The Linc - Shane Steichen generating buzz as the NFL’s top HC candidate

Sep 30, 2022 - 2:46 PM

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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

The NFL’s Top Head Coaching Candidates for 2023 - SI
Shane Steichen, Offensive Coordinator, EaglesWell, the first one is in order. Steichen is our top candidate for the 2023 season. In the pressing search for the next great offensive-minded head coach, Steichen seems to have slipped between the cracks despite a strong track record. He was instrumental in preparing Justin Herbert for his surprise rookie season (Herbert was thrust into a starting role with almost no preparation) and has been equally important in the development of Jalen Hurts—the Eagles’ offense is behind only Miami, Kansas City and Baltimore in terms of efficiency. It’s not hard to see their multifaceted approach, which helps Hurts and the Eagles transcend the idea of a “system,” being copied around the league. Steichen is a mastermind at creating mismatches and had a roster trending in the right direction with a rookie receiver as the primary passing threat in ’21 before Philadelphia upgraded their talent set.

Eagles September review: Really good with room to improve - BGN
The Eagles had the ball at their own 22 with 1:51 to go in the first half and scored a FG against the Lions, their own 14 with 0:43 to go in the first half and scored a FG against the Vikings, and their own 15 with 1:28 to go in the half and scored a TD against the Commanders. In every case they had the lead to start the drive. There are plenty of coaches who would be content to run out the clock, especially with 86 yards and 43 seconds to go, and they wouldn’t be total cowards for it. Credit the players for executing, credit Shane Steichen for calling the right plays, credit Dan Campbell and Kevin O’Connell for gifting the Eagles a time out, but start and end that credit with Nick Sirianni for putting his foot on the gas when given a chance. He’s got 13 points out of it. That’s the difference right now of having the 5th highest scoring offense and the 10th.

Jalen Hurts’ early MVP outlook + Looking ahead to the Week 4 matchup against Doug Pederson’s Jaguars - BGN Radio
The Eagles are 3-0! Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski break down the Birds’ win over Carson Wentz and the Commanders. The guys discuss Jalen Hurts’ early MVP outlook, an inspired Philly pass rush, and more. BLG and Jimmy also preview the Birds’ Week 4 matchup against Doug Pederson’s Jaguars before wrapping up with their weekly predictions/NFL picks against the spread. Interact with us on Twitter: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen.

5 Questions with Bleeding Green Nation: Can the Jaguars stop Jalen Hurts and the Eagles? - Big Cat Country
Are the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) for real? That is the question that fans and pundits alike are pondering through three weeks of play in the 2022 season. On Sunday, the team will face perhaps its biggest test thus far, as the Jaguars travel to Philadelphia to take on the 3-0 Eagles at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. In an effort to learn more about the 2022 version of Philadelphia, I reached out to my go-to guy when it comes to all things Eagles: Brandon Lee Gowton, manager and editor-in-chief of SB Nation’s great website, Bleeding Green Nation. How can the Jaguars slow down Jalen Hurts and the offense? Will Doug Pederson be greeted warmly by Eagles fans? Brandon gives his thoughts on these questions and more.

Mailbag: What might a new contract extension look like for Eagles QB Jalen Hurts? - PhillyVoice
The better comp for Hurts is probably Kyler Murray, who scored a five-year extension worth $230,500,000 ($46.1 million per year), beating Watson’s total amount by $500K, but is “only” fully guaranteed for $103,300,000. The guess here is that the Eagles have to beat that contract, at a minimum, if Hurts continues to play anywhere near the level he has played over the first three games of the season. As for whether the Eagles can actually do a deal like that or not, yes, contracts can be structured in ways that the cap hit in the initial season is extraordinarily low relative to the other years on the deal. That’s not an issue. The issue is that in 2024 and beyond, Hurts’ contract becomes a very large “rock in the jar,” making it more difficult to add premium pieces around him. Update: Also, just to note, under league rules, Hurts cannot receive a long-term extension until after his third season in the NFL (this season) is complete.

