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Tag: Frank Reich

  • Eagles Offensive Coordinator Search: Sometimes you have to go Back to go Forward – Philadelphia Sports Nation %

    Eagles

    As of this writing the Eagles are still without an offensive coordinator and a lot of favored options are off the board. With Mike McDaniels opting to stay in warm weather with the LA Chargers, Brian Daboll signing as the Tennessee Titans head coach, and even long shot Bears OC, Declan Doyle declining the position to stay in Chicago. It leaves the Eagles questioning what the best option is for the Super Bowl caliber roster. To quote the famous Matthew McConaghy in a Lincoln ad, “Sometimes you havto go back to go forward.” Here I’ll go through a couple famous names you know but may not have considered for Offensive Coordinator.

    Frank Reich (Offensive Coordinator for Super Bowl 52)

    Yup all these picks are from Super Bowl 52 and now out of league which means you can probably guess at least one but the last one will SHOCK YOU (not clickbait/s). But about Frank, he quickly went from golden boy who oversaw everything on the Eagles offense that was going to lead the Colts as their head coach to out of the league and an interim head coach/advisor at Stanford all within a few years. You think he wants another shot at the big leagues? What better spot than the place he helped deliver a Super Bowl? Sounds good to me. While it might be strange for him to return under Nick Sirianni since Sirianni was the offensive coordinator under Frank during his 4-year stint with the Colts, I say why not get weird. Frank is a proven play caller which is exactly what the Eagles have been missing and the odds of him getting success and immediately leaving are slim since he already tried it.

    Doug Pederson (Head Coach for Super Bowl 52) 

    Yeah you probably guessed it and I know what you’re thinking, “he was the Super Bowl winning coach why would he take a back seat?” Answer is that Sirriani has always managed big heads who think that they can control a room. Doug was also a bit of a trend setter in the NFL. He popularized going for it on fourth and short which has become a standard across the league. Honestly I think this is the worst of the trio I’m going to pitch so I’m keeping it short. Considering he also wasn’t a play caller when he was head coach and only had two years of experience in Kansas City. Still, any experience is better than no experience right? Maybe not considering my next pick.

    Nick Foles (Super Bowl 52 MVP)

    So here’s where it gets a little strange. He doesn’t have experience coaching and jumping straight into a position where a team expects instant success might be a struggle. What he lacks in coaching experience he makes up with on the field experience. Even if you ignore his famous Super Bowl run, which would be dumb, he was in the league for a decade and played with six different franchises. He’s had a full array when it comes to coaching quality. From the greats like Andy Reid and Doug Pederson to average in Jeff Fischer and Frank Reich and even the bad like Jeff Saturday and Matt Eberflus. Seeing what has or hasn’t worked by good and bad coaches gives him plenty of experience when it comes to running an offense. Plus he runs a podcast where he breaks down football and if you’ve listened you know he can communicate it all very clearly.

    Do I think that they’ll end up any of these guys? Not necessarily. Do I think these guys can be successful? Honestly yes, it helps to walk into one of the best rosters in the league with players that have a well-placed chip on their shoulders. But if they do take the job, they’ll have the added bonus of being accustomed to Philadelphia and its media. They also might get a little of a longer leash given that all three helped deliver a Super Bowl. Knowing my luck they sign no one here in the next couple hours but it could’ve been fun. Go bird dickheads!

    Photo Credit: Clem Murray

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    Hello, I’m a greater Philadelphia native writing mostly about the Eagles and the rest of the NFL. Articles aren’t … More about Kyle Lavin

    Tags: Doug Pederson Eagles Eagles Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich NFL Nick Foles Philadelphia Eagles

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  • Wilks ‘disappointed, not defeated’ over Panthers snub

    Wilks ‘disappointed, not defeated’ over Panthers snub

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks is “disappointed, but not defeated” that he didn’t land the team’s full-time head coaching position.

    The Panthers announced on Thursday they’ve agreed to hire Frank Reich as their coach.

    “The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I,” Wilks tweeted Friday. “Many people aren’t built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through.”

    Wilks thanked players, coaches and staff for their dedication, saying he took pride in representing his hometown of Charlotte.

    Wilks added, “I do wish Frank Reich the best.”

    Wilks’ tweet came less than 24 hours after his attorney Douglas Wigdor blasted the Panthers for their decision not to hire Wilks, who went 6-6 as Carolina’s interim coach in 2022 after replacing the fired Matt Rhule in Week 6.

    The Panthers interviewed Wilks, who is Black, twice for the position before settling on Reich, who is white.

