It's a double-edged sword in pretty much every business. Success draws attention, and with that, the possibility that some of your most valuable employees could get poached.

In the sports world, the most obvious example is when a college basketball coach takes a mid-major on a run in the NCAA Tournament. As great as the ride was, his school can rarely fend off the big dogs that soon come hunting with bigger checks.

In the NFL, the most desirable candidates on the postseason coaching carousel are often assistants from the league's top teams. So if the Carolina Panthers keep chugging along during their magical season, expect to hear plenty floated about offensive coordinator Mike Shula and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.

 

"I'm certainly honored to be in that conversation and all that goes into it," said McDermott, who's previously drawn interest for openings in Washington and with the Jets. "But having said that, I'm extremely focused and proud to be part of this group."

Shula, who faced similar attention two weeks ago after his name popped up in Miami, didn't stray far from the sentiments he shared then.

"That's really not my focus right now," he said. "We expect 100 percent focus from our players. If we expect that, we need to expect that from ourselves."

Shula, who's in charge of the league's No. 3 scoring offense, claimed no one other than local reporters have brought up future possibilities. That, despite this national report Sunday:

Three new names expected to get head-coach interviews: #Panthers OC Mike Shula, #Bills RB coach Anthony Lynn, #Seahawks OL coach Tom Cable.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 29, 2015

In some respects, it's hard to believe no one in your inner circle would say, "Hey, I heard ... "

But considering how laser-focused coaches can be, blocking out anything other than the current week's game plan is understandable.

"I don't have enough time to think about it. If you ask me that after the season's over, I'll have time to sit back and think about it then," Shula said.

"I think one of the best things I've learned throughout the years is don't worry about any other job than the one you have, and then everything else takes care of itself."

If and when Shula interviews for a head job, he'll have to answer questions about what went wrong at Alabama. McDermott doesn't have anything on his résumé like that, which is good and bad. He's never been a head coach at any level, but with 17 years of NFL experience and a unit on its way to finishing in the top 10 in total defense for a fourth straight year, McDermott believes he's ready.

"I don't think there's many people that have prepared the way I prepare, whether it's doing my job or for that next step, when that time comes, whenever that is," he said. "If that's what the good Lord wants, I would welcome that challenge."

"At this point, though, there's the New Orleans Saints that are in front of us, and that's going to be a big challenge."

Since the postseason is the earliest teams can interview assistants, little of this matters much now.

Even if Shula won't admit it, he'd likely be interested in becoming a head coach again. And even if McDermott will, that doesn't mean he's on the phone with his agent in-between film study on Drew Brees.

"Yes, [becoming a head coach] is a goal of mine. A goal of mine is also to be the best, and that's to have the best defense we can possibly have and that's the goal in front of us right now," McDermott said.

"I'm focused on this football team and this organization. You don't get to 11-0 very often in your career. This is a special situation."