More Coach Talk
Posted: November 25th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 80 Comments »You guys have lots of good questions on the coaching situation. I wish I had lots of good answers. This is a strange time for all of us. All the knowledge I’ve built up since 1999 becomes less relevant due to the coming changes. I will offer some educated guesses.
Timing. I think Reid will be let go the day after the season ends. The Eagles will want to handle this is in a classy way. That said, if the Eagles have an awful performance on Monday night…you wonder if that would change things. The team has lost 6 games in a row, the last 4 by 13 or more points. If the Eagles lose by 20 or more points to the struggling Panthers…that could force Lurie to change his mind and make an in-season change. Lurie can deal with angry fans. Apathy is the thing he fears. I’m throwing the 20-point amount out there randomly. To me, that is a blowout. Less of a differential can still be a blowout, but 20 points is a nice round number I think most people can agree on.
As for hiring a new coach…this is a hugely important decision. Lurie will not rush this. The flip side is that if he sees a candidate that he truly covets, Lurie will act quickly to snatch him up. I’m sure Lurie would rather not wait for the Super Bowl to be over to go for a candidate. It can be dangerous to set your sights on one guy like that. I would expect the hire to be done in early to mid-January.
More on the 3-4. A few people have asked if I think moving to the 3-4 is likely. It all depends on who gets hired. I tend to think that because the team is built for the 4-3 the new coach will stick with that. I could be completely wrong, though.
Jimmy Bama and I mentioned DeMeco Ryans as an ILB if the shift happens. A few wondered about that since Houston traded him this past offseason. Ryans is best as a MLB. He can play ILB. The Texans saw his age, price, and the position switch as reasons to deal him. It also happened because they had Brian Cushing as their star ILB. He was the 3-down guy. Ryans was a base defense player. Should the Eagles make the switch, Ryans could absolutely play well in the 3-4.
I think some of you see the 3-4 as some way to solve problems. That can be fool’s gold. The Skins run the 3-4 and their defense has been a mess for 3 years. The Ravens run the 3-4 and their defense is 25th in the league right now. Too many fans got caught up in the notion that the Wide-9 is a major part of the Eagles struggles. It really isn’t. Execution is the biggest problem on defense, not scheme.
The top 2 teams in the league run the 3-4 (Pitt, SF). The next 3 teams run the 4-3 (SEA, CHI, DEN). You can have a great defense in a variety of ways. The key is to find the right players and to execute correctly.
Chip Kelly. Someone wondered if the Eagles could convince him to come here to just run the offense. NO. Chip is a tremendously successful coach at a Top 5 program. Those guys only take other HC jobs. You could get the HC at a mid-level program to take an OC job in the NFL. That’s been done a few times over the years.
Some of you want nothing to do with Kelly and his “gimmick offense”. Read this. Bill Belichick has had Kelly come to the Pats building 3 times to talk about football. If Bill thinks he has something to learn from the guy, that should tell you this isn’t a gimmick. I’m not trying to sell you on Kelly. I’ve got my doubts as well. I just think dismissing him is short-sighted. Jimmy Johnson was considered a gimmicky college guy when he came to the NFL. The NFL ended up adapting to him more than the other way around.
Ray Horton. More than a few Eagles fans like Horton and have interest in him as the next HC. I’ll pass. Ray was a DB coach from 1995-2010. He has been the Cardinals DC the last 2 years. That is a good, but not great resume. I think people are buying into false hype. Arizona’s defense put up worse numbers than the Eagles in 2011. The Cards do have a Top 10 defense this year, but not Top 5. Not special in any way. They don’t lead the league in any major categories. I’ll do a lengthy write-up of Horton once the season is over and we have definitive numbers, but for now I don’t see him as a HC target for us.
Rex Ryan. A few people have asked about Rex. I have major concerns about Rex as a HC. I think he’s in a bad situation with the Jets. The owner says and does some dumb things. Ditto that for the GM. Rex joins right in. Is he the leader of the circus or just responding to the environment?
