Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are 15 names to keep in mind as Panthers owner David Tepper embarks on his third head-coaching search
Here we are again.
For the second time in as many years, the Carolina Panthers are in the market for a new head coach. Monday morning’s firing of Frank Reich, who lasted a miserable 11 games in Charlotte, now opens the door for yet another leader for this unstable franchise.
So, who will that leader be?
Well, it’s still too early to tell. But here are 15 possible candidates that could be of interest to owner David Tepper and company:
We’re looking at the highest and lowest graded players on the Philadelphia Eagles defense through the first nine games of 2023
We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2023 NFL season, and the Eagles have the best record in football, sitting at 8-1 ahead of a Week 11 rematch against the Chiefs next week.
The work is just getting started, and it’ll get more challenging as Philadelphia has the league’s most brutal stretch of games remaining and over eight weeks, beginning with Dallas (28-23 win) and including the bye, the Eagles will face the Cowboys twice, along with the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, Seahawks and Giants.
With preparation for Kansas City set to get underway, we’re looking at the highest and lowest-graded players on defense through 9 games via PFF.
We’re looking at the highest and lowest graded players on the Philadelphia Eagles offense through the first nine games of 2023
We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2023 NFL season, and the Eagles have the best record in football, sitting at 8-1 ahead of a Week 11 rematch against the Chiefs next week.
The work is just getting started, and it’ll get more challenging as Philadelphia has the league’s most brutal stretch of games remaining and over eight weeks, beginning with Dallas (28-23 win) and including the bye, the Eagles will face the Cowboys twice, along with the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, Seahawks and Giants.
With preparation for Kansas City set to get underway, we’re looking at the highest and lowest-graded players on offense through 9 games via PFF.
We’re looking at 5 stats that prove Brian Johnson is excelling in his new role as the Philadelphia #Eagles offensive coordinator
Brian Johnson is in his third season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
After the Birds’ Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, then-offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was hired by the Indianapolis Colts to be their new head coach.
For Johnson, who was the quarterbacks coach, that meant a promotion to offensive coordinator following the 2022 campaign, and the expectation was that the rising coach prospect would only be here a short time before moving on to coach his team.
Through the first seven games, Johnson has received his fair share of criticism.
Still, as Rueben Frank and others have pointed out, Johnson is doing a great job and has the Eagles heading toward a repeat appearance in the Super Bowl.
With the Week 8 matchup against the Commanders looming, we’re providing five stats that prove Johnson has more than excelled as the new offensive coordinator.
#Eagles OC Brian Johnson addressed the media on Tuesday, discussing run-pass ratio; while also taking the blame for Jalen Hurts’ final interception
Brian Johnson was promoted to the offensive coordinator position following Shane Steichen’s departure to Indianapolis, and through six games at the helms, he’s started to face severe criticism.
Some pundits blame Philadelphia’s loss on three Jalen Hurts’ interceptions, while others around the league and in the fanbase believe that Johnson has left a lot to be desired at this point.
One growing criticism is the lack of second-half rushing attempts by a team that has been one or two rushing yards over the past few years.
The Eagles ran the ball 22 times on Sunday and went away from the run late in regulation when Jalen Hurts had his turnovers.
On Tuesday, head coach Nick Sirianni was a guest on Sports Radio 94 WIP and gave insight into the offense while praising Johnson’s play-calling.
Sirianni gave Johnson a vote of confidence, and on Tuesday afternoon, Johnson addressed the run-pass ratio and Hurts’ final interception in the loss to the New York Jets.
Panthers OC Thomas Brown is now the third Black play-caller in the NFL. He called it a rare opportunity on Tuesday.
Thomas Brown’s new opportunity means a lot, and not just to him and the Carolina Panthers.
Brown spoke with reporters early this afternoon, a day removed from officially taking over play-calling duties on offense. He began by thanking the man who handed them over, head coach Frank Reich.
“Obviously, super appreciative of Frank for giving me this opportunity,” he said. “Not just talkin’ about the play-calling opportunity, but just from the very beginning. ‘Cause it’s normal in this profession to stick to who you know, guys you’ve worked with before—and we had no prior background together.
“So from the very beginning, he’s always been open and honest about his approach. Most times, these jobs are filled before the interview process even starts. So givin’ me the chance to go through that, kinda express my ideas about the offense, what I’m gonna bring to the table and, obviously, continuin’ to grow and learn from him has been a great deal for me.”
Brown, 37, was hired as the team’s offensive coordinator this past offseason. But he wasn’t in charge of pressing all the buttons on offense right away, as Reich was openly reluctant to entrust the play sheet with his first-year coordinator.
That, however, changed on Monday—as the decision made Brown just the third Black play-caller currently in the NFL. And hopefully, it’ll inspire some more change around the league.
