Tag: Rich Scangarello

Eagles HC Doug Pederson calls the sharing of play-calling duties a ‘collaborative’ effort

Eagles HC Doug Pederson on the sharing of play-calling duties being a “collaborative” effort

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The Eagles have some stout offensive minds on their staff with Rich Scangarello, Marty Mornhinweg, Doug Pederson, Press Taylor, and Duce Staley all bringing different strengths to the room.

And yet, Philadelphia has struggled to score points this season as well as push the ball downfield. With Carson Wentz embroiled in the worst slump of his career, Doug Pederson has hinted at giving up play-calling duties.

In a Thursday night report from The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, Pederson has allegedly already given some play-calling duties to Scangarello and Press Taylor. McLane also reported that Taylor could have more play-calling responsibility against the Packers on Sunday.

During his Friday zoom meeting, Pederson confirmed that he’s been “sharing” play-calling duties and called the entire process a “collaborative effort.”

Pederson also stated it’s “my decision to call plays or if I’m going to give them up.”

Pederson also made it clear that even if he’s dolling out some of the duties over the course of the game, he’s still the primary play-caller.

Pederson called it a week-to-week decision and with the Eagles badly needing a win, Sunday could be the chance for a different voice.

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Eagles HC Doug Pederson says temporarily giving up play-calling duties has been discussed

Eagles Doug Pederson says giving up play-calling is ‘on the table’

The Eagles are embattled in a three-game losing streak and with head coach Doug Pederson fighting for his job, all solutions are on the table.

One solution that has been discussed previously but could now become a reality is Pederson giving up play-calling duties for fresher eyes or a different approach.

Pederson reiterated his love for play-calling and stated that he’ll continue to do so, but he also said that a change is clearly “on the table.”

Eagles’ the best in the NFL at taking advantage of 4th down opportunities

Eagles gained the most value on fourth-down decisions in 2019

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Success in the NFL is predicated on good coaching decisions and timely execution on both sides of the ball. Doug Pederson is one of the top coaches in the NFL because of his penchant for disregarding the numbers and going with is intuition.

Pederson has enjoyed going for it on fourth down and his confidence has played a major part in the Eagles late-season playoff runs over the past two seasons.

Pro Football Focus recently broke down the biggest winners and losers in the NFL on fourth down to go.

Using a formula that looked at all fourth-down plays in the first three quarters during the 2019 season that met the following criteria: 1) there were four or fewer yards to go for a first down or a touchdown, and 2) the expected points when going for it were higher than when kicking a field goal (with 35 or fewer yards to go to the end zone) or punting (36 or more yards).

Not surprisingly, the Eagles were among the best if not the best.

TEAMS THAT TOOK ADVANTAGE OF FOURTH DOWNS IN 2019:
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles were a regular winner of our decision of the week award last year, and for good reason. They made the correct decision on 72% of fourth downs a season ago when going for it was the better of the two choices, generating 10 additional expected points as a result.

Things didn’t always work as expected for the Eagles on this money down, though, as Carson Wentz was the victim of three dropped passes — the most of any player on fourth down — and he converted only three of his seven rushing attempts when asked to carry the ball for a first down or touchdown in 2019. Those things are more likely to improve than not in 2020.

The Eagles’ 2017 run during both the regular season and the playoffs will forever change the league, and while the results on the field haven’t been replicated since, they continue to hack basic strategy by playing more downs than other talented teams.

A big part of that success stems from Carson Wentz’s ability to make things happen with his feet or locate either Zach Ertz or Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery was No. 10 in the NFL last year in the overall target rate at 24.1% despite only playing 10 games.

In addition to being among the highest-graded players in the red zone, Jeffery is also No. 2 in the NFL in third- and fourth-down target rates as well.

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Philadelphia Eagles’ 6 best moves from a busy 2020 NFL offseason

Philadelphia Eagles 6 best moves from a busy offseason

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While some other NFL teams went out and made the normal blockbuster deals, the Philadelphia Eagles quietly and efficiently set out to improve their organization from a coaching, player and personnel standpoint.

