Bob Lamonte

After Jon Gruden went through a second day of interviews with the Oakland Raiders yesterday, the agent for the Eagles' offensive coordinator predicted a quick decision. "I don't think it's going to be a long, protracted thing," agent Bob LaMonte said. "Jon is very pleased with how it went. He's going to go home [to Philadelphia today]. I don't expect anything to happen imminently, but I think Jon has a good feel about where things are. " Gruden met with Raiders owner Al Davis for six to seven hours yesterday, LaMonte said.

OFFICIALLY, the Arizona Cardinals have begun their coaching search with a formal interview of their own defensive coordinator, Ray Horton. Unofficially, Andy Reid has emerged as the leading candidate and could be hired by the end of the week, team and league sources told ESPN.com. KTVK-TV in Phoenix was the first to identify the former Eagles coach as the front-runner on Tuesday. One league source told ESPN he was "95 percent" certain Reid will be named the Cardinals' coach. He would succeed Ken Whisenhunt, fired Monday.

Jon Gruden interviewed for the Oakland Raiders' head coaching job yesterday. The Eagles' offensive coordinator has begun to look like the leading candidate. Neither Gruden nor his agent, Bob LaMonte, could be reached for comment. This was the fourth time for Gruden to interview with Raiders boss Al Davis. As a candidate for the head coaching job last year, Gruden interviewed with Davis twice, once in Oakland and once during Super Bowl week in New Orleans. Gruden also interviewed for the Raiders' offensive coordinator job two years ago, after his first season with the Eagles.

There was no news conference at the Oakland Coliseum yesterday. Nor does it look like the Raiders will announce the hiring of Jon Gruden as their head coach today. Word around the Super Bowl headquarters was that the Raiders will wait until Monday to make it official. No news was still good news for Gruden, though. He remained in Oakland, negotiating the details of the deal that could make him an NFL head coach at age 34. One of Gruden's Eagles assistants, offensive line coach Bill Callahan, was also in Oakland yesterday.

Maybe there's fire where the smoke is in Oakland, and maybe there isn't. CBS SportsLine yesterday cited an unnamed source who held that Eagles offensive coordinator Jon Gruden appeared to be the Raiders' first choice for their vacant head-coaching slot. Neither Gruden nor his agent, Bob LaMonte, attested to any knowledge of the matter. "I haven't talked to the Raiders in two days," LaMonte said. An Oakland Raiders executive denied yesterday that Gruden had the job for the asking, as the report contended.

Jon Gruden flew to Oakland last night for a final interview that could result in his being named head coach of the Raiders as soon as today. The official word from Raiders senior assistant Bruce Allen was that Gruden, the Eagles' offensive coordinator for three seasons, was in town for a follow-up interview. But given remarks made 10 days ago by Gruden's agent, Bob LaMonte, it seems doubtful that Gruden would return to Oakland if a job offer wasn't imminent. LaMonte, who could not be reached last night, said after Gruden's first two-day interview with Raiders owner Al Davis that the Raiders "know every hair follicle on Jon Gruden.

Remember the names Mike McCoy, Jay Gruden, and Ben McAdoo. All three assistant coaches are considered candidates for head coaching jobs this offseason, but more important, and in relation to the Eagles, all three are represented by agent Bob LaMonte. When Eagles general manager Howie Roseman hired LaMonte as his agent during the 2011 offseason it is unlikely he imagined it would come in handy two years later as he prepares to help owner Jeffrey Lurie find Andy Reid's replacement.

Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden is dealing with more than professional football this week. When Notre Dame fired coach Bob Davie on Sunday, Gruden immediately was called a leading candidate for the job. Reports swirled that his agent, Bob LaMonte, had held conversations with Notre Dame officials. "Bob LaMonte has not talked to anybody," Gruden said yesterday. Gruden's father, Jim, a regional scout with the San Francisco 49ers, once served as an assistant coach for the Irish.

Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden rejected an opportunity late last night to interview for the Ohio State job, sources told ESPN.com. Gruden's agent, Bob Lamonte, informed Ohio State athletics director Andy Geiger of the decision around 11 p.m., sources said. Earlier in the evening, Gruden was at home in the Bay area, and not on a plane for Ohio, despite several reports he was en route to Columbus. "I have not talked to anybody from Ohio State," Gruden told ESPN.com. "Actually, I just bought two guitars, one for Deuce [his 6-year-old son, Jon II]

BETHLEHEM — The most likely outcome of the Andy Reid contract drama that enlivened our weekend is that Reid gets some sort of extension following the coming season, or maybe even something during the season. It wasn't a big shock that Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie didn't embrace the stance of Reid's agent, Bob LaMonte, who avowed to reporters Saturday that Lurie had always told him Andy would be the coach as long as Lurie owned the team. That clearly wasn't where Lurie left matters at the conclusion of his "Hamlet" speech following the 2011 season.