“I mean, it’s huge,” he said. “I think there’s three of us in the National Football League who are coordinators. It’s a rare opportunity—for a number of different reasons, which I won’t dive into my thought process or the reasons why right now. But I do understand I have the opportunity to help us have success—from a Panthers standpoint, but also open up doors for more guys that look like myself as well in the future.”
Brown now joins Washington’s Eric Bieniemy and Philadelphia’s Brian Johnson as the league’s only Black play-callers.
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Philadelphia #Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni talks about the teams run-pass balance; Gives OC Brian Johnson a vote of confidence after shocking loss
They love you when things are going well, and for Brian Johnson, it was only a few months ago when he was being discussed as one of the next young, hot-head coaching candidates.
Johnson was promoted to the offensive coordinator position following Shane Steichen’s departure to Indianapolis, and through six games at the helms, he’s started to face severe criticism.
Some pundits blame Philadelphia’s loss on three Jalen Hurts’ interceptions, while others around the league and in the fanbase believe that Johnson has left a lot to be desired at this point.
One growing criticism is the lack of second-half rushing attempts by a team that has been one or two rushing yards over the past few years.
The Eagles ran the ball 22 times on Sunday and went away from the run late in regulation when Jalen Hurts had his turnovers.
On Tuesday, Sirianni was a guest on Sports Radio 94 WIP and gave insight into the offense while praising Johnson’s play-calling.
The Philadelphia #Eagles have four assistant coaches make a list of 2024 head coaching candidates to watch
The 3-0 Eagles are one the hottest teams in the NFL right now, and with success comes poachers from the opposition looking to lure your best coaches away.
When hiring Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia assembled one of the NFL’s youngest coaching staff, and that dynamic group has already been broken up thanks to their versatility and vast talents.
Shane Steichen took his talents to Indianapolis, and he’s doing wonders with Anthony Richardson.
The much-maligned Jonathan Gannon is in Arizona, and his Cardinals just upset the top-ranked Dallas Cowboys.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr listed the top 65 potential NFL head coaching candidates for 2024. The Eagles had four assistant coaches on the list, with their offensive coordinator as a two-time nominee.
Jalen Hurts’ desire to be great and added wrinkles to the offensive scheme are just some of the takeaways from Brian Johnson’s press conference
Jalen Hurts will be in the same offense for the third straight year, and making things even more exciting, he’s known his new play-caller for over 20 years.
During his first training camp press conference, the Philly Tribune’s OJ Spivey asked Philadelphia’s All-Pro quarterback about the transition from Shane Steichen to Brian Johnson as the offensive coordinator.
Hurts leaned on the fact that he’s known the former Utah quarterback since he was four years old, a significant asset for the transition.
I asked Jalen Hurts today if it's been a smooth transition with Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/aCCLXEbRvh
— O.J. Spivey (@OJPhilly) July 27, 2023
As the primary quarterback’s coach for the Eagles over the past two seasons, Johnson is most responsible for Hurts’ passer rating jumping from 22nd in 2021 to fourth last season. Hurts’ yards-per-attempt average jumped from 15th to third, his interception percentage from 12th to fifth, and his touchdowns-to-interceptions differential from plus-seven to plus-16.
He finished third in rushing first downs.
A former college quarterback at Utah who has known the Hurts family for years, Johnson joined the Eagles after serving as the offensive coordinator for the University of Florida, helping get Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts to the NFL.
Before that, Johnson was crucial in Dak Prescott earning All-SEC honors at Mississippi State.
Philadelphia’s new offensive coordinator met the media on Tuesday morning, and here are takeaways from the media interaction.
Jalen Hurts has known Eagles OC Brian Johnson since he was 4 years old, making for a smooth transition from Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator
Jalen Hurts will be in the same offense for the third straight year, and making things even more exciting, he’s known his new play-caller for over 20 years.
During his first training camp press conference, the Philly Tribune’s OJ Spivey asked Philadelphia’s All-Pro quarterback about the transition from Shane Steichen to Brian Johnson as the offensive coordinator.
Hurts leaned on the fact that he’s known the former Utah quarterback since he was four years old, a significant asset for the transition.
I asked Jalen Hurts today if it's been a smooth transition with Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/aCCLXEbRvh
— O.J. Spivey (@OJPhilly) July 27, 2023
As the primary quarterback’s coach for the Eagles over the past two seasons, Johnson is most responsible for Hurts’ passer rating jumping from 22nd in 2021 to fourth last season. Hurts’ yards-per-attempt average jumped from 15th to third, his interception percentage from 12th to fifth, and his touchdowns-to-interceptions differential from plus-seven to plus-16.
He finished third in rushing first downs.
A former college quarterback at Utah who has known the Hurts family for years, Johnson joined the Eagles after serving as the offensive coordinator for the University of Florida, helping get Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts to the NFL.
Before that, Johnson was crucial in Dak Prescott earning All-SEC honors at Mississippi State.
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