Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

More on the Coaching Situation

Posted January 24th, 2026 | 2 Comments »

We don’t know who the Eagles offensive coordinator is just yet. We are finding out who it won’t be.

That is two candidates the Eagles talked to who have taken other jobs. Some see this the candidates rejecting the Eagles. That’s not necessarily true. Teams are going to talk to candidates they are curious about. That doesn’t mean they’ll end up liking that coach and wanting to hire him.

I had concerns about Slowik. I wasn’t sure he was enough of a problem solver. He runs a good scheme and has some good ideas. Think back to his Texans tenure. He wasn’t able to come up with solutions when defenses got the best of that OL. Does that sound like a familiar problem?

I find Smith to be an interesting coach. He’s creative and runs some interesting stuff. But he never had a top passing game. Also, he seems to love TEs so that would scare me with the Eagles lack of good TEs.

The Eagles are talking to a lot of people. They are talking to guys with different backgrounds, guys who run different systems. I’m guessing the goal is to gather as much information as possible. Anyone can watch tape and see what an offense looks like. There is real value in talking to the coach to understand why he did certain things. That will help you to understand their vision and ability to adapt.

Football isn’t rocket science. At the same time, like anything else, some people are better at running an offense than others. You want to get a feel for how coaches see things. You also want to find out how they would handle various situations. Creating a playbook is a small part of the equation. Understanding how and when to call certain plays is more important. That’s why you want a coordinator who can answer questions and explain in detail why he would do certain things.

I would prefer the team hire a proven play-caller, but that isn’t a necessity. Andy Reid didn’t have a lot of play-calling experience when they hired him and that worked out pretty darn well. Chip Kelly had a ton of experience when the team hired him. His offense was very good initially, but started to struggle as defenses adjusted to it. Kelly didn’t have good answers. His offenses with the Niners and Raiders were awful. It turned out that having great personnel in Philly made a huge difference.

It really will be interesting to see how all of this plays out and who they hire. Will it be someone obvious like Brian Daboll or will there be a young coach that inspires them to take a chance?

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DL coach Clint Hurtt is was interviewed by the Dolphins for their defensive coordinator position. He’s done a good job in Philly and you’d hate to lose him. He ran Seattle’s defense back in 2022 and 2023.

I wouldn’t expect him to get that job. Jeff Hafley would ideally like someone who knows his specific system. Hafley said he will call the defense, but knows he needs a DC who can help run the defense when he needs to focus on the offense or overall team.

I don’t blame any coach for talking to someone who worked for Vic Fangio and had success.

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Christian Parker needs to add some defensive assistants and you know he’d love to bring a guy or two from Philly. Williams is the kind of young assistant that is available to Parker. Would probably be a smart move for both of them. Parker gets a familiar face and Williams gets a promotion.

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For those who are interested in my personal situation, I posted an update.

Thank you for all of your words and support!

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Coaching Update

Posted January 23rd, 2026 | 5 Comments »

The Eagles search for an offensive coordinator rolls along, like a sluggish drive filled with 3 and 4 yard gains. It isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. The team is being thorough and I do think there is real value in that. After all, the goal is to make the right hire and not the quickest hire.

Let’s talk about what’s going on now. The team has completed interviews with several candidates. It seems like Bobby Slowik, Jim Bob Cooter, Matt Nagy, Josh Grizzard and Mike Kafka are still in the running.

The team is hoping to speak with Declan Doyle from the Bears. Good news on that front.

Doyle is interesting. He didn’t call plays in Chicago, but he’s worked under Ben Johnson and Sean Payton, two of the best offensive minds in the game. That alone has to interest you. Would he be the right fit for the Eagles? In an ideal world, they would add a veteran coordinator, the offensive version of Vic Fangio. The problem is that it doesn’t seem anyone like that is available right now.

If you can’t get a veteran, don’t be afraid to take a chance on a young guy with tremendous upside. There would be risk, but playing it safe would probably be the worst course of action. The offense has some good weapons in place. This is a group that could be a top unit with the right scheme and the right coaching. Go find a gifted offensive mind to run the show.

It is interesting that Jeremy Fowler said Brian Daboll is still possible. The Eagles were reportedly high on him initially. As he focused on other jobs, I wonder if the Eagles didn’t start to develop more interest in other candidates. The more you look around, the more you can find candidates that pique your interest. Doyle certainly could fit that category.

Jim Bob Cooter feels like someone who should get more attention. He spent the past three years working with Shane Steichen. He was the offensive coordinator with the Lions from 2016-2018. He was a consultant with the Eagles in 2021 so he knows the staff and some of the players already.

The key for me is to find someone who has a creative mind and is also a problem-solver. Kevin Patullo did a fantastic job of calling plays in the red zone. He showed some creativity there. He could not solve problems all year long. The OL was a mess. Once you know that you adjust. Patullo was never able to do that. All candidates should be quizzed heavily on how they would deal with obstacles (injuries, performance issues, etc.).

I know some people are nervous because the Eagles haven’t made a hire yet. There isn’t anyone they lost out on that bothers me. As intriguing as Mike McDaniel would have been, I still had some concerns. Talk to candidates. Find the right guy.

Back in 1999 Andy Reid wanted Marvin Lewis to be his defensive coordinator. Lewis came to town. He interviewed and did a bit of house hunting. Lewis ended up staying put and turning the job down. Reid had to move onto other candidates. He ended up with some guy named Jim Johnson. The hot name isn’t always the right name. The “top” candidates aren’t always the right candidate.

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It feels like Kliff Kingsbury will end up elsewhere, but he still could be in the running.

Joe Brady could become a candidate. He interviewed to be the head coach in Buffalo. If he’s available, several teams could have interest in Brady. Josh Allen is the star, but Brady helped put together a great running game in Buffalo.

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We do know one thing.

You love to see young coaches get a chance to move up the ladder. Congrats to Christian. He earned this.

At the same time, you sure do hate to lose good coaches. He did a great job with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The Eagles will probably promote Joe Kasper to fill the vacancy.

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