Whisenhunt latest Eagles surprise
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Whisenhunt latest Eagles surprise
As the Eagles mark the two-week anniversary of Andy Reid's departure, they confirmed they interviewed Ken Whisenhunt, just fired by the Cardinals, on Monday, as a prelude to interviewing Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jay Gruden later in the day.
Whisenhunt, who turns 51 next month, was said to be close to getting the Cleveland job last week, but reportedly couldn't agree with the Browns on whether the front office would have veto power on his staffing decisions. He also has interviewed with the Chargers.
Some people feel the Cardinals' front office had more to do with 2012's 5-11 record than Whisenhunt, who went 45-51 overall, but took the Cards to the franchise's first Super Bowl. Whisenhunt was well-regarded as the Steelers' Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher.
Whisenhunt gets demerits for his handling of the Cards' QB situation after Kurt Warner retired. That's a critical question for the Eagles as they try to decide whether to move forward with Nick Foles.
Indianapolis offensive coordinator and former Temple coach Bruce Arians remains to be interviewed. Reports have indicated that would happen Tuesday, but the Eagles said Monday that an interview with Arians has not yet been scheduled. The team did ask for and receive permission to speak with Arians.
In the small world department, Arians was Whisenhunt's quarterbacks coach in Pittsburgh. Aside from being 60 years old, Arians seems to fit many of the criteria Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie cited when he fired Reid. Arians seems to be in demand with several teams interviewing him, after he went 9-3 as the Colts' interim head coach, while Chuck Pagano was being treated for cancer.
FOX's Jay Glazer reported today that the Eagles' Saturday interview with Gus Bradley went well and that the Birds want to meet again with Bradley, who like Arians and Whisenhunt, has other suitors. Lurie has seemed leery of a defensive-oriented coach, and the scoring fest of last weekend's playoff games underscores why -- it's an offensive league now. But not all the coaches who won were offensive guys, they just presided over potent offenses.
Meanwhile, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was blasted by CBSSports.com's Jason LaCanfora. Howie seems to have made some enemies.
Down, down, down we go. The eagle has....crashed!!— bigdaddyG- If Whisenhunt had a problem with Cleveland, "Banner", then he would love Philly "Roseman", especially when Roseman tells him that he has to bring back Washburn and Babin.— James40
- Marty Mohrningwig has an interview with the Eagles this Wed according to Jay Glazer— usedtobefromphilly
- Whisenhunt seems like a very good coach, and a fresh start could be the thing. On the other hand, his team was incredibly inconsistent, and he seemed to botch the whole quarterback position.— armchairGM
- bringing in ray rhodes tomorrow followed by rich kotite , and still No JON gruden ??? good grief !— ingy9
- There are only 2 coaches in the NFL who thought Kevin Kolb could be a starting QB. The Eagles just fired one of them. Why would you hire the other?— mish798798
- You are assuming that Whisenhunt had the authority to make that call. And Kolb probably is an upgrade for them, believe it or not. — cdedrick05
- Wow. Just Wow. This charade of a head coach search give me a whole new level of immense respect for Clark Hunt. True, we couldn't wait to get rid of Andy because it was way past time for a change, but you gotta hand it to Clark. He quickly identified the man he wanted and made it happen. None of this pathetic "no stone unturned" merry-go-round.— Squizzy Magee
- I hate to say it , but maybe we shoulda just kept Andy , he's better than most of these coaches we're interviewing . . . who's next Ditka ...— ingy9
- Whisenhunt is a better choice than Bradley or Lovie. Whisenhunt has been to the super bowl. If he can make Foles into a Curt Warner then he is the man.— Taser
- Gus Bradley as HC and Whisenhunt as OC.— Copper34
- And Lovie as DC — gdibig
- I saw a few Cards games (other than the one in which they destroyed the Eagles). They had the worst O-line I've ever seen -- yes, even worse than ours. Not for nothing did Zona go thru QBs like kleenex in flu season. I think Whisenhunt is a good coach, given the tools; he proved that three years ago. Is he the right coach for Philly? I don't know, but there's nothing wrong with talking to him.— JBirks
- He has taken a franchise with clueless ownership to the Super Bowl, so he does have at least one of the required skills for this job.— hillbillybirdsfan
