Will the Philadelphia Eagles hire a new coach this week? This remains to be seen. In the meantime, here are the latest news about their research.
DUCE STALEY
Howard Eskin of SportsRadio 94WIP said the following when speaking to Joe Giglio on Tuesday night:
“I heard it was more likely to be Josh McDaniels or Duce Staley. The reason I believe it is what I heard is that Howie (Roseman) really likes Josh McDaniels … Jeffrey Lurie not exactly at that point and the interview with Duce Staley, from what I was told, really went well. Jeffrey Lurie also received some text messages from players who support Duce Staley. How much that means, I don’t know, but it will obviously have some contribution. In Duce’s interview, he was pretty finished, he had some good ideas for coaches, especially offensive and defensive coordinators, both professional and college. As far as I know, he has guys he talked to if he gets the job. He’s ready. As I understand it, it impressed Jeffrey Lurie. “
Nice to know that the Eagles assistant coach / running back coach has a real chance of getting the job. The feeling here is that Staley could be a good leader and supervisor. You just need to hire the right team around you, including the right offensive coordinator to call the game.
It will be interesting to see how much weight Lurie attributes to the opinions of her players. In addition to allegedly texting the owner, several current and former Eagles expressed their “Hire Duce!” feeling publicly on social media. These names include Brandon Graham, Rodney McLeod, Malcolm Jenkins and Torrey Smith.
UPDATE: Jeff McLane says he would be “very surprised” if the Eagles hired Duce.
JOSH MCDANIELS
What Eskin had to say about Roseman liking McDaniels and Lurie being skeptical was discussed earlier by Mike Florio on Tuesday morning. Via NBC Sports Philadelphia:
“I heard it too yesterday – look, McDaniels ran the show in Denver. Howie Roseman has an important place at the table in Philly. How do these two coexist? My understanding is that Roseman is fine with that. It’s just a matter of talking to the owner, Jeffrey Lurie, about it. “
It is interesting to see that Roseman agrees with McDaniels coming on board, since it is thought that the latter would require some level of personnel control. Certainly more than Doug Pederson, at least.
It is also entirely understandable why Lurie would be skeptical of McDaniels. Many red flags there. Ego concerns, giving up on Colts, cheating in Denver, etc.
It’s a little curious how there was a lot of buzz about McDaniels and so the Eagles started interviewing other candidates today. This does not necessarily mean that the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots is out of the running.
NICK SIRIANNI
NJ.com writer and BGN alumnus Mike Kaye shared the following about the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, who interviewed the Eagles today:
As I reported in #Eagles Extra earlier this afternoon, Colts OC Nick Sirianni had a good interview today with the Eagles.
There is optimism about the type of team he could form in Philadelphia. He appears to be a legitimate candidate.
– Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) January 19, 2021
So, while Eskin is saying it is likely to be between Staley and McDaniels, it may be too early to say that they are the two finalists.
On the one hand, there is no reason for the Eagles to be in a hurry, since it’s just them and the Houston Texans with vacancies. On the other hand, it is preferable to put the ball in motion, as the new coach will have a team to fill.
I suppose we could see some clarity before the weekend, but there is really no guarantee.