Eagles News: Changes Might Be Coming To Philadelphia’s Coaching Staff
John DeFilippo and Frank Reich. (Jeff Fusco)
Here’s a quick look at some Eagles news and notes.
CHANGES COMING TO THE EAGLES’ COACHING STAFF?
NFL insider Jason La Canfora recently reported that changes might be coming to the Eagles’ coaching staff.
The Eagles will be making some coaching changes at the assistant level from what I hear (and it could be more should their defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, get another head coaching gig). I’d anticipate a few tweaks on both sides of the ball and possibly in personnel as well.
There are already some reports about Eagles assistants drawing interest from other teams. Philadelphia offensive coordinator Frank Reich is expected to be interviewed by the Bills, per Vic Carucci. Reich played for Buffalo from 1985–1994. Schwartz has also been connected to the Buffalo job. There are no reports (yet) that indicate he’s scheduled for an interview, however.
Reich isn’t the only Eagles assistant drawing interest in the AFC East. The New York Jets are reportedly expected to request permission from Philadelphia in order to interview Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. The Eagles can block the Jets from interviewing Flip, but it’s unclear if they would choose to do so.
UPDATE: The Eagles did block the Jets from interviewing Flip.
Eagles denied Jets permission to interview their QB coach John DeFilippo for offensive coordinator job, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 5, 2017
Losing Reich and/or DeFilippo might not be ideal for Carson Wentz’s development. The Eagles have often touted the importance of the trio of Doug Pederson, Reich, and DeFilippo with respect to their quarterback backgrounds. This offseason figures to be a key time for Wentz’s growth so retaining the same coaching staff could be important.
Along with potentially losing assistants, the Eagles might make some coaching changes of their own. Keep an eye on the names of assistants whose units under-performed in 2016. Defensive backs coach Cory Undlin, defensive line coach Chris Wilson, and wide receivers coach Greg Lewis might be on the hot seat, for example.
CARSON WENTZ MIC’D UP AGAINST THE COWBOYS
Check out what Wentz had to say during the Eagles’ win over the Cowboys. He sure loves him some Zach Ertz. Also: see a special cameo from MLB star Mike Trout.
(CLICK HERE to watch the video since the NFL doesn’t allow embedding.)
BRANDON GRAHAM EARNS A PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS HONOR
Pro Football Focus revealed their 2016 All-Pro Team and Brandon Graham is on the roster as a starting defensive end.
Brandon Graham once again came up short on the sack total, but the sheer volume of pressure he consistently generated for the Eagles was too great to ignore. Graham notched 82 total QB pressures and 40 defensive stops.
Graham may not have posted big sack numbers, but the film shows he was clearly an impact player. The 28-year-old pass rusher was named a first-team Pro Bowl alternate this year.
Graham finished with the second highest PFF grade of any edge defender in 2016, only behind Oakland’s Kahlil Mack. Graham was way out in front of other Eagles defensive ends, including Vinny Curry (37th out of 113) and Connor Barwin (104th out of 113).
PFF named Brandon Brooks, Fletcher Cox, and Jordan Hicks as honorable mentions with respect to their All-Pro team.
ONE GRAPHIC THAT PROVES THE EAGLES NEED BETTER CORNERBACKS
Need I say more?
The most passing yards allowed by NFL teams by area of the field. pic.twitter.com/JJDQeZJJut
— PFF (@PFF) January 4, 2017
ZACH ERTZ TRULY SHOWS UP LATE IN THE SEASON
The idea that Ertz plays his best football towards the end of the year sure isn’t a made-up narrative. Just take a look at these numbers.
This is just ridiculous. Zach Ertz splits by month: pic.twitter.com/iAFxQqSaXx
— Iggles Nest (@IgglesNest) January 3, 2017
Ertz in the 1st half of the season: 91 rec. 1120 yards, 2 TDs
Ertz in the 2nd half of the season: 156 rec., 1720 yards, 11 TDs #Eagles— Iggles Nest (@IgglesNest) January 3, 2017
Now if only the Eagles could find a way to be playing meaningful football late in the season. Or if only Ertz could show up earlier in the season.
Perhaps the stability at quarterback with Wentz will serve Ertz well. Avoiding entering the season injured like he was the past two years would be ideal for Ertz as well.
EAGLES SEASON REVIEW PODCAST
The latest BGN Radio episode is here. Are the Eagles “truly close” to being a contender?
https://soundcloud.com/bgn-radio/bgnr-budlight-live-11-little-italys-pizza