The Philadelphia Eagles news continues to ponder a potential return for recently fired coach Frank Reich. The veteran coach has sudden availability after being fired as the Carolina Panthers head coach on November 27, 2023.
Eagles fans have fond memories of Reich’s two seasons as offensive coordinator from 2016 through 2017. Reich is best known for orchestrating an explosive unit as offensive coordinator during the team’s Super Bowl run in the 2017 season. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes is pushing the team to hire Reich as a consultant amid the team’s losing skid.
“Eagles coaches seem to have no answers,” Hayes wrote in a December 12 column titled, “The Eagles should hire Frank Reich to save their season.” “They’ve adjusted at halftime, and they’ve pulled off some great comebacks in the last 30 minutes, but the coaching staff is getting embarrassed in the first 30 minutes, and the six days that precede them. The game plans stink.
“The answer: Frank Reich. Has seen it all and done it all. He’s been there and he’s done that. Hire Reich as a consultant and you save the season,” Hayes continues. “The Eagles don’t have to fire first-year offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, and BJ can even keep calling plays … as long as Reich gets a headset on Sunday.”
The Philadelphia Eagles Are Unlikely to Change Coordinators This Late in the Season
The Eagles can win a Super Bowl but they need to hire Frank Reich as OC & and an experienced DC like Leslie Frazier.
Who’s with me?
Some Eagles fans are calling for head coach Nick Sirianni to make coordinator changes. Yet, it is rare for any NFL team to make these sort of sweeping changes with four weeks remaining in the regular season. Especially for a team like the Eagles who still has a chance to win the NFC.
Hayes’ suggestion about adding Reich makes some sense, especially if Philadelphia still retains Brian Johnson and the coaching staff. Wise Eagles supporters may point out that it is the team’s defense that is the biggest issue heading towards the postseason.
If there is a defensive mind of Reich’s caliber available for hire, this surely is the move to make. That is not the case and adding Reich does not negate the very real fact that the defense must improve.
Eagles News: Nick Sirianni Downplayed the Frank Reich Rumors
We know that Sirianni has an affinity for Reich from their time coaching together. After Reich was fired, Sirianni downplayed the possibility of the Eagles potentially adding Reich to the staff.
“You know what, it’s obviously very early with everything that’s going on, and so I haven’t even really thought about that quite yet,” Sirianni told reporters on November 27. “As far as bringing somebody in in the middle of the year, what goes into that a lot of times is familiarity with the person. And so, that’s what goes into that quite often is the familiarity with the coach. The relationship with the coach, but I’m not there yet.”
It will be worth watching to see if Sirianni is “there” now after two straight blowout losses. Reich fits the familiarity criteria that the Eagles coach mentioned. Philadelphia’s offense has scored just three total touchdowns over the last two games.
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Eagles Urged to Make Coaching Move to ‘Save Season’ Amid Struggles