Eagles News: Jonathan Gannon finally talks about Philadelphia’s defensive failures in the Super Bowl

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Jonathan Gannon on Philly’s Defensive Breakdown, and More from My Super Bowl Notebook - FMIA
The defensive coordinator in the game, Jonathan Gannon, fell on the sword Sunday when I spoke to him about the plays. Gannon, who got the Cardinals’ head-coaching job Tuesday, told me: “Our players were prepped. I did not do a good enough job myself to put them in a position to make the play. I didn’t do a good enough job to get out of the call what I wanted out of the call. I didn’t give them the tools that they needed to win the down. “On the second one, I thought [Mahomes] was gonna play that as a drop back and that [coverage] was a zero [blitz]. Jesus Christ wouldn’t have covered that in a zero.” On the Toney TD, the Eagles actually had three cover players on the two receivers to the right, Travis Kelce inside and Toney outside. Once Toney reversed his Jet Motion, Darius Slay or Avonte Maddox had to cut outside to cover him, and they were both way late. Slay, on replay, appeared lackadaisical getting back, as though he expected help that never came. Clearly, Gannon thought putting three defenders on Kelce and Toney should have worked. It didn’t. I say it’s because of the element of surprise. On the Moore TD, Gannon clearly thought he made the wrong call in zero-blitzing Mahomes. The Eagles very rarely rush seven and leave four back in coverage. This is how rare the call to rush seven was: this was Philadelphia’s 1,211th defensive snap of the year, and it was only the eighth time Gannon called for seven men to rush, per Next Gen Stats. Gannon was rueful about it a week later. Covering a wide field with four defenders against the great Mahomes is a tough chore, particularly on a slippery field when the speed and quickness of ace rusher Haason Reddick is neutralized.

Eagles linebackers coach joins Jonathan Gannon’s staff - BGN
Rallis oversaw an Eagles linebacker corps that was closer to a strength than it was a total liability in 2022. That’s a big upgrade from previous years when it’s been a real position of weakness for Philly. T.J. Edwards had a career year and was actually named to Pro Football Focus’s All-Pro team. Kyzir White only allowed a 74.4 passer rating in coverage in addition to having the lowest missed tackle percentage of his career. Both players are set to be free agents when the new league year begins with Nakobe Dean waiting in the wings to take over one starting spot.

Arizona Cardinals hire Nick Rallis as defensive coordinator - Revenge Of The Birds
He was looked at as a rising star in the coaching ranks and this is a huge get for the Arizona Cardinals to get Rallis over a couple other organizations. For Rallis, he will get a chance to cut his teeth as a defensive coordinator in the desert and help get two young linebackers in Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons. What Rallis did for T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White and the rest of the Eagles linebackers was impressive. Now he gets that opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals on an even larger scale.

Jalen Hurts’ top plays from the 2022 season - PE.com
Here are over 15 minutes of the MVP finalist’s best plays, including ones from his historic Super Bowl performance.

Brandon Graham sought out Andy Reid to congratulate him after Super Bowl LVII - PFT
“Gotta show respect. I had to come get you,” Graham told Reid. “I love you,” Reid said. “I love you too,” Graham said. “I had to come give you some love. You deserve that right there. You deserve that, coach.” The Eagles chose Graham with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, and Reid coached him for three seasons in Philadelphia before he was fired by the Eagles and became coach of the Chiefs. Graham’s first NFL coach clearly meant a lot to him.

Colts hiring Eagles’ Shane Steichen ‘doesn’t make much sense’ - NJ.com
Steichen, 37, did a great job developing Jalen Hurts, but (owner Jim) Irsay’s coaching moves don’t make much sense. Previous coach Frank Reich did a solid job under terrible circumstances at quarterback, and certainly wasn’t the reason for the team’s struggles. But he got fired anyway, and now the Colts ultimately hire another offensive-minded coach, but one with far less experience. Vaya con Dios ...

Bucky Brooks’ top five 2023 NFL Draft prospects by position 1.0: Stroud, Young, Hooker top QB rankings - NFL.com
The 2023 DT pool offers some high-end prospects with blue-chip potential. Carter is an extra-large freak athlete with a disruptive presence. The Georgia standout flashes a rare combination of explosive first-step quickness and heavy hands, allowing him to wreck games as a run stopper/pocket pusher. Bresee is a versatile interior defender with the capacity to play nose tackle or three-technique in a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. The former No. 1 overall recruit is an active player at the line of scrimmage with quick hands and dynamic finishing skills. Smith is an elite athlete with intriguing tools as an interior defender. He flashes disruptive potential, but needs some skill refinement to become a more consistent player at the next level.

Cowboys free agency 2023: JuJu Smith-Schuster should be a free agent consideration for Dallas - Blogging The Boys
Smith-Schuster makes a lot of sense in Dallas. Spotrac.com has his free agency market value at $14.6 million in average annual salary. This would make him the 28th highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. This is doable for the Cowboys front office. Smith-Schuster also makes sense for the Cowboys because he could continue thriving as the second option. His best seasons in the NFL have came when he does not hold the responsibility of being the main option on the field. He could benefit nicely from the attention of the defense being put on WR CeeDee Lamb and the running game in Dallas. If the Cowboys want to improve their wide receiver room in a realistic way, Smith-Schuster makes a lot of sense for the team.

Giants QB Daniel Jones to switch agents as new contract looms - ESPN
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is in the process of making an agent change with a new contract and free agency on the horizon, multiple sources told ESPN on Sunday. Jones has been represented by CAA since being the sixth overall draft pick out of Duke in 2019. The expectation, according to the sources, is that he will join Athletes First in search of a long-term deal. Jones, 25, did not have the fifth-year option in his rookie contract exercised last year by the Giants’ new administration. But he had his most efficient season in a prove-it year and general manager Joe Schoen made it abundantly clear following the season that the Giants wanted to bring back their starter.

Ed’s mock draft, 4.0: A different simulator, and a different scenario - Big Blue View
Round 1 (No. 25) — Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson. Well, I wanted a different scenario and I was certainly presented with one here. The highest-ranked wide receiver was Tank Dell of Houston, and I am not selecting a 163-pound receiver in Round 1. It would be easy to select Torrence, but again I have done that before, will likely do it again, and I’m creating to create different outcomes for discussions. I am tempted by the tight ends here, but let’s add a high-upside player to give Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams some help. One of my core beliefs is when in doubt draft a lineman. That’s what I do here, grabbing the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Bresee. The Giants do ned to improve on BOTH lines.

KS4GM’s Still Too Early Second 2023 Commanders Mock Draft - Hogs Haven
As per usual, I was looking to trade back if the right opportunity arose. Chicago offered picks #53, #64, and their 2024 first round pick for #16. According to the Rich Hill chart, that’s 305 points being offered up by Washington in exchange for 310 points from the Bears (106 + 80 + ~124 (for a year delayed mid-first round pick). I took it, with the expectation that the Bears will probably be worse than average again in 2023, and that, if Sam Howell doesn’t work out, we’ll need significant draft capital next year. The Bears took Broderick Jones (OT) at number 16, for those curious.

Ben DiNucci scrambles, throws shovel to Josh Gordon for Week 1 touchdown - DraftKings Nation
The Seattle Sea Dragons came into the 2023 XFL season with some high expectations due to some big playmakers on offense. In the first quarter of their season-opener, they’re meeting expectations. Quarterback Ben DiNucci drove them down the field and found Josh Gordon with a pretty little shovel pass to give Seattle a 6-0 lead over the DC Defenders.

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