Eagles DC search: What we know, or think we know
With Dick Jauron reportedly headed to Cleveland, here's what we know, what we think we know, and what we've heard but aren't quite sure of when it comes to the Eagles defensive coordinator search.
Eagles DC search: What we know, or think we know
Jonathan Tamari
With Dick Jauron reportedly headed to Cleveland, another rumored defensive coordinator candidate is likely off the table without the Eagles so much as formally interviewing anyone in the week since word trickled out that Sean McDermott was fired.
It's been even longer since McDermott was actually axed (reports vary on the exact day) and yet most of what we have on the defensive coordinator search has come in the form of rumors, speculation, denials and reversals. With six days to digest what’s happened, here’s a look at what we think we’ve learned, what we’ve heard but still aren’t so sure about and what happens next.
The vacation: The hardest thing to figure in all of this is how a control guy like Andy Reid leaves the country – let alone his film room – when a decision of this magnitude is coming down. Unless he really wants someone off the staff of one of the four NFL finalists playing this weekend. The most plausible scenario in my mind is that Reid watched last Sunday’s games play out, knew the guy he wanted would be totally unavailable for at least another week, and took the chance to relax while he could. This team moved aggressively for a defensive line coach, and aggressively in the draft when they wanted Brandon Graham. Sitting back like they have is odd. Again, unless they want someone still in the playoffs.
In that case, everything since McDermott's firing has been the kind of smoke we see right before the draft. After all, Reid is a lot of things, but he’s never been someone to put things like enjoying himself ahead of football. If, on the other hand, Reid has been gone while the Eagles left a crucial position open, and they're dawdling while their top candidate is available, we're looking at serious dysfunction from the brass. I think that's far less likely, though.
Dennis Allen: As Jeff McLane and others have reported, the Eagles expect to talk to the young Saints defensive backs coach this weekend. They don’t seem to be in a rush to do it, though, and may not even get the chance, since Allen reportedly will meet with the Broncos first. It seems that if the Eagles really wanted Allen, they could have moved far faster on this. That, or they had all their eggs in the Jim L. Mora basket and have had to scramble once he dropped out. Allen, young and unproven, would seem to face the same challenges as McDermott.
Dick Jauron: Looks like he’s headed to the Browns, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Eagles never seemed to make a strong play for him, a sign that they weren’t really that enamored of a secondary coach who, after all, had a hand in the Eagles soft pass defense last year.
Mora: He was a hot candidate, right until it came out that he didn’t actually want the Eagles job. Then it turned out the Eagles weren’t very interested in him to begin with. How convenient.
Mike Trgovac: The Packers defensive line coach is another hot name in the speculation circles, but not one person has even pretended that anyone tied to the Eagles has confirmed his candidacy. It could be because the team doesn’t want to get close to a tampering charge, or it could be just one of many names that make sense enough to throw up against the wall. Eventually, someone will be right. We think. It might be a long while before we find out, though, because if the coach the Eagles want is on one of the remaining playoff teams and he advances to the Super Bowl, the Birds will have to wait until after the game to do an interview. Trgovac might be worth the wait, though. His resume is the best of those who have been rumored to have a shot.
The 3-4: OK, if the Eagles really want someone on the remaining four playoff teams, could they be interested in a 3-4 defense? After all, three of the four teams remaining play that system. Doubt it.
The Eagles don’t have the personnel and, as many others have pointed out, might not have the time to install a new system if there is a lock out. If the Eagles did go to that formation, they’d probably need to play Antonio Dixon at nose tackle, Mike Patterson at one defensive end and either Trevor Laws or Brodrick Bunkley at the other end spot, just to have enough size up front. The 3-4 requires a much bigger front line, and they are the only Eagles linemen similar in height and weight to the 3-4 starters on the Packers, Jets and Steelers. But there would be no depth. Trent Cole and Brandon Graham would be pass rushing outside linebackers – so you would have the same guys attacking the passer as last year, just standing up. It’s not clear where Juqua Paker or Darryl Tapp would play, since they’re not as big as 3-4 linemen nor as fast as 3-4 linebackers.
Does that somehow mean the Eagles don’t value the kind of edge-rushing players we see in the 3-4? Not at all. They still try to find those players (not always successfully) and play them at defensive end, much like other 4-3 teams. The Giants have Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora to create havoc from defensive end spots. The Bears have Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije. It’s not the 4-3 scheme that prevents attacking; it’s a matter of getting the right individuals.
