The Linc – Jason Kelce “still wants to be involved in the organization” regardless of retirement decision

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/29/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles center Jason Kelce: ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen for me’ next season – Inquirer
“As a Philadelphia Eagle, incredibly disappointing season, especially at the end of it,” Jason told The Inquirer. “And I really, really look forward to next year. I look forward to trying to prove people wrong, especially with some of the recent hires and Nick Sirianni. And there’s a lot of things up in the air for the Philadelphia Eagles. But I think that, as a player, you always look forward to go into battle with your guys. […] “You watch this and the emotion is so high,” Kelce said. “It feels so great being here on this field right now for your teammates and for the guys that are going to get an opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl. These are emotions. And these are situations that you don’t get unless you continue to go. And I don’t know what’s going to happen for me. But I do know, I still want to be involved in the organization and still want to be a part of it, regardless of what the decision is. Because I don’t want to ever feel like I’m on the outside looking in on these achievements and these accolades and these opportunities that largely represent entire cities and fan bases and organizations. It’s too good a feeling to pass up.”

Conference Championships: Brock Purdy delivers again to meet Mahomes in Super Bowl – FMIA
On Nick Sirianni. The instant-coffee type of changeover of coordinators is simply not a good sign for the staying power of Sirianni. Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore, good coaches, are the sixth and seventh coordinators (in title or reality) under Sirianni in the last 12 months. Dating back 50 weeks, these have been the most important coaches on Sirianni’s staff: Offensive coordinators: Shane Steichen, Brian Johnson, Moore. Defensive coordinators/play-callers: Jonathan Gannon, Sean Desai, Matt Patricia, Fangio. Steichen and Gannon got head-coaching jobs, so they’re certainly not evidence of poor choices. But the Eagles crashed by any metric on defense this year, and Desai and Patricia were powerless to stop a landslide of 30.6 points allowed per game after Dec. 1. Johnson and Sirianni oversaw the late-season cratering of Jalen Hurts’ game to finishing 18th in passing yards per game and 22nd in passer rating, a stunning decline for a quarterback who was every bit Patrick Mahomes’ peer in the Super Bowl last season. The most important task for Sirianni and Moore will be getting Hurts back to all-in. His laconic play, his aloof attitude and his tepid support of Sirianni in his post-playoff-loss press conference must be addressed by the coach. Hurts just didn’t look like the same player in the 1-6 finish. On the bench, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. It’s all concerning, particularly after the Eagles trusted him enough to make him the highest-paid player, by a lot, in franchise history. So, there’s a lot to do. Sirianni’s a good coach—I have no doubt about that. But the Eagles’ brass has allowed him now to bring on new coordinators in two consecutive years. I doubt Sirianni will have a third chance to wipe the slate clean.

NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-28 – BGN
Philadelphia Eagles: Nate Wiggins, Cornerback, Clemson- The steps back taken by James Bradberry and, to a lesser extent, Darius Slay in 2023 really hurt the Eagles defense. It’s clear they will need to get a lot younger on the back end this offseason. While Kelee Ringo should be considered to take over at one of the outside cornerback spots, more help should be considered. Nate Wiggins is a big, physical cornerback who has very good instincts in coverage. He is the exact type that tends to thrive in Vic Fangio’s defense.

15 potential Eagles draft targets we’ll be watching at Senior Bowl practices: Offense edition – PhillyVoice
Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma: Guyton began his career at TCU as a defensive lineman before moving to TE and eventually finding a home at OT. In 2022, Guyton transferred to Oklahoma where he started five games (1 at LT, 4 at RT). Dude can move for a 6’7, 327-pound behemoth, and he has a little nasty streak in his game, too. Guyton is a little raw, which is fine for the Eagles’ sake since he would have time to develop behind Lane Johnson. He is a logical first-round target for Howie Roseman.

OC/DC – Iggles Blitz
I like the Moore hire for a few reasons. Most importantly, I like the fit. Moore has experience running an offense. He’s done it enough that he knows what he’s doing, but Moore is also young enough that he’s got fresh ideas and isn’t going to be married to something he’s done for years and years. He’s worked for offensive head coaches and produced good results. Moore knows how to get the best out of good players. The Eagles won’t be asking him to do anything new. He’s had big success in similar situations in the past. I’ve always been impressed with Moore as a play-caller. The Dallas offense was creative and aggressive with him running the show. They were Top 6 in scoring in 3 of his 4 years. His offenses score points.

Report: Cowboys have interest in Ron Rivera as defensive coordinator if Dan Quinn leaves – Blogging The Boys
Washington’s defense was fairly okay two years ago, but for the most part it has been a bit of a tough scene under Rivera which is not a great look for him given that defense is his specialty. To be fair to Rivera, the Commanders sort of punted the 2023 season at the trade deadline as they dealt away Montez Sweat and Chase Young. But still the Washington group has been one that Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy have exposed a lot over the last four years, it is hard to imagine how Cowboys could have seen it up close and personal so often and wanted it as a part of their organization. Perhaps the Cowboys want Rivera’s leadership qualities in charge of their defense, one of the few things he seems to be exemplary at. Rivera built a strong culture with the Carolina Panthers and did what he could (it was a daunting job) to navigate the Washington franchise through a number of situations. Rivera actually interviewed for the Cowboys head coaching job many moons ago. He interviewed back in 2007 when the job ultimately went to Wade Phillips. Perhaps he will finally join the team in the here and now.

Things I think: Bill Belichick chatter, Saquon Barkley, more – Big Blue View
I certainly don’t feel like Belichick should be hired just because of his name. And I’m thrilled for Morris, who gets a second opportunity most in the game believe he richly deserves. I am just surprised. Most likely, the Falcons were hesitant to give Belichick the control he wanted, and had with the New England Patriots. On that front, I can’t blame them. Former Eagles president Joe Banner predicts Belichick is done coaching. If he doesn’t get a job I guess we will spend the next year talking about whether Belichick could replace Brian Daboll in 2025 if the 2024 season goes sideways for the Giants. That’ll be fun. In fact, that chatter has already started. Consider what former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said on Friday.

The Dallas Cowboys could be interested in Ron Rivera if Dan Quinn gets a head coaching job – Hogs Haven
The latest report of possible interest comes from another NFC East team. Ian Rapoport says that the Dallas Cowboys could have interest in interviewing Rivera if their current DC Dan Quinn gets one of the two remaining head coaching jobs. The Washington Commanders have a second, in-person interview scheduled with Quinn on Tuesday, and he’s also interviewing with the Seattle Seahawks for their HC job. Washington also has several other candidates scheduled for in-person interviews early next week. Ron Rivera hasn’t been a defensive coordinator, before the final 5 games of the ‘23 season, since 2010 with the San Diego Chargers.

Instant Super Bowl predictions for Chiefs vs. 49ers winner – SB Nation
Chiefs 27, 49ers 24. These two organizations met a few years ago in Super Bowl LIV, but there have certainly been some changes and upgrades since then. For example, the 49ers now look to Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey on the offensive side of the ball. However, the Chiefs have made a pretty big upgrade as well, on the defensive side of the ball. That unit will prove huge on Super Bowl Sunday. — Mark Schofield

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