The events involving the Philadelphia Eagles organization the last two days have been, to sum up in one word: interesting.
Wednesday
We got the usual end of the season press conference from Head Coach, Doug Pederson and General Manager, Howie Roseman. This press conference featured a few things I want to touch on, with the first being, accountability. GM Howie Roseman stepped to the podium and the first thing he did was apologize to fans for the season and the way it went. Roseman said he wan’t good enough and took accountability using phrases such as “that’s on me” and “I wasn’t good enough,” when describing the way the 2019 season played out. Roseman touched on scouting and how that specific department may need to look at the emphasis it places on college production over physical traits. A key point was made, in my opinion when Roseman said the team needed an “infusion of youth.” This showed, to me that Roseman realizes where this team is and what they need. The 2019 Philadelphia Eagles were one of the oldest rosters in the league and Roseman knows this needs to change. Roseman talked a big game which gave me hope for this offseason, but time will tell if action is placed behind those words. The next thing I want to touch on is Doug’s strange day. Head Coach, Doug Pederson mainly spoke on his staff, delivering glowing reviews of Wide Receiver coach, Carson Walch and Offensive Coordinator, Mike Groh seasons respectively. Pederson praised the two coaches for their work down the stretch of the season and was asked directly if the two coaches would be back for the 2020 season and his response was, “Yes, both those guys will be back.” Pederson was later asked about Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz, who interviewed for the Cleveland Browns Head Coaching position, and whether he’d be back for the 2020 season. Pederson’s response was much more vague this time around. He started by being very appreciative of Schwartz and his contributions to the team and said he thinks he’ll make a great head coach and said he “wished him the best.” When asked if Schwartz would remain on the staff for the 2020 season, Pederson gave a different answer than the one he gave for Welch and Groh, saying, “Yes, he’s currently my DC (defensive coordinator),” and that Schwartz would be back in Philadelphia on a plane after his interview with Cleveland concluded. Pederson then appeared to grow impatient and backtrack completely when asked to clarify why his answer about Schwartz was different from the answer about Walch and Groh, saying he needed to evaluate his staff entirely. It was perplexing to watch. In all, the presser provided stability on Roseman’s end and ended up leaving more questions than answers on Pederson’s.
Thursday
This is where things get interesting. Thursday morning a report surfaced from, former NFL QB Greg McElroy that said the Eagles were “likely to have a shakeup on their coaching staff today.” Keep in mind, this came out the morning after HC Doug Pederson said, OC Mike Groh and WR coach Carson Walch would be back for the 2020 season. Sure enough, Thursday afternoon, it was announced that both Groh and Walch had been fired. This entire situation seems strange considering how adamant Pederson was about keeping Groh and Walch. Was he overruled or did he meet and effectively evaluate the two coaches? Odds are, we’ll never know how this came about, however the point stands: currently the Philadelphia Eagles are without an Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receiver coach.
What this all Means
In essence what these events show is that there is accountability being held within the organization, whether it be at the top with owner, Jeff Lurie or Howie Roseman to Coach Doug Pederson, it is there within the Eagles organization. The firing of Groh and Walch show that the organization realize mediocrity is not good enough and there have already been names thrown out as candidates for the position and those names are far from mediocrity. Jim Caldwell, Marty Mornhinweg, and Kevin O’Connell. Caldwell and Mornhinweg bring veteran experience, but all three have two things in common. One, they all have extensive experience developing or playing the Quarterback position and two, they bring fresh new ideas and concepts to the table which is exactly what this offense needs heading into next season. In any event, this offseason is shaping up to be both entertaining and very productive.
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