Tag: Mike Groh

With Eagles in need of an offensive coordinator, Joe Brady sounds like he’s staying at LSU

Joe Brady says his intentions are to remain at LSU as Eagles search for offensive coordinator

The Philadelphia Eagles are in need of an innovative and fresh set of eyes for their franchise quarterback Carson Wentz. LSU just happens to have the best young play-caller in the business.

It’s unknown whether Joe Brady is currently a candidate for the Eagles offensive coordinator job, but according to this quote from Cordy Worsham, it sounds like young hotshot plans on staying in Baton Rouge.

The 30-year-old Brady has prior NFL experience from his time with the Saints and he’s emerged as one of the hottest offensive play-callers on either level of big-time football.

Brady recently won the Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant coach in the nation.

Top-ranked LSU led the nation with 564 total yards per game and was second in the country with 397 passing yards per game.

Under Brady, Joe Burrows improved dramatically, winning the Heisman Trophy and ascending to the likely No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Potential Eagles offensive coordinator candidate heading to the Rams

LA Rams hiring Kevin O’Connell as offensive coordinator

One of the top names mentioned as a candidate to replace Mike Groh as the Eagles offensive coordinator is taking his talents to LA to join the Rams.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that former Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell will be hired by the LA Rams for the same job title.

McConnell, 34, succeeded Rams head coach Sean McVay on Jay Gruden’s offensive coaching staff as QB coach, before working his way up to the job of the team’s passing game coordinator and then offensive coordinator.

O’Connell spent five seasons in the NFL as a quarterback before becoming an assistant coach in Cleveland and San Francisco.

Jim Caldwell and former Redskins assistant Kevin O’Connell considered candidates for Eagles OC job

Jim Caldwell and former Redskins assistant Kevin O’Connell candidates for Eagles OC job

The Philadelphia Eagles are in need of an offensive coordinator and having Carson Wentz as the franchise quarterback should make the job interesting to a number of candidates.
According to Tim McManus of ESPN.com, former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell and former Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell have emerged as candidates for the job.

The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Mike Groh and wide receivers coach Carson Walch on Thursday, just one day after Doug Pederson said that they’d both be back. After meeting with owner Jeffery Lurie, that was not the case.

Groh had been the Eagles offensive coordinator for the past two seasons after joining the Eagles as wide receivers coach in 2017. He ascended to the job after Frank Reich landed the Indianapolis Colts head coach job.

Walch was with Groh in Chicago, before making the move to Philadelphia with him. He was the assistant wide receivers coach in 2018 before being promoted to the full-time wide receivers coach this season.

Doug Pederson speaks on the firing of Eagles OC, WR coach; Apologizes for confusion during press conference

Doug Pederson releases statement on firing of Eagles OC, WR coach; apologizes for confusion on their status

Doug Pederson gave Mike Groh and Carson Walch the dreaded vote of confidence on Wednesday, and yet on Thursday morning, the Eagles announced the firing of both Groh and Walch.

After meeting with Jeffery Lurie and doing some soul searching, Pederson fired his two assistant coaches and then apologized for how he handled Wednesday’s presser.

For Pederson, he’ll be hiring his fifth wide receivers coach since getting the job in 2016. Groh had been promoted to the job of Eagles’ offensive coordinator two years ago when Frank Reich landed the Colts job.

Walch had worked with Groh while he was with the Bears, was brought in as an assistant wide receivers coach in 2018 before being promoted in 2018.

After initially saying both guys would be back, Pederson rephrased his statement, stating that he’d continue to evaluate.

8 candidates who could replace Mike Groh as Eagles offensive coordinator

8 candidates who could replace Mike Groh as Eagles offensive coordinator

The Philadelphia Eagles now formally have two coaching vacancies after Doug Pederson backtracked on his Wednesday comments, and fired Mike Groh (OC) and Carson Walch (WR).

