Two days after calling it a career as a player, Alex Tanney has taken his talents to the coaching ranks. The former New York Giants veteran quarterback, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, has taken a job on the staff of an NFC East foe.
Tanney will join Nick Sirianni’s staff with the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive quality control coach. Originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Monmouth in 2012, Tanney was rostered at the same time that Sirianni served as the team’s wide receivers coach.
In Philadelphia, Tanney will work under newly hired offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. The former Los Angeles Chargers’ coordinator, like Tanney, has a history with Sirianni. The latter spent five years on the Bolts’ staff working his way up from Tanney’s current position of offensive quality coach to quarterbacks coach and eventually wide receivers coach before ultimately landing the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive coordinator gig in 2018.
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Coaching Runs in the Tanney Bloodline
While the landing spot might still come as a bit of a surprise (and a shot to the heart) to some Giants faithful, the decision for the nine-year pro to jump directly into coaching is far from a shock.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan hinted earlier this week that a coaching career was most likely on the horizon for the 33-year-old, who will now be following in his family’s footsteps.
Tanney’s father, Don, is a Football Coaches Association (IHSFCA) Hall of Fame Coach, who served as Alex’s coach at Lexington High School in Lexington, Illinois. The two also run the Tanney Passing Academy alongside Alex’s brother, Mitch, a former Director of Analytics for the Denver Broncos.
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Tanney’s NFL Career
Tanney was the definition of an NFL journeyman. Over his playing career, Tanney played for eight teams; the aforementioned Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccanneers, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans (twice) and the New York Giants.
While Tanney’s onfield production was greatly limited over his nine years in the league, his greatest claim to fame just so happened to come on one of the most memorable days in Giants history.
On December 15, 2019, Tanney replaced franchise great Eli Manning in the fourth quarter of a 36-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins. The game marked Manning’s final start and appearance of his illustrious 16-year career in East Rutherford. On that day, Tanney took two snaps and completed his lone pass as a member of the Giants, a one-yard completion to tight end Scott Simonson.
The only other game action Tanney received in the NFL came five years prior as a member of the Tennessee Titans. In Week 17 of the 2015 season, relieving Zach Mettenberger in a 30-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Tanney logged the most playing time of his career. The Illinois native completed 10-of-14 passes for 99 yards, including the sole touchdown pass of his career, a five-yard fade to Dorial Green-Beckham in the back corner of the end zone.
In total, Tanney compiled 100 yards on 11-of-15 passing (73.3% completion percentage) over his nine-year NFL tenure.
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Ex-Giants Quarterback Hired to Divisional Foe’s Coaching Staff