Shahid Khan, who officially became the Jacksonville Jaguars' new owner Wednesday, already has narrowed his list of head-coaching candidates to his top three.
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"This is a one-owner-at-a-time league, (but) that doesn't mean we can't prepare," Khan told The Florida Times-Union. "We've had our first 25 plays and we're executing them. This is not something you wait for. We know who our top three choices are. All three are excellent."
Khan wouldn't reveal the candidates he and general manager Gene Smith are considering, but he said the list includes some well-known names that haven't been made public.
"It's been proven to me, people want this job," Khan told The Times-Union. "The area, the players, whatever the reason, I don't know. But the fact is, there isn't anybody we've contacted who said, 'I'm not interested.' Flip side, there are other names that have contacted us that we thought might not have an interest. ... It's a wider net than even we thought because of the volunteers."
NFL Network's Jason La Canfora and Mike Lombardi reported that the Jaguars have requested permission to interview New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for the job.
La Canfora reported Wednesday the Jaguars hope to interview O'Brien this weekend, with the Patriots on a playoff bye, but that seems unlikely at this point because he's talking to Penn State about its head-coaching vacancy.
Interim coach Mel Tucker, who replaced Jack Del Rio for the Jaguars' final five games of the 2011 season and went 2-3, already has been interviewed for the full-time position.
