Coaching Changes

Posted: January 19th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 56 Comments »

Chip Kelly finally made some moves. And good ones.

John Lovett is out as DBs coach. He will move to a pro scouting position. Cory Undlin was hired to take his place. Undlin was most recently the DBs coach for Denver. The Broncos faced the most passing attempts in the NFL this year, but only gave up the 9th most passing yards. They were 8th in opposing QB rating. Teams threw a lot, but didn’t have much success.

Here is more from Undlin’s Broncos bio:

With the Broncos in 2013, Undlin coached a unit that overcame losses of perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey and starting safety Rahim Moore to injuries. The secondary featured young contributors in cornerback Kayvon Webster and safety Duke Ihenacho as well as steady performances from cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Undlin was part of Denver’s defensive staff in 2012 that helped the club rank third against the pass. The Broncos finished the 2012 regular season as the only NFL team that didn’t allow a 300-yard passer in addition to limiting opponents to a league-low 30.6-percent third-down conversion rate.

While coaching the Jaguars’ secondary in 2011, Jacksonville’s defense allowed just two individual 300-yard passers to tie for the fourth fewest in the NFL in addition to surrendering only 43 pass plays of 20+yards (T-2nd in NFL).

I like this move a lot. Lovett was a solid college coach, but seemed to struggle in the NFL. Undlin has coached NFL DBs and has had good success. He’s worked for Bill Belichick, Jack Del Rio and John Fox, 3 highly respected defensive coaches.

Don’t think this means the secondary is instantly going to be better. However, there were too many players underachieving for coaching not to be part of the issue. The Eagles have been lousy at developing DBs for a while now. That has to change. They can’t rely on free agency every time change is needed. Undlin has developed young talent for a couple of teams.

The Eagles also moved Ted Williams to pro scouting. They promoted Justin Peelle to be the TEs coach. Williams is 71 and the Eagles may have moved him for fear of losing Peelle. Clearly Williams is coming to the end of a terrific coaching career. He’s worked with RBs and TEs in his 20 years with the Eagles.

And now for even more coaching news…

Congrats to Bill on the job.

Chip Kelly now needs to hire an assistant DB coach and a QB coach.

Peelle was the assistant TE coach, but that’s not a standard position and he might not fill that.

* * * * *

I am in Mobile. Jimmy Bama is here as well. The trip has already been a rousing success. I made eye contact with Alex Flanagan…twice. I wasn’t stalking her, as far as the authorities are concerned.

Here is a Senior Bowl preview.

That isn’t an Eagles-centric preview.

You know I’ll be all over DBs and QBs this year. Bryce Petty is the QB I’m most fascinated by. Blake Sims is also of interest.

There are lots of DBs to like. I’m excited by the Safety group – Kurtis Drummond, Clayton Geathers, Jaquiski Tartt. I’d love to see any of them end up with the Eagles.

I’m off to have some PBRs and dig for rumors.

_

56 Comments on “Coaching Changes”

  1. 1 Greg Richards said at 8:56 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    I doubt they’ll hire an asst TE coach. Since Kelly was hired, Tra Thomas has become a full-time offensive assistant.

  2. 2 Insomniac said at 10:48 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    This is just me but..I hope Tra finds himself in Chip’s bedroom late at night so he could tell him to draft some more promising OL talent.

  3. 3 Gary Barnes said at 11:59 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Uh….not sure how to reply to that 😉

  4. 4 GENETiC-FREAK said at 12:17 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Hey Chip you want some Tra dip with that lol

  5. 5 Media Mike said at 5:12 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Hopefully Tra doesn’t have problems with “false starts” in the bedroom as well.

  6. 6 NinjaP said at 8:59 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    I wonder who we will get as a qb coach now.

  7. 7 Weapon Y said at 9:02 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    I was mad the Dolphins didn’t fire Philbin because I wanted the Eagles to get another chance with Lazor.

  8. 8 shah8 said at 10:14 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Lazor almost certainly would have been promoted.