On Thursday, Adam Schefter reported that the Eagles had parted ways with their offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach after a rough season that saw skill players regress.

With the Eagles signing Carson Wentz to a longterm deal and the franchise focused on returning to the Super Bowl, here are 8 potential replacements at offensive coordinator for the recently fired Mike Groh.

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1. Duce Staley — Eagles assistant head coach

Staley is currently the Eagles running backs coach and also the assistant head coach. Staley, the fifth-leading rusher in franchise history, knows the franchise, has been around some creative offensive play-callers and would have no problem holding quarterback Carson Wentz accountable.

When Pederson promoted Mike Groh to offensive coordinator, it was in part because Groh was more involved with the passing game daily.

With Staley being responsible for the emergence of Boston Scott and Miles Sanders, Staley could get the look.

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Eagles part ways with OC Mike Groh and WR Carson Walch

Eagles to part ways with OC Mike Groh and WR Carson Walch

One day after Doug Pederson gave Mike Groh and Carson Walch a vote of confidence, the Eagles are set to announce that they’re parting ways with the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach according to Adam Schefter.

On Wednesday Pederson stated that both Groh and Walch would return, before backtracking and saying that all of his coaches would be evaluated going forward.

“I think both of those guys did an outstanding job for me this year,” Pederson said. “There was a lot of things we faced offensively, as you know, through adversity, through injuries. … So, my hat goes off to both of those gentlemen, because of the game plans that Mike and I and the offensive staff put together, first of all, and then here toward the end of the season, Carson Walch having a big impact on getting these young players ready to go and to play and to play at a high level.”

Groh and Walch have come under fire for what some consider a lack of improvement from the Eagles offense, specifically a wide receiver group that at times underachieved.

Groh finished his second season as the Eagles offensive coordinator after Frank Reich, the team’s play-caller for the 2017 Super Bowl run, took the Indianapolis Colts head-coach job in 2018.

During that 2017 season, the Eagles ranked eighth in offensive efficiency and fourth in points scored.

Under Groh, they’ve regressed to 16th and 14th in efficiency and 18th and 12th in scoring over the past two seasons.

Walch’s downfall comes from the Eagles brass and insiders watching wide receivers drafted after JJ Arcega-Whiteside flourish, while the former Stanford star and record-setter, looked lost at times during his rookie season in Philadelphia.

Eagles’ OC Mike Groh, QB coach Carson Walch to return to their roles in 2020

The Philadelphia Eagles announced that offensive coordinator Mike Groh and quarterbacks coach Carson Walch will return to their coaching positions in 2020

The Philadelphia Eagles had their first 4,000-yard passer and Carson Wentz played a full season for the first time since his rookie season.

With the Eagles set to address a very important offseason, Doug Pederson confirmed that offensive coordinator Mike Groh and quarterbacks coach, Carson Walch will both return to their respective positions in 2020.

Groh and Walch have come under fire for Carson Wentz’s struggles and his assumed regression as a quarterback, but Doug Pederson sounds like he’s comfortable with both coaches returning.

NFL.com says Eagles OC Mike Groh is emerging as a head coaching candidate to know

Mike Groh named a head coaching candidate to know by NFL.com

The NFL is a what have you done for me league and Black Monday — the day after the final regular-season game — usually includes a handful of firings.

NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport broke down the NFL head coach candidates to know before the carousel gets going and Eagles’ offensive coordinator Mike Groh landed on the honorable mentions list of “other guys on the radar.”

Th 48-year-old Groh started his NFL coaching career with the Bears where he was named the team’s wide receivers coach in 2013.

In 2016 the Los Angeles Rams hired Groh as their passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

In 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles hired Groh to be their wide receivers coach.

After the 2017 season when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII, Groh was promoted to offensive coordinator to replace Frank Reich after he took a head coaching job with the Colts.

