How McDermott's firing happened
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
How McDermott's firing happened
Daily News staff, Les Bowen and Paul Domowitch
UPDATED:
A team source said the decision to fire defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was made Wednesday, but the team decided to keep it quiet as McDermott began searching for other positions.
The source added there was no confrontation or angry meeting between coach Andy Reid and McDermott. It was simply Reid making a decision based on an evaluation of the season.
The source said Reid felt that having to succeed Jim Johnson had become too much of a weight on McDermott, 36. McDermott was promoted in July 2009 before the start of training camp. Johnson died days later.
Things were just not working and the Eagles needed a better fit who had more experience, the source said. Had Johnson stepped down a few years earlier, he might have been succeeded by Steve Spagnuolo, now head coach in St. Louis, or by John Harbaugh, now head coach in Baltimore, but by 2009, McDermott was the obvious in-house choice for a team that needed continuity, with training camp pending.
Attempts to contact several prominent defensive players were unsuccessful Saturday. Defensive end Trent Cole said "I'm not allowed to say nothing."
This is the first time that Reid has fired an offensive or defensive coordinator in his 12 years with the Eagles. Johnson passed away. Previous offensive coordinator Rod Dowhower retired, and his successor, Brad Childress, left to become the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Eagles gave up a team-record 31 touchdown passes this season and were ranked last in the league in red-zone defense. They also were hit with major injuries and were forced to play young players. Three seventh-round picks started in the playoff loss against Green Bay.
The obvious replacement is Eagles defensive backs coach Dick Jauron, 60, a two-time NFL head coach and experienced coordinator, although an Eagles executive told the Daily News that no decision has been made.
"There is no leader," another team source said. "He will be considered, but there is a list. There is no front-runner."
Reid is on vacation this coming week, a team source said, so a quick decision is not expected.
You could make the case that McDermott, a former LaSalle High star, whose brother Tim directs the team's marketing efforts, didn't get a fair chance. His first year he had no chance to affect personnel or make any more than cosmetic changes. His second year, the defense was very young.
But it isn't unfair to say that some things happened in the past two seasons that brought into question McDermott's personnel savvy. Before the 2009 season, he was extremely taken with fifth-round rookie safety Macho Harris, who began the year as the starting free safety. Harris failed to make the team in 2010. It was McDermott who called 2010 free-agent signee Ernie Sims "a shark in the water." Sims, the starting weakside linebacker, actually was pretty much what he had been in making himself expendable in Detroit -- a small linebacker with poor instincts who overran plays or was run over trying to stop them.
McDermott demoted starting strongside linebacker Moise Fokou one day into training camp this past season, then reinstated him midway through the season. Critics of Johnson sometimes complained that he was loyal to his starters to a fault, but McDermott seemed to veer wildly from being very high on a player to not wanting to use him at all.
A complicating factor with an outside hire is the potential lockout. Bringing in a new defensive coordinator, especially one from another system, in an offseason when there could be no minicamps would be difficult. However, Reid was clear in his Monday news conference that he was operating as if this was a regular offseason until something happened to change that.
Reid also for the first time mentioned schemes when he met with reporters, so it is not completely out of the question that the Eagles are looking for a different approach than the Johnson-McDermott model.
The Eagles granted permission for Jauron to talk to the Browns about their opening for a defensive coordinator under new coach Pat Shurmur, another former Eagles assistant who spent the last two years as the Rams' offensive coordinator.
Jauron is scheduled to meet with the Browns next week, although indications are that Jauron could be coveted by other teams as well. A league source said that interview is expected to happen, as scheduled.
The Browns are searching for a replacement for Rob Ryan, who could end up in Dallas. The Cowboys Web site reported Friday that Ryan has been offered the job after an extended visit at the team's Valley Ranch headquarters.
From EARLIER:
Donovan McNabb was going to be the starting quarterback in 2010; Andy Reid said so at the end of the 2009 season. And then he was gone to Redskins on Easter Sunday.
Kevin Kolb was going to be the starting quarterback in 2010; Reid said so throughout the offseason and even after Kolb was concussed in the season opener against Green Bay. And then he was the backup to Michael Vick.
