Coaching Update

Posted: January 17th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

Welcome to Day One of the offseason. We don’t have any definitive news, but there are some updates to share on players and coaches.

We’ll start with Nick Sirianni. He’s still the coach and it might stay that way.

This doesn’t make anything official, but it certainly points to Sirianni coming back. His meeting with Jeffrey Lurie will be crucial. Doug Pederson didn’t give good answers in his meeting after the 2020 season and Lurie fired him. Lurie understands there will be ups and downs. What he wants to know is if the current coach can fix the problems.

Sirianni gave generic answers in his press conferences. He will have to give detailed answers to Lurie. They will discuss changes on the staff and possible replacements. They will discuss scheme ideas. They will talk about the roster and thoughts on the 2024 team. Sirianni must articulate a plan for how to get the Eagles back to the top.

I think one of the keys will be him admitting to Lurie where he was wrong. If Sirianni says he was right to make the change at defensive coordinator, but it didn’t work due to this or that reason, Lurie should tell him to hit the bricks. Sirianni needs to say “I did what I thought was right, but it was the wrong move. I can see that now.” Coaches make mistakes. GMs make bad draft picks. Owners make bad hires. Admit the mistake and learn from it. If you can’t admit the mistake, that’s a problem.

Players came out strongly in favor of Sirianni coming back.

Player endorsements help, but aren’t a guarantee. Just because they like Sirianni doesn’t make keeping him the right decision. Again, it comes back to his answers on what went wrong and how he’s going to fix it.

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One of the reasons I’m not pushing more aggressively for a coaching change is that I understand how hard it is to find good coaches.

A few hiring cycles ago, Adam Gase was the star assistant that everyone wanted. He turned out to be a terrible coach. Go a few years back and Brandon Staley was the coveted candidate. He was fired during the season after going 24-24 with the Chargers.

Even when you think you have a good coach there are questions. See Nick Sirianni. And Brian Daboll.

Daboll led the Giants to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff berth last year. The Giants fell to 6-11 in 2023. Beyond the record, things got very ugly in NY.

The GM had to get on the coaches headset for 4 games to see if Daboll was being out of line with his assistants. If the stories are true, Daboll was definitely out of line. I don’t blame Wink Martindale for wanting out.

There was serious heat on Sean McDermott six weeks ago. His team was 6-6 and struggling. A story came out detailing how McDermott used the 9/11 attacks as an example of good teamwork and communication a few years ago. You really wondered about his future. The 9/11 thing lingers, but has slid to the background as the Bills have now won six games in a row and look like a serious SB contender.

Sirianni has proven he can win. That does mean something. If you move on from him, you better have a couple of candidates you really want. Firing Sirianni as a way to show how mad you are at the disappointing finish doesn’t accomplish anything. Focus on solutions.

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Jason Kelce might not be retiring after all.

He’s said each of the past few years that he likes to take some time and think about it. The time right after a game is one filled with strong emotions. That isn’t the time to make a life-changing decision.

You do that while sipping on a PRB and snacking on Funyuns.

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Brandon Graham does want to return. I think the key with him will be cost. BG can be a solid role player, but the price has to be right.

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This doesn’t mean Cox is gone for sure. He played well this season. He will want good money for 2024 and the Eagles need to decide if they want to invest in an older veteran or if they would rather go with a younger player.

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One Comment on “Coaching Update”

  1. 1 Eagles News: NFL executives believe Philadelphia makes the most sense for Bill Belichick – Consolidated Financial said at 8:46 PM on January 18th, 2024:

    […] Coaching Update – Iggles BlitzThis doesn’t make anything official, but it certainly points to Sirianni coming back. His meeting with Jeffrey Lurie will be crucial. Doug Pederson didn’t give good answers in his meeting after the 2020 season and Lurie fired him. Lurie understands there will be ups and downs. What he wants to know is if the current coach can fix the problems. Sirianni gave generic answers in his press conferences. He will have to give detailed answers to Lurie. They will discuss changes on the staff and possible replacements. They will discuss scheme ideas. They will talk about the roster and thoughts on the 2024 team. Sirianni must articulate a plan for how to get the Eagles back to the top. I think one of the keys will be him admitting to Lurie where he was wrong. If Sirianni says he was right to make the change at defensive coordinator, but it didn’t work due to this or that reason, Lurie should tell him to hit the bricks. Sirianni needs to say “I did what I thought was right, but it was the wrong move. I can see that now.” Coaches make mistakes. GMs make bad draft picks. Owners make bad hires. Admit the mistake and learn from it. If you can’t admit the mistake, that’s a problem. […]