I would absolutely have interest in Rex as a DC. His defense is struggling this year, but part of that is due to not having its best player – Darelle Revis. Ryan built his scheme around Revis. Rex is great with X’s and O’s. He is the one coach who has given Tom Brady fits, both with the Ravens and Jets. He is better at designing overload blitzes than anyone else in football. He also understands how to design complex coverages. Part of his brilliance is jumping between complex and simple schemes. Rex can motivate and lead. His players love him.
Jim Johnson. A couple of people thought I was being simplistic in saying the Eagles should find the next JJ. Where do you go for great DCs? I made sure to focus in the column on the phrase “veteran coach” and not great coach. I hoped people would pick up on that, but maybe I should have been more clear.
Who was Jim Johnson when we hired him? How many fans had heard of JJ? He wasn’t a coaching legend at all. He was a veteran coach who turned out to be perfect for our personnel. Trot gave him the sledgehammer MLB he wanted. Dawk gave him the defensive weapon to make his schemes really come to life.
Look at JJ’s resume:
1998 – Seattle – LBs coach
1996-1997 – Indy – DC
1994-95 – Indy – LBs coach
1986-93 – Cardinals – DBs/DL coach
1984-85 – USFL DC
1977-83 – Notre Dame – DC
Jim only had 2 years of DC experience at the NFL level when we hired him. Amazing. He was a smart, innovative, veteran coach, but didn’t have Super Bowls and elite rankings all over his resume.
There are plenty of guys with resumes similar to Johnson that will be available. The key is to find the right one. That is much easier said than done. It isn’t fair to hold the Eagles to the standard of finding a defensive guru or else, but I stick by my contention that the team needs to add a veteran defensive coach. I’ll start talking about specific names in the coming weeks.
David Shaw is my top candidate right now. Poised coach who gets the most out of his players and does two things I wish Andy would have done- utilize tight ends and RUN THE BALL!
Agree. I want Shaw.
Shaw having coached here before hopefully helps us land him
Word is that Stanford is Shaws dream job and he’s not leaving anytime soon.
Completely agree!
Other than Jason Peters, do we have o-linemen versatile enough to thrive under a new system? Todd was pretty good at guard, but his performance under Mudd at tackle has been inconsistent.
Todd can start at OT or OG for anyone. Does need to be more consistent, but has the talent/skills. Mathis is set at LG. RG is up in the air. Kelce is a bit of a mystery at C. Some coaches who prefer big guys may not care for him.
I know you write all the time and talk on H2H about how Mathis is all set at LG and is a lock, I really don’t see it, he is more Average then anything, wouldn’t a new hc want a younger lg?
Anyone would want a younger player, but there are going to be numerous holes, and several things a new HC is going to want to replace. One of our most consistently good OL is probably no where near the top. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Exactly guards are far from a massive game changing position. Draft someone in the fourth or fifth round and let him and Menkins develop for a few years to take over the spot.
menkins might not even be here
Pass on Chip Kelly or Gary Patterson, I don’t want a college coach with zero NFL experience, how will he hire assistants, evaluate talent? It’s a different game, no 4.7 5’9 CBs you can exploit with a spread. And I think Kelly’s scheme is a “gimmick,” there are things that work at the college level that will struggle in the NFL. Belichick incorporates elements of a lot of different schemes, but he has three decades as a coach and coordinator and knows what works. I’d be more comfortable with the Syracuse HC who was OC in NO for three years when they went from worst to first in offense.
The problem with Rex Ryan is he has his dad’s personality, few HCs could handle him as a DC at this point, you’d need a HOF caliber guy or someone who is supremely confident and can ignore the media eruptions and the acting out.
I’ve talked about defense, I think a 3-4 is a two to three year rebuild, where a conventional 4-3 scheme could result in a big upgrade in 2013, and note, you can incorporate wide 9 aspects, example, Carroll in Seattle lines his RDE up in the wide 9 as an “elephant” (remember Charles Haley) with basically 3 DTs in a hybrid 4-3/3-4 look. Ironically, the wide 9 could work with a MLB like Trotter, who was almost like a NG over the center, and two fast athletic OLBs, somewhat similar to what JJ did with Trotter in a quasi 5-2. A 4-3 does not have to be vanilla. Think Chicago, Tampa Bay under Kiffin, Indy under Dungy.
