Getty Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon looks on.
Jonathan Gannon is no longer calling defensive schemes for the Philadelphia Eagles, but he wanted to get something off his chest about a few calls from Super Bowl LVII. The new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals revealed what went wrong on those two Jet Motion reverses.
You remember the two killer red-zone plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, right? Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore waltzed into the endzone for easy touchdowns. Gannon accepted full responsibility for not putting his players in the right position to make either play. It was a very Andy Reid-like answer, ironically. Gannon was more than willing to fall on the sword during comments to NBC Sports’ Peter King.
“Our players were prepped. I did not do a good enough job myself to put them in a position to make the play,” Gannon told King. “I didn’t do a good enough job to get out of the call what I wanted out of the call. I didn’t give them the tools that they needed to win the down.
“On the second one, I thought [Mahomes] was gonna play that as a drop back and that [coverage] was a zero [blitz]. Jesus Christ wouldn’t have covered that in a zero.”
Jonathan Gannon told Peter King the Eagles offered him more money to be their DC than the Cardinals offered him to be a head coach “They came back and they were like, here’s a new offer. It’s gonna pay you more than being a head coach.”
(via @peter_king)
Gannon also revealed that the Eagles offered him a pay raise to return as their defensive coordinator in 2023. His salary would have been higher than a head coach, according to King. He turned it down in favor of fulfilling his lifelong dream. It seems money isn’t always everything.
Zach Ertz Vouches for Gannon’s Leadership
Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz only shared a locker room with Gannon for half a season in Philadelphia. It was a tumultuous year as trade rumors hovered at training camp and lasted until he was finally sent packing to Arizona for Tay Gowan and a fifth-round pick at the deadline.
However, Ertz has seen enough out of Gannon to come away with an overwhelming amount of respect for him. The Pro Bowler had matched wits against Gannon’s defenses on four different occasions: twice when Gannon was a defensive backs coach for the Vikings, once when Gannon was running the Colts secondary, and last year when the Eagles and Cardinals faced off. Ertz thinks very highly of his new head coach.
“This dude was an unbelievable leader,” Ertz said, via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. “All the defensive guys (in Philadelphia) loved playing for him. His scheme isn’t some complex scheme, but like he said, it’s adaptable and the guys play fast.”
Cardinals Zach Ertz on new head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Tracy Rocker Emerges as Eagles Candidate
Sean Desai and Vance Joseph are the only two candidates who have reportedly interviewed for the Eagles’ defensive coordinator vacancy, aside from internal favorite Dennard Wilson. There are more names making the rounds, including current defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.
CBS Sports’ Tom Ignudo called out his 30-plus years of coaching experience (mostly college) and referenced his influence on a pass-rushing unit that set a new single-season franchise record for sacks with 70.
If Gannon does take the Arizona job, DL coach Tracy Rocker seems like the logical replacement:
Plus he looks cool as hell
