Getty Former Eagles assistant Marty Mornhinweg is returning to Philadelphia as senior offensive consultant.
Sometimes old is new again. For the Eagles, they are banking on that being true for their new assistant coach.
The team announced on Thursday that it had hired Marty Mornhinweg to be senior offensive consultant, a role that will work hand-in-hand with Doug Pederson on the offensive side. Mornhinweg brings a wealth of experience to the table and the head coach viewed the 57-year-old coaching veteran as the “final piece” of the puzzle.
His expertise lies in developing quarterbacks, guys like Michael Vick, Jeff Garcia, Steve Young, Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre all thrived under his watch. Pederson called him a “fresh set of eyes.”
“He gets what we’re doing. He gets my vision. He understands my philosophy,” Pederson told the team’s official website. “He understands what my goal is and what my vision is for this offense.”
Mornhinweg joins the coaching staff after taking a year off from football. Prior to that, he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens where he helped groom Lamar Jackson.
The last time Mornhinweg was in Philadelphia, he was working with Vick under then-coach Andy Reid in 2012. Pederson spent four seasons on that same coaching staff (2009-12) when Mornhinweg was quarterbacks coach. There is clearly mutual respect and admiration between the two innovative minds.
#Eagles have hired Marty Mornhinweg as a Senior Offensive Consultant.
Chain of Command in Philadelphia’s Offensive System
It’s the question everyone wants to know but no one has an answer to. The Eagles have assembled the NFL’s first collaborative coaching staff and the chain of command may get tricky with so many cooks in the kitchen.
Head coach Doug Pederson will remain the play-caller on offense and it seemed like newcomer Rich Scangarello would serve as de facto offensive coordinator, although not by title.
There were rumors of Mornhinweg possibly joining the Eagles way back in January when news that the team had fired Mike Groh first leaked. The theory was that the team was looking for stability and Mornhinweg’s familiar face might be a good choice for offensive coordinator.
The big question I have after the #Eagles addition of Marty Mornhinweg is about how much influence he’ll have vs. others (namely Rich Scangarello).
A lot of voices and it’s up to Doug Pederson to figure out who to listen to and when.
But the team opted not to hire an official offensive coordinator, so Mornhinweg returns in the newly-created role of senior offensive consultant.
It sounds like Pederson is hoping his experience in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson may come in handy in putting together creative gameplans for Carson Wentz. Maybe even ones that utilize his legs a little more than in years past.
On the flip side, there were many in Baltimore who thought Mornhinweg was holding Jackson back. Too bland. He didn’t get untracked until Greg Roman took over as offensive coordinator in 2019. Food for thought.
Did Mornhinweg Want to Move Jackson to Receiver?
There were conflicting reports last year out of Baltimore that Marty Mornhinweg wanted to move Lamar Jackson to wide receiver.
Former NFL GM turned analyst Michael Lombardi — yes, that Michael Lombardi — quoted sources saying Mornhinweg was trying to transition Jackson to another position in 2018. It never happened and Mornhinweg vehemently denied the report. His former pupil Michael Vick came to the coach’s defense.
@evansilva Every conversation I had with Marty Mornhinweg was positive about Lamar.. Matter of fact we spoke before the draft and we both shared in depth thoughts.. The Ravens drafted Lamar….I seriously doubt that coming from Marty!!!!
“My thoughts before the draft, and even more when we started working with Lamar, was that this young man was going to be a special quarterback,” Mornhinweg said.
Remember, there was a common thought in the NFL that Jackson would make a more dynamic pass-catcher than quarterback. But the Ravens selected him in the first round and supported his wish to play under center.
That move has paid huge dividends after Jackson guided the Ravens to the best record in the league at 14-2. The 23-year-old set a slew of records en route to NFL MVP honors, and only the second unanimous MVP in NFL history and the youngest quarterback to ever win the award.
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