    “We are shocked and disturbed that after the incredible job Coach Wilks did as the interim coach, including bringing the team back into playoff contention and garnering the support of the players and fans, that he was passed over for the head coach position by (Panthers owner) David Tepper,” Wigdor said in an email. “There is a legitimate race problem in the NFL, and we can assure you that we will have more to say in the coming days.”

    The Associated Press reached out to Wigdor’s office Friday to ask if it planned more legal action.

    “We do not have another comment at this time other than what we posted,” spokeswoman Courtney Cormican said.

    The Panthers said the team will have its first public remarks when Reich is introduced at a news conference on Tuesday.

    Wilks made no mention of whether the Panthers will be added to an ongoing lawsuit alleging racial hiring practices by the NFL and some teams. Nearly a year ago, Wilks joined Brian Flores’ lawsuit in an effort to bring attention to the lack of Black head coaches in the NFL.

    “When Coach Flores filed this action, I knew I owed it to myself, and to all Black NFL coaches and aspiring coaches, to stand with him,” Wilks said in a statement through his attorney last February. “This lawsuit has shed further important light on a problem that we all know exists, but that too few are willing to confront. Black coaches and candidates should have exactly the same ability to become employed, and remain employed, as white coaches and candidates.”

    Several Panthers players said after the regular season ended they wanted Wilks to return in 2023, including longtime linebacker Shaq Thompson. Thompson suggested players wanted to have a meeting with Tepper to give player input on the coaching situation, and throw their support behind Wilks.

    It’s unclear if that meeting happened.

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  • Bills, Bengals AFC showdown highlighted by Allen vs. Burrow

    Bills, Bengals AFC showdown highlighted by Allen vs. Burrow

    ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Had he not been traded to Buffalo two months ago, Bills running back Nyheim Hines knows exactly where he would have been on Monday night.

    Hynes would be glued to his TV watching the first of what could be many-more-to-come duels between two of the NFL’s rising star quarterbacks in Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.

    “Absolutely,” Hines said. “Allen versus Burrow, two great quarterbacks, top five in my league and I could even say higher for either guy, it’s definitely something the world is watching and something that as a fan like myself is excited to see.”

    Hynes will not only enjoy a ringside seat for a late-season showdown that will go far in determining who finishes first in the AFC, he also has some inside perspective on both quarterbacks.

    “Probably how he was in high school is probably how he is now, very calm,” Hines said of Burrow, whom he played with in the All-American high school game in California in January 2015.

    “He was kind of like my head coach, Frank Reich,” he added , referring to his former coach in Indianapolis, who was fired after Hines was dealt to Buffalo. “Very stoic. Cold-blooded. Never panics. I see Joe the same way.”

    Hines’ respect for Allen has grown tremendously since joining the Bills.

    “By any means necessary. If it’s third-and-10, he’s gonna jump in the air, put his body on the line to get that first down,” he said. “And then one thing that people don’t realize about him is how smart he is. … I knew of his playmaking ability, but his playmaking ability overshadows his brain.”

    Allen has the Bills (12-3) holding the inside track to finishing first in the conference, and having already clinched their third straight AFC East title — their best run since a four-year stretch spanning 1988-91. The fifth-year player ranks fourth in the league with 4,029 yards passing and third with 32 TDs passing entering Week 17.

    Burrow has the Bengals (11-4) a win or tie away from clinching their second consecutive AFC North title — something they’ve not done since winning consecutive AFC Central titles in 1981 and ’82. And the third-year player ranks second in the NFL in both yards passing (4,260) and TDs passing (34) entering Week 17.

    Together, since the start of the 2021 season, they’re tied for second with 68 touchdown passes, trailing only Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (’74) entering Week 17.

    “I can’t wait to watch,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick, the ex-journeyman quarterback who played for both Buffalo and Cincinnati and now works as an analyst for Amazon Prime on “Thursday Night Football.”

    “What gets me excited about the Bills is they have found ways to win without solely relying on Josh,” Fitzpatrick said. “But Josh has proven time and again he has broad enough shoulders to carry this team on his back.”

    As for Burrow, Fitzpatrick believes the Bengals quarterback could work his way into the NFL MVP conversation should Cincinnati vault both Buffalo and Kansas City (12-3) to win the AFC’s top seed.

    No matter the outcome, Fitzpatrick said he foresees “matchups between Burrow, Allen and Mahomes will be deciding the top seed in the AFC for many years to come.”

    What’s captivating about Monday night’s game is it being the first between Burrow and Allen. The teams haven’t met since 2019, a year before the Bengals selected Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the draft.

