Bengals coach Dick LeBeau has made his list, checked it twice and spent most of the week on the telephone in search of an offensive coordinator.

        The only candidate he has named so far is former Steelers offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who was fired Wednesday by Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher after the team finished 29th in the league in passing.

        Who else might be on LeBeau's list?

        Detroit's Jim Zorn, Philadelphia's David Culley and Tennessee's Sherman Smith are considered up-and-coming offensive coaches who will get their chance to be an NFL coordinator sooner rather than later.

        Gilbride, the former San Diego head coach and successful offensive coordinator in Jacksonville and Houston, will probably interview next week, LeBeau told The Enquirer on Friday.

        The Bengals can't get permission to talk to employed NFL assistant coaches until Jan.9.

        “Many of the coaches on my priority list are either in playoffs or bowl games,” LeBeau said.

Waiting their chance
        The following six offensive assistants have been successful everywhere they've coached, and insiders say they have personalities and leadership ability to implement an offense and work well with position coaches and players.

        • Zorn, quarterbacks coach, Detoit Lions. The former Seattle quarterback is credited with the rapid development of Lions QB Charlie Batch.

        Zorn was offensive assistant coach for the Seahawks for one season and has spent the past three seasons with the Lions. Insiders praise Zorn's personality and communication skills.

        He was offensive coordinator at Utah State from 1992-94 and helped the Aggies land in the nation's top 20 in either passing yards or total offense.

        • Smith, 46, running backs coach, Tennessee Titans. A former teammate of Zorn's in Seattle, Smith has been coaching running backs for the Oilers/Titans since 1995 and was rumored to be in the running two seasons ago for the head coach's job at his alma mater, Miami University.

        A former Miami quarterback, Smith led his teams to a 33-1-1 record in three seasons and, after his professional career ended, was a middle school teacher in Redmond, Wash.

        Smith is African-American, and unlike many NFL teams, the Bengals have not had a minority head coach or offensive or defensive coordinator in their 33 years of existence.

        • Culley, 44, wide receivers coach, Philadelphia Eagles. He has been an offensive coach in college or the NFL since 1978 and was offensive coordinator at Texas-El Paso.

        Culley was wide receivers coach at Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh before going to Philadelphia. He is known among players for his teaching skills.

        • Brad Childress, 44, quarterbacks coach, Philadelphia Eagles. He came to Philadelphia three months before quarterback Donovan McNabb was drafted and guided McNabb's development into a league MVP candidate.

        Childress also was the of fensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Wisconsin from 1992 through '98 and guided the Badgers' offense to one of the most productive stretches in school history, including a Rose Bowl victory in 1998.

        Culley and Childress are highly regarded for their ability to adapt their offensive philosophies into schemes that fit the talent available.

        • Charlie Baggett, 47, wide receivers coach, Minnesota Vikings. As wide receivers coach in Houston in 1993 and '94, Baggett was responsible for Oilers wideouts Webster Slaughter, Ernest Givens and Haywood Jeffries, who were among the NFL's most productive.

        Baggett was the Packers' receivers coach in 1999, and as Michigan State's associate head coach in the mid-90s he developed NFL players Derrick Mason, Plaxico Burress and Muhsin Muhammad. • Mike Mularkey, 39, tight ends coach, Pittsburgh Steelers. He's praised as a coach who's not too far removed from his playing days that he can't relate to today's players.

        He may not be available because Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who fired Gilbride, reportedly wants to promote Mularkey to offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh.

Another chance
        The NFL and colleges also are home to former offensive coordinators who might want another opportunity to direct an NFL offense.

        • Bill Musgrave, 33, former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator. He quit midway through his first season as Panthers coordinator after a series of disputes with his mentor, George Seifert.

        Musgrave was offensive coordinator for the Eagles for 10 games in 1998, and as Carolina's quarterbacks coach in 1999, he oversaw Steve Beuerlein's 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown season.

        • Kippy Brown, 45, running backs coach, Green Bay Packers. A former running backs coach with the Jets, Buccaneers and Dolphins, Brown was offensive coordinator for the Dolphins in 1998 and '99, two seasons in which Miami advanced to the second round of the playoffs. He coached in college at Memphis, Louisville and Tennessee.

        • Ray Sherman, 49, wide receivers coach, Green Bay Packers. He had three one-year stints as offensive coordinator with the Jets, 1994; Pittsburgh, '98; and Vikings, '99.

        • Terry Robiskie, 46, head coach Washington Redskins. Promoted when Norv Turner was fired at midseason, Robiskie is one of two lame ducks in Washington. Owner Daniel Snyder is shopping for a new head coach.

        Before his promotion, Robiskie was passing game coordinator with the Redskins and served as offensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders, where he also was a running backs coach.

        • Paul Hackett, 53, former head coach, Southern California. Fired at the end of the season, Hackett has extensive NFL offensive coaching experience and has worked with some of the best offensive coaches.

        He was quarterbacks/wide receivers coach at San Francisco from 1983-85, passing offense coordinator at Dallas from 1986-88 and offensive coordinator at Kansas City for five seasons.

Plenty of coordinator candidates for Bengals

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