Coaching News

We finally got some good nuggets on the Eagles coaching situation on Friday. There were people coming and going, and candidates emerging.

First up, some offensive coordinator news.

The #Eagles are interviewing Southern Cal OC Graham Harrell for their OC vacancy today, NFL sources said.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 17, 2020

If you read this site, you might remember I mentioned Harrell earlier this week.

Graham Harrell – Great background. Played at Texas Tech in the Air Raid offense. Spent time in the NFL as a backup with the Packers. Was a positional assistant at Washington State and then the OC at North Texas, where they had a lot of offensive success. Harrell became the OC for the USC Trojans in 2019. Up and coming coach.

I looked at a list of all college football teams. I went through the teams who had the best offenses and the best coaches. Harrell stood out to me because of his college background, NFL background and track record.

I need to write a lot more about Harrell, but I think he would be a terrific hire. He would bring new ideas and a new set of eyes to the Eagles offense. I think that is just what this team needs.

***

I was surprised by this.

#Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the Eagles requested to interview TEs coach Bobby Engram and QBs coach James Urban and Baltimore granted the request, but both coaches pulled out and plan to stay with the Ravens.

— Aaron Kasinitz (@AaronKazreports) January 17, 2020

This makes me think that word in the coaching community is that the Eagles are leaning heavily toward Harrell. Urban and Engram are not exactly household names. Those guys shouldn’t be turning down interviews for a promotion. The fact they did that has to mean something.

Or I guess they could just love Baltimore crab cakes that much.

***

Speaking of surprises.

God order your steps so all you can do is take the next one. Thank you to the Eagles organization for 4 great years. I’m proud of what we accomplished as a DL and even prouder of what we accomplished this season against all odds. Thank you to Mr. Lurie and entire Eagles Org.

— Phillip Daniels (@PhillipDaniels) January 17, 2020

I’m not shocked, but I am surprised.

To be fair, the Eagles DL wasn’t as good as hoped this year. Injuries were a factor, but we didn’t see young players developing as expected. Josh Sweat was better than his rookie year, but I was still disappointed. Shareef Miller couldn’t get on the field. Derek Barnett flashed, but he needs to be better. Tim Jernigan is maddeningly inconsistent.

For Jim Schwartz’s scheme to thrive, the Eagles DL must be outstanding. Just think back to the playoff game. Seattle had backup OL in there. The Eagles couldn’t take advantage of that.

The Eagles DL wasn’t bad this year, but they didn’t live up to the talent they had.

So who will replace Daniels?

The Eagles are considering promoting Matt Burke to defensive line coach to replace Phillip Daniels, per source. Burke, former Dolphins DC, currently serves as special assistant to Jim Schwartz.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 18, 2020

I wonder about this. Burke has more of a LB background. He’s never been a DL coach. Can you really trust him to get the most out of the guys up front?

It doesn’t seem that hard to coach pass rushers, but that is a critical position. Any little nuance that can help them get an advantage is important.

Jim Schwartz thinks highly of Burke. This is the third time they’ve worked together (also the Titans and Lions). I’m glad for Burke to be on the staff because Schwartz values his input and ideas. You don’t have him coach the DL unless you think he’s the best man for the job.

We’ll see what happens.

***

Connor Barwin has returned to Eagles, now as special assistant to the general manager.

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 17, 2020

Connor Barwin, as expected, has been hired by the #Eagles as special assistant to the general manager. He had been spending time at the NovaCare during the season observing.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 17, 2020

Interesting.

Former players do not always work out as coaches or scouts. Just because you can play the game doesn’t mean you can identify and/or develop talent. Those are very different skills.

I do think Barwin has a chance to succeed in this role. First, he’s got a blue collar mentality. Some former players think talent evaluation is going to be fun or easy. They don’t realize you study thousands of prospects to find a handful of guys.

Barwin also has an advantage because of his personality. He was a leader for the Eagles. Not a great player “Follow me boys!” kind of leader, but rather someone who cared about his teammates and built strong relationships with them. He should be good at reading prospects to find out who has the right kind of personality. Intangibles go a long way toward success in the NFL.

Howie Roseman said the Eagles had a couple of additions to the personnel staff that the team would be announcing. He seemed excited about the moves. This wasn’t a move I was expecting. I loved Barwin as a player. We’ll have to see if he can get the job done in the front office.

It does make you wonder what the other move or moves will be.

_