Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/25/24.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Five takeaways from Nick Sirianni’s and Howie Roseman’s end of season press conference – PhillyVoice
4) It doesn’t appear that more priority will be placed on the linebacker position. Roseman was asked about the underperformance of the defensive line relative to the resources dumped into that unit, and if anything that happened during the season changed their view of roster building prioritization. Roseman ignored the part about the defensive line and went right to the linebackers. “I feel like we’ve had a long history of success here building the team a certain way, and I think maybe there are some preconceived notions that at the linebacker position, that we don’t care who we play at linebacker,” Roseman said. “Again, our two Super Bowl teams over the last six years, the linebacker play was good from those guys. I think if anything, it’s my belief in the players that we have, the young players that we have. I have a lot of belief, and I know Coach does, as well, in Nakobe Dean. I believe in the player. I believe in the person. We lost two linebackers at that spot, two good players from our Super Bowl team, and we had Nakobe waiting in the wings. We drafted him for that role. Obviously, it didn’t work out perfectly for him this year. That doesn’t change the belief we have in the player. Then we felt like we’d have the ability to get an off-ball linebacker, WILL linebacker, who can run and hit, and honestly when you watch the tape, Zach Cunningham had a good year. He really did. He had a mentality that we like for that position.” […] Should the Eagles completely change course and prioritize linebackers over the defensive line? Certainly not. Their formula of prioritizing the trenches is tried and true. But there can also be some middle ground. An acknowledgement that the team did not have a good enough plan at linebacker and a promise to fix it would’ve been more palatable from Roseman than his defense of the obviously atrocious play they got at linebacker this season.
Eagles Mailbag: Nick Sirianni’s seat is already hot – BGN
But if they start next season as flat as they ended the season, I don’t see how Sirianni can survive. Why would Lurie tolerate it? And then we’ll have gotten to the point where the coaches have changed but the play is the same, so it’s the players next. The Eagles non-divisional games next year are the Ravens, Bengals, Rams, Saints, and Bucs on the road, and the Jaguars, Packers, Steelers, Browns, Falcons, and Panthers at home. We’ll see how the order shakes out in the spring, but if they’re, say, 2-4 to start the season, it’s going to take a serious run to save Sirianni’s job. Jeffrey Lurie entered the 2017 season anticipating he would need to change head coaches, which was bizarre at the time. It won’t be this year.
Eagles news: Nick Sirianni back, Vic Fangio in, new OC on the way – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski discuss their Eagles takeaways from the Nick Sirianni/Howie Roseman press conference. The guys also discuss the reported Vic Fangio hiring, Brian Johnson’s departure, and more! Interact with us on social media: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Check out Wrong Crowd Beer Company: wrongcrowdbeer.com! (21 or older, please enjoy responsibly). Use discount code BGN15 at RighteousFelon.com for 15% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com. Buying, selling, or renting a house? Contact Kristin Roach at RoachRealtors.com
10 Eagles who have to be much better in 2024 – NBCSP
Jalen Hurts. Hurts wasn’t the same guy in 2023 and it wasn’t all his fault. The offense was often an uncreative jumbled mess, his injuries were definitely a factor, the play calling often didn’t help him out and drops were often an issue, especially in the Jets and Cowboys losses. But 15 interceptions is 15 interceptions, even if they weren’t all his fault, and 19 total turnovers is just an unacceptable number. That was 3rd-most in the NFL this year, behind only Sam Howell (24) and Josh Allen (22). Hurts also had the 2nd-most touchdowns in the league with 38, so it wasn’t all bad. But late in the season, when the Eagles needed Hurts to be great and help lead the Eagles out of their funk, he wasn’t. When you’re a perennial MVP candidate and one of the highest-paid players in NFL history, you just have to be better than Hurts was. He’s got to improve his decision making, his pocket awareness and his work against the blitz. But he remains a singular talent.
Vic Fangio or next Eagles DC has a big mess to clean up – ESPN
The same can be said for other former Bulldogs, like corner Kelee Ringo, who showed promise in his four starts as a rookie and could be a key piece moving forward with Slay (33) and Bradberry getting older. Same for edge rusher Nolan Smith, who could help offset any production lost from Brandon Graham, 35, as he enters what he’s acknowledged could be the final year of his career. Rookie Sydney Brown and second-year player Reed Blankenship offered some hope for the safety spot, but consistency was hard to come by at any position. “When I think about the contributions I can make to help this team, I know that when I’m doing my best and I have my best seasons, this team has a chance to have its best seasons. I hold myself to a very high standard,” Roseman said. “I think we have a lot of good young players on this team. I think we have the ability to go out and continue to add to that.” Overall, few players showed significant development over the course of the season. That falls in large part to coaching. Fangio can help turn that around.
They Speak – Iggles Blitz
Fangio might have some core principles, but he can adjust his scheme and ideas. Miami finished 8th in takeaways. Fangio’s defenses have finished in the Top 10 eight times over his 20 years as a DC. He knows how to generate pressure and force turnovers. That’s critical to winning. I also thought Miami had some guys really step up. DL Zach Sieler had 10 career sacks coming into 2023 and had 10 on the season. I thought LB David Long had his best season. He was really good against the Eagles. Safety DeShon Elliott had his best season. LB Andrew Van Ginkel had his best season. The Eagles defense needs a lot of work, both in scheme and personnel. Hiring Fangio would be a good start. I think one of the keys would be that Fangio could help to build his defensive staff. You need all the coaches on the same page so they can get the different levels of the defense to work together and to function as one.