Doug Pederson calls the plays, but Groh has caught most of the flak in the media for the Eagles offensive struggles this season. The Eagles offense has improved over the past month and it’ll be interesting to see how much Groh played in the improvement.

Behind Enemy Lines: Week 14 Q&A with Eagles Wire

With a Week 14 matchup between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles on tap, we go behind enemy lines for a chat with Eagles Wire.

The New York Giants (2-10) and Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) will square off on Monday Night Football in Week 14.

The Giants opened the week as 8.5-point road underdogs, and the spread has changed only slightly as of Sunday morning with Big Blue now at +9.5

With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Eagles Wire managing editor Glenn Erby.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Giants Wire: The Eagles are a bit of an enigma this season — up for a couple weeks, down for a couple weeks and repeat. What do you feel has led to the inconsistency and do you believe they will be able to turn things around over the final month of the season and give the fading Dallas Cowboys a run for their money?

Glenn Erby: The inconsistency started with DeSean Jackson’s injury and spiraled from there. The loss of Jackson’s ability to take the top off a defense reduced the Eagles offense to a dink and dump operation. Injuries in the secondary, along the offensive and defensive lines as well has presented the Eagles with the challenge of trying to live up to those Super Bowl aspirations while utilizing a makeshift lineup.

This is a confident team, a team that unfortunately relies on being the underdog and clicking the switch on. Now that they’ve been counted out, I think you’ll see that sense of urgency and consistency that’s been missing.

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Is Carson Wentz in need of some tough love, more intense coaching?

NFL executives think Carson Wentz would benefit from tougher coaching

Carson Wentz is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, yet he’s regressed some since the 2017 season that saw the Eagles star almost win MVP.

Since that time, Wentz has lost his former position coach John DeFilippo, who took the offensive coordinator’s job in Minnesota and offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, who became the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach.

Both men had a connection with Wentz, that Press Taylor, current quarterbacks coach, and Mike Groh appear to lack.

Wentz’s regression has caught the eye of personnel men around the league, and according to those executives via Paul Domowitch of The Inquirer, the Eagles star could benefit from some tough love and he needs to be “coached harder.”

“Carson played his best ball when DeFilippo was coaching him,’’ a personnel executive for an AFC team said. “Because John would get in his (butt). John and Reich had a good cop-bad cop thing going on.

“Reich would be the good cop and pat Carson on the butt, but Flip would stay on Carson and kept him on point and had him playing his best football. Personally, I think that’s what he needs right now, what he’s been lacking since (DeFilippo) left. Hard coaching. Right now, he’s got everybody there kissing his butt and that’s not helping him become a better player.’’

None of what was said is wrong, and only those inside the NovaCare Complex truly know just how hard Press Taylor and Mike Groh push Wentz to get better. The numbers this season tell a tale of a quarterback who seems to press in the biggest moments and who hasn’t taken the next step in his path to greatness.

Wentz has completed 62.4% of his passes this season, for 2,840 yards, 20 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Those stats are solid, but in terms of league-wide averages, Wentz is currently middle of the pack among NFL passers in passing (90.0), touchdown percentage, completion percentage (62.4) and 30th in yards per attempt (6.5).

Another personnel guy said this about Wentz.

“They have to scheme to get guys open,’’ said a coach for an NFC team that has played the Eagles this season. “Zach Ertz is the only guy other than Agholor who can get open on his own.

“The rest of them are like basketball players who can’t get their own shot. They’re a bunch of possession guys. They don’t have a guy who can create in a one-on-one situation, and that’s a big problem for them.’’

Wentz has been steady for the Eagles and with the plethora of injuries to his skill players on a weekly basis, it’s important to focus on the fact that he’s four-games away from completing his first full season of football since tearing his ACL.

That in itself is an accomplishment that should carry Wentz and give him confidence going forward as the Eagles franchise quarterback.

He can certainly use some tough love, but Carson Wentz is also definitely on his way to becoming one of the NFL’s best signal-callers.