ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Team owner Pat Bowlen wrapped up his first round of interviews for the Denver Broncos' coaching vacancy Thursday when he met with Miami Dolphins assistant head coach/secondary Todd Bowles.
Shanahan exclusive
Adam Schefter sat down with former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan for an exclusive interview on GameDay Morning following his dismissal after 21 seasons in Denver.
Bowlen and his inner circle will now huddle to determine if any of the seven candidates will be offered Mike Shanahan's old coaching position or whether a second round -- or even a second wave -- of interviews is needed.
Bowlen fired Shanahan last week after the Broncos completed the biggest collapse in divisional history, blowing a three-game lead with three weeks to go to finish 8-8.
Bowlen hasn't spoken publicly about the search since he began interviewing candidates, starting with New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels last weekend on the East Coast.
He returned to team headquarters Monday and interviewed defensive coordinators Raheem Morris of Tampa Bay and Leslie Frazier of Minnesota, along with offensive coordinators Jason Garrett of Dallas and Rick Dennison of Denver.
Bowles, 45, joined the Dolphins as assistant head coach in charge of the defensive backfield last season after three years as Dallas' secondary coach, and he was a part of Miami's historic turnaround from 1-15 to 11-5 and the AFC East title.
He played eight seasons in the NFL with Washington and San Francisco and started at cornerback in the Redskins' 42-10 blowout of the Broncos in the Super Bowl following the 1987 season.
The Broncos' new coach will be asked to keep a half-dozen or so of Shanahan's assistants, most notably quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates and running backs coach Bobby Turner. All members of Shanahan's coaching staff will have their contracts honored through 2009, but they've been given permission to seek employment elsewhere.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
