Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

What’s Next

Posted February 11th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

There is a downside to the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. I have a million thoughts on a million topics and it becomes challenging to know what to write first. I’m going to share some thoughts on a variety of subjects for tonight and will then work on my list of topics each day after that.

The first order of business is replacing Kellen Moore. He was announced as the Saints new head coach. That means the Eagles need a new offensive coordinator. There is a good chance QBs coach Doug Nussmeier will go with him so he would need to be replaced as well.

The logical candidate for OC is Kevin Patullo. He and Nick Sirianni are very close, having worked together since 2018. You can read this piece by Bo Wulf for some insight on how close they are. Some will question if promoting Patullo is a good move. The Eagles tried that with Brian Johnson after the last Super Bowl and it did not go well. The Eagles were Johnson’s first NFL job. Patullo first worked in the league in 2007 and he’s been with multiple teams. Apples and oranges.

If the Eagles do promote Patullo, they will need to replace him. If Nussmeier leaves, that will be another opening. Sirianni could look to bring in a veteran coach like Frank Reich or Mike McCoy. They could take over as QB coach or assistant head coach. Sirianni could also bring in a young coach, possibly even someone from college. You do like to add new ideas to the staff when you get a chance. We’ll see what happens.

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It is crazy to think about what the future holds for the Eagles. They just did some historic things and this is a young team. They will bring back the majority of their starters.

Sirianni is incredibly competitive. Jalen Hurts is very driven. I don’t think this team will rest on its laurels. Still, you never know how winning it all can change a group of players. The previous SB winning team had some extraordinary circumstances, with the Carson Wentz injury and Nick Foles situation. That made things challenging on everyone involved. This time around should be very different.

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There will be personnel changes. Milton Williams will get a big free agent deal. I’d love to see him stay, but he’s in the prime of his career, is healthy, and can get pressure up the middle. He will get paid. Josh Sweat is coming off a great game and someone will probably overpay for him. It is possible they could bring him back if the market isn’t crazy. Mekhi Becton will likely get a big deal from some team. Brandon Graham will probably retire. He wants to think about it. Darius Slay wants to play one more, but knows he might be too expensive for the Eagles. We’ll see if they can work something out.

The good news is that we have a draft that is deep at DL and edge rusher. The Eagles also have young guys like Moro Ojomo and Jalyx Hunt ready to step up. They both played well in the Super Bowl and could be ready for key roles in 2025.

Zack Baun is a free agent. He is a real x-factor. The Eagles were able to find multiple good LBs this year. Nakobe Dean had his best season. He got hurt and Oren Burks stepped in and played well. But Baun is a difference-maker. I think the Eagles will be aggressive about trying to bring him back. Still, all it takes is one other team throwing insane money at him to cause a problem.

I hope Baun wants to stay, knowing he’ll play for a winning team and a great defensive coordinator. The years with the Saints could not have been a ton of fun. The Eagles are the perfect situation. The money just has to make sense.

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Teams are going to try to copy the Eagles formula…building up the line of scrimmage. It isn’t as simple as it sounds. The Chiefs draft three OL last April, including an OT in the second round. He played in 15 games, but only started 2. He was mainly on STs. They spent a third round pick the previous April on OT Wanya Morris. He was inactive for the SB. The Chiefs gave a big contract to RT Jawaan Taylor. He is a functional starter who can play well at times, but can also struggle. KC tried, but their moves have not worked out quite as hoped.

The Giants have spent resources on their OL. The results have been disappointing.

Becton was on the street for all 32 teams to sign last April. Nobody else thought he was worth bringing in? Lane Johnson is the only high pick on the Eagles OL, going fourth overall in 2013. Teams don’t always draft well. They don’t do a good job of developing talent. They don’t build up good depth. How was Darian Kinnard available? He is a worthwhile project.

The Eagles have made smart moves on the defensive side of the ball. Jordan Davis might not have lived up to the billing of a Top 15 pick, but he is a key run defender and is getting better overall. His best days are still ahead of him. Jalen Carter is a dominant force. Nolan Smith just had his breakout year. Williams was highly disruptive and is about to become very rich. Hunt and Ojomo are ready for bigger roles.

