Gus Bradley Reflects on Eagles Interview
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Gus Bradley Reflects on Eagles Interview
Les Bowen
MOBILE, Ala. -- The shaved head Eagles fans glimpsed from news helicopter footage just one short week earlier was covered by a Jacksonville Jaguars cap Tuesday, as Gus Bradley stood on the Ladd-Peebles Stadium turf and reflected on a dizzying NFL hiring process.
Nine days previously, Bradley had run the Seattle Seahawks' defense in their playoff loss at Atlanta, the day after Bradley first talked to the Eagles about their head-coaching job. Bradley acknowledged Tuesday that he was preoccupied with the looming playoff game that first time around, talked to the Eagles only briefly.
A week ago though, Bradley flew from the Seattle area to Northeast Philadelphia Airport with thousands of Eagles fans tracking his flight online. He stepped off the plane to a waiting SUV with news helicopters hovering, and they also recorded his arrival at Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie's Wynnewood mansion.
At the time, Eagles Nation was fixated on the "Gus Bus," and whether the Birds would be able to sign Bradley before he left for an interivew the next day in Jacksonville. Only the Eagles' brass, Chip Kelly, and Kelly's agent, David Dunn, knew Kelly had reentered the field, and that the Eagles were negotiating with Kelly as they entertained Bradley. Lurie has said that he only told Bradley the Eagles were involved with another candidate, who "had head coaching experience."
Did Bradley, like most of Philadelphia, think that night he was close to getting the job? The Eagles have said they would have hired Bradley if they couldn't have gotten Kelly.
"I didn't know," Bradley said after Tuesday's North team practice at the Senior Bowl. "I knew that they just needed some time. My whole intent was to go down to Jacksonville and see what that was all about. Once I got on the plane and was headed there, I forgot about Philadelphia. I knew that would come in time, their decision, and I really wanted my focus to be to do a good job down in Jacksonville."
The "Gus Bus" Philly hysteria "was crazy," Bradley said, laughing. He said that after he landed, he was told the intense media interest was why his chartered jet was diverted from Philadelphia International Airport to the Northeast.
"It was flattering," he said. "I think it wasn't me, it was just the possibility of a new head coach."
Bradley said he learned he wasn't getting the Eagles' job in a Wednesday phone call from Lurie. He said he never knew Kelly was the other finalist.
"We had a great conversation," Bradley said. "I thought they handled it first-class. The whole process and how they dealt with me, I couldn't ask for a better opportunity and I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed getting to know what they were looking for."
I can't wait to see what Mr. Great Football Mind is going to do with the Eagles. Jeff Lurie fired a pass happy coach to hire a pass happy coach who hires a pass happy offensive coordinator. No Lombardi's for us...SAD :-(— MrBigDizzle- General consensus is that during this hiring process the Eagles' conducted themselves pretty well. No Ray Horton incidents.
It seems like they did their due diligence, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. That being said, I don't like hiring D coaches without a DC. We've already seen that not working out so well. Its Mgmt 101...
Who's going to want to take over a unit that needs work from the ground up & not be able to bring in your own guys?— yobill626 - I am really puzzled over this insane fixation over the Eagles, their coaching search and Potato Chip Kelly. I could care less who coaches this team. It's all meaningless. Bradley would've been a nice choice, but does it matter? Kelly seems like a nice choice, but does it matter? The great coaching choices are all dead or working for other teams. The Eagles are the Eagles. Been watching them since my late father took me to my first game at old Shibe Park against the Browns in 1953. This team is, and always will be, a tease. Jeffrey Lurie is a drip who knows nothing about running a football team. Granted, he's a telented man who's made a huge amount of money with this franchise, but it's money WE have all contibuted to. In my opinion, the fans are an afterthought to the people who've run and are running this team. (For example, see; Banner, J.) If that wasn't the case, do you think an owner that cared about his fans would've allowed his coach to be so disrespectful in his weekly news conferences for 14 years? I doubt it. It's funny to watch how you "fans" appear to have no lives other than the Eagles. What a shame. It's actually a very interesting world out there. It's also funny how we've all allowed ESPN to jam pro football down our throats as the "#1 sport" in America. What a bunch of dog droppings. Potato Chip Kelly, Omar Bradley, Rob Crud, Brucie A., does it really matter who coaches this BS football team. The only bowl this city is ever going to see is the Wing Bowl (ugh!). I guess after 60 years, they've worn me out and bored me to death.— mike 1717
- Doesn't make any sense to cry over who we have gotten and who we may get, "we" don't have a say, we're not forking out the big bucks so sit back and relax, be happy for whoever gets hired by the F/O and hope it works out, just sayin'...— DJ
- chip is the right choice. oregon was a top-ten program last five years with many interchangeable parts and he masterminded it all. gus was just another DC until they stockpiled that secondary talent in sea-town.— snakeplissken
- i wasnt on board at first with the chip kelly hire i wanted defensive minded coach with nfl experience but now the more i read and decide to not be so negative im giving the man a chance i mean you never know right stop the hatin lets just see what happens maybe something good comes out of this like a super bowl win in new york!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go eagles— defroe
- Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let's see how Kelly does but in the mean time hiring Pat Shurmur doesn't get fans excited. He ran the Browns offense that was a whopping 5-11 for Pete's sake! Chump Kelly had better get a REAL DC that will wow thefans and correct the Eagles wimp defense or it will look like the Eagles FO blew it with this coaching pick!— Panthro2011
- Just a word or two from an Eagle fan from Oregon. About six years ago the Oregon football program in the PAC-10 was about equal in stature and skill to the 2012 Eagles. Chip Kelly came along and for the last four years the Ducks have been the class of the PAC-10 and PAC-12. Keep in mind that the Oregon program has to compete for recruits with the likes of USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal and Washington. That's tough competition and he has emerged as the top coach on the West Coast. That guarantees nothing as far as the Eagles are concerned, but I seem to recall a guy from UCLA in the late 70's. But then again, he never won a Super Bowl in Philly, so I guess he was a failure, too.
I suggest that the negadelphians give the man a chance. The Eagles hired the most highly rated college coach. You guys would be screaming in all Caps if they had let him go to another NFL team. Why not give the man a year or two to see how he does. If they are still drafting fourth in 2015, then you can scream all you want. But until then, give it a rest.— Al Wilson - I think Bradley would have brought a vibe this team desperately needs. An excitement on the defense we haven't seen for a while. Kelly deserves a chance to show what he can do.— armchairGM
- Everybody needs to shut up and stop the bullcrap. Give Kelly at least a year to see how he does. How can anyone comment on Kelly, good or bad, until you see him in action over the course of a year. Until than, shut up! Give him a chance and lets talk about this next year— bob brotzman
- The cool thing about the recent head coaching hires in the NFL is in about 3 years, we will find out who made the right moves, and who didn't. Who knows, maybe the best coach would have been Arians.— watsonmr
- Coach won't matter much if they don't get some players who don't quit every week.— Ssteve115
- Yea Bradley really would of done a lot with this pathetic Defenes! You have to have the players to be good! It's not the coach. They got the right guy. Give Chip a chance— kchaz
- I agree with Bradley, I don't think it was him that drove the Gus Bus Madness, but utter desperation. Bradley had a good year, but it was Wilson's play that positioned the Seahawks in the public's eye. In 2011 Bradley's defense was no better statically than Juan Castillio's and hardly justified this ground swell calling for Bradley to become a Head Coach, and most of all a coach following the success of Andy Reid.
That was the same hype driven by the Philly Sportswriters that drove the idea Kevin Kolb was a adequate replacement for Donovan McNabb.
— Dexter
