New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, believed to be one of the front-runners for the Miami Dolphins' head coaching vacancy, withdrew from consideration for the position on Monday.
Schottenheimer did not elaborate on his surprising decision. Schottenheimer is the son of San Diego Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
Marty Schottenheimer's son, Brian, pulled his name out of the running for the Dolphins' head coaching job, possibly to help out his dad.
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"I have withdrawn my name from consideration for the Miami
Dolphins' head coaching vacancy," Brian Schottenheimer said in a statement. "I am
committed to the New York Jets."
One of 12 candidates interviewed by Miami officials since coach Nick Saban left the Dolphins to accept the job at the University of Alabama, Schottenheimer was among a group called back for follow-up sessions with team officials. He was to have met with Miami executives on Monday, but canceled the trip.
Some observers felt that Schottenheimer, who has been an NFL assistant for eight seasons, had the inside track to the Dolphins' job.
"Brian's creative approach on offense was an integral part of
our progress in the 2006 season," head coach Eric Mangini said in
a statement. "I'm pleased he will remain with the Jets to build on
that progress."
Over the past two days, the Dolphins met for a second time with former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora and Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey. Club officials have not revealed the finalists for the job, said how many candidates will be granted interviews or publicly discussed a timetable for filling the position.
In his first season as a coordinator, Schottenheimer led the Jets to just a No. 25 statistical ranking in total offense. But the New York offense was better than that number indicates, and Schottenheimer, viewed as a rising star in league circles, was instrumental in resurrecting the career of quarterback Chad Pennington.
Schottenheimer, 33, was a college quarterback at Kansas (1992) and Florida (1993-96), and began his coaching career at Syracuse in 1999. He also served on the staff at Southern California in 2000. His NFL experience includes tours of duty with St. Louis (1997), Kansas City (1998), Washington (2001) and San Diego (2002-05).
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.