    Burrow, meantime, is 3-0 against Mahomes, including a win in the AFC championship game last season. Allen is 2-3 in meetings against Mahomes, including playoff losses in each of the past two years.

    Both quarterbacks played down the hype focused on their individual matchup, while acknowledging they’re friends and have a healthy respect for one another.

    “Everybody watches Josh. There’s no secrets about why he’s so good,” Burrow said. “He makes throws nobody else can make.”

    Allen returned the compliment.

    “The dude’s all ball. He loves . Honestly, he’s a heckuva talent, a heckuva player,” Allen said. “It’s been super impressive to watch and see his whole story, too. Going to Ohio State, transferring out, spending two years at LSU and arguably having one of the greatest seasons in college history.”

    Both hail from small towns, Burrow is from The Plains, Ohio, and Allen from Firebaugh, California. And their college trajectory is similar in the challenges they’ve had to overcome.

    While Burrow was overlooked at Ohio State, leading to his move to LSU, Allen was ignored by most every Division I school before landing a scholarship at Wyoming.

    “I think adversity hit them both,” said ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. “There’s humility there with both of these guys. And at the same time, there’s this uber confidence that is so infectious and contagious that your teammates are like, ‘Let me just be around you.’”

    To Hasselbeck, it’s similar to what he saw during his years backing up Brett Favre. Not only did Favre’s competitiveness provide the Packers confidence, his mere presence influenced opposing teams especially in how they approached the final minutes of a close game.

    “There’s something about that style of competitiveness that opposing defenses and opposing coaches say, ‘Ah, shoot, we left too much time on the clock,’” Hasselbeck said. “Both these guys have captured that, which is pretty special.”

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  • Colts’ Saturday hiring chided on diversity, fairness grounds

    Colts’ Saturday hiring chided on diversity, fairness grounds

    Even Jeff Saturday was shocked when Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay called late Sunday night to offer him the head coaching position.

    A former two-time All-Pro center who snapped the ball to Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning for 12 seasons, Saturday surely knows his X’s and O’s.

    But the TV analyst’s only coaching experience was a three-year stint at Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia, where he led the team to a 20-16 record with three playoff appearances.

    Irsay’s decision stunned people internally and around the league, though his affinity for Saturday was known throughout the organization. Saturday played 13 seasons for the Colts, made the Pro Bowl six times, helped them win a Super Bowl and is a member of the team’s Ring of Honor.

    Critics immediately went after Irsay for hiring an inexperienced former player instead of elevating someone from the coaching staff, which is typical during in-season firings. Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley previously served as a head coach in Jacksonville from 2013-16. Senior defensive assistant John Fox spent 16 seasons as head coach in Carolina, Denver and Chicago, and led the Panthers and Broncos to Super Bowl appearances.

    Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III called Irsay’s decision “a head-scratching slap in the face to every coach on that staff” in a post on Twitter.

    Saturday’s hiring also didn’t sit well with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which fights for equity and inclusion in pro . The NFL has seven minority head coaches, including Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks.

    “The Rooney Rule is the only universal hiring policy used by the NFL to promote fairness and diversity,” The Alliance said in a statement. “However, (Monday’s) news in Indianapolis illuminated a gap in the league’s stated objective. If the spirit of the rule is to expand opportunities, we believe that it must be consistently applied, even in the hiring of interim positions.”

    Irsay and the Colts didn’t have to follow the Rooney Rule requirements for interviewing minority candidates because Saturday replaced Frank Reich during the season. The team will have to fulfill those requirements after the season when seeking a permanent hire.

    “We’re following the Rooney Rule to a ‘T.’ I really look forward to the interview process at the end of the season,” Irsay said.

    This wasn’t the first time Irsay went after Saturday, who is a paid consultant for the team and was working as an analyst at ESPN.

    “Now understand, we’ve tried to hire Jeff a couple times,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. “We tried to hire him in 2019 as the offensive line coach and we tried to hire him again this year — just didn’t work out. The timing didn’t work out. I spent a lot of time with Jeff — like I have with a few of the ex-players here, and it doesn’t take long to figure out that he’s got real leadership in him, real special in that regard. For this eight-game stretch and where we’re at, we thought he was going to be a really good fit for us.”

    The Colts (3-5-1) are headed nowhere and Matt Ryan’s benching for inexperienced and overwhelmed quarterback Sam Ehlinger indicates the team has prioritized draft positioning. Reich began each of his five seasons in Indianapolis with a different quarterback, so ensuring a top draft pick to select a potential franchise QB would be a wise strategy.

    That leaves Saturday in a can’t-lose position.

    If he somehow finds a way to lead the Colts to a winning record or even a 4-4 mark over the last eight games, it would be quite an achievement given the state of the team.