  9. 9 EaglesD3rdandwrong said at 12:08 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    McNabb to remind everyone what the worm-burner was all about

  10. 10 Anders said at 4:02 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Well, he might teach Foles on how not to throw ints

  11. 11 EaglesD3rdandwrong said at 2:39 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    TD–INT46–17 I think he has that one covered actually

    as of week 9 2014

  12. 12 Mitchell said at 9:03 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Tommy, I am also a big fan of Drummond and Geathers who I think will get more attention as we go forward. I CAN NOT wait to hear what you think of them. Have fun in Mobile!

  13. 13 Greg Richards said at 9:19 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    I saw someone else on twitter(don’t remember who) make a great point about Undlin. How he successfully transitioned Chris Harris from an excellent slot CB to an excellent outside CB. Hopefully, Kelly and Davis let him do the same for Boykin.

  14. 14 BlindChow said at 9:39 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Yeah, fat chance. Measurables.

  15. 15 A_T_G said at 10:19 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Isn’t it weird that fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?

    Kinda like flammable and inflammable. I sure learned that one the hard way.

  16. 16 47_Ronin said at 11:57 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    There should be word for this…

  17. 17 Baloophi said at 1:50 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    There should be TWO words for this…

  18. 18 Sean Stott said at 2:02 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    Boykin is trash.

  19. 19 GENETiC-FREAK said at 9:32 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Can see why Foles struggled this year with that pic of Musgrave.. Looks like hes scared to throw the ball lol

  20. 20 BlindChow said at 9:39 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Looks like he’s throwing off his back foot!

  21. 21 anon said at 9:48 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Hasn’t Denver rotated through DB talent on almost an annual basis over the last few years. is this a sign of more of the same?

    2012
    tracy porter
    jim leonhard
    mike adams

    2013
    DRC
    Quinton Jammer
    Mike Huff
    Nigel Malone

    2014
    Josh Bush
    Aquib Talib
    TJ Ward

  22. 22 47_Ronin said at 11:55 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    You have to look at why the Broncos had churn in the secondary. Denver drafted 2 promising safeties in 2011 and both went on season ending IR at points of their early careers (with Moore suffering from a serious medical condition) and they had a HOF CB at the end of his career. There’s a difference between shuffling players because of injuries versus lack of talent.

    With the addition of the Denver DB coach I’m thinking the odds have increased that the Eagles make a play for UFA Rahim Moore.

  23. 23 TommyLawlor said at 8:05 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    The FO handles personnel. The position coach just coaches ’em. Chris Harris and Rahim Moore were starters each of the last 3 years. The other CB and S changed.

  24. 24 shah8 said at 10:11 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Musgrave is a bad OC. Admittedly, he was dealing with Ponder.

    Great at drawing up plays, bad at calling plays.

    Albright thinks that Petty is a serious injury risk, wrt his back. What does the gang think of assuming that risk?

    Anyways, I thought I’d like to drop in a little of that Football Perspective:
    http://www.footballperspective.com/guest-post-are-interceptions-overrated/

    This sort of thing is part why I feel that Jameis Winston is better than Mariota (and Luck at Stanford, for that matter), despite the high number of interceptions. Being good at taking risks is an important part of being a QB. And that does tend to mean high INT totals. That said, Winston won all the way until the Rose Bowl, and was let down more by his team. One of the reasons why is that Winston doesn’t seem to be throwing back-breaking INT, and he can raise and lower his risk tolerance as per situation. Low key, that’s really important! Understand this…we’re not talking about YOLO gambling alá Manziel. When you see a guy having lots of INTs, but a good ANY/A, you’re seeing a guy who is actually reading a defense and making real decisions with the ball. Sometimes, you have freak years like Foles 2013, but it’s usually pretty easy to tell–the scheme does most of the work/lots of lob deep balls.