Several big moves helped encompass this offseason, but we broke down the six best moves from the Eagles busy 2020 NFL offseason.

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Darius Slay

1. Darius Slay arrives

Slay was impressive last year despite some down statistics on a bad team and yet his performance against some of the NFL’s best would be highlight-reel performances for some other cornerbacks.

Slay finally gives the Eagles an Alpha-cornerback who can mirror the opposing team’s top receiving weapon and a guy who can make a play with the game on the line.

Slay’s 85 forced incompletions since 2014 are the most in the NFL over that span as well.

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Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz looking forward to more run-pass options with Rich Scangarello on the coaching staff

Carson Wentz looking forward to more run-pass options with Rich Scangarello on the coaching staff

The Eagles have a unique situation when it comes to managing Carson Wentz’s propensity for escaping the pocket.

Wentz is a really good athlete who can make things happen with his feet, but getting outside the pocket also puts the Eagles franchise signal-caller at risk of suffering an injury or a big hit.

In the offseason, the Eagles added new wrinkles to the offense when they promoted Press Taylor to passing game coordinator hired Rich Scangarello to the coaching staff as a senior offensive assistant. Scangarello has experience working with Kyle Shanahan and he was the offensive coordinator in Denver last season after previously working with Lamar Jackson during his rookie season in Baltimore.

The new wrinkles have made Carson Wentz excited and he told Dave Spadaro of the team’s official website that he’s looking forward to more run-pass options (RPO’s).

“I think some things will look a little different, but I’m really excited about it,” Wentz said Thursday afternoon during a video teleconference from the NovaCare Complex. “I think it’ll really complement what we (are) as an offense and who we are identity-wise.”

Wentz’s excitement stems from the Eagles likely incorporating more RPO’s, where the run game is mixed up with play-action and other facets to take advantage of Carson’s ability to make huge plays outside of the pocket.

Wentz made several of those big plays outside the pocket down the stretch, including his huge touchdown pass to Miles Sanders against Washington.

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Eagles’ passing game coordinator Press Taylor preaching quick scoring drives, pushing the ball downfield

Press Taylor wants the Eagles to have a quick scoring offense

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The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the top young coaching minds in the NFL on their staff and rather than let him hit the open market, Doug Pederson promoted Press Taylor to the role of passing game coordinator.

A big reason for that promotion stems from Taylor innovation in regards to the quick passing game, utilizing guys in open space and dictating matchups based on what’s in the best interest of Carson Wentz and the Eagles.

During a Friday zoom meeting, Taylor sounded less like a ground and pound play-caller and more like a guy who has spent time with Andy Reid and his Brother, Bengals coach Zac Taylor.

Press Taylor spoke like a coach who envisions the Eagles offense resembling the explosive potential of the 49ers or Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins, and John Hightower offer the Eagles unique weapons that can all do damage in space. Mix that explosiveness in with the dynamic versatility of Ertz and Goedert, and the Eagles have the potential for a top-5 offense in 2020.

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Exploring the 3 biggest challenges for Eagles HC Doug Pederson as training camp approaches

Exploring the 3 biggest challenges for Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson as training camp approaches

The Philadelphia Eagles are navigating through a virtual 2020 NFL offseason that’s been filled with political strife, a pandemic, and the emergence of Jalen Hurts as a second-round draft pick.

Fortunately for the Eagles, they have one of the best head coaches in the league and a guy whose humble beginnings should allow him to lead this team back to the playoffs.

With the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles training camp over a month away, here are Pederson’s 3 biggest challenges as camp approaches.

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1. Societal issues outside of football

Life as we knew it changed the minute the world and America was forced to address the coronavirus pandemic. After finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic, the nation has once again been forced to deal with racial and social injustice after the country watched another police officer kill an American citizen.

Pederson will have to figure out how to keep his team focused, while sensitive to issues that society is currently presenting. He was previously able to leave the team building to Malcolm Jenkins, but now the Eagles head coach will need to be the ever-present leader more now than ever.

