The Linc – Brian Johnson expected to be among top NFL HC candidates

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/28/23.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Who could Panthers target as next head coach? Jim Harbaugh, Belichick and more candidates – The Athletic
Brian Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator. When Steve Wilks was up for the Panthers’ job last winter, he hoped to bring Johnson in as his offensive coordinator. Instead, the Eagles promoted Johnson from quarterbacks coach to coordinator to replace Shane Steichen, and Tepper chose Reich over Wilks. In Johnson’s first season as the play caller, the Eagles are third in the league in scoring and ninth in total offense, and Jalen Hurts is one of the MVP favorites.

Ben Johnson, Mike Macdonald and Jerod Mayo among young NFL coaches to watch – NFL.com
Eagles OC Brian Johnson, 36: A prolific college quarterback at Utah and cover model for the NCAA Football 10 video game, Johnson got his start in coaching at his alma mater and became the youngest FBS offensive coordinator at age 24. He has mentored the likes of Dak Prescott, Kyle Trask and now Jalen Hurts — whose dad, Averion, coincidentally coached Johnson — and is now in his first season as an NFL OC. Three other teams also pursued him for coordinator jobs this past offseason before he opted to stay in Philadelphia.

What to make of the Eagles electric, confounding, frustrating and clutch offense – BGN
The question, of course, is why the offense and Hurts can’t play like this for an entire four quarters. That is the confounding and frustrating part of the Eagles’ offensive experience here in 2023. They have been adept at making the necessary adjustments at halftime, and Hurts, A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, D’Andre Swift and the offensive line have picked up their game when their backs are against the wall. That’s a huge thing, and because of their success in 2022, none of these comeback wins feels like luck. In fact, it feels like the cream rising to the top. You just wish it didn’t settle to the bottom in the first place. At the end of the day, new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson’s offensive production isn’t far off from where they were last year, and are very much among the top offenses in the NFL.

Why the Eagles are the best team in the NFL – BGN Radio
The SB Nation NFL Show’s Monday Football Monday crew explains how the Eagles beat the Bills on Sunday, and why it shows there’s the cream of the NFL crop.

Patience Pays Off – Iggles Blitz
There was a time this year when the Eagles were 27th in the league in red zone offense. People got out their pitchforks and went after Brian Johnson. To a certain extent, it made sense. He’s new to calling plays in the NFL. He must have been the problem. When you watched the tape, poor execution was as much a problem as play design or play-calling. The Eagles made red zone offense a point of emphasis since mid-October and the results are impressive. The Eagles are now 5th in the NFL in red zone offense. How’s that for improvement? People wondered if Sirianni should start calling plays. They sure thought something needed to change. Johnson and the players figured some things out and the Eagles are now once again scoring TDs. That’s been critical to them beating good teams. If you kick FGs against Dallas, KC or Buffalo, you’re not likely to win. Sirianni showed patience with his young offensive coordinator and that worked out.

NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 13 edition – PhillyVoice
If they beat the Eagles on Sunday, the Niners’ organization as a whole and certainly the fan base will be convinced that they would have won last January in Philly, as opposed to, you know, the truth, which is that they took an ass-whooping in the trenches on both sides of the ball. This matchup was very clearly THE game that the Niners metaphorically circled when the schedules came out in May, and because they played on Thanksgiving, they’ll have extra rest for it. The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off of two grimy slugfests against the AFC’s elite. As such, the Niners are 2-point favorites! You don’t often see 10-1 home underdogs, but that’s where we are. Of course, after all the endless talk that has come out of San Francisco over the past 10 months, this team is under enormous pressure to win on Sunday. Anything less will be an embarrassment. It’ll be interesting to see if the pressure that the Niners have put on themselves — wittingly or not — will affect them positively or negatively.

The Eagles Are Capable of Destroying the Super Bowl Hangover Myth – SI
Instead, save for the strangest of losses to the Jets, the Eagles have only gotten better. Not statistically, necessarily (the 2022 Eagles through 12 weeks had a better EPA per play rating offensively, and only their rush defense has improved on a down-by-down basis from last year), but in the sense that almost all of these moments that have challenged the Eagles, that have metaphorically asked them whether the idea of losing a Super Bowl still lingers, the team has shed skin and emerged with some new strength. Against Buffalo this week, it meant getting the absolute hardest slug to the gut the Bills had left. The Bills fully abandoned the strategic caution surrounding Josh Allen and set their quarterback loose like a brakeless semi truck (except for a decision many of us second-guessed in live time when they kneeled out the final 20 seconds before overtime). Allen was running with reckless abandon again, which has been the double-edged sword by which Buffalo had seen so much success in recent years (and, ultimately failure once Allen would inevitably get injured, which increased the pressure on former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to manufacture some type of non-QB run game that would produce the same effect). Against the Chiefs a week ago, the Eagles’ offense was as limited as we’ve seen during the Nick Sirianni era. Hurts was constrained to a middling quick game to try to force some missed tackles, to will some first downs out of nothingness. When the Eagles got to within three in the third quarter against Kansas City, the broadcast team mused that it felt nothing like a three-point game; that the Chiefs had been so dominant. They couldn’t feel it. Not like the rest of us. Not like Elliott. Hurts. Sirianni. They didn’t yet understand this gravitational force that has now been cemented.

