Eagles news: The Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday in a somewhat surprising move. Reich is now the first coach in NFL history to be terminated in back-to-back seasons. The Panthers (1-10) thanked Reich for his “dedication and service” while wishing him well. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as interim coach in Carolina.
Immediately rumors started flying about the Philadelphia Eagles bringing in Reich as a special consultant or senior offensive adviser. Remember, Sirianni was on Reich’s coaching staff in Indianapolis where he served as offensive coordinator for three seasons. The two have a deep bond and friendship, with Sirianni often referring to Reich as a trusted mentor.
“Every time Frank Reich sends me a message and it’s audio voice, I’m like this guy is unbelievable,” Sirianni told reporters in 2021. “He still takes the time to mentor me and to be a guy that I still look up to. And I have those around the league, and I have those outside of the league.”
Eagles OC Brian Johnson under the microscope
It certainly is a situation to monitor as questions abound about offensive coordinator Brian Johnson’s job security as the lead play-caller in Philadelphia.
So long as the Eagles continue to win, it’ll be rare for questions to be asked. However, anyone who has watched more than 3 offensive drives this season will understand just how frustrating the offense has been at times. The play-calls have often handicapped a unit that should be the most dominant in the entire league when it comes to star-power.
The lack of any kind of identity early on and down in the red-zone have been a couple of the few weaknesses haunting this team, and it would be easy to see why Nick Sirianni would want to bring in a coach who he not only respects, but was once an influential member of a Super Bowl-winning Eagles team himself.
Frank Reich was an integral cog in the creation of ‘The Philly Special’ and coordinated an offense that went on that miraculous Super Bowl run back in 2017. He spent two years in Philly before taking a job as the Head Coach of the Colts, where he of course overlapped with Nick Siriannni.
The Eagles have a history of bringing in experienced coordinators to help areas of weakness (see: Vic Fangio in 2022)
‘It’s very early with everything that’s going on.” Nick Sirianni said when asked about the prospect of bringing Frank Reich back to Philadelphia. “I haven’t thought about it quite yet. What goes into that is familiarity with the person, the relationship with the coach. I’m not there yet, we’re just focusing on San Francisco.”
It will be interesting to see if the Eagles do lobby for Frank Reich. On one hand, he’s been fired two years in a row, but on the other, it’s very clear that Brian Johnson needs some help when it comes to play-calling at the very least, and both the Eagles and Nick Sirianni are more than familiar with his abilities.
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