Well then, that's definitive.
On the other hand, having heard the words out of Cribby's mouth...I think that even Cribby would tell you that the probability on Briles may have been overheated. Not impossible. But also maybe not as solid as Briles Bros would have us believe.
Look, a lot of guys are "possible options", there's no need to rule a guy out DEFINITIVELY when Mario isn't tipping his hand. And that's not a criticism of Briles, it's just an acknowledgement that maybe he wasn't the prime target that many had assumed.
And, for the record, I'd be fine with Briles being hired. Briles is an excellent coach. I just don't equate the interwebz speculation with the true reflection of where he might stand in Mario's priority ranking.
Just being honest. I think a lot of folks confuse due diligence with definitive bread crumbs. And who knows, maybe Mario spoke to Briles to gauge his thoughts on Kevin Smith. We may never know for certain.