Misc Coaching News – Kelly, Gus, & Big Red

Posted: January 11th, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 37 Comments »

Let’s take an updated look at what is happening. The first bit of news is that Rob Chudzinski got the Browns job on Thursday night. Fine with me. Chud is a good assistant, but some around the league wonder if he’s got the ability to be a head coach. Running a team and running an offense are very, very different tasks. Some guys are made to be assistants. Some can make the transition to being the head guy. I hope Chud does well. He did hire Norv Turner to be his OC. I know some fans had interest in Norv as an Eagles target at OC. He has been good in the past, but I don’t think Norv going to the Browns is a big loss.

The Eagles have news of their own. There are all kinds of reports out there about Brian Kelly. One writer posted on Twitter that Fighting Irish DC Bob Diaco was having lunch with the AD. Could just be a friendly meal. Could be a discussion about Diaco taking over as coach if Kelly leaves. There are plenty of other possibilities as well. We can’t make anything of it, but every nugget is fun to follow at this time of the year.

Timing is huge for Kelly and Notre Dame. Early enrollees report soon. These are high school kids who graduate in December and then enroll in college in January so they can go through spring practice and be ahead of schedule when August and September roll around. If Kelly bolts, the enrollees can go elsewhere. One big time LB has reportedly already moved from ND to Florida. Kelly can’t let this drag out for fear of losing players.

Kelly has been on vacation and is supposed to be getting back to ND this weekend. We’ll see what happens.

The Eagles have meetings set up with Bruce Arians and Jay Gruden for early next week.

Gus Bradley will be in Atlanta for the playoff game against the Falcons. Some think he could stay in Atlanta an extra day to meet with the Eagles. Not sure if this is just speculation or realistic possibility. Obviously Seattle winning or losing will play a huge part in what happens. Go Falcons!!! I’m not 100 percent sold on Bradley, but I sure want the Eagles to get to meet him. Bradley is a very intriguing guy. I think you need to meet with him to find out if he’s the guy to lead your franchise. The word on Bradley is that he’ll be a great interview.

We did find out that Bradley interviewed with the Chargers on Thursday night. The feeling from most is that Arians will get that job. Rivers is the kind of QB he has had success with. Also, the new GM out there knows him from Indy.

* * * * *

Jeff McLane says the Eagles are basically down to either Brian Kelly or Gus Bradley. Interesting.

I will put up a post on Gus this weekend. Won’t be super-long since he’s not as much of a mystery, but there are some interesting nuggets with him. Biggest argument against him…his son is named Eli!!!

* * * * *

Andy Reid is building a nice staff in KC. Here’s what it reportedly will be:

HC – Andy Reid
Sr Asst – Brad Childress
OC – Doug Pederson
QB – Matt Nagy
WR – David Culley
TE – Tom Melvin
RB – Eric Bienemy
OL – George Warhop

DC – Bob Sutton
DL – Tommy Brasher

Sutton is the most interesting name. He was the Jets LBs coach in recent years. He has worked in both college and pro football and is an older guy. Sounds a lot like Jim Johnson, huh? Sutton’s track record isn’t quite as good, but I like the fact Andy hired that kind of coach.

A few angry Eagles fans wonder why he wasn’t hired by Big Red in 2011. Don’t know if the Jets gave us permission to talk to him or if Andy just wasn’t interested back then.

No update on Juan Castillo. With Reid having hired an OL coach, Juan could only go out there as LB coach. I’ve heard that he’s trying to get a defensive job. I truly doubt anyone would hire him as DC, but he could get a positional job with someone handling LBs or the DL. I don’t think there is bad blood with Juan and Andy. Juan got the job he dreamed of when he was made the DC. Juan knew that might not end well. At least he got the chance to show what he could do, good and bad. Better to try and fail than never know.

* * * * *

As I’ve done more research on Brian Kelly, I didn’t realize how many good assistants he’s worked with over the years, some even having NFL ties. I’ll do a post on that if it looks like Kelly could be the guy. I don’t know who his coordinators would be. That is a mystery.

http://www.facebook.com/scott.greenberg Scott Greenberg

Juan interviewed in ARI recently.
- Eagles_Fan_in_San_Fran
  
  And he interviewed there for what exactly?
  - deg0ey
    
    Let’s hope he somehow gets the HC gig
  - tad
    
    Ass’t Jumbotron operator.
  - bdbd20
    
    Could be to satisfy the Rooney Rule. Juan’s a good coach. I hope he does get a job as LB coach and is able to eventually learn and become a good DC. He was put in a terrible position here.
    
