Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Coach Hunt To Begin (Again)

May 3, 2014; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks offensive coach

walks on to the field at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Who Could Be A Candidate?

So that leaves us with who could take over for the Eagles at quarterback coach?  Well lets ponder a few scenarios:

Scott Frost – The University of Oregon’s offensive coordinator is also responsible for the quarterbacks.  And if we are talking about who could help Chip Kelly in that quarterback position, it would naturally have to toss a thought towards his former college coaching staff.  Frost would be a new infusions of “college blood” into the NFL, and his current run at Oregon is impressive.   Kelly’s departure left a huge void, which Frost has stepped up to fill magnificently.   It could very likely be that Frost is content to remain at the collegiate level.  But, if he has interest in emerging into the NFL, this would certainly be the role to showcase his talents.

He has a clear understanding of what Kelly wants to do, and his focus on the quarterback development to meet that expectation would be priceless.   He’s developed Mariota into one of the leading draft prospects of 2015.

But in the scheme of things, a quarterback coach does not hold much appeal, does it?   Well, considering that the NFL cannibalizes  the coaching staff of successful teams, it would only be a short time until Frost would be offered a job elsewhere in the NFL or be offered a promotion from within the team.

Seth Littrell – The University of North Carolina offensive coordinator seems to be a odd candidate for a quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, but if you consider he was the offensive coordinator of the University of Arizona in 2011 – the offense that ranked third in the nation with 370.8 yards per game.   Considering the Eagles were accused of accommodating Foles with the Musgrave hire, they might as well go full in this year.

Littrell is a passing game offensive coach.   His 2014 North Carolina offense loved the pass, switching from a run first to a passing offense for the first time.   To do that, he called on junior quarterback Marquis Williams to step up from a 58.1% completion rate in 2013 to a 63.1% competion rate and over 3,000 yards in 2014.  He would be a familiar face to Foles, who might benefit from their previous relationship.

Mark Trestman – Hired as the man who would be the “quarterback whisperer” to salvage Jay Cutler‘s career, the move back-fired to the point of Trestman being fired after his lone year as head coach of the Chicago Bears.  He was the man solely attributed to the rebirth of Rich Gannon‘s quarterback career in Oakland in 2001.   Now, the unemployed Trestman could be the perfect solution to fixing what’s wrong with the Eagles quarterbacks’ mechanics (plural).

Trestman will be ushered through a litany of offensive opportunities in the NFL, but he would be wise to show caution now.  He failed in Chicago.  Fail again, and he’s back to the college ranks trying to work his way back.  He needs to prove to his contemporaries why he has the reputation of turning quarterback careers around.

In similar fashion, the Eagles are ripe for a candidate of this type.   They have shown that their team is a springboard to get offensive minded coaches back into an upward swing with the recent track record.  Add to that the fact that working with Chip Kelly on offense automatically means that you will get a phone call from someone trying to buy your inside knowledge for a year.   Considering its a breaking point for team,  head coach, quarterback, and quarterback coach, this would be an exciting hire.

John Defilippo – John Defilippo was the quarterback coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2014.  Deflippo has not had a good run in the NFL, but that oftentimes happens when your tenure covers the offenses of the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets.   The curious link here is the fact that “Flip” worked with Mark Sanchez with the New York Jets before taking an opportunity to coach at San Jose State University, where their offense showed surprising toughness from a team many considered an automatic win on their schedule.

He has a strong knowledge base, and may simply be a candidate who has never had “the one” to showcase what he could teach.   His interviews so far have been strong.  But if he’s still available, he would be an interesting candidate.

The Eagles are heading into a very important season.    To get this one right, they need to fill every position on the coaching staff with talent and team first mentality.   I think the quarterback coach IS important in the NFL, and certainly to Nick Foles.

BREAKING NEWS:

On January 22, Adam Caplin broke the news that the Eagles have found their new quarterback coach.

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https://insidetheiggles.com/?p=55503