Steelers coordinator to meet with Falcons
ATLANTA (AP) – Owner Arthur Blank and general manager Rich McKay are expected to interview Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt for the Atlanta Falcons’ head coaching vacancy on Thursday. Blank fired Jim Mora, who went 26-22 in the last three seasons, on Monday.
The Steelers gave permission to Whisenhunt and Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm to discuss job openings with other NFL teams searching for a new head coach.
Whisenhunt and Grimm also would become candidates with Pittsburgh if Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who led the team to a Super Bowl title last year, retires.
The Falcons are coming off a 7-9 season in which they missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
Whisenhunt played tight end at Georgia Tech before joining the Falcons for a four-year career that ended in 1988.
Blank and McKay interviewed two Pittsburgh coordinators, Mike Mularkey (offensive) and Tim Lewis (defense), before hiring Mora in January 2004.
Mularkey might interview again this time. After the Buffalo Bills fired him as head coach last year, Mularkey spent 2006 as offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins. He went 14-18 with Buffalo.
Miami will begin searching immediately for a replacement for Nick Saban, who left the Dolphins on Wednesday to become head coach at the University of Alabama.