    If the Colts lose enough games to end up with one of the top QBs in the draft, Saturday would have helped set the team up for potential future success.

    Irsay made a bold, outside-the-box move that opened him up for scrutiny and criticism. It’s clear he doesn’t care about public perception.

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    Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/robmaaddi

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  • Reich out, Saturday in as Colts try to fix stagnant offense

    Reich out, Saturday in as Colts try to fix stagnant offense

    INDIANAPOLIS — Frank Reich’s attempt to fix the Indianapolis Colts’ sputtering offense failed so now team owner Jim Irsay is turning to another trusted name — former All-Pro center Jeff Saturday.

    The Colts made both announcements about one hour apart Monday.

    They come less than 24 hours after one of the worst offensive performances in team history.

    Colts officials have scheduled an evening news conference to address the decision.

    Saturday’s only coaching experience came at a Georgia high school and he’s served most recently as a team consultant and ESPN commentator. He’s a member of Indy’s Ring of Honor, played a key role in helping reach an agreement to settle the 2011 NFL lockout and has been a fixture in the Indy community since his rookie season in 1999.

    For the Colts (3-5-1), the past few weeks have been a whirlwind.

    Reich announced he was benching 2016 league MVP and longtime veteran Matt Ryan in favor of second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger two weeks ago.

    Last Tuesday, Reich fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady even though Reich was calling the plays. General manager Chris Ballard also sent running back Nyheim Hines to Buffalo just before last week’s trade deadline.

    Now Reich is out in the first midseason coaching change Irsay has made since taking over as owner 25 years ago.

    “I think Frank’s an unbelievable football coach, I think he’s an unbelievable man,” said Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel, the last head coach still left from the 2018 hiring class. “We all know what we sign up for, and this is the other side of it that’s probably not so … it’s difficult. You never want to see anybody lose their job.”

    Irsay uncharacteristically declined to take questions following a dismal performance Sunday in which the Colts produced just 121 total yards and 43 net passing yards, the lowest single-game totals by Indy since 1997 against Seattle.

    The Colts also went 0 for 14 on third downs, just the second time on record their conversion rate was 0.0%. They allowed nine sacks, the highest single-game total since October 2017, and only the second most in a game since 1981.

    But it wasn’t just one game.

    Indy has zero points on its opening possession this season and is the league’s only team to enter the fourth quarter trailing in every game in 2022. The result is a league-low 14.7 points per game. And with three straight losses, the Colts postseason hopes are fading.

    The hope is that Saturday can find a solution to Indy’s most glaring problem, an offensive line that has allowed a league-high 35 sacks in nine games. It had been one of the league’s top units from 2018 through last season but has been in flux most of this season.

    On Sunday, the Colts pulled right guard Matt Pryor and left tackle Dennis Kelly and replaced them with Will Fries and rookie Bernhard Raimann in yet another attempt to improve the pass protection.

    “Jeff has been a beloved, integral member of our NFL family for nearly a decade,” ESPN said in a statement following the second announcement Monday. “When he came to us about this incredible opportunity he had with the Colts, we were thrilled for him and his family. We wish him the best of luck as he makes his NFL head coaching debut.”

    As the season went on and the woes mounted, though, the growing pressure was evident on Reich’s face in recent weeks and in his shorter and quieter answers.

    Even in the locker room, where Reich was respected and well liked, players seemed uneasy with so many changes.

    Still, the players continued to express trust in Reich and Ballard making the right calls.

    Reich was hired in 2018 after serving as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles — and after Josh McDaniels backed out of an agreement to coach Indy. Strangely, the Colts will face McDaniels in Las Vegas on Sunday.

    “Frank’s a really good coach,” McDaniels said Monday. “He’s a great person and has done a lot of great things in our profession. I have a deep respect for him and what he does. It’s always tough to hear that.”

    Reich took the Colts to the playoffs in two of his first four seasons and had them on the cusp of making it last season. But two inexplicable losses to close the season behind quarterback Carson Wentz, whom Reich lobbed to acquire in a trade, kept Indy out of the postseason.

    Indy traded Wentz to Washington in March then acquired Ryan in a subsequent trade with Atlanta.

    Reich also coached previously with the Arizona Cardinals and the then-San Diego Chargers after starting his coaching career working for the Colts and with Peyton Manning.

    The longtime backup quarterback with the Buffalo Bills finished his first head coaching job with a 40-33-1 record. Reich is the second coach to be fired this season, joining Matt Rhule of Carolina.

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    AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Henderson, Nevada, and AP Pro Football Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, also contributed to this report.

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