Not every move works. Andre Dillard never became a regular starter on the OL. Bryce Huff is coming off a very disappointing year. You are going to miss, but you must keep swinging.

I’m curious to see what happens with Huff. Howie is stubborn with players he believes in and that can be a good thing. He was very confident in Nakobe Dean coming into this season and that proved to be spot on. Huff is talented. He struggled to fit into Fangio’s system and what he wants out of his DEs/edge players. With a full offseason to build on what he learned this year, Huff might be fine. Or the Eagles could look to trade him and see if they can find someone who is a better fit. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

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Andy Reid is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. He did an amazing job with the Eagles and has been even better with KC. I’ll always be grateful to Big Red. Things changed for the Eagles when he got to Philly. He helped build up the organization and turned the team into a winner.

But it was sure fun to beat him on Sunday. That’s like beating your dad or big brother. Andy will always be special. Beating him means more because you do care about him.

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V is for Violence

Posted February 10th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

The Super Bowl is the most analyzed sporting event of each year. Often that means it is over-analyzed. Let’s talk about scheme and adjustments and gameplans. Which coaches had the best ideas? Which players were able to execute better?

There has been a lot of talk about how physical the Eagles have been this year and certainly were in SB LIX. Brian Baldinger made a point on the NFL Network that I think is important. The Eagles weren’t just physical, they were violent.

Wow. That is your 235-pound edge rusher just blowing up a 320-pound RG who is one of the more physical blockers in the league. Plays like that set a tone and show which team is going to be the hammer and which one is going to be the nail.

The Eagles have been a violent team for most of the year. They have bullies on the OL and the DL. They have big hitters in the secondary. Dallas Goedert can be a bully of a TE. Anyone remeber this play from Saquon?

Nick Sirianni said in his press conference that sometimes we make things too complicated. He talked about his defense being good because of basics. They tackle well. They destroy blocks. They take the ball away. They play with relentless effort in going after the football. They are also a violent defense.

Not dirty. This isn’t Gang Green blowing up players with vicious hits. The current defense has to play within stricter rules. Tyler Dunne pointed out in this piece that there is still room for violence in football.

KC wasn’t ready for this. The Eagles DL didn’t try to fly off the edges. They used power rushes and boxed Mahomes in by driving his OL back into him.

Watching BG blow up 74 is probably my favorite moment on there. That was friggin beautiful. I only wish BG had gotten one final sack. His retirement isn’t a sure thing, but I would guess he goes out while he’s still a good player and leaves as a champ.

The Eagles will go right on mauling people and winning the line of scrimmage. Check out this for some context.

That is crazy. Amazing job by Howie and the front office.

The Chiefs were physically pounded, but also overwhelmed by the atmosphere. On the NFL Daily podcast they talked about the crowd affecting the Chiefs. The crowd was clearly pro-Eagles. Beyond that, they were a boisterous crowd. Sometimes the Super Bowl can have more of a corporate feel. Apparently this one felt like an Eagles home game. The trio on the podcast said the level of hostility caught the Chiefs off guard.

There is also the fact the Eagles are simply more talented. When you have good players who are also smart and play with the level of physicality the Eagles do, you can do special things. That’s how the Eagles were up 40-6 over the two-time defending SB champs.

It is mind-blowing to think that an Eagles team played at that level in a Super Bowl. Eagles fans who have been around a while are used to the team making mistakes or having bad luck at the worst possible moment. Michael Vick’s INT in 2010. Giving up a long KOR at the end of the wild card game in 2013. Alshon Jeffery’s drop in 2018. Carson Wentz getting hurt in 2019. The slick field in 2022.

This year’s team took care of business. They played their best game on the biggest stage.

This is a young team so they can be a contender for the next few years. I’ll write a piece in the coming days on what the future might hold. Some of the players talked about this being just the beginning. That’s very possible, but definitely easier said than done. Still, this team is unique.

I need to write a piece on just how special a season this was. As you can probably tell, there are a ton of good stories here. That’s part of what makes the Eagles winning so compelling.

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If you need a good laugh…

Great work by Jimmy Bama. My favorite one is the Commanders fan who thinks they were just a few plays from winnng the Super Bowl. Drug test that man!

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