Tag: Sean Desai

Eagles to interview former Commanders HC Ron Rivera for defensive coordinator

Ron Rivera remaining in the NFC East?

Last week, former Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said he wanted to continue coaching. And, after finishing 4-13 in 2023 and 26-40-1 in four seasons as Washington’s head coach, Rivera understood if he wanted to keep coaching, it might not be as a head coach.

He told John Keim of ESPN he would be open to being a defensive coordinator elsewhere.

On Monday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Rivera is interviewing with the Philadelphia Eagles for their vacant defensive coordinator position.

The Eagles fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai after one season. Desai was stripped of his defensive playcalling duties in the season and replaced by former Lions coach Matt Patricia. The Eagles also moved on from Patricia.

Desai replaced Jonathan Gannon, who left last offseason to become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Rivera’s interview with the Eagles is the latest indication that head coach Nick Sirianni will return in 2024.

Rivera took over as Washington’s defensive play-caller in Week 13 after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Later, he would say he enjoyed the role as it was a departure from his first 62 games in Washington, where he wore multiple hats, including total control over team personnel.

Rivera first served as a defensive coordinator with the Bears from 2004-06. In 2008, he took over as defensive coordinator of the Chargers for three seasons before he became head coach of the Panthers in 2011.

Eagles have reached out to Wink Martindale about vacant defensive coordinator job

The Philadelphia Eagles have reached to Wink Martindale about interest in their vacant defensive coordinator position after firing Sean Desai

Philadelphia is looking for a new defensive play-caller after head coach Nick Sirianni fired Sean Desai before he met with owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia had his contract expire, and he’ll explore other league opportunities.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles have already reached out to interview former Giants and Ravens assistant coach Wink Martindale for the vacant defensive coordinator job.

The 60-year-old is a free agent and Martindale has been an NFL assistant since 2004, spending the majority of his time with the Baltimore Ravens.

Philadelphia lacks agression on defense and Martindale would be a departure to the passive approaches of Jonathan Gannon and Sean Desai.

Martindale would be the closest thing to the late-great Jim Johnson in regards to philospy and pressure approach.

Martindale called blitzes on 46% of the Giants’ defensive plays last season — double the percentage the Eagles sent extra rushers in the regular season.

His blitz package is unpredictable, and Philadelphia has proof that it’s effective, with Jalen Hurts having faced the Giants multiple times a year over his first four years in the league.

Eagles have reached out to Ryan Nielsen about vacant defensive coordinator job

The Philadelphia Eagles have reached to Ryan Nielsen about interest in their vacant defensive coordinator position after firing Sean Desai

Philadelphia is looking for a new defensive play-caller after head coach Nick Sirianni fired Sean Desai before he met with owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia had his contract expire, and he’ll explore other league opportunities.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles have already reached out to interview former Falcons and Saints assistant coach Ryan Nielsen for the vacant defensive coordinator job.

Nielsen’s defensive schemes focus on his unit stopping the run out of a light box, and his aggressive approach upfront will gel with what Philadelphia has previously done.

The Falcon’s defense jumped to 24th this season in defense-adjusted value over average, which measures the efficiency with the opponent’s strength factored in after being 31st in 2022.

Atlanta’s pass rush went from 32nd in pressure rate in 2022 to 11th under Nielsen in 2023.

Most importantly, the Falcon’s defense under Nielsen ranked 17th in blitz percentage last season compared to the Eagle’s 24th-ranked unit.

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7 realistic defensive coordinator candidates Eagles can target after firing Sean Desai

We’re looking at seven realistic candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia as Defensive Coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles

A move that has been speculated on for weeks has happened after Ian Rapoport reported that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

The Eagles finished the season with six losses in their last seven games, with those losses by an average of 15 points, and their only win since Week 12 came against the Giants after they nearly blew a 17-point lead.

Desai was stripped of playcalling duties before Week 15, and the move comes after Philadelphia finished their second-half collapse with a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Monday night.

With the move now official, we’re looking at seven realistic candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia.

Eagles fire defensive coordinator Sean Desai

The Philadelphia Eagles have fired defensive coordiantor Sean Desai

According to Ian Rapoport, the Eagles have fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who reports that the embattled defensive coordinator could have options around the league.

Desai was stripped of playcalling duties before Week 15, and the move comes after Philadelphia finished their second-half collapse with a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Monday night.

The Eagles finished the season with six losses in their last seven games, with those losses by an average of 15 points, and their only win since Week 12 came against the Giants after they nearly blew a 17-point lead.

According to Reuben Frank, the 32-9 loss was the 2nd-biggest in franchise history and largest since a 24-loss to the Cowboys in a conference semifinal at Texas Stadium in 1992.

Philadelphia will now take steps to overhaul the unit and hire a defensive coordinator who can pressure the opposing quarterback while preventing big plays on the back end.