OFFICIALLY, the Arizona Cardinals have begun their coaching search with a formal interview of their own defensive coordinator, Ray Horton. Unofficially, Andy Reid has emerged as the leading candidate and could be hired by the end of the week, team and league sources told ESPN.com. KTVK-TV in Phoenix was the first to identify the former Eagles coach as the front-runner on Tuesday. One league source told ESPN he was "95 percent" certain Reid will be named the Cardinals' coach. He would succeed Ken Whisenhunt, fired Monday.

Remember the names Mike McCoy, Jay Gruden, and Ben McAdoo. All three assistant coaches are considered candidates for head coaching jobs this offseason, but more important, and in relation to the Eagles, all three are represented by agent Bob LaMonte. When Eagles general manager Howie Roseman hired LaMonte as his agent during the 2011 offseason it is unlikely he imagined it would come in handy two years later as he prepares to help owner Jeffrey Lurie find Andy Reid's replacement.

This is a post from Les Bowen on the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian. LIKE EVERYBODY else, I'm trying to think about what the Eagles might do when this disappointing season ends and Andy Reid's 14-year coaching tenure presumably ends. I'll be really surprised if the choice is some guy who won a Super Bowl elsewhere - Jon Gruden, Brian Billick, even Bill Cowher, who tends to be more highly regarded than Gruden or Billick in NFL circles. A couple of reasons there: 1. Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman think of themselves as bold, innovative people; they are unlikely to settle for trying to recreate what someone did somewhere else, and more important, 2. IT NEVER WORKS.

When the 2011 season came to a merciful end, owner Jeffrey Lurie made it clear that 8-8 was not an acceptable record for a team with championship aspirations like the Eagles. Then he said Andy Reid would remain as head coach. In case anyone misunderstood, Lurie confirmed his opinion of an 8-8 record on Thursday night during his annual state-of-the-team news conference before the Eagles finished their exhibition season against the Jets. He used that word again: unacceptable. So unacceptable that if it happens again in 2012, the only thing Lurie will be accepting is Reid's resignation.

BETHLEHEM - Andy Reid talked for more than 10 minutes Tuesday morning about what the Eagles will take away from training camp, as the team prepared to pack up and head back to NovaCare, where preseason work resumes Thursday. Then, off to the side, Reid talked about what he thought he might take away from here Tuesday night, when he left the dorm where his son Garrett died 10 days ago, and rejoined the rest of his family at home in Villanova. Would it be hard to close the door on Building C at Sayre Park Village?

BETHLEHEM — The most likely outcome of the Andy Reid contract drama that enlivened our weekend is that Reid gets some sort of extension following the coming season, or maybe even something during the season. It wasn't a big shock that Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie didn't embrace the stance of Reid's agent, Bob LaMonte, who avowed to reporters Saturday that Lurie had always told him Andy would be the coach as long as Lurie owned the team. That clearly wasn't where Lurie left matters at the conclusion of his "Hamlet" speech following the 2011 season.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Sports agents work for their clients. It's not the other way around. So when Bob LaMonte, Andy Reid's agent, showed up at Eagles training camp looking to leverage Jeffrey Lurie into contract negotiations - six days after the death of the head coach's son - he was doing it at the behest of his boss. Otherwise, had LaMonte indeed gone rogue, spurring a damning rebuttal from Lurie - again, six days after Reid's son, Garrett, was found dead in his Lehigh University dormitory room - wouldn't the coach have at least condemned his agent's tactics?

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Sports agents work for their clients. It's not the other way around. So when Bob LaMonte, Andy Reid's agent, showed up at Eagles training camp looking to leverage Jeffrey Lurie into contract negotiations - six days after the death of the head coach's son - he was doing it at the behest of his boss. Otherwise, had LaMonte indeed gone rogue, spurring a damning rebuttal from Lurie - again, six days after Reid's son, Garrett, was found dead in his Lehigh University dormitory room - wouldn't the coach have at least condemned his agent's tactics?

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Bob LaMonte came to deliver a statement and it was heard by Jeffrey Lurie. Andy Reid's agent tossed the first salvo. The Eagles owner didn't budge, however, and he quickly responded with a counterpunch. Saturday's back and forth between LaMonte and Lurie - played out through reporters - was probably just the first round of what could turn into a heavyweight bout over Reid's future with the Eagles if the season goes awry. LaMonte, one of the NFL's power players - representative to more executives, coaches and coordinators than any other agent in the league - arrived at Eagles training camp looking to send a message to Lurie.

This originally appeared yesterday in a Daily News Eagletarian blog by Les Bowen.   STILL MULLING the fallout from Tuesday's Andyfest I must have been a little less excited about the Steve Spagnuolo revelation than some folks were. It was exactly what most of us figured must have happened. I think the Eagles knew from the get-go that Spagnuolo, given a choice, would prefer something in a new city with a no-doubt, slam-dunk top contender. Remember, Spags and Andy share the same agent, Bob LaMonte.