Playing in A.J. Brown’s shadow, DeVonta Smith quietly on a tear – NBCSP
This is a story about an Eagles wide receiver who’s on a tear right now. And his name isn’t A.J. Brown. Once Brown had those six straight games with at least 125 yards, you knew defenses were going to start devoting even more attention to him. And then it was going to be up to someone else to pick up the slack and make a ton of big plays. That person is DeVonta Smith. With seven catches for 106 yards Sunday in the Eagles’ overtime win over the Bills, Smith now has 23 catches for 355 yards in his last four games. He averaged 4 ½ catches and 55 yards through seven games and is at 6-for-89 the last four. That’s 7-for-99 at Washington with a 38-yard TD, 3-for-51 vs. Dallas with a 29-yard TD, 6-for-99 vs. the Chiefs and 7-for-106 vs. the Bills with a 15-yard TD. Smith doesn’t have that flashy interview personality that draws the TV cameras to Brown, but he’s quietly having another big season with 55 catches for 738 yards and five touchdowns. That puts him on pace for 85 catches, 1,140 yards and eight touchdowns. Because of Brown, it’s easy to overlook just how good Smith has been.

Bills players confront Eagles fans in stands after (alleged) threats to families – SB Nation
Sunday afternoon’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills was perhaps the most thrilling of the afternoon slate, as the game advanced to overtime following a 59-yard game-tying field goal from Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. The home team then won in overtime, on a walk-off touchdown run from Jalen Hurts. In the wake of that game, some emotions spilled over on the Bills’ sideline between some Buffalo players, and a fan. Video surfaced Sunday night of defensive tackle Jordan Phillips walking towards the stands, and getting face-to-face with a fan. Shaq Lawson, Ed Oliver, and Greg Rousseau can then be seen joining Phillips.

Haason Reddick: 49ers talk is cheap, they have a chance to come prove it this week – PFT
Many 49ers players felt that the injuries were the only reason why they didn’t come out on top and shared that opinion over the course of the offseason. The two teams will meet again at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13 and Reddick said that it is time for the 49ers to put up or shut up. “You know, as this season’s been going on, not much,” Reddick said, via Dave Uram of KYW Newsradio. “Talk is cheap. You know, they get to come back in The Linc. It was a lot of boo hoos last year, a lot of crying, a lot of what if, a lot of this, a lot of that. They get a chance to come back in here, line that shit up, and prove it again.”

Spadaro: Sunday’s dramatic win was not possible without these unsung heroes – PE.com
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR. Third-and-15 from the Buffalo 29-yard line and the Eagles needed something good to happen, trailing 24-21. Hurts took the snap and circled back to his left, turned his shoulders up the field, and strong-armed a throw into the back of the end zone for Zaccheaus, who had done what receivers are taught to do in a Scramble Drill situation – keep moving and find space. Zaccheaus went up high and made the catch and the Eagles had a lead on the spectacular touchdown catch. There aren’t a lot of targets for Zaccheaus in this star-studded passing offense, but he’s great doing the dirty work at receiver and when he has a chance to make a play, he’s there: Zaccheaus has 7 receptions for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season.

49ers open up as 1.5-point road favorites over the Eagles in Week 13 – Niners Nation
Brock Purdy doesn’t have anywhere near the arm strength that Josh Allen does, but he’s aggressive and pushes the ball down the field to his star players. It’s also worth noting that the Bills, a team who cannot run the ball, ran for 173 yards. Purdy will have his chances to run the ball, too. The 49ers are 1.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total on the game set at 46. It feels like oddsmakers are begging for people to bet on the Eagles. But this is the same Philly team that expended a ton of energy to get to overtime and win in a rainy environment where they had no business winning. If the 49ers simply take care of the ball, they should come away victorious.