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Eagles GM Howie Roseman, HC Nick Sirianni reaching out to coordinator candidates

After finishing their exit meeting, Eagles GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have begun reaching out to potential coordinator candidates

It appears that Nick Sirianni will be safe and keep his job as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles after meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman.

The same can’t be said for his assistants on both sides of the football.

Dianna Russini reports that Roseman and Sirianni have contacted potential coordinator candidates on the offensive and defensive sides.

Sirianni gets much credit for the Eagles’ success over the past three seasons.

Still, after a late-season meltdown that saw the Eagles go 1-6 in their final seven games, including the playoffs, the head coach and his assistant coaches expected were on the hot seat.

Philadelphia’s third-year head coach has far exceeded expectations, but it’s clear that Gannon and Steichen played far more prominent roles than we thought.

We previewed potential offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator candidates, and as the process began, the dominoes started to fall.

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WATCH: Darius Slay compares challenge of Eagles DC switch to being in two marriages

Darius Slay used analogy of marriage to describe the pitfalls of Philadelphia Eagles switch defensive coordinator from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia

In a move that can only be described as shocking, the Eagles demoted Sean Desai a month ago, elevating senior assistant Matt Patricia to the role of defensive coordinator.

The move turned out to be a disaster, as Philadelphia went 1-4 down the stretch and allowed 27.8 points per game, with Patricia calling the defensive plays.

After losing six of their last seven games, Darius Slay gave some insight into the meltdown in only a way that the hilariously funny cornerback can describe.

Slay compared the defensive coordinator switch to having “multiple wives” while meeting with the media on Wednesday.

“Trying to find two identities. It’s tough. It’s like having two marriages. You know how hard two marriages would be? …One might want her feet rubbed, one might want her shoulders rubbed. That’s crazy.”

Patricia’s biggest sin may have been turning All-Pro pass rusher Haason Reddick into a glorified defensive back at the most significant moments.

10 defensive coordinator candidates the Eagles could target if Sean Desai-Matt Patricia depart

With exit interviews set to begin, we’re looking at ten candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia if they depart. 

Nick Sirianni officially has his coaching tree after the Cardinals hired Jonathan Gannon and the Colts hired Shane Steichen in the 2023 coaching carousel.

Sirianni rightfully gets a lot of credit for the Eagles’ success.

Still, after a late-season meltdown that saw the Eagles go 1-6 in their final seven games, including the playoffs, the head coach and his assistant coaches could be on the hot seat.

Philadelphia’s third-year head coach has far exceeded expectations, but it’s clear that Gannon and Steichen played far more prominent roles than we thought.

With exit interviews set to begin, we’re looking at ten candidates who could replace Sean Desai and Matt Patricia if they depart.

11 defensive coordinator candidates Giants could consider

The New York Giants are on the hunt for a new defensive coordinator and these are 11 potential candidates they could consider.

Wink Martindale resigned as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator on Monday after just two seasons with the team. It was a rather unceremonious end that was handled poorly by both sides.

The departure of Martindale now thrusts the Giants into a defensive coordinator search for the second time in three years.

General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are expected to get to work immediately but before they do, here’s a look at 11 potential candidates.

Note: Some of these candidates may currently be employed with other teams and would require termination (or resignation) before joining the Giants.

The Eagles’ defense is a disaster, and they’d better fix it with a quickness

The Eagles’ defense hit rock bottom when it got pushed around by the Arizona Cardinals. Is there any hope for improvement before the postseason starts?

The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles currently rank 27th in Defensive DVOA after finishing third last season, which isn’t good enough for anybody in the building. So, the team made the decision in mid-December to replace first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai as a play-caller  with senior assistant Matt Patricia, whose experience with the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick from 2004 through 2017 held some weight.

Or, the Eagles were just throwing stuff against the wall to see what would stick. At this point, either explanation is equally plausible.

Not that things have gone any better with Patricia at the helm. The Eagles were profoundly embarrassed last Sunday by the Arizona Cardinals in a 35-31 loss that saw their defense allow 221 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per attempt, 130 yards after contact, 14 first downs, and a league-worst (for Week 17) 0.18 EPA per attempt on 40 carries. That this all happened to a team that counts former Philly defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as its head coach put some extra sting on it.

“I do believe,” head coach Nick Sirianni said post-game after the run defense debacle. “I still believe in the guys in that locker room, the players. I still believe in the coaches. I think we’ve got the guys in this place to get turned in the right direction. We don’t have much time, obviously, right. We’ve got one more game before playoffs starts, and we’ve got to do everything we can do to get back on track this upcoming week.

“I think there’s been spurts, obviously, the last couple games where we played good ball on defense. Tonight wasn’t one of those times.”

As Sirianni said, there isn’t much time before the postseason begins, and if this is the state of the Eagles’ defense, they’ll be lucky if they aren’t pushed around from start to finish — and it could be a very early finish.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys got into the reasons for these issues from a formerly great defense.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Now, let’s investigate why Philly’s defense has fallen apart this season.