Getty The Eagles have hired former Chargers offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to help fix Carson Wentz.
The Philadelphia Eagles are finally turning the page on the last chapter of the fabled Philly Special. The team will not be retaining Press Taylor as new head coach Nick Sirianni continues to fill out his coaching staff in Philly.
Mike Kaye of NJ Advance Media first reported the expected move. Taylor has served as Eagles quarterbacks coach since 2018 and was given the additional title of “passing-game coordinator” in 2020. The 33-year-old first joined the coaching staff as an offensive quality control coach in 2013 following a successful stint at the University of Tulsa.
#Eagles QB/PGC Press Taylor will not be retained by the organization in 2021, per source.
Taylor has been rumored to be a “best friend” to Carson Wentz and drew criticism for not coaching him hard enough. He has been credited for suggesting the play that eventually became known as the “Philly Special” to Frank Reich who later added it to the playbook.
“I had a folder of ideas. It was one of the plays in there,” Taylor told the Eagles website in 2018. “I give credit to Coach Reich and everybody for being open and creating a collaborative environment and seeking the best ideas. Coach Reich liked that idea, got it implemented, and then we kind of massaged it throughout the process until it looked pretty good.”
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Eagles Naming Shane Steichen New Offensive Coordinator
Sirianni has decided to dial up an old friend for the Eagles’ vacant offensive coordinator position. According to NFL Network, the team has “agreed to terms” with Shane Steichen who worked with Sirianni for four seasons in San Diego.
He has served as Chargers offensive coordinator for the past two seasons after a four-year stint as quarterbacks coach out there. The two last worked together in 2017 when Steichen was quarterbacks coach and Sirianni was wide receivers coach.
The 35-year-old offensive guru has earned praise for his work with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert who threw for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns (10 interceptions) in 2020. The Chargers ranked ninth-best in total offense (382.1 yards-per-game), including 15th overall in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) and seventh in passing DVOA.
Duce Staley Ditches Birds for Lions
Duce Staley has moved on from the Eagles after almost two decades with the organization as a player and coach. The 45-year-old has joined Dan Campbell’s new staff in Detroit as assistant head coach and running backs coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It is the same exact job title that Staley has held in Philadelphia since 2018. It appears Staley finally grew tired of being bypassed for head coach and offensive coordinator duties in Philly.
Eagles players had openly lobbied for the long-time assistant to get the head-coaching gig, including sending text messages to team owner Jeffrey Lurie. Now the two-time Super Bowl champion is heading to the Lions with a strong reputation as a no-nonsense, player-friendly type of coach. Staley also spent seven seasons in midnight green as a fan-favorite player where he rushed for 4,807 yards, fifth-best in franchise history.
All Hail Duce Staley. He deserved better.
He was often credited for running Philly’s developmental program and coaching up the practice-squad players, guys like Boston Scott, Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham. The Eagles always seemed to get the most out of those unheralded and undrafted players on the supplemental roster.
“You want to develop these guys. You want to help these guys understand the NFL,” Staley told reporters in August. “We want to make sure they compete daily. And we just want to continue to show them how to study film, so it’s a couple of things that are involved.”
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