OL could play a conventional zone blocking scheme, Kelce should be 290 lbs or more next year, which makes him the same size as a half dozen centers, including Myers in Houston, one of the best in the league. Ravens wanted to sign Mathis. Difference would be relearning their moves off the snap, but since they were coached their whole life opposite to Mudd, that shouldn’t be too hard.
A man blocking scheme, that would be tougher, Kelce might struggle with a man over him without help, Mathis isn’t the most physical in line blocker. Watkins and Herremans might do fine in that system at OG, and Kelly at RT. I suspect Menkin will be 310 lbs by next August as well. I’m not sure Herremans has the feet to stay at RT, which is why the next 6 games are key for Kelly, the job is his for the taking.
There are huge concerns to hiring college coaches. Steve Spurrier is the best example of that. That said, You do need to be careful that you’re not passing on greatness. Think about AR’s unconventional background when we hired him.
Doug Marrone has been a good HC at Syracuse. Probably too soon to consider him for the Eagles job, but definitely worth taking a look at.
Interesting note about Marrone. He is BOB’s closest friend. I wonder if they could come as a HC/OC package deal.
Is Coulghlin a genius? Dungy? Even Belichick?
Sometimes really bright guys (think AR/MM) out think themselves.
How much of being a successful HC is brilliant schemes and game plans, etc., and how much is just really good management skills, hiring good assistants, motivation, recognizing bad fits and getting rid of them, simplifying schemes so they’re manageable, teaching, discipline, focus on detail without losing the big picture, etc.
Doug Marrone has NFL experience tho, I think he is an intriguing name already
Bill O’Brien would be the only college guy I’d consider. His buyout is 9 million but that can be negotiated down if he wants to go to the NFL. Plus no salary cap for coaches. Shaw isn’t leaving Stanford. Its his dream job.
Torn on BOB. Want him to stay at PSU. Think he could be very interesting target for the Eagles.
Bill O’Brien has to stay at PSU for me because of Catch-22.
I would like him as coach of the Eagles.
In order to coach the Eagles he would have to leave PSU after one year.
If he leaves PSU after one year I wouldn’t want him as coach of the Eagles.
I don’t think there’s a chance he leaves anyway.
I pray to god he stays at PSU, enough hell at PSU let Bob win a national title first
Tommy,
how do you feel about Vic Fangio?
Will cover him in a post.
broncos run a 4-3?
Yes. They were a 3-4 in the past, but John Fox is a 4-3 guy.
Good read on the 3-4 Tommy. However, I would argue that SEA and DEN are not really true 4-3s. Both of their hybrid 4-3/3-4 systems have been widely discussed by now. Even in their 4-3 look, the Dlines consist of three 300+ lbs dudes with Dumervil/Clemons as the fourth man. And in passing downs most of the time, they would shift to a 3-4 or even 3-3. If the next HC can recreate SEA or DEN’s success with that kind of scheme, I wouldn’t really care if it’s designated 4-3 or 3-4.
Point taken on execution/discipline. JJ had all kinds of crazy zone blitz packages but he was able to coach his players to properly execute those plays, what McDermott failed to do. Castillo, on the other hand, was still learning how to blitz effectively in the second preseason game (vs. NE). Imagine what Bowles could have done if he actually had time to tweak his 5-2 or some other ideas he has during the off/pre-season.
I’m still hoping for Jay Gruden, but Vic Fangio’s defense is really impressive. Amazing what he’s done with Singletary’s guys.
no mention of vic fangio????
Forgot. Will cover him soon.
RE: Rex Ryan as a potential DC…
Is there a head coaching candidate who would be more likely to hire him? I ask because presumably the new HC will want to establish his own identity for the team and Rex is a large ego to bring aboard. Granted he’s a talented DC so maybe that wouldn’t matter?
