Tag: Packers

Seahawks hiring Packers assistant as linebackers coach

Olivadotti had served as Green Bay’s inside linebackers coach for the last five years

New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is beginning to build up his staff. So far we have received reports that the team has hired Leslie Frazier as assistant head coach and Jay Harbaugh as special teams coordinator. Yesterday we got word of another new assistant coming in.

According to a report by Aaron Wilson, the team is hiring Packers assistant Kirk Olivadotti as their new linebackers coach. Olivadotti had served as Green Bay’s inside linebackers coach for the last five years and he knows Macdonald from their time coaching together at Georgia.

Olivadotti deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done with the Packers linebackers, especially De’Vondre Campbell. During his time with the Falcons he’d been an average linebacker at best and now he’s one of the best off-ball linebackers in the league. He improved particularly well in coverage, which is something that should have an obvious appeal for Seattle.

Speaking of which, it’s hard to say exactly what Olivadotti will get to work with for the Seahawks. On paper Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks and Devin Bush are a solid 1-2-3 for this group (certainly better than Green Bay’s), but all three are about to become free agents. In the draft we like NC State’s Payton Wilson, but it’s too early in the offseason to say just how much help they’re going to need at linebacker.

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Ranking all 32 NFL teams by strength of schedule for 2024

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Ranking all 32 NFL teams (including the Eagles) by 2024 strength of schedule

We’re ranking all 32 NFL teams by their 2024 strength of schedule ahead of the offseason and NFL draft

We’re about 100 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors in determining the year schedule of games.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, here’s how Philadelphia’s 17-game slate for 2024 stacks up to the rest of the league, in February.

Ranking Eagles’ potential opponents for 2024 NFL season opener in Brazil

We’re ranking the Philadelphia Eagles potential opponents for the Friday night NFL season opener in Brazil

The 2024 NFL schedule will be released sometime on a Thursday night in mid-May, but we know that the Eagles will open the season in a home contest, played on a Friday night in Brazil.

The Eagles have been chosen to play in the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil in Week 1 on Friday, September 6, to kick off their 2024 regular season, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced on Monday in his annual Super Bowl presser with the media in Las Vegas.

“Está pronto para ver os Eagles no Brasil?” (In Portuguese, “Are you ready to watch the Eagles in Brazil?”)

“The Eagles organization is honored to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America,” said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles Chairman and CEO. “With the global growth of our sport being a top priority to our league, we embrace the opportunity to grow our fanbase around the world and bring Eagles football to the 38 million sports fans in Brazil. One of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, Brazil is an international melting pot, and we look forward to experiencing its warm, vibrant, and welcoming environment later this year.”

As part of the NFL International Series, this will be the first Friday night game on opening weekend in over 50 years. Philadelphia’s opponent and kickoff time will be announced later, closer to when the 2024 NFL schedule is revealed in May.

The contest will be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, with a seating capacity of 47,252.

This will be the second International Series Game in the regular season for the Eagles, who played in London during the 2018 campaign and defeated Jacksonville, 24-18 at Wembley Stadium. The Eagles played preseason games in Mexico City in 1978, London in 1989 and ’91, and Tokyo in 1993.

Home to the Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians, the stadium was an official venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

Philadelphia is one of the biggest draws in the NFL, and With nine possible opponents to choose from ( Cowboys, Giants, Commanders, Browns, Falcons, Jaguars, Steelers, Packers, and Panthers), the league is tasked with picking the most intriguing matchup.

Let’s rank the best potential matchups for that opening game:

National reaction to Eagles opening 2024 NFL seaon on a Friday night in Brazil

The Eagles have been chosen to play in the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil in Week 1 on Friday, September 6 to kick off their 2024 regular season, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced on Monday in his annual conversation with the media prior to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

The National Football League will play a regular season game in Brazil in 2024 — the first ever in South America — as the league emphasizes global growth as a significant strategic priority.

That historic first game in Brazil will take place in the city of São Paulo at the Corinthians Arena, home to the Brazilian soccer team, the Sport Club Corinthians.

The stadium was the official venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. With the game in South America, the NFL will have played a game (preseason or regular season) in five of the seven continents worldwide.

The Eagles confirmed they will play host against a team to be named.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the initial announcement at the 2023 December League Meeting in Dallas.

“The Eagles organization is honored to have been selected to play in the first-ever National Football League game in South America,” said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles Chairman and CEO. “With the global growth of our sport being a top priority to our league, we embrace the opportunity to grow our fanbase around the world and bring Eagles football to the 38 million sports fans in Brazil. One of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, Brazil is an international melting pot, and we look forward to experiencing its warm, vibrant, and welcoming environment later this year.”

As part of the NFL International Series, this will be the first Friday night game on opening weekend in over 50 years. The opponent and kickoff time will be announced later, closer to when the 2024 NFL schedule is revealed this spring.

The potential opponents for that opener include the Cowboys, Giants, Commanders, Browns, Falcons, Jaguars, Steelers, Packers, and Panthers.

With the news now official, here’s the national reaction to the the Eagles taking over Brazil.

Saints to host ex-Bears OC Luke Getsy for second interview

Ex-Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s first interview with the Saints flew under the radar. They’re meeting with him for a second time on Wednesday:

This is big news: the New Orleans Saints will be interviewing former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy for a second time after his first meeting was not reported, having flown under the radar. The MMQB’s Albert Breer reports that Getsy will speak with Saints brass in New Orleans on Wednesday.

