Getty Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is in his second year leading the Philly defense.
Two months ago, Philadelphia Eagles fans wanted Jonathan Gannon’s head on a spit. His defense was making every opposing quarterback look like Aaron Rodgers after allowing five signal-callers to complete at least 80% of their pass attempts.
The Eagles were also leading the league in missed tackles and first downs surrendered through the first nine weeks. Gannon had clashed with defensive captain Fletcher Cox and the masses wanted him fired. Not Nick Sirianni. The first-year head coach talked to his rookie defensive coordinator on the side and they figured out a way to right the ship.
Nick Sirianni says Jonathan Gannon would be an awesome head coach, but obviously hoping he doesn’t lose him #Eagles
Gannon’s unit has been a Top-10 unit over the past six games, including holding teams to a miserly 16.7 points per game. Philadelphia now ranks fifth overall in total yards allowed (320.2 per game) and ninth in rush defense (104.6 per game). They have started to generate game-changing takeaways: 15 for the season after two more interceptions in Week 16.
“You’re never a finished product. You’re always trying to improve,” Gannon told reporters on December 7. “That’s what the head coach talks about, that’s what we talk about with our guys. Like I’ve said before, you want to be ascending and getting better each week and be playing good, sound football. You don’t want to be making a bunch of mistakes and you don’t want the performances to go up and down. You want to keep ascending in a positive way.”
The Eagles D Rankings
▪️WORST Completion %
▪️MOST Missed Tackles
▪️MOST 1st downs allowed
▪️T-MOST Red Zone TDs allowed
▪️2nd MOST rush 1st downs allowed
▪️3rd MOST penalties
▪️3rd FEWEST blitzes
▪️3rd MOST points allowed at home
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Gannon Mentioned as Head-Coaching Candidate
Gannon suddenly has the Eagles’ defense humming in the heart of a playoff race. Naturally, the 38-year-old has instantly vaulted to the top of a short list of head-coaching candidates. There was never a doubt, right?
NFL Network analysts Peter Schrager and Tom Pelissero recently tossed six names out there and Gannon was right at the top of that list. The former secondary coach for the Indianapolis Colts could potentially parlay one up-and-down year in Philly into a new job.
With HC interviews set to start soon, a good emptying notebook convo on @GMFB with @TomPelissero … The 6 names we mentioned:
Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett
Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon
Bills DC Leslie Frazier
Rams DC Raheem Morris
Bengals OC Brian Callahan
Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
As for his coaching style, Gannon is a players-coach who seeks out input from his guys and incorporates it into the gameplan. No one in the defensive room is above anyone else. And keep the slogans out of the locker room.
“I told you guys I’m not a big slogan guy. NFL players are very motivated,” Gannon said. “It is our job sometimes to get them going a little bit, but the guys that we have in the building, there’s not a lot of need for that, in my opinion.”
Jaguars Plan to Interview Doug Pederson
Meanwhile, the Jackson Jaguars will interview Doug Pederson for their head-coaching vacancy. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Pederson and Jim Caldwell will kick-start what sounds like an exhaustive search down there. Jacksonville fired Urban Meyer on December 18 after a tumultuous, drama-filled 2-11 start.
Pederson lives in Florida and recently talked about wanting to return to the NFL. He would seem to be a perfect fit for the Jacksonville job where he could mold young quarterback Trevor Lawrence. La Canfora sees Pederson and Caldwell as legitimate candidates to replace Meyer. He wrote: “Their vast experience around the NFL, and Pederson’s experience as a former NFL quarterback himself, are also of interest to the Jaguars, sources said.”