The Patriots have been the paragon of success over the past twenty seasons, so it's no surprise that other teams are trying to steal some of that shine.
The Detroit Lions to are going to interview Patriots Director of Pro Scouting Bob Quinn for their vacant General Manager role. Quinn has spent 16 seasons with the Patriots, having played a role in all four New England Super Bowls, and served as a scout until his promotion to Assistant Director of Pro Personnel from 2009-2011 until his promotion to his current role.
If Quinn departs, Assistant Director of Pro Scouting is third year staffer Dave Ziegler makes the obvious potential replacement. Of course, Ziegler has the job because he attended John Carroll University alongside Patriots Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
In fact, Ziegler served under McDaniels in Denver, which could pose another problem because Josh McDaniels could be a head coach in 2016 and could bring some staff with him.
The Dolphins have requested the chance to interview McDaniels, who is a top option for the coaching vacancies around the league. Miami falls in the same category as Cleveland and San Francisco when it comes to meddling owners, which McDaniels will want to avoid. McDaniels has had interviews with the Browns and 49ers in the past, and will likely be on their list again this season. McDaniels will likely hold out for a possible job with the New York Giants or Philadelphia Eagles.
The Patriots staffer that is getting a lot of notice is defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Not only was Patricia requested for the Dolphins job, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Browns are requesting an interview with Patricia that should take place prior to the end of the week.
Personally, I'd like to think that Bill Belichick tells his coaches to speak with Cleveland in a mock interview of sorts, so they can gain some experience before a real interview with another team down the road. There's no better way to get promising coaches to stick around for another couple of seasons than by sending them to Cleveland so they can see how horribly an organization can be run.
"Don't step out of line, Josh!," Belichick will say. "Or the Cleveland under the bed will get you!"