Also, I would imagine Ryan will hold out for as long as possible in search of a new head coaching spot, meaning he could wind up missing a season as other teams staff up. If that’s the case, I could see him sitting behind a desk on Sunday morning (see ya, Michael Irvin!).
Head Coach – Rob Ryan
DC – Rex Ryan
OC – Jim Fassel.
Press conferences would be awesome.
Let’s not forget our three-headed Special Teams Coordinator, Jim Mora/Dennis Green/Mike Gundy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMmbUmKN0E
there we go!
GM – Jerry Jones
I’m waiting for the day that he fires the HC and takes over the team, citing the fact that he played high school football (scored 4 TD’s in one game in fact).
Note: I’m fully aware that he played college football, but it’s just funnier to imagine him saying this as Al Bundy.
When he gets senile, it just might happen
That would be awesome. Unfortunately it’s against NFL rules for an owner to coach his own team.
and add Dennis Green as Special Teams coach…Jim Mora Sr as Quality control while your at it!
How dare you cyber-fire Michael Irvin!!!
Rex has been humbled this year. If he does get fired, I think you would see a different guy in the new city. Think of Rob and how he is in Dallas. Rob still says dumb/crazy/funny things, but they don’t dominate the news. Part of that is due to the fact the DC only talks to the media once or twice in a week.
I think a HC would be willing to take a chance on Rex. Would be no different that using a pick on a player with a questionable past. You meet the guy and figure out if you think you can make it work. Not all would like him, but Rex is a great DC. Some coaches would be willing to take that chance.
In all seriousness, you might be on to something with cyber-firing. Start-up a website and call it E-fire. It could be like E-vite only instead of alerting friends to your holiday mixer, you are terminating someone’s job. I bet Lurie would like that up and running in the next month…
You could even post pictures of the employees positive moments, allow newly-former- colleagues to post comments (“that sucks, bro,”), and maybe even an area where you can attach a boiler-plate recommendation to future employers. And if we’re really going all out, you could select an option that lets your former employee select their own reason for termination (eg. “downsizing,” “can no longer afford your services,” “going in a different direction.”)
Brilliant
I really dont remember Rex Ryan been such a big clown as DC for the Ravens.
My perfect trifecta of coaches is:
HC: David Shaw
OC: Joe Lombardi (QB coach for the Saints)
DC: Rex Ryan
I really despise Rex Ryan. I understand that he is a good coach, maybe great, but he is just an idiot. Some things he says are just so moronic that I wonder how he can open doors without help. Ad that to the fact that he is a jackass, not a tough and strict coach, i mean a disrespectful, loud and unprofessionel jackass, really kinda an asshole.
HC wise,I can definitely get behind David Shaw. I think I would be satisfied with Shaw, Mike McCoy and Mike Zimmer, and could even be persuaded to support Chip Kelly, Jay Gruden and Ray Horton.
I really like everything about Shaw and McCoy, and I think Mike Zimmer has done a great job in Cincy, but he has kinda the same thing that Ray Horton does. I dont know if I trust them as head coaches. The same with Jay Gruden, who had kinda a weird career, but definitely knows how to develop a QB(and players in general) and how to run his offense. Chip Kelly is equally intriguing and frightening. I love that he is running focused, but groundbreaking and not really old school. I love that his teams seem disciplined and “fast in their heads”, i just fear the translation to the pro game. Kelly is a gamble IMO, but frankly, it might be exactly what we need.
I think Lombardi would be a great choice for OC, and were really in a position to make a great move. Hue Jackson, formor Raiders coach is only an assistant with Cincy, he might be an opportunity. If we get an offensive minded HC, obviously it should be a guy willing to accept that he might not call the plays and someone who really can work with the QBs. With a defensive HC, the OC gets a bigger role.
ST coach?
Would love Rex as our next dcord, experience in the 3-4 and 4-3, I wonder how the city would react to Buddys son running the defense
Rex Ryan’s new job next season? Ladies shoe store, of course. “Just try this little one on, ooh baby!”
