Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan
(on the interview process today) "It's been wonderful. I've enjoyed every minute of it. It's been very enlightening as to the potential success of this franchise. Who knows what's next, but it's been great."
(on if he's interviewed for a head coaching job in the NFL before) "Not in the NFL, no."
(on what the process was like today) "It's talking about the things we talk about all the time: coaching decisions and what you plan on doing with the staff and things like that. It's really talking about all the things you talk about and do for a living everyday."
(on his success in Miami) "I think there's going to be some credibility to that. I think we were in a very similar position last year in trying to get things turned around. The coaching staff there, Nick [Saban]'s, done a wonderful job with that transformation and changing the culture and attitude of the team. And those are some of the things that are going to have to be addressed here. Hopefully, those would be some of the lessons I've been able to learn and draw upon for this franchise."
(on why he'd be a good fit here) "First of all, I think it's the franchise people, the friendliness of the people here, what they want and the vision they have. Number two, the players fit the criteria of the systems I'd want to run. When you look at a job, you want to be successful, especially if you're going to take a head coaching job. I think the players and the franchise and all those things all have to fit. Otherwise, you say you're going to come in and attack the field vertically with the passing game; you're going to have to make sure you've got a guy in the backfield that can do that. Those are all things that are considered."
(on moving down to the field from the pressbox and the Dolphins winning their last six games) "I don't know. That was something necessary, an adjustment we had to make in that situation. I've been in the booth as a coordinator my whole career. It just happened to be a positive move for us. How much it impacted us for the season, I don't know. I think sometimes more is made out of things like that than probably should be. But I think it was a good move. We were able to get on the same page more in what we were doing. The coaches that moved up into the booth were excellent in those roles and enabled me to do that. We, as an offense, jelled and were able to kind of put together our personality and finish it up the right way."
(on if Minnesota has contacted him about their head coaching position) "I haven't talked to Minnesota. Certainly, I'm fortunate to have anybody interested. I don't get into whether they're going to call or not. I'm happy to be here to be honest with you."
(on if any other teams have contacted him at this point) "Not at this point."
(on the Texans offense) "Well, 11 catches, 170 yards, two touchdowns. Andre Johnson is probably the young version of a Randy Moss – a guy that can dominate a game. I saw it in person so that's exciting. Obviously David's throwing him the ball. I've got a little bit of a background in evaluating David as a college player. He played his college ball for a good friend of mine. He probably won't even remember but I recruited him when he was in high school. But I know he's got the talent and the positional criteria you need to play the position. And then you've got a young back. Domanick Davis has been a very, very productive back and has been a guy that's been able to get it done offensively. And then the defensive side, I'm more familiar really coming into this with the defensive side of the ball. When we were preparing for the Texans when I was with Minnesota last year, they had just sacked Kerry Collins five or six times and had created four or five turnovers. We were scared to death when we played. They have the ability to be a dominant team defensively, too. The special teams is probably one of the brightest spots on the team, I think one of the strengths of the team based on what they were able to do last year on special teams. So there are a lot of real positive things here. This franchise isn't far away."
(on any advice Nick Saban may have given him) "I tap him quite a bit. He's been through it a lot. He's been through a lot of interviews. He obviously has the head coaching experience to draw on. He basically said to be yourself, to go in there and be convicted with what you believe in and make sure you ask all the questions you need answered as well. It was great advice and I took every bit of it."
(on the Texans possessing the number one overall pick in next year's draft) "When you have the best pick in the draft, that's always a positive because you can get the best player. That's a very positive part of the job. That's certainly something that's got to be addressed. Who the best fit is and all those things will take care of itself but it certainly gives you more options than the other 31 teams."
(on any timetable for the hire) "Not really. I just finished coaching three days ago. I'm now in a different phase here. I'm sure they're going to do a thorough job and you've got to respect that. I'm in no hurry to make a decision one way or another."
(on only having four years of NFL coaching experience) "I think you always have to sell yourself with the production you have and the product you put out on the field. I've certainly never approached anything any different. I've felt like every day of my life I've had to prove myself in some capacity or another and this would be no different."
(on Dave Ragone) "One of my all-time favorites. I don't want to say he's my all-time favorite because I'll make some of my other guys mad. But Dave's one of those guys who basically gave me everything [he had] and that's basically what I preach: the effort and giving it your all. He's a great example of somebody who got the most out of his abilities and will continue to get better at this level. Once given the opportunities, he's going to really blossom. There aren't many better people in this world than that kid."
