The New England Patriots might be out of the playoffs, but there is plenty of news to report: Scott Pioli’s job hunt continues, for the second week; Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been on more interviews and veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi wants to return.

Pioli Watch Continues

Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli has yet to make a decision, but the decision may be made for him already in one locale – Cleveland. Pioli was believed to be the Browns leading candidate to take over their vacant GM position. 

The Browns have closed in on their next head coach, one with NFL experience rather than the one Pioli reportedly prefers.  Eric Mangini, former Patriots assistant coach and recently fired New York Jets head man is the frontrunner to land the position of head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and the prospect of having Mangini as their next head coach diminishes the likelihood of Pioli accepting any job offer Cleveland may make. 

Cleveland owner Randy Lerner cleaned house this year after watching his team collapse to finish just 4-12 in a state of disarray reeling from injuries. Head Coach Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage were both let go after four disappointing seasons.   The pair finished their tenure in Cleveland with a 25-40 record winning just once at home this year.  Fan apathy had reached a new level with scores of empty seats in the stands from a fan base known for its sellouts even in horrible weather conditions.

The Browns shave requested permission to speak with Ravens director of pro personnel George Kokinis.  The Ravens have put that request on hold until after their playoff game against the Tennessee Titans this weekend.  Tom Heckert of the Philadelphia Eagles is also on Cleveland’s list of candidates to interview as a potential GM replacement. 

Kokinis and Heckert’s involvement in the process doesn’t bode well for Pioli’s chances to land in Cleveland, though he still hasn’t been ruled out according to a source with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations.

Kansas City has become the new favorite to land Pioli.  According to multiple reports, Pioli has already met with Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, and is involved in ongoing negotiations. 

One report in the Eagle Tribune indicates that Pioli has already been offered a very rich contract making one of the highest compensated front office executives in the league. 

"He has been offered one of the richest contracts ever for a football operations CEO and with the chance to reside in one of the most pleasant places in America, Kansas City," –  Bill Burt in the Eagle Tribune.

Sources close to the negotiations in Kansas City say the details of an offer cannot be confirmed, as both sides are still believed to be in negotiations over details.
Regardless of how the Pioli situation unfolds, the patriots have other football operations staff members drawing interest.

McDaniels To Browns, Broncos, Rams…?

Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels has seen his stock soar as the production of Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel improved.  Cassel finished among the top 10 quarterbacks in the league with an 89.4 rating. His work with the Patriots record-setting offense in 2007, and Cassel’s rise from a career as a backup has put him in the dcrosshairs of a number of owners around the league looking for a bright young mind to lead their team.

In addition to his role as offensive coordinator, McDaniels is also listed as the Patriots quarterbacks coach.  He has been courted by a few teams so far, and had his name bandied about in others.  McDaniels interviewed with the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos.  According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, The St. Louis Rams have also  requested permission to speak with him.

Seely On the Radar

Brad Seely, Patriots special teams coach, is drawing interest from the Seattle Seahawks according to NFL.com.   the Patriots assistant has been in New England since 1999 and is responsible for personally scouting Adam Vinatieri’s replacement, Stepehen Gostkowski.  When the Patriots struggled during their negotiations with Vinatieri, he ended up leaving the team for the rival Indianapolis Colts.  Many thought the move was a tremendous blunder by the Patriots front office, not retaining one of the greatest clutch kickers in league history. 

Seely and Pioli proved the critics wrong when they selected Gotskowski in the fourth  round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Memphis.  Since that time, Gostkowski became the most accurate icker in Patriots history.

Gostkowski isn’t Seely’s only accomplishment.  The coach also coordinated the Patriots kickoff and coverage units which finished 3rd overall for returns (25.2 ypr) and tied 10th overall for allowed return yardage (22.3 ypr) and tied 9th best in percentage of touchbacks.

Pepper’s Name Emerges

Mike Mcarthy and the Green Bay Packers are looking for new staff to coach their defense after letting defensive coordinator Bob Sanders go.  The Packers opted opted to dismiss their defensive coaching staff after a the team finished in the bottom third of the league in several major categories: Points 23.8 (22nd), Yards 334.3 (20th), Plays allowed from scrimmage 1,003 (20th). 

One name being throw into the discussion is Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson.  Though the Packers haven’t officially asked for permission to speak with Johnson, he’s on the list of potential candidates according to Wisconsin papers.

Bruschi Wants To Return

The Boston Globe reported that linebacker Tedy Bruschi would like to return to the Patriots to finish the final year of his contract.  Bruschi reportedly has one year left on a deal he signed in 2008, and wants to finish out his contract if the team wants him according to a source with knowledge of Bruschi’s thinking.

A possible roadblock in that return could be the status of Bruschi’s health.  He finished the season nursing a knee injury, believed to be ligament damage.  According to the source the injury will not be an issue.

"If they played another week, he might have played," the source confirmed. "If they played longer-term in the postseason, he would have been fine."

For a long term recovery, surgery was not required according to the report.

"It was never a surgical issue, just a feeling better and feeling OK issue. He has got no surgeries scheduled. He is feeling good."