Tommy,
What is your initial opinion to the top of the draft compared to the previous couple of years?
I’m no expert, but I don’t see any elite/special prospects in this years draft. I see it as very similar to the draft in 2009 where, aside from Stafford, there were no sure fire picks in the top 10. The stars of that draft came later, and weren’t thought of as elite prospects at the time.
As I see it, we picked the wrong year to suck. My hope is to go get a future franchise LT this year (Joeckel or Matthews) and then after sucking another year, we pick our franchise QB in 2014 (maybe A.J. McCarron).
Anyway, I find it hard to think that we’ll be a contender again anytime soon.
Not sure of Tommy’s view, but I think there are absolutely some special prospects in this draft, but hardly any of them are on offense. Lots of good DL at the top of this one, though.
My preference for this off-season:
1- Sign a FA T, Bushrod or Long would be ideal, to immediately help the reparation process for the OL (and cross your fingers that all of the injured guys come back healthy and with zero regression) and then 2- draft the B defensive PA with our #1, albeit a DT to pair w/ Fletch or Te’O to play w/ MK and Ryans or whomever you identify as such (the CB from BAMA may get some consideration if Howie wants to move back a few slots for more picks later in the draft).
Those 2 moves could go a long way to restoring this team to the level of respectability that is required from this fanbase.
Thoughts on getting Gus Malzahn as an OC? It seems more and more obvious that it was largely him and Cam that won that title for Auburn.
As an Auburn supporter I can confidently say “no thanks.” If Andy/Marty’s 1st down: incomplete pass, 2nd down: draw, 3rd down: screen philosophy drives you nuts, Malzahn will lead us all to ritualistic seppuku before the bye week.
Cam Newton consistently bailed that offense out of dicey 3rd and 4th downs with his legs. And Nick Fairley was no slouch on defense.
On the Auburn front, I do hope we look at TE Philip Lutzenkirchen as a mid to late round selection. He had a hip injury that ended his year earlier in the season but has a real nose for the end zone. Think of a slightly slower Jason Witten with better hands, blocking, and last name.
Also, WR Emory Blake (son of Jeff!) could be of interest in later rounds. Good hands, speed and route-running, but limited the past two years with TERRIBLE quarterback play.
Tommy, at some point could you discuss Mike McCoy as a potential target. I’ll admit to not knowing a ton about him, but I am intrigued based on the fact that he has a history of being a QB coach as well as having success with the broncos after changing the offense multiple time to fit Orton, Tebow and now Manning. I like the idea of having a coach who understands QBs and will help develop one.
Seriously. He coached Orton to 3800 yards, 21 TD, 12 INT – his best season – and made the playoffs with Tebow. McCoy deserves a real look, but he’s also likely to be a hot commodity for both NFL and NCAA teams.
I don’t see any reason why him being a hot commodity should make the eagles shy away. If he is the guy that through your evaluations you feel is the best coach for the job, you absolutely go out and get him. The right head coach can set your franchise up for sustained success (see Andy Reid). The wrong head coach however can set your franchise back for a long time (see the Raiders).
I’m not saying McCoy is necessarily the best candidate, but to me, whoever the best candidate ends up being, you need to be aggressive in getting that guy.
Agree, and I also don’t understand why people seem to think that we’ll be bargain hunting. We’ve all seen Lurie open the wallet when he needs to. I don’t understand why people think that he won’t in this case, or that he’ll be frugal. Based on the organization, the players, the history, etc., I’d have to say that the Eagles HC job will be the most desirable on the market. You’ve got underachieving talent, a great facility, loyal fans. I think the desirability of the job and Lurie’s wallet will pretty much give us the pick of the litter. It’s all about figuring out who that is.
Get Dennis Thurman. Once Ryan’s fired, he can’t block his interview for the job. Get a defensive guy with a top OC w/a asst. HC title with complete autonomy of the offense. That’s where Gruden (either one) can fit in with ease.
