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You probably heard by now that the Philadelphia Eagles are inching closer to naming Josh McDaniels their next head coach. The 44-year-old is a six-time Super Bowl champion as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots. And the Philly faithful want no parts of him.
Their reasoning is rooted in logic, albeit with a trace of scorn. Eagles fans hold a special hatred for all things related to the Patriots and McDaniels has arguably been the most well-known face of that franchise not named Bill Belichick or Tom Brady. But there is legitimate cause for concern considering his less-than-stellar track record as a head coach. McDaniels went 11-17 in two ill-fated, controversy-filled seasons leading the Denver Broncos.
People seem to forget just how bad things got between McDaniels and the Broncos. He was caught videotaping a San Francisco 49ers walk-through in 2009 and the NFL hit the team with a $50,000 fine. Then, the head coach started a public feud with his starting quarterback, Jay Cutler, and clashed with running back Peyton Hills, tight end Tony Scheffler, and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. All four men were eventually jettisoned. It was ugly, per the Denver Post‘s Mike Klis.
While McDaniels’ record — 17 losses in the Broncos’ past 22 games — questionable personnel moves and emotional swings didn’t help, it was the integrity assaults the organization took in the aftermath of a spying scandal that speeded up his dismissal. McDaniels was relieved with an 11-17 overall record and a little more than $7.5 million left on his contract.
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Ditching the Indianapolis Colts Impacted Eagles
No one in Philly will soon forget what McDaniels did to the Indianapolis Colts and how it impacted the Eagles. McDaniels had accepted a job to be Indy’s next head coach in 2018, then backed out the night before his introductory press conference. Not a good look.
The rumor at the time was that Patriots owner Robert Kraft had promised McDaniels that he would be Belichick’s successor in New England. Fair enough, although still a horrible thing to do. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the decision to ditch the Colts had more to do with McDaniels’ evolving role in the day-to-day football operations and the amount of input on personnel decisions.
“I don’t think for Josh, leaving Indianapolis had anything to do with picking players, Breer told the Ross Tucker podcast. “I think he wants someone he can trust picking players, and there are guys he can bring with him to Carolina or Cleveland who can do that. I think for him it is more so having the organization aligned properly when it comes to all that other stuff, and having a guy he can trust picking players for him.”
Interesting. Wonder how that power balance will work out between McDaniels and Eagles GM Howie Roseman who reportedly wields unparalleled control on personnel. Remember, talks between McDaniels and the Cleveland Browns broke down in 2019 because of the same issues.
Back to the Indianapolis saga. Once McDaniels bailed, the Colts were in scramble mode and hired Frank Reich. The former Eagles offensive coordinator has largely been credited for being the lead architect on that 2017 Eagles’ Super Bowl. If not for McDaniels, maybe the Eagles make a run at another championship.
Andy Reid Gives Ringing Endorsement to Top Assistant
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy should be the hottest coaching candidate out there. For some weird reason, he hasn’t been. There is no interview scheduled between Bieniemy and the Eagles despite earlier reports that Philly had requested permission. He will visit the Houston Texans for their vacant head-coaching gig, though.
Bieniemy’s name should have been front of mind for a team (see: Philadelphia Eagles) scrambling to find a new head coach after five other candidates inked deals with other teams. Not only that, Bieniemy is calling plays for a juggernaut offense and he’s arguably the biggest (available) leaf on Andy Reid’s coaching tree.
On Monday, Reid gave his top assistant a ringing endorsement and joked that he would much rather see him go to the NFC than take a job in the AFC. (Editor’s note: Reid may have been planting the seed for his old boss in Philly, Jeffrey Lurie).
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