    I’d really like to see him be a positional coach under Lovie Smith and Rod Mirinelli. He needs veteran coaches above him.
  - http://www.facebook.com/scott.greenberg Scott Greenberg
    
    O-Line coach
D-von

Well after your article on Brian Kelly if the Eagles are going to choose between Brian Kelly and Gus Bradley I would want Brain Kelly. Seems like a motivator and has a good eye for talent.
Eagles_Fan_in_San_Fran

Doug Pederson as OC seems like a stretch – why not put Chilly there?
And Tommy Brasher? 72 years old and coming back after 7 years of retirement?
Enjoy the honeymoon, KC, cause it ain’t gonna last long!
- D-von
  
  Reid will probably do the play-calling on offense
- TommyLawlor
  
  I think Chilly is there to help develop Doug as a coach, just like Rod Dowhower was in Philly to help Brad develop as a coach.
  
  Brasher is a short term hire. Must find young coach to develop.
- Iskar36
  
  I was surprised by the Pederson thing as well, especially because it was over Culley (although it is certainly possible Culley doesn’t have interest being an OC).
  
  I will say, the one thing I am curious about is if AR will adjust his offense. It seems a lot of the offensive staff is the same people, and even more so when you look at the guys who are in significant positions. I think AR could have benefited from bringing in someone from outside the Eagles to be the OC or in a significant position. We’ll see if Pederson can make ARs offense more balanced, but if he can not, I see KC struggling.
  - Anders
    
    He got Chilly on his staff. It was him who gave us the 3 headed monster . Chilly is a running WCO guy where MM was a pass first, second, third and fourth guy
    - T_S_O_P
      
      Marty would never use 3 RBs in a season in that way not unless there were injuries. He believes in a primary back. His featured backs average over 80% of offensive snaps. Always! Shut that back down and what is left? Passing!
  - A_T_G
    
    Would the Eagles have been able to block Pederson from a lateral move? Does giving him a promotion change what options the Eagles have at all?
TommyLawlor

Interesting…from CSN in Chicago:

Pat Boyle ‏@CSNBoyle

It sounds like decision time for Brian Kelly.. Source says Eagles Jeffrey Lurie’s plane is in Chi.. ND early enrollees start class Monday
_____________

Lovie was in SD today.. Chi airports a little more discrete than SB airport RT@doctorpants99: @CSNBoyle What if he’s here for Lovie?
- Cliff
  
  Don’t know how I feel about Brian Kelly. My initial reaction would be more positive even if the new coach was Lovie. I guess that’s because Kelly is such an unknown on the NFL level.
  
  But hey, it’s exciting either way!
- http://twitter.com/KeeepSwinging Anthony Hart
  
  Albert Breer just reported that the Eagles are interviewing Bradley today in Atlanta. Maybe Jeff just wanted sone deep dish?
  - Arby1
    
    I thought Carroll said the whole focus was on this next game. Guess not completely.. Still, glad we’re getting a chance to interview him before we hire Kelly.
Cafone

Thank God David Culley is finally gone. Perhaps it’s not his fault that the Eagles never developed a single WR over the last 12 years and the draftees with pedigree have all been disappointments, but it might help his case if there was a single exception.

Seriously, if this guy wasn’t under Reid’s wing, would there be a single NFL franchise willing to give him a job as a WR coach based on his body of work in Philadelphia?
- Anders
  
  Desean Jackson, Maclin and Avant all suck donkey balls right?
  - Cafone
    
    I don’t consider Maclin and Jackson to be playing up to their potential. They show flashes, but lack any consistency.
    
    I guess Culley’s crowning achievement in Philadelphia is turning a fourth round pick into a decent slot receiver.
- T_S_O_P
  
  Moreover, he has run sessions at the combine. Maybe not an Eagle fan favorite, but clearly respected and wanted around the league.
- TommyLawlor
  
  The Culley hatred is old and misplaced. Plenty of vets played well under him (TO, Curtis, Stallworth). DJax, Mac, Avant all good. Damaris shows promise. Riley Cooper has shown flashes. FredEx was a dumb pick. He at least did become a solid slot receiver. James Thrash had a couple of solid years, 2001-02. The team failed to develop an elite WR, but there are multiple factors at work there. I don’t think Culley is the main reason.
  - Cafone
    
    You obviously can’t pin every problem of AR’s passing offense on Culley, but I don’t see how he gets to slide by with no blame either. He’s the wide receiver coach. He’s got to take some level of responsibility for the play of the wide receivers.
    
