ESPN believes Philadelphia Eagles OC Mike Groh’s on hot seat

Is Philadelphia Eagles second-year offensive coordinator Mike Groh on the hot seat in Philly?

Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles weren’t the same on the offensive side of the ball. During their 2017 run, they destroyed teams for the most part. While they did have a great defense, their offense was just as good, if not, better during some weeks as they dominated opponents.

As we expected the same type of dominance in 2018, many were surprised to find out that the offense was taking a step back. We can blame the fact that the backfield was depleted before the halfway mark of the season kicked in. We could also blame that Nick Foles wasn’t as hot, and Carson Wentz was still rusty from his rehab.

Also, the offensive line was dealing with a fair share of injuries as well. Maybe it wasn’t all about the players though. Perhaps, the coaching staff had a little something to do with it. As we know, Doug Pederson calls the plays on the offense, but his former offensive coordinator was no slouch.

There’s a reason why Frank Reich landed a head coaching job with the Colts after spending two years in Doug Pederson’s shadow. And at one point, many questioned whether Reich was the true mastermind behind the 2017 offense or not. While that was a bit of a stretch, it did become clear that the sudden change of coordinators did have somewhat of an impact on the offense.

A look back at Groh’s first season as OC

Last season, Eagles new offensive coordinator Mike Groh didn’t exactly impress anybody. As the offense clearly took a step back, Groh also failed to help implement change when it was needed. Not to mention, rumors spread that he didn’t see eye-to-eye with quarterback, Carson Wentz at times either, which could be a problem moving forward if that isn’t fully resolved.

After proving he was a solid addition as a wide receiver’s coach, Groh didn’t live up to the hype as a coordinator. Granted, it was just his first season, but with the Eagles being a win-now team, if he can’t help Doug Pederson put together a dominant offense with this set of weapons, Groh could be on the outside looking in at some point in this season.

That’s percisely why ESPN decided it was necessary to note that if there is one person on the Eagles hot seat in 2019 — it is second-year offensive coordinator, Mike Groh.

Groh’s on the hot seat?

"“There were several reasons for the offensive regression, including quarterback Carson Wentz not being himself as he returned from ACL/LCL surgery and dealt with a bad back” “But that doesn’t fully explain why Philly consistently had difficulty scoring early in games. This year, there’s no reason why the offense shouldn’t take flight now that Wentz is healthy and surrounded by playmakers.”"

While ESPN believes the Eagles have an excellent team, ranking them within the top-five on their 2019 power rankings, they do believe that Groh’s job is most certainly on the line. The good news is that if the Eagles do have to get rid of Groh because he fails to meet expectations, the change shouldn’t be too drastic since Pederson does call the shots.

However, nobody wants to see Groh fail. As the Eagles are loaded up on both sides — especially on offense, this team has an opportunity to do some really great things in 2019. It just all has to come together and click at once. This year, Groh has an opportunity to prove he belongs. If he can’t though, the Eagles could be searching for a new OC when 2019 wraps up.