McDermott: Obviously the Eagles had to whack him. After all, he’s “a guy that's a tremendous worker and is a very smart individual” and despite facing many injuries on his defensive unit we’ve seen him “stay positive through those situations and still put us in a position to win football games.” And that’s why the Eagles had to let him go. Huh?
Well, that’s all we know because that’s the last official word of any kind we’ve heard from the Eagles on McDermott. That was Andy Reid at his post-playoff press conference. Since the firing, nothing, not even a cursory “we felt we needed to go in a different direction” to explain why one of the top three football people on a football team was axed. No decision-makers have made a public comment of any kind on the firing, even though McDermott’s introduction in Carolina is a pretty good hint that it’s official.
I’m told that this is just the way things go across the secretive NFL – which doesn’t make it any less strange.
On the same day word leaked out about McDermott’s departure, the New York Times published a 2,700-word article richly detailing a secret Israeli-U.S. operation to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Maybe while they wait to make a move on a DC, the folks at the NovaCare Complex could lend Mossad a hand. The Eagles could probably teach the Israeli intelligence agency something about keeping things quiet.
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I think it there are 2 candidates. Mike Trgovac or Bob Sutton (Both are verse in the 4-3) . The one who loses this week will get the job. If they both happen to win, who knows what will happen. Dennis Allen makes no sense. They might as well have kept McDermott if they were going to hire him.- This is the first time I heard Bob Sutton's name. They both makes sense. I'd pick Trgovac over Sutton though. Trgovac has a better resume. And his Carolina defense killed Reid's offense during the championship game. Reid's like an elephant who never forgets.
— ej610 
Get a guy who knows good defenses. Mora was a loser. so is allen. Someone from one of the 4 teams left i hope.— hititwheretheyaint- Thank God the Phillies have been good the last few years— NJtoWS
- I strongly suggest that you get a full time job to occupy all the spare time you seem to have.— billtfla
- You have time to read these articles and posts. What's the difference?
— phillychaos - People are making a big deal about Reid's vacation for no reason at all. It's pretty obvious that the guy Reid is targeting is on one of the teams still playing. If the team lost last week, then Reid would have cut his vacation short, but since they didn't, he stayed in Antigua. It would be nice if our Philly reporters would come up with some names for us.— ej610
- Reid went on vacation before this past weekends games didn't he? So if he is so confident they would get the one they want, even if they lost, wouldn't that indicate some prior communication, aka tampering?
- I think there must be some kind of round about way of communicating. Like they talk to guys that know Trgovac and have them ask him if he's interested. Or, the most likely scenario, the Eagles know the guy wants to be a Defensive Coordinator again because he's spoken to people about it. And as long as Capers is in Green Bay, Trgovac has no shot there, so he would have to leave. I'm sure these guys let it be known, probably through their agents, that they would be interested. There's ways of working around the tampering rule. — ej610
- Not really. Trgovac and Reid may have talked before Trgovac took his job with GB. Johnson was DC. Maybe Trgovac stated a desire to be DC under Reid if and when. — MikeP
- I agree that there is little difference in the edge pass rusher's between the 4-3 and the 3-4. Thye just line the smaller, lighter, quicker player up at end. The diffeence in the philosophy of the eagles vs the philosophy of a 3-4 team is at the interior d-line. We got light there as well.....and at LB.......and at safety......
— gee1971 - The McDermott firing was totally warranted. I don't know why the local writers keep acting surprised I don't care what Reid said right after the season. McDermott was awful I don't care what kind of injuries they had an almost 80% red zone scoring rate for oppossing offenses versus the Eagles defensive is UNEXCUSABLE.— brannigan73
- who cares...with their talent on D Zod couldn't mold that defense to amount to anything. What they really need is someone who knows how to evaluate talent. Hope McDermott succeeds in NC and wherever he goes after that...ultimately this team will amount to nothing until Reid is gone. If the Eagles ownership had any guts they would go out and get Cowher at any cost!— tralala
- This comment has been deleted.— mrjetsondc420
- Bring back Donovan to be QB, at least he had Heart unlike this loser in there now. — Calabrese10