Week 12 Quick Reads: Remaining Schedules – FTN Fantasy
QB12) Jalen Hurts. Hurts had -87 passing DYAR in the first half of this game, then 120 passing DYAR in the second half and 19 passing DYAR in overtime.

Resilient Eagles, Resurgent Broncos, Crumbling Patriots QBs Define NFL’s Thanksgiving Weekend – The Messenger
The Eagles never blow anyone out, Their pass defense is porous in the middle of the field. They commit too many turnovers. They lack a third option in their passing game. Why, it’s a wonder they aren’t 1–10! Blah blah blah blah blah. Jalen Hurts is on the MVP shortlist, and those close, “unimpressive” losses are now coming against the NFL’s best teams.

Penalty Recap: Bills at Eagles has me invoking the name “Hugo Cruz” – Buffalo Rumblings
There are very few things that would get me to question a person’s fandom but if there’s one fast track to that, it’d be saying you’re not upset after a loss. If you’re not emotionally invested, I do think it’s hard to call yourself a “fan.” So yes. I’m upset about the loss. I’m overall happy with the performance of the Buffalo Bills as they took an incredible Philadelphia Eagles team to the limit. But I’m upset about the loss. Of all my weekly features, the penalty recap is usually the one where I can set aside the results of the game and mentally have a bit of distance. As a result, this segment is usually fun for me even in a loss — and you may even think of it as a coping mechanism of sorts. This week wasn’t fun. I’ll only dabble in my formula. I don’t see any sense in GIFs. This will be more rant and negativity than anything else.

NFC East update: Eagles’ streak making Cowboys’ chances bleak – Blogging The Boys
How slim are the Cowboys’ chances in the NFC East at this point? Obviously, with six games left in the season, anything is possible. But with the Eagles’ last four games being against the Seahawks, Cardinals, and Giants (two games), they have to drop their next two against San Francisco and Dallas to even open the door. Even if Philly and Dallas are tied up after Week 14, the Cowboys’ last four games are far less generous. They have a two-game road trip to Buffalo and Miami before hosting the Lions. The odds are far less in their favor for late-season wins, which could render even the best outcomes over the next two weeks moot. As we’ve discussed before, Dallas winding up as the fifth seed in the NFC is far from tragic. If they can’t get a first-round bye as the NFC’s top seed, facing the NFC South winner is arguably the next-best option. That said, it’ll still hurt to see the Eagles go back-to-back as NFC East Champions. It will mean Philadelphia accomplished something that nobody has done in almost two decades, when the 2004 Eagles were the last NFC East team to win consecutive division titles.

Daniel Jones will be Giants’ starting QB in 2024 when healthy — GM Joe Schoen – Big Blue View
Whenever he returns from his torn ACL, Daniel Jones will be the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. That was the word from GM Joe Schoen during his by week press conference on Monday. “The expectation is when Daniel’s healthy he will be our starting quarterback,” Schoen said. “We don’t have a crystal ball in terms of how the rehab is going to go, and different patients respond differently to these surgeries. Whether there is going to be swelling in the knee or any setbacks. Nobody has a crystall ball on this, but that’s the expectation moving forward. Jones suffered a non-contact torn ACL Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders. He had surgery last week. Jones has said that he expects the rehab to take 8 to 10 months. The early side of that would have Jones on the field in training camp. The longer end would mean Jones would miss regular season games.

Grading The Game – Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys – Hogs Haven
Sam Howell is a warrior, but he can’t do it alone and he can’t overcome continuous poor play-calling from the sideline.

Texans claim Eagles DE Derek Barnett, cut kicker Matt Ammendola – Battle Red Blog
Barnett, 27, has played in just nine games since the start of the 2022 season after tearing his ACL in Week 1 of last year. He played in the season opener last year and appeared in eight games for the Philadelphia Eagles this season. He last played in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders before being cut earlier this week.

Josh McCown and Duce Staley have been let go – Cat Scratch Reader
The Carolina Panthers have fired quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running backs coach Duce Staley. The team website is framing these moves as interim head coach Chris Tabor “adjusting his coaching staff.” The play of both the quarterback and the running backs this season left much to be desired, but if that was a metric for firing then the Panthers would have fired everybody except for the social media department. [BLG Note: Frank Reich not the only former member of the Eagles fired in Carolina.]

Monday Football Monday #161: Week 12 NFL Recap – The SB Nation NFL Show
RJ Ochoa, Mark Schofield and JP Acosta recap the Week 12 NFL action from Sunday.

…

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen

BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta

BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton

BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio

BGN Cameo: Request a video message