    Albright might be excessively friendly to guys like Alex Smith, but Cian Fahey does have it right wrt of Smith and this year’s Derek Carr. Low INT and low ANY/A are pretty clear indicators that the guy is not willing to think/process what he sees. Another low key point is that most of these guys cannot bail your ass when it’s in deep doodoo creek. And this is something that really pops up with Aaron Rodgers, however great he is otherwise–he can be pretty bad with dealing with adversity, sometimes, and probably isn’t making calculated risks well with the chips are down. However, that’s Aaron Rodgers, and a small wart on the inside buttcheek of a Parisian supermodel. Now, think of Matthew Stafford. He has a horrendous record against teams that finished with a winning season. Matt Stafford is also a physical specimen that’s capable of throwing with accuracy. How in the world, when all cards are on the table, with Megatron and Tate, does he even fail to reach midfield (and was lucky to get a second chance at that) in a drive for the last second victory? Because Matt Stafford is a fuckwit who really can’t (or prefers not to) read the defense and make good decisions. He’d rather throw it up to Megatron like a vastly more talented Rex Grossman. Obscene waste of talent. And when he *has* to apply himself…well, he’s coming up short in the brains/experience department…

  25. 25 SteveH said at 11:21 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    Heard from other places that Winston is being looked at as better than Mariota too. The whole thing with him is going to be the off the field stuff. In that way he is similar to Manziel, even if he is much more talented.

  26. 26 Jarock said at 1:30 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    He is the better pro ready talent. In terms of ability to drop back and make the tight window throw, he’s much more experienced than Mariota. If you only look at on the field and you are running a traditional offense, it’s easy to understand why scouts prefer him. Too bad he’s a complete headcase who has Ryan Leaf like bust written all over him.

    Mariota is a good prospect, but you have to either project him into a pro offense, or adjust the offense to what he already does well. He’s a perfect fit for our offense because most of what we ask a QB to do, he already does very well. He would still need to improve making the ‘stick’ throws as well as his ability to throw to tight windows, but there isn’t another pro-offense that would fit him nearly as well. I consider him a top prospect, but unless he ends up in Philly, ideally, I’d want him to sit on the bench for a minimum of half a season and longer would be better. I could easily see him getting selected top 3 and being labeled a bust when fails to be that teams immediate savior.

  27. 27 Anders said at 4:00 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    In the Mariota versus Winston.

    Mariota has almost zero ints and over 10 y/a (great in college) where Winston had a lot of ints but also “only” 8.4 y/a

  28. 28 GermanEagle said at 6:12 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Might be true. We won’t get neither though.

  29. 29 A_T_G said at 10:20 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    GJ Kinne as the new QB coach?

  30. 30 wee2424 said at 1:58 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Rumor has it they were going to hire Mcnabb, but the worms under the feild were threatening to file a lawsuit for hazardous living conditions. Corny i kno, but someone has to bring it back now and then.

  31. 31 MaggieOnMars said at 4:27 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    He might as well do something for his salary.

  32. 32 Greg Richards said at 10:50 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    La Canfora is reporting that he expects Fangio and Donatell to join the Redskins tomorrow morning. Not 100% definite, but expected.

  33. 33 anon said at 10:59 PM on January 19th, 2015:

    tbe. but what’s a coach without players?

  34. 34 GermanEagle said at 6:14 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Just ask Billy D.

  35. 35 Gary Barnes said at 12:01 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Good moves by the Eagles IMO…kudos to Ted Williams as well

  36. 36 Jarock said at 1:32 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Based on Nick’s degrading mechanics, I don’t think the door can close fast enough on Musgrave’s stint as QB coach. I’ve read/heard that Lazor’s abrasive approach rubbed Nick and others the wrong way, but clearly it got results while Musgrave’s more relaxed approach failed. Hope we find someone who can get the most out of Nick.

