Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy interviewed with the Cardinals late last week, and while he was not made available to the Phoenix media afterwards, he did have this to say to the Denver Post and other Denver media outlets on Wednesday:
"We told the teams up front at our meetings -- we told them ahead of time -- that our No. 1 focus is to keep moving on with the tournament (playoffs).
“They understood. They were great with that. I told them, 'Listen, there are certain things I may not know about your organization or certain things I haven't researched as much as I would have liked, but all my time and effort in preparation last week was in breaking down our opponents.' The last (interview) we had Sunday, I said we need to be done by a certain time because we needed to move on."
It’s unknown how serious a candidate McCoy is for the Cardinals post. He’s also high on the Bears' list -- the job in Chicago is widely considered the top job available this offseason -- and he is known to have interviewed with the Eagles last weekend.
Bears general manager Phil Emery is under the gun to find an offensive mind to harness the enigmatic talents of quarterback Jay Cutler, who will turn 30 in April and is about to play for his fourth offensive coordinator in five seasons in Chicago.
The situation is similar in Arizona, where quarterback Kevin Kolb will turn 29 in August and is about to play for his second coordinator in three seasons -- third if you believe, like some, that former coach Ken Whisenhunt was calling many of the plays in Miller’s first year on the job in 2011.
McCoy is intriguing because of his success molding systems around vastly different quarterbacks, those being Jake Delhomme in Carolina and Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning in Denver.
If the Cardinals do want McCoy, they will likely have to wait until the Broncos’ playoff run is over. That could make for a long wait since Denver is the AFC’s top seed and a favorite to advance to the Super Bowl.
McCoy can't meet with teams for a second interview until the Broncos are either through playing or have advanced to the Super Bowl, allowing him to conduct those second interviews in the days after the AFC championship game Jan. 20.
HAZY ON HALEY
Todd Haley either has interviewed with the Cardinals or hasn't interviewed with the Cardinals, depending whom you choose to believe.
Steelers president Art Rooney II told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday that Haley, currently the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, had interviewed in Arizona. But Haley's agent, Jerome Stanley, told NFL.com later in the day that Rooney was incorrect.
"The report is wrong," Stanley told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. "I stand by my statement. Period. You can report that!"
The Cardinals have not confirmed or denied an interview with Haley, who was their offensive coordinator in 2008 and '09.
TURNER TO THE DESERT?
XTRA Sports 910's Mike Jurecki reported Thursday that Cardinals defensive coordinator and head coaching candidate Ray Horton has reached out to former Chargers coach Norv Turner to gauge his interest in becoming the team's next offensive coordinator if Horton should become the Cards' coach. Turner reportedly wants to stay out west and has already declined an opportunity with a team back east.
Turner won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys as OC in 1992 and 1993. He also has served as head coach of the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders, and as offensive coordinator for the Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers.
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