We can call this the coaching search time of the year. We could also call it coaching free agency.

Players in free agency usually have a large number of suitors. Coaches face a different market. Right now there are 7 job openings. And you have to understand that not every coaching candidate is going to appeal to all those organizations. The candidate might be more realistically looking at 2 or 3 suitors. That gives teams the upper hand.

This is where agents come in.

A Friday night update on Adam Gase.

Miami has scheduled a 2nd interview with Adam Gase on Saturday, per source. He is only Dolphins candidate to be scheduled for 2nd interview. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2016

So the Dolphins are hot to hire Gase.

But wait.

Sounds like Adam Gase impressed in Philly. I'm told the #Eagles plan to bring him back for a second interview this weekend. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2016

Just 2 days ago it was the Eagles who were hot to hire Gase.

I don’t know anything for a fact, but it sure feels like Adam Gase’s agent is using the media to create a sense of desperation in regard to his client.

The Eagles were the team that loved his client so suddenly he wanted the Dolphins (and others) to fear losing him. Now it is the Dolphins who might sign Gase so the Eagles (and others) need to fear losing him. This happens until someone makes a good enough offer.

Gase’s agent is Jimmy Sexton. He will play games with the media when it helps his client. This feels like one of those times. I could be wrong, but it just feels that way.

Adam Gase is the top coaching candidate right now, but he’s not a guy you blindly hand your franchise to. He’s not so far above the competition that he can do what he wants. Back in 1999 the top guys were Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick and Jim Haslett. Andy Reid was down the list. Holmgren was the clear top guy. He controlled the market. There is nothing like that this time around.

The Eagles reportedly like Gase. I hope he gets the job. That said, I think the Eagles are smart to look around. They met with Ben McAdoo on Thursday. They’ll meet with Doug Pederson on Sunday. Paul Guenther should get an interview soon. We’ve heard rumors about Teryl Austin, but haven’t seen anything yet.

Gase isn’t the only guy out there in the middle of agent games. Sexton represents Doug Marrone. He was linked to the Eagles by some big name national reporters and then that was debunked by local reporters. The same thing was true in regard to Gase getting a second interview with the Eagles. National guy broke the news, local guy refuted it. I think Reuben Frank was the local reporter who refuted both stories. Agents are more likely to use national media guys to get stories out. That gets them to a bigger audience.

Maybe Gase gets hired by Miami this weekend.

Maybe he’s back in Philly for another meeting.

Maybe no team makes him an offer.

As I wrote the other day, the key is for the Eagles to find the right guy. If they felt Gase was a no-brainer, slam dunk, they would have made him a strong offer already. Clearly the Eagles want to look around. They want to get this hire right.

I’m not in a rush for the Eagles to make a hire. There is no “must have” candidate for me. The more I’ve read and studied Guenther and even Pederson, the more they have grown on me. I still prefer Gase, but that could easily change if I was able to sit in the room for the interviews. That’s the mystery part of the process. Reid obviously knocked the socks off Jeff Lurie and Joe Banner back in 1999.

Even the interview can give you a false-positive. The Buffalo Bills though Gregg Williams was sensational when he interviewed with them back in 2001. He was 17-31 in 3 years there.

The agents will continue to play their games in the media. Don’t get too caught up in reports. Back in 2013 Andy Reid was lock to be hired by the Cardinals. He ended up in KC. Last year everyone thought Doug Marrone was a lock for the Jets job. Todd Bowles ended up getting that.

Let’s see what happens.

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