That’s a benefit to speaking with candidates virtually at first; fewer people are involved, leading to fewer leaks. The Saints have probably interviewed other candidates whose names have not been made public.

But back to Getsy. He’ll turn 40 in February having worked in the NFL since 2014, with a college coaching career dating back to 2007. Before arriving in Chicago in 2022 he coached quarterbacks for the division-rival Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2021. He also worked with wide receivers in Green Bay prior to that.

He has play calling experience, but the Bears weren’t exactly a model of success during Getsy’s two-year run. Chicago ranked 18th in points and 20th in yards per game in 2023, which was a gradual improvement over their ranks in 2022 (23rd and 28th, respectively). But between Justin Fields’ slow progress and the opportunity to reboot with the first overall draft pick and their choice of rookie quarterbacks, the Bears chose to go in a new direction this offseason.

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Former Chargers HC Brandon Staley to interview with Packers and Dolphins

Brandon Staley is reportedly a hot defensive coordinator on the market.

Former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has entered the pool of defensive coordinator candidates for teams with vacancies this offseason.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Staley will interview with Green Bay on Friday and then Miami on Saturday. The Rams are also reported to have interest in their former 2020 defensive coordinator following the departure of now Falcons head coach Raheem Morris.

Staley rose to prominence initially following his work with the Rams in 2020. Leading the No. 1 ranked defense in the league with his unique light box defensive style eventually earned him the gig with the Chargers. It would make some institutional sense for Staley to replace Morris with a decent comfort level in the franchise and opportunity to reunite with Sean McVay.

With Miami and Green Bay, Staley does have perhaps a unique perspective to spin on similar schemes. Former Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry worked under Staley’s defense in Los Angeles as linebackers coach. Ultimately, it seems like the Packers want a new play caller approach to the same Vic Fangio style scheme that Barry ran.

The same could be said for Staley’s Miami interview. He could bring a Fangio-inspired defensive approach to replacing his former mentor. Reportedly, Fangio and the Dolphins’ split was mutual as he pursued an opportunity to work closer to home with Philadelphia. If the Dolphins wanted to keep the same system in place with Jalen Ramsey, Staley would fit right in. The two obviously worked magic together with the 2020 Rams.

Staley is reportedly a hot defensive coordinator on the market, per Ian Rapoport. Lining up two interviews with another team interested does give credence to that. However, I’d be curious to see how Staley answers for  never having a single-season defense that ranked higher than 19th in EPA/play in his time with the Chargers. Or, the league-wide trend that the two high shell schemes that have not been run by Fangio himself have been taking a beating recently.

Takeaways from a rollercoaster 49ers win over Green Bay

Takeaways from a wild 49ers playoff win over Green Bay:

The 49ers somehow got out of their divisional playoff matchup against the Packers with a 24-21 victory. They’re on to the NFC championship game.

There was no shortage of drama Saturday night with miscues from both teams that kept the game tight the entire way. Here are some of our takeaways from a wild one at Levi’s Stadium:

Why Kyle Shanahan had mixed emotions after Dre Greenlaw’s game-winning INT vs. Packers

Kyle Shanahan was happy Dre Greenlaw snagged his game-sealing interception … until he wasn’t.

The 49ers weren’t good Saturday night vs. the Packers, but they came up with some big plays late to seal a win. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw came up with one of those big plays to snag an interception that sealed the game on Green Bay’s final drive. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was glad his LB came up with the pick, but he had mixed emotions after the play.

What Greenlaw should have done after his diving grab was stay on the ground. There were less than 50 seconds left and the Packers had only two timeouts. The game was over if Greenlaw just stayed down.

Instead, Greenlaw sprang to his feet and started trying to return the ball for a touchdown. He broke tackles, threw stiff arms, reversed field, and gave the Packers ample opportunities to knock the ball out. If they had and recovered, they would have retained possession.

Greenlaw’s return attempt left Shanahan with some mixed feelings after the play.

“The play that Dre made there at the end to get the pick – still have mixed emotions,” Shanahan said in his postgame press conference. “I can’t believe he didn’t get down right away, but that was kinda like the whole day. All the guys I would get really upset with are also the guys I have a lot of love for at the end too because they were the ones that pulled it off to get us the W.”

It was an ugly game for the 49ers right down to the very end on Greenlaw’s return. It worked out for Greenlaw though just like it worked out for San Francisco.

Next time surely Shanahan would like his LB to stay down to take the win without any additional drama. And surely he’d like his team to put together an overall better performance where his emotions aren’t as mixed,

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Notes and observations from a thrilling 49ers divisional playoff victory over Packers

Somehow the 49ers won that game. Thoughts:

The 49ers on Saturday got off to a poor start against the Packers at Levi’s Stadium, but they somehow, someway pulled out a 24-21 win over Green Bay.

Here’s a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of a roller coaster playoff game:

LOOK: Deebo Samuel warms up in Standing on Business hoodie

Deebo Samuel’s hoodie before the 49ers’ playoff game is neat.

49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is ready for action ahead of Saturday’s playoff showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

He’s wearing a hoodie that says ‘Standing on Business’ with a photo of Samuel waving goodbye to Eagles fans in Philadelphia. It’s unclear whether it was made by Kristin Juszczyk.

San Francisco will need a big day from Samuel against a red-hot Green Bay team that led 27-0 early in their wild card game vs. the Cowboys.

If the 49ers do indeed, ‘stand on business,’ they should leave Saturday’s game with a win.

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