Ranking The Eagles Head Coach Options
Yesterday Adam Schefter – the most plugged-in man in the NFL – named Ben McAdoo the front runner for the Eagles vacant head coaching position.
Ten hours later, McAdoo was a head coach, albeit, for the New York Football Giants. So the Eagles coaching search soldiers on, with their top two options spurning them for Miami and New York.
With McAdoo and Adam Gase no longer available, there are four candidates who have interviewed with the Eagles: Duce Staley, Pat Shurmur, Doug Pederson and Tom Coughlin. Here is how I rank these remaining options:
1. Tom Coughlin
When the Eagles interest in Coughlin was reported last week, I think every let out a collective groan. Who would want to hire a 69-year-old head coach who has struggled in the past five years and doesn’t seem to have much left in the tank?
But here’s the thing, Coughlin is a Hall-of-Fame coach who has a pair of rings and has compiled a .531 winning percentage in 20 seasons. His players love to play for him and depending on your view of the Eagles talent, he the guy that could rebuild this thing fast. In his first year in New York, the Giants went 6-10, but rebounded with an 11-5 campaign the next season.
If Lurie and Howie Roseman truly believe that all the Eagles need is some reinforcements along the offensive line and the back end of the defense to compliment Sam Bradford, the stable of running backs and a disruptive front seven, Coughlin is the guy. But if an extensive rebuild is on the horizon, there is little use in hiring a guy who will be on the verge of retiring once the team is prepared to contend.
2. Duce Staley
The anti-Coughlin, if you will. Staley was the first guy interviewed, and sadly, it doesn’t seem like his candidacy hasn’t been too legitimate. But according to people around the NFL, he is on the fast track to being a top coaching candidate in a few years, so in a year when their are no candidates that get people excited, why not give him a shot?
Staley knows the game and he has a quality that would make his players run through walls for him. It would take a massive leap of faith for Lurie to give Staley the reigns, but he has higher potential than Peterson or Shurmur. If the Eagles undertake a total rebuild, that could give Staley time to find his feet as a head coach.
Staley also doesn’t strike me as someone who would want to get into the personnel side of things, which would help his chances of coexisting with Roseman.
3. Doug Pederson
Pederson and the Kansas City Chiefs are still in the playoffs, so the Eagles wouldn’t be able to sign the offensive coordinator until after Andy Reid‘s squad is eliminated or Super Bowl champions. Considering Pederson has yet to interview with any other team, he could be a decent back up option, if the Eagles are unable to find any other candidate who they deem more suitable.
Fans don’t want to hear Pederson’s name because he was such a terrible quarterback, but he also hasn’t done much as a coach. He just recently started assisting Reid in play-calling duties and his offense’s numbers aren’t even that good, ranking 27th in the NFL this season.
The only thing Pederson has going for him is the familiarity factor. He’s played and coached here, and he understands how hostile the Philadelphia fans and media can be. That’s good, but it doesn’t count for anything on the scoreboard. At this point, I would rank him as a decent backup, nothing more.
Next: Eagles Could be on Path to Hiring Pat Shurmur
4. Pat Shurmur
As uninspired as Pederson is, Shurmur is even worse. When Lurie fired Chip Kelly in December, he stated that his decision was the result of a three-year evaluation and he didn’t think things were trending in the right direction. So why hire Kelly’s right-hand man?
The Eagles did look pretty good in week 17 under Shurmur against a terrible New York Giants team, but his connection to the Kelly regime may result in not enough changes being made to a dysfunctional team. In fact, the only positive of retaining Shurmur is his rapport with Bradford, who is free to sign with 31 other NFL teams and hasn’t shown any true interest in sticking around in Philadelphia. Plus, Shurmur could be retained as the offensive coordinator if keeping Bradford is a top priority for the Eagles brass.
Either way, Bradford is not some sort of generational talent that is worth bending over backwards to please. I just don’t see what fresh, new ideas Shurmur could bring to the table.