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Rich Scangarello set to play an integral part in Carson Wentz reaching the next level as a QB

Carson Wentz ‘excited’ about working with new assistant Rich Scangarello

The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2020 NFL season with a renewed confidence from quarterback Carson Wentz and a bevy of new weapons that should eliminate any talk about No. 11 not being elite.

One of the main reasons for Wentz and other Eagles’ excitement has centered around the addition of quarterback guru and offensive consultant, Rich Scangarello.

Wentz for his part is extremely excited about the move via transcripts from PennLive.

“I’m excited to see his insight and what he can bring to this offense, how we can become more explosive and more dynamic,” Wentz said on a Zoom call. “But what little I have talked to him, I can tell he’s a smart guy and he knows what he’s talking about.”

Scangarello, 48, spent two years as the quarterback’s coach under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers, and he was previously an offensive quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator.

Scangarello excels in the run game with pre-snap motion and misdirection that Shanahan’s 49ers team performs so well.

Scangarell played a key role in the maturation of rookie Drew Lock, who now looks like the Broncos signal-caller of the future.

Expect Scangarello to tinker with Wentz as a quarterback and add in some of his offensive intricacies with Doug Pederson continuing to call the offense in an aggressive manner.

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3 takeaways from the Eagles hiring Marty Mornhinweg as an offensive consultant to Doug Pederson

3 takeaways from the Eagles hiring Marty Mornhinweg as an offensive consultant to Doug Pederson

The Philadelphia Eagles love doing things by a committee approach and that’ll definitely be the status quo when it comes to coaching up Carson Wentz.

On Thursday, the Eagles announced another offensive mind has been added to the coaching staff, naming former offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg as a consultant to head coach Doug Pederson.

Mornhinweg brings decades of experience as a play-caller and offensive innovator and will add another dimension to the coaching-bubble being placed around Carson Wentz.

With a co-offensive coordinator approach in place, here are four takeaways to Mornhinweg’s hire:

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1. The offensive-minded cocoon around Wentz will work wonders

The Eagles don’t have an official offensive coordinator, but they now have a room full of solid and innovative minds that should help take Carson Wentz’s game to the next level.

The Eagles also hired former Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello and added pass game coordinator to quarterbacks coach Press Taylor’s title, making this offseason about taking Carson Wentz to the next level as a passer.

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Eagles passing game coordinator Press Taylor to have a vital role in shaping the offense

Press Taylor to have a vital role in shaping the Eagles offense

The NFL is big on innovation in the league and Doug Pederson took a step back during his coaching search to insert some fresh idea into his offense.

Pederson brought on Rich Scangarello as a senior offensive assistant, but his biggest and most important move could be the promotion of Press Taylor to passing game coordinator in Philadelphia.

The brother of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, Press is gaining accolades from around the league for his football intelligence and according to The Athletic, he’ll play a “vital” role shaping the Eagles offense this season.

Taylor became quarterbacks coach in 2017 when John Defilippo moved on and Pederson had the insight to know that he needed to give his young assistant coach more responsibility or risk losing him.

“I really feel like in order for Press to grow, I’ve got to give him more as a coach,” Pederson said. “I’ve got to put more on his plate.”

“I’m gonna lean a little more on Press,” Pederson said. “I feel like Press has a bright future as a coordinator. And so I’m trying to groom him. I think about what Andy did with me, and how he brought me along. Obviously, he made me the coordinator. He called plays. But, at the same time, he allowed me to run the meetings, run the staff meetings, things like that. And so I’m leaning toward Press to handle that this spring.”

According to Pederson, Taylor was in charge of last season’s red-zone package, and that’s where Carson Wentz made his money late in the season.

With Taylor calling the plays inside the 20, the Birds averaged 5.56 points per red zone trip in 2019 — first in the NFL.

Taylor and Wentz have a strong connection and the promotion should only make the Eagles passing game that more dangerous.