I want them to practice hard, get after it so that when the game time comes, I’m putting out fires, putting out things that happen bad, trying to build guys up. Don’t want to tear them down. It happens sometimes. I have been known to yell at a few guys, but most of the time I’ll just talk like this.”
Chew on this
• The Nuggets have won . Yes, THE NUGGETS.
• And this was kind of fun — injured Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari joined the TV broadcast last night, and announced .
• Are the Patriots, dare we say, ? The talented Will Leitch of Sports On Earth breaks it down.
• If the Seahawks win Sunday, Russell Wilson will become the first QB in NFL history to start two Super Bowls within his first three seasons, this per @ESPNStatsInfo.
• The Oscar nominations came out today. In case you missed them, here are the (spoiler — “The Expendables 3” was SNUBBED).
• Happy 35th birthday to former Rockies slugger Matt Holliday, who .
Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or