Tommy,
If we are in rebuilding mode the next few years, do you think it would be wise to take some mid to late round chances on injured players in the draft? I like OT Chris Faulk and with his ACL injury he could be available late. Also Tank Carradine comes to mind as a player, whose stock must fall because of injury.
And if we are not going to be a contender anyway, I think it could be wise to pick up some talented yet injured players up, and stash them a year on IR.
My biggest fear is that we become the Raiders where miss the playoffs for the next 10 yrs or become the Skins and it takes us 16yrs to find a new franchise QB. With that being said i would be very happy with either coordinator from San Fan as the head man. I dont know how much about Greg Roman but the job he and coach Harbaugh has done with Alex smith is remarkable. If you hire Fangio then i would love it if he would bring Jim Leavitt the former USF coach to run the D. As for the offense im not sure what direction they should take but if Nick Foles is the QB then i would try and hire Foles qb coach from Az or the recently fired Cal coach in Jeff Tedford as a QB coach.
With an Owner like Laurie that wont happen b
I volunteer myself for the job. Could I possibly do a worse job managing the end of the half?
I volunteer as your asst hc and dcord!
My wish list for xmas:
HC – David Shaw
OC – Mike McCoy
DC – Rex Ryan
You can dream, right…?!
Wish all you want McCoy wont be our Ocord rest is possible, you skipped ST we need a new ‘genius’ there
I like Del Rio. He showed that he could get good returns out of a good but underperforming personnel unit, then was starved of resources by his owner in JAX. Lurie would allow him to get the players to compete.
With an underperforming unit, you need someone hardnosed to get things straightened out. If Parcells was on the market, I might go there.
Del Rio? Parcells? I don’t see them as Eagles Targets but you never know…
I wouldn’t mind Del Rio as a DC, but probably not a head coach. I’d prefer a HC with an offensive mentality, and hire a DC with experience to run that side of the ball.
Any chance the eagles show interest in Eric Mangini?
I’ll take Chip Kelly. Sure, he might fail. Anyone the Eagles hire could fail. Maybe the odds are a bit higher with a guy that has no NFL experience. He could turn out to be a guy with a gimmick system that just doesn’t work in the NFL. In that case, he will fail spectacularly. He’ll get fired and the team will be 2-14, hopefully in a season with some great QB prospects. On the other hand, if he’s some sort of genius that knows how to exploit weaknesses, then he could end up being one of the best coaches in the league. Either way, it should be an exciting ride.
Tommy, what are your thoughts on Bruce Arians, He is currently experiencing success with a young Colts team as the interim head coach. when/if Chuck Pagano comes back to be the Head Coach, Arians would have to be a top candidate for a head coaching gig
Why not Greg Mattison for DC? He was DC for a NCAA champion (Florida) and was DC of the Ravens some of their best years. He was also DC for Notre Dame and Texas A&W (Wrecking Crew) when they had some of their best defenses.
How ’bout a homegrown (Central Bucks West) product from a family of football success (his dad retired with the highest winning percentage in Pennsylvania high school history–aptly a history teacher too)… who happens to be Rex Ryan’s DC? Mike Pettine Jr
http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/coaches/mike-pettine/c62845a5-1004-4a05-ac1a-49f0b7ea15b6
I think it worth noting why the Baltimore Ravens had originally hired him into the NFL:
Re: Wilderness Years Ahead / Chip Kelly in the NFL
1. A commenter expressed concern that the Eagle could languish in the NFL wilderness for the next decade, waiting for a franchise QB. Well, it’s happened before in this town. In 1963, the Eagles traded future HOF Sonny Jurgensen — after which the Eagles went through 10 different starting QBs until 1977, when Dick Vermeil acquired Ron Jaworski for TE Charlie Young. The Eagles then transitioned from Jaws to Randall Cunningham in 1986.
But during the Rhodes era, with Randall gone, the Eagles cut-and-paste at QB . . . which led to the 1998 3-13 season and D-Mac.
2. Chip Kelly’s a great offensive coach — emphasis on the word *coach*.
Football is about blocking and tackling. The rest of it — the scheme — is about creating matchup advantages. Chip Kelly could run the wishbone, the spread, the pro-set . . . or any other offense. That’s what coaches do.