    I disagree with you if you are happy with the play of the WRs. Forget FredEx (I try to). Avant has been solid, but not extraordinary. He wasn’t a late round pick from a small school. I do not think either Maclin or Jackson are playing up to their potential. I don’t disagree with “Riley Cooper has shown flashes”. But that’s not much of a legacy for 12 years of coaching.
T_S_O_P

With Tommy Brasher gone, Brandon Graham will meet his 4th position coach under his 4th DC in his 4th year.
- Anders
  
  So he is the Alex Smith of DE’s? I kinda feel terrible for him and Nate Allen, both showed such promises in their rookie year, both tore their ACL and both have had multiple positional and defensive coaches.
  - deg0ey
    
    The other way to look at it is that with some organisational stability under a new regime, they’re both prime candidates to kick it up a notch.
    - Anders
      
      That is my hope. I still think Allen can be a top FS in the NFL in the right scheme and with the right coach.
    - Anders
      
      Also Graham is best used in an read and react scheme, his bull rush is deadly.
Penn7980

AR took a large chunk of staff with him. Surprised to not see MM name on it, though report has him being considered for Jets OC job. After many years of the same staff, it would be time to overhaul the Eagles coaches and get fresh ideas. The new HC has a clean slate to rebuild, all good.
- Anders
  
  It has been reported by CSNphilly that this was the last season that MM would stay anyway. Both him and AR thought it was time for a new thing
ACViking

Re: Kelly v. Bradley / AR’s firing of Juan but not Marty

I’d have to guess that, if the two are close and Kelly’s willing to jump, Lurie defaults to (1) the offensive guy, who (2) has run an entire operation, and (3) is a creative college coach — which is something I think Lurie really likes [I just do].

Also, if Bradley’s Seahawks win, that’s at least another 7 lost days to hire the best of the available assistants.

Kelly — as T-Law’s observed already — is disadvantaged somewhat going into the NFL because he’s been strictly a college coach.

As an aside, Jimmy Johnson took just about his entire U-Miami staff to the NFL . . . but his most critical hire was Norv Turner as OC.

At the time (1989), Turner was the then-WR coach for the LA Rams’ HC John Robinson. Turner had been Robinson’s QB coach at SC, and then joined the Rams — and Robinson — a couple years Robinson jumped to the NFL after Turner served as USC’s OC.

Robinson ran the Don Coryell-type WCO at USC — which traces back to Sid Gilman’s Rams with Dutch Van Brocklin in the late ’50s and the Chargers, with Lance Alworth, in the ’60s. But Robinson’s Rams — like the Eagles under Vermeil — ran their offense out of the I-formation. The Rams piled up many, many yards with Eric Dickerson running from the I-formation. Then, with Turner at OC for Dallas, the Cowboys had Emmit Smith run out of the I-formation.

What’s remarkable about the Cowboys under Jimmy Johnson is his D-coordinator came from U-Miami with him: Dave Wannstedt (not Butch Davis, as I wrote yesterday — although Davis succeeded DW in 1993 as DC after DW became the Bears HC . . . just 4 years removed from college coaching).

It seems — as T-Law’s written — the key to a Kelly hire will be whom he wants, and gets, as his OC. Next is the DC, in that order I believe. And it’s possible that Kelly brings along his college DC. It wouldn’t be unprecedented.

Looking back, it’s damn impressive what Jimmy Johnson accomplished in such a short period of time using almost his entire college staff.

I think Jeff Lurie would love to pull a *Jerry Jones*, i.e, make a big splash with a big-name college coach who demands excellence at all times.
___________________

T-Law:

Hope you’ll have a moment to answer this.

AR dumped Juan at the bye and installed Bowles as DC.

Speculation at the time was the Eagles didn’t have a warm body to replace MM at OC.

Why, if AR’s making Pedersen his new OC in KC didn’t MM get deep-6′d like JC as DC?
- deg0ey
  
  Bringing along his college DC might actually be a pretty smart move. As numerous people have said recently, the NFL is borrowing a lot of ideas from the college game at the moment and ND have pretty much shut it all down this season. Only when they came up against a team that was vastly more talented did they get beaten.
- DanJ3645
  
  With Childriss as Assit HC Pederson has additional support in KC.
  
  Also I’d think there is a big differance in taking over as OC in the middle of a season that is falling apart – I could easily see that Big Red didn’t feel Pederson was ready for that.
  
  Or Big Red could have felt that if Pederson moved to OC then the development of Vick and Foles would have suffered.
- A_T_G
  
  I wonder if Reid saw the ship was going down and didn’t want to put Pederson in that position. Worst case, he has a rocky start a one he gets vetoed when he tries to bring him along. At the other end, if he did really well, maybe the Eagles don’t let him leave for a lateral move.
aub32

I have to commend you Tommy for this and especially the last post. It’s really nice to be able to go to one place and find out the entire background on who may potentially be the next head coach in Kelly. After reading what he has accomplished, I would be happy to have him. I only wonder what he would do in regards to assistants. The head coach should be a leader and be able to make adjustments if need be. He has that in spades, it seems. However, with no NFL experience, I wonder how many NFL ties he has. Would this hinder his ability to find good assistant coaches? Do you think Lovie would consider being DC if he doesn’t get a HC job?
D3Keith

“Sutton is the most interesting name.”

Eric Bienemy is the most interesting name there. Literally speaking, anyway.