What They’re Saying About the Eagles

As the head coaching carousel continues to spin ’round, there are plenty of takes to be had on the Eagles’ past failures, and their direction moving forward. We’ve gathered up a sampling of the most notable local and national reads.

According to NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal, the Eagles’ job is the third-most-desirable vacancy in the league.

The Eagles have more overall talent than their NFC East rivals in New York, but the quarterback situation is murkier. There is also an open question about how Chip Kelly‘s talent acquisitions will fit into a new system. Still, we were tempted to put the Eagles ahead of the Giants because the roster is stocked better at every level of offense and defense.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie has a good reputation and the Eagles have been a winning organization throughout his tenure. Howie Roseman, who is running the personnel department again, has been at odds with the previous two head coaches and still remains. That’s a bit of a red flag. Patience will be at a premium here. Chip Kelly got the boot despite a winning record through three seasons.

Contrary to popular belief, writes Rolling Stone’s Evan Grossman, Chip was fired because he didn’t win enough games.

Chip Kelly was not the kind of coach who would stop his players in the hallway and ask what they had watched on TV the night before, or inquire about their family. He was not exactly a people person, according to former players, who have painted a picture of him as an aloof taskmaster who would briskly walk by those guys without offering so much as a hello.

“He could do that to a college kid, because that works for a kid, but you do it to a pro player and he’s going to say, ‘I’m supposed to fight on Sunday for you?'” says Philadelphia sports radio personality Mike Missanelli. “I think as a head coach, he didn’t realize he was in the NFL – or didn’t have a true appreciation of what it takes to be successful there.”

Last week the Eagles said goodbye to Kelly, but it wasn’t due to that perceived lack of warmth and fuzziness. He was fired because of a lack of wins.

As Lurie looks to find the future face of the franchise, writes ESPN’s Phil Sheridan, he’s looking backwards for a blueprint.

Fire up the Wayback Machine. The Philadelphia Eagles are going back in time.

That’s the way it feels, anyway. Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, unhappy with the direction Chip Kelly was taking his football team, appears determined to undo one or more past mistakes. Lurie’s list of candidates to replace Kelly includes a number of coaches Lurie already hired – or could have hired.

Three guys on Lurie’s wish list are successful coaches whose first NFL coaching job was with the Eagles.

According to a report from Jason Cole, the NFL might be displeased with the way the Eagles interviewed Duce Staley, writes NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, the NFL is “troubled” by how the Eagles interviewed running backs coach Duce Staley, and believe it was not a legitimate interview, but instead just a way to “manipulate” with the Rooney Rule.

The Rooney Rule requires all NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate before making a hire.

If the report is true, and the NFL isn’t pleased with how the Eagles interviewed Staley, it is unclear if any punishment or fine could be coming.

The Sam Bradford question is likely one of the biggest football factors in the Eagles’ coaching search, writes the News-Journal’s Martin Frank.

The Eagles have already interviewed two candidates who either have a strong rapport with Bradford or have had success with different kinds of quarterbacks. Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who coached the team for the season finale on Sunday, was the offensive coordinator in St. Louis during Bradford’s rookie year in 2010.

Bradford raved about Shurmur after the Eagles 35-30 win over the Giants, when Bradford had one of his best games of the season. He completed 30 of 38 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception.

“It reminded me a lot of my rookie year,” Bradford said after the game. “It brought back some really good memories of being out there with Pat calling it.”

But Shurmur isn’t the only coach who could potentially get the most out of Bradford. On Tuesday, the Eagles interviewed Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who as quarterbacks coach in Denver in 2011, helped accuracy-challenged Tim Tebow lead the Broncos to the playoffs.