  37. 37 ICDogg said at 2:28 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    These guys will pump him up

    http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lN_YGjM9xAk/T3J3rIw2Z8I/AAAAAAAAC8E/ZFpjYyRFjZg/HansFranz.jpeg

  38. 38 D3FB said at 2:41 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/556958053497831425

  39. 39 Greg Richards said at 7:10 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Adam Schefter
    ‏@AdamSchefter

    11m11 minutes ago

    Former Raiders HC Dennis Allen is re-joining Saints in a senior defensive
    role, not heading to Chicago. Allen will work with NO DC Rob Ryan.

    Hopefully this means La Canfora’s report last night was wrong and that Fangio will go to the Bears instead of the Redskins. Allen was thought to be Fox’s choice for DC if not Fangio.

  40. 40 eagleyankfan said at 7:37 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    re: the last article. “Nate has to go”. Last year it was “let’s see what Nate can do because he’s had different coaches”. Puke. A year wasted…..
    I’m not sorry to see this QB coach go and congrats to him. If Undlin is as good as advertised — give him a lot of money so he’s not poached.
    This QB coach now becomes the hire of all hires. He has to understand Foles and the offense. Obviously this position is a stepping stone for future HC and OC’s as they are poached often.
    Boring is not, this off season

  41. 41 GEAGLE said at 8:11 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Wow refs had to remove several balls from play during the Pats game SMH

  42. 42 GermanEagle said at 8:30 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Are you still rooting for those cheaters against Seattle in the Super Bowl?!

  43. 43 fran35 said at 2:09 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    I have to, as much as I hate to admit it. I respect the hell out of Brady. I really like Wilson and Lynch from Seattle, but I absolutely abhor their defense. I cant stand the posturing and shit talking. Although I am sure I would love it from my own defense. The other thing that really irks me is Carroll. He is always bitching and moaning about something and chewing his damn gum like he’s a horse.

  44. 44 MaggieOnMars said at 4:25 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    Really? I see Carroll jumping up and down, running down the sidelines etc., with excitement. He seems like a little kid in his enjoyment of the game. Yes, he bitches to the officials sometimes. So does every other Head Coach!

  45. 45 BreakinAnklez said at 8:46 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    Tom Brady bitches, whines and cries every time he gets touched. That doesn’t irk you?

  46. 46 fran35 said at 8:53 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    Only when he plays the birds. I think the memory of seeing Carroll chew his gum and celebrate while his defense dismantled our vaunted offense has traumatized me. I respect Carroll, but my wounds are still fresh

  47. 47 RobNE said at 8:31 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    I don’t understand the accusation. Is it that they sent in slightly under inflated balls while the Pats had the ball?

    why cheat against the Colts?

  48. 48 Ark87 said at 8:57 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    same, aren’t all the footballs handled by NFL staff? How would the patriots get at them during halftime enough to be manually noticeable by the refs? This all seems a bit ridiculous.

  49. 49 bill said at 9:19 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    I said it last thread, but to me, this is about the franchise. If you’re a proven, unrepentant cheater, all your future accomplishments are going to be questioned. If this is any other franchise, this story doesn’t even run in the Indianapolis rag.

    That it’s being reported at all is a reflection on the integrity of that franchise and Belicheat. You have to at least read it before coming to the conclusion that there’s no story, whereas that headline wouldn’t even grab your interest with any other franchise.

  50. 50 A_T_G said at 3:31 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    Good observation.

  51. 51 A_T_G said at 3:32 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    And, by the way, this post came from the future.

  52. 52 RobNE said at 8:32 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Why did Seattle have the roof open? I thought if you are the clear favorite, why add other variables like weather to the mix.

  53. 53 GermanEagle said at 8:35 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    Because dry conditions would have favoured AR and GB’s passing game.

  54. 54 RobNE said at 10:19 AM on January 20th, 2015:

    right ok I buy that

  55. 55 unhinged said at 4:09 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    I never heard of Jaquiski Tartt, but that is an unforgettable name, and, by all cosmic laws, he belongs in the NFL.

  56. 56 Media Mike said at 5:18 PM on January 20th, 2015:

    Although if he makes a few boneheaded plays the strategic use of “re” in front of his last name could make for some aggressive signs / headlines.