Jumpin’ Jalen - Iggles Blitz
The mystery now is how good he can be. We’ve only seen three games this year. This great start doesn’t mean Hurts is now better than Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. We need to see Hurts deal with some adversity. The more game tape teams get, the more likely they are to pick up on potential weaknesses. Hurts will have to deal with injuries to key teammates. How will he do if Andre Dillard is his LT or Jack Stoll is the starting TE? The Eagles biggest deficit this year is 7-0. How will he do when they’re down 21-0? We also need to see how Hurts plays when facing a top team and/or a top defense. The best QBs win big games. They show up in critical situations and take care of business. That’s how they become stars. This is going to be an interesting season as we learn about Hurts and just how good he can be. He’s already off to a better start than any of us would have expected. It will be fun to see how long he can keep this up. The scary thing for Eagles opponents is that Hurts still has plenty of room to grow. The best is yet to come.

Week 4 NFL game picks: Bills bounce back in Baltimore; Eagles edge out Jaguars to remain perfect - NFL.com
The top four teams in DVOA play each other this week. Bills-Ravens makes sense in this context. Jags-Eagles is a surprise. Jacksonville’s defense is getting superlative play at every level with Josh Allen wrecking shop up front, Devin Lloyd becoming a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and Tyson Campbell evolving into a CB1. Sunday marks a bigger challenge, where the perfectly called and executed defense still sometimes won’t be enough. Philadelphia has more firepower, but Jacksonville should keep it close.

Will Doug Pederson be welcomed by Eagles fan in his return? - ESPN
Pederson spent five seasons as Philadelphia’s head coach beginning in 2016. In his second season, he led the Eagles to a 13-3 record, the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. That was the city’s first NFL championship since 1960 and its second major sports championship since 1983. He was fired three years later following a 4-11-1 season, but that doesn’t discount those accomplishments, and he deserves a warm welcome in his return. That’s the last thing on Pederson’s mind, though. And while he won’t admit Sunday’s game might mean a little extra because of the way it ended, he did say he has a lot of good memories in Philly.

After years of missteps, Eagles finally getting big-time linebacker play - NBCSP
We don’t have to talk about the past because for once the Eagles got it right. T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White are giving the Eagles something they’ve been missing for most of the past couple decades. Exceptional play at linebacker. Edwards, now in his fourth year with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin, and White, who the Eagles signed a couple weeks into free agency, have been in the middle of everything the Eagles have done defensively these first few weeks. Edwards has continued to improve each year and has made himself a versatile, playmaking every-down linebacker. And White has acclimated quickly to a new defense and new scheme and has picked up right where he left off with the Chargers. Best of all, they’re playing extremely well together.

Jalen Hurts emphasizes league honor is about Eagles’ ‘we not me’ mentality - PE.com
It is never about Jalen Hurts. Never. Ever. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September after compiling impressive numbers and dominating statistics, and all he cares about is the team. “It’s an honor, but it’s more of a reflection of all the work we have put in as a team. And the great thing about it is we know we can be better. We know we have more to do to reach our standard on a consistent basis. I’m looking forward to continuing that climb this week.” It’s “we,” not “me.” That is the essence of his message, the essence of what this team believes. That is all you need to know about Hurts, who has a remarkable ability to keep his approach the same every single day. When he is asked questions about his play, he talks about improvement – not what he’s done in the past. A man who carries himself with supreme confidence does so because he knows he has put in the work to prepare for success. Hurts is a player who has known his share of setbacks and not once in his entire life has he ever made an excuse. Instead, he just works harder to leap the next hurdle.

All-32: What Mike Evans Means for Buccaneers - Football Outsiders
Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles—Sunday, 1 p.m. Key Player/Unit: JAX LB Devin Lloyd. Linebacker Devin Lloyd was one of two Jaguars defenders spotlighted in this week’s Film Room piece alongside fellow first-round rookie Travon Walker. Lloyd has been effective in all phases of the game, but his coverage ability is what has made him an early candidate for defensive rookie of the year. In this particular matchup, Lloyd’s ability to patrol the middle of the field is more valuable than ever. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has taken strides as a passer over the middle of the field. He has been a little more willing to attack that area this season after spending his first two seasons in the league avoiding it like the plague. It’s not been enough to definitely say Hurts is comfortable throwing to that area of the field, though. He still can get gun-shy and would much rather throw iso balls on the outside or scramble around to make something happen.