From 1974-75, Dick Vermeil was the head coach of UCLA (after 3 years as the Rams’ special-teams coach — the 1st ever in the NFL).
Vermeil’s UCLA Bruins ran the Houston Veer — an option-style offense — led by a future NFL defensive back named John Sciarra.
Vermeil’s offense in Philadelphia was a conventional I-formation based NFL offense.
That doesn’t mean Kelly would be a successful NFL coach. Only that the offense he runs at Oregon may not be the offense he’d run in the NFL.
Options:
Bengals OC Jay Gruden
Bengals DC Mike Zimmer (as of yet unmentioned)
49ers DC Vic Fangio
Broncos OC Mike McCoy
Dreadful though it may seem…
Patriots OC Josh “Mike Martz Jr.” McDaniels
@ Tommy how do you feel about Mike Preifer from Minnesota? special teams coach. he routinely gets the max effort out of his players and emphasizes fundamental and technique. he could easily bring along Daly the D line coach as well as their QB coach as D and O coordinator respectively. with this move we keep our 4-3, we get a coach who specializes in the short game for Foles, not to mention an O built around McCoy. Only problem i can see is that a)fans do not see the vikings as a good organization, but i do. leslie frazier is part of the Reid coaching tree, albeit via Childress. the biggest issue i see could be our smallish DE using that scheme. most of the vikings players are lengthy and rangy, with stout 300 pound DT. i could see Lurie going in this direction based off 2 factors. one is he loves the up and coming young coach, and two) he will clearly look at hiring trends around the league and this would fit right in with them along the lines of Harbaugh going to Baltimore.
I wouldn’t mind a switch to the 3-4. The Eagles would need a NT, though. They might be in position to grab Jesse Williams from Alabama, depending on how things end up. Williams, might be a special NT in the league, with the ability to cover a little more ground than a typical NT. I like the 3-4 going forward; the versatility, multiplicity and confusion it creates for opposing offenses. With unbalanced lines and spread type attacks becoming more prevalent, I think it behooves a defense to have speedy 3-4 LBs more than 4-3 ends.
I guess it’s all kind of dependent on your vision for the short-term prospects of the Philadelphia Eagles, and your view of the talent on hand. If you think they just need to find the right coach to tweak a system that’s better suited to the personnel on-hand, and help an already-talented roster realize their potential, I can see the argument for keeping a 4-3. No surprise to anyone who’s bothered to read my posts, but I tend to think that with the uncertainty at QB, and the dearth of talent in the secondary, the Eagles are going nowhere fast within the next 3 years.
The problem with that strategy–admittedly–is that we might be relying on the same cook that ruined the last meal; Howeird Roseman.
If we’re going for a non-typical NT for a conversion to a 3-4/hybrid defense, then it’s gotta be Johnathan Hankins.
I really can’t agree that Howie is the architect of our failure. He’s done a good job in getting players and draft picks in the past couple of years. Getting them to play well isn’t his job.
I want Rick Dennison. What other team runs the ball as well and runs play-action better. Schaub is a very limited QB, but he excels in this offense. And the Texans took an average Tennessee RB and have made him a star. For years the Texans struggled on the offensive line, and recently, under Dennison, they’ve become stellar. Guys like Duane Brown, who struggled for awhile, are now stalwarts.
Kind of goes back to what ACViking was saying yesterday in regards to the proposed rule changes. Why bring in a Gibbs/Shanahan disciple if they can’t run their offense?
Sorry, I’m a few days behind. What are the proposed rule changes?
The NFL rules committee is supposedly deliberating on whether to make “cut blocking”–blocks below the waist–illegal. Anyone who runs a ZBS, like the Texans, would need to come up with a very creative way to run their offense without using cut blocks–particularly the back side of those stretch runs, that guys like Arian Foster exploit so well.
Here’s an article http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/21120240/report-league-could-ban-belowthewaist-blocks-starting-in-2013