Spadaro: 6 takeaways from the Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni end-of-season press conference – PE.com
2. Roseman on how close he thinks the defense is to being where he wants it to be. “When I think about the contributions I can make to help this team, I know that when I’m doing my best and I have my best seasons, this team has a chance to have its best seasons. I hold myself to a very high standard,” Roseman said. “I think we have a lot of good young players on this team. I think we have the ability to go out and continue to add to that. I’m very excited about the core that we have on offense going forward, obviously. In terms of that, our goal every year is to field the best possible team. I go back to last year on the Tuesday after we lost the Super Bowl and Nick walked into my office, and he said, ‘How you doing,’ and I said to him, ‘I think the thing that I’m most upset about is how many good people we’re going to lose on and off the field.’ So, I knew what was coming. I knew the schedule was going to be harder. I knew that it was probably easier to get the offense to a place quicker than it was the defense. We never want to be just kind of middle of the pack in both. I feel like a lot of the things that we tried to do last offseason was kind of try to keep our priorities intact about how we like to build the team. We can talk about that and some of the decisions we make. I accept responsibility for whatever we’ve got to do to make sure that when the season falls short of not playing this week and beyond, I’m certainly responsible for that, as well.”
How did Jalen Hurts react to the firing of offensive coordinator Brian Johnson? Nick Sirianni didn’t say – PFT
Early in Wednesday’s end-of-season press conference, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was asked about the decision to fire Johnson, and he was specifically asked whether he talked to Hurts when making the decision. Sirianni sidestepped the issue then. Later he was asked more specifically to explain Hurts’s reaction to the firing of Brian Johnson. “Obviously they have a relationship,” Sirianni said. “You’ll have to ask Jalen when you get an opportunity to talk to him. But anytime you have to let people go, we all hurt when we let people go. Every one of us. This is the worst part of the job, having to let people go. It doesn’t just affect the person you let go. It affects the families, and it affects — there’s a friendship there that we have worked together every day for the past three years, and we’ve spent way more time with each other than we have with our families or our loved ones, and you grow close and you grow close bonds.”
BREAKING: Dolphins part ways with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio – The Phinsider
Battling injuries all season, Miami’s defense under Fangio ranked 10th in total defense, 1st in the NFL in QB hits (140), and 3rd in the NFL in sacks (56, franchise record). However, the Dolphins also ranked 22nd in points allowed (391), and 28th in red-zone percentage (64.8%). An early report from Albert Breer, NFL Network, suggests that “philosophical differences” may have existed between Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and Fangio, indicating the pair didn’t have the best of relationships. Ian Rapoport, also of NFL Network, reported that he “isn’t too sure this was always as smooth a ride as it seemed from the outside.”
Browns OC search adds another name according to a report – Dawgs By Nature
Brian Johnson spent just one year as the Eagles OC before being let go just a few days ago. He was Philadelphia’s quarterbacks coach for two seasons prior to that, helping Jalen Hurts develop. Johnson was the offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators from 2018 to 2020 before joining the Eagles. Dak Prescott developed under Johnson at Mississippi State.
Eagles to interview Kellen Moore for vacant offensive coordinator job – Blogging The Boys
Philadelphia went 3-5 against the Cowboys during Moore’s four years as offensive coordinator. Between what they’ve seen with their own eyes, plus Moore’s potential insights into their division rival, the Eagles’ interest isn’t hard to fathom. It would be an interesting pairing because of QB Jalen Hurts’ stylistic differences from either Prescott or Herbert. At times, Moore has been criticized for not utilizing his quarterbacks’ mobility enough in his scheme. To now go to Hurts, whose running is paramount to his effectiveness, would test Moore’s adaptability in a way we haven’t seen yet. This is just an interview and may not go anywhere. But the fact that Philadelphia is jumping on this quickly after the Harbaugh news indicates some genuine interest, and it could add a very interesting wrinkle to next year’s Cowboys-Eagles battles.
Giants hire Michael Ghobrial as special teams coordinator – Big Blue View
The New York Giants announced Thursday morning that they’ve hired Michael Ghobrial to be their next special teams coordinator. Ghobrial, soon to be 36), won’t have to move far for his new job, as he’s spent the previous three seasons as the assistant special teams coach for the New York Jets. The Jets have fielded one of the league’s better special teams units during Ghobrial’s tenure. This past year they lead the NFL in kickoff coverage, were second in kickoff returns, seventh in net punting, and 12th in punt return average.
What’s happening to offensive coordinators in the NFL? – Hogs Haven
So, it looks like the tweet above was basically accurate – with the exception of the Falcons’ Ragone, who may certainly be replaced once they hire their new head coach. The amount of churn in the NFL offensive coordinator ranks is brutal and swift, with a couple of the top candidates being considered for promotion after a modest year or two of success (Johnson, Slowik, and Canales). Conversely, OCs whose teams struggle – even those whose teams struggle in the playoffs (like Moore and Lombardi) – have tended to be moved along fairly quickly.
Can Jim Harbaugh make the Chargers a contender right now? – SB Nation
First of all, I would like to thank both counsels for their time and cases in the Harbaugh decision. For me, my verdict comes down to this: who will Jim Harbaugh be bringing in to surround his $260 million QB? Pep Hamilton is a great name as a potential QB coach and coordinator, but Greg Roman gives me some pause. The run game will certainly be rejuvenated—if there’s one thing Jim Harbaugh teams will do well, it’s run the ball—but the Roman passing game was a little outdated and bare in Baltimore, the reason he ultimately was let go. In addition, as Counsel Schofield points out, the Chargers are currently in a tight spot financially. EDGEs Joey Bosa or Khalil Mack could both end up being cap casualties, and a restructuring of WR Keenan Allen’s deal will be important. The Chargers roster is less “all around talented” and more “top heavy”, with Herbert, Mack and Bosa being the big names, but after the top 6-8 players it gets to a bare cupboard.
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