Sean McDermott was going to remain the defensive coordinator next season; Reid said so Monday in his day-after news conference after the playoff loss to the Packers. And tonight, McDermott is out after two years as coordinator.
Here was Reid on Monday, from the transcripts released by the team:
On his evaluation of defensive coordinator Sean McDermott:
“Well I would tell you you’re dealing with a guy that’s a tremendous worker and is a very smart individual. And so I look at it a little bit different than what you do in that I’ve seen him work with young guys, I’ve seen him work through injuries, I’ve seen him stay positive through those situations and still put us in a position to win football games and knowing that he’s going to do nothing but improve as a coach, just like all of us, with experience. And so, I have a lot of respect for him and the way that he does business.”
On whether McDermott will be back next year:
“Yeah.”
Clearly, Reid again changed his mind. He had said everyone would be evaluated, and clearly his evaluation of McDermott changed.
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Hahahahahahaha! McDermott is responsible for the poor play of the defense, and not the players selected by the Eagles front office. Hahahahahahaha! That is delusional thinking at its best. How many missed tackles is McDermott responsible for? Hahahahahahaha! Paul Domowitch thought the last Eagles draft earned a grade of "A". Do you think that now, Paul? Hahahahahahaha! How many of those low round draft picks became real bona-fide NFL playmakers? Hahahahahahaha! Maybe the Eagles should draft playmakers in the early rounds instead of continually trading-down in the draft.— RunningTheBases- Great move. The right thing. A step in the right direction. hip hip hooray There are some wonderful people out there right now who can do this job well. Philly deserves the best, especially after Jim Johnson's legacy.— Larry Byrd
- I'm really glad Reid made this decision. It's time to stop making excuses for his coaching staff. The Eagles defense was their weak spot, and it has to get better.— sherberg
- I'm really glad Reid made this decision. It's time to stop making excuses for his coaching staff. The Eagles defense was their weak spot, and it has to get better.— sherberg
- @runningthebases The Def coach IS RESPONSIBLE for the poor play of the defense. His red zone schemes were too complicated. He had Trent Cole, his best pass rusher, fall back into coverage. He thought Sims was a shark in the water. The players didn't respect him. Reid had to get involved on the defense. I blame Reid and this town won't be happy till he's gone.— greenflyer
McDoormat isn't fit to coach Pee Wee Football Defense! I hope we pick up Mike Singletary; he wasn't head coach material but he'll potentially do wonders for our sorry a@@ D. Step in the right direction, now we need Cowher.- Thought about it last night... I'll bet the Eagles did this to clear the way for Jauron to become defensive coordinator. Andy probably realized that was a better choice than McDermott.— fmMD
- That's why he hired him in the first place!
— Eagle_1960 
Comment removed.- Reid must have been put on notice himself...the D was shameful...especially in the Red zone.— jss31
- Reid is a rat. Fire the buffoon and get someone in here that can improve the talent on the roster, particularly on defense. Get someone that respects the importance of running the ball and being able to stop the run. This street ball approach to football is fun to watch but will never produce a championship. Lurie move the F on!— JodyMac
- For continuity purposes, they need to offer Jauron the position. The defense needs to have Reid's paws off of it, and that includes personnel. Jauron can make personnel assessments quickly, can work off the existing scheme while moving into some different. Would be a massive failure of the organization to let Jauron walk and bring in someone else unfamiliar with the landscape, especially with no OTAs and mini-camps due to the lockout. Defense will be back to square one.— beegal99
- Jimmy Johnson couldn't have done much better with this defense.— Boru
- better nail down Jauron cause once he leaves town,...he aint comin back and Jauron IS a very good coordinator— SyddBarrett
- Very simple, the eagles defense has sucked the last 2 years. McDermott was responsible for the scheme, and how the players were used. He deserved to get fired for that, but Andy should be held accountable for the big mistakes in not drafting replacements for Dawkins and the other defensive losses in the last 3 years. The linebackers have been atrocious since before mcDermott, and nothing was done to address the defensive problems. Personally I think they should go to a 3-4 defensive scheme since Jouran has plenty of experience with it, and it is easier to find rush linebackers that d linemen. It would also fit a blitzing scheme better.