Establish the Fun: The Jaguars defensive resurgence highlights Week 4 things to watch - SB Nation
The Jaguars are the Duval Destroyers on Defense. The amount of excitement that I, a Jaguars fan, have in telling you that the Jaguars are both good and fun is through the roof. Soon I’ll be painting my face teal and becoming the Florida Man, if the Jaguars keep this up. Jacksonville is 2-1, and while the offensive resurgence behind Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence gets most of the attention, it’s the defense that has my attention. Through 3 games, the Jaguars are: 3rd in EPA/play allowed, 4th in total defensive DVOA, 1st in defensive DVOA against the run, 7th in yards allowed per game, 1st in turnover margin. This is an insane defensive turnaround from last year, and it starts up front. Watching the Jaguars 38-10 demolition derby of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jacksonville defensive front dominated the game. What stands out about the Jaguars defensive front is how fast every player on the front is. It’s like they’re all giant velociraptors with jetpacks attached. Watch Roy Robertson-Harris on this play. The Chargers try to run split zone, and Robertson-Harris knocks the guard back into the RB. Combine this with Travon Walker erasing the split block, and you get a minimal gain.

Cowboys vs. Commanders: ‘I would say the jury is still very much out on [Wentz’s] future in Washington’ - Blogging The Boys
I would say the jury is still very much out on Carson’s future in Washington. During Week 1, we got almost the full Carson Wentz experience in four quarters, a duo of touchdowns bookending two near-crippling interceptions. The last eight quarters of play, against the Lions and Eagles, have been more uniformly underwhelming, and Eagles’ fans came out of the woodwork to tell us they told us so. Carson absolutely has the physical tools to be a top-end quarterback in the NFL, as he’s shown in the past, but he seems to make the same sorts of mistakes over and over again, which has frustrated Eagle/Colt/Commander fans for years now. If he can’t learn to do things this year that he hasn’t learned to do in his prior 6 years in the league, my sense is this could be his only year in DC.

Commanders fans unhappy with coaches and players as the team is last in NFCE and confidence crashes - Hogs Haven
But Weeks 2 and 3 were eerily similar to one another, with the Commanders trailing 22-0 at halftime against the Lions in a game that they eventually lost by 9 points. The loss was a full-team affair, with the offense, defense, and special teams playing horrible football for the entire first half before showing up in the 2nd half and making the score a bit more respectable. Last week against the Eagles, the special teams seemed competent, and the defense held the Eagles scoreless in the 1st, 3rd & 4th quarters, but the offense simply looked overmatched. The offensive line, in particular, appeared to have no answers for the Eagle’s defense, while Carson Wentz seemed hesitant and confused on his way to 9 sacks.

Giants-Bears Thursday injury report: Cornerback, wide receiver depth problematic for Giants - Big Blue View
The New York Giants injury report on Thursday looked much like it did on Wednesday, with the Giants have injury/depth issues at cornerback and wide receiver as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. Wide receivers Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) continued to be held out of practice. The Giants currently have only four healthy receivers on the 53-man roster — Richie James, David Sills, Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton. Dan Duggan of The Athletic said that rookie cornerback Cor’Dale Flott is using a walking scooter to get ahead. That would likely indicate that it’s going to be a while before the third-round pick plays again. Media who saw the beginning of Thursday’s practice said that Leonard Williams (sprained MCL) did some running on the side, but did not participate in practice. The good news for the Giants is that cornerback Aaron Robinson, who has missed two games after an appendicitis attack, said Thursday that “I think I’ll be ready to go” for Sunday.

Jameis Winston out for Week 4 vs. Vikings in London - DraftKings Nation
Head coach Dennis Allen considers Winston out for Week 4. [BLG Note: Michael Thomas is also out while Alvin Kamara is questionable to play. Bad news for the Saints is good news for the Eagles.]

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