Philadelphia Eagles: Ignoring Duce Staley might have huge ramifications

It sounds like much of this Philadelphia Eagles team has made its desires known. While there has to be a ton of coaches with their notifications on (it seems like the Birds intend to interview every assistant in the NFL), the only two guys, right now, who seem like they have a legitimate shot at becoming the 24th head coach in franchise history are New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and a fan favorite who’s survived three coaching regimes, team legend Duce Staley.

Don’t look now, but it appears that much of the team has thrown their support behind Duce. According to a report by Eliot Shorr-Parks on 94 WIP-FM’s official site, there are several Birds, both current and former, that are making their pitch for Staley to take over. If you’ll remember, when the job became available, Malcolm Jenkins was very clear about the fact that he believed Staley had a shot.

There are quite a few strong voices that echo that theory, and as Shorr-Parks also mentioned, longtime Philly sports voice Howard Eskin spoke on the Joe Giglio Show. Here’s some of what Eskin had to say about Duce’s chances.

"I hear it is most likely going to come down to Josh McDaniels or Duce Staley. The reason that I believe that is what I hear is Howie (Roseman) really likes Josh McDaniels…Jeffrey Lurie (isn’t) quite at that point, and the interview with Duce Staley, from what I was told, really went well. Jeffrey Lurie has also received quite a few text messages from players who are in support of Duce Staley. How much that means, I don’t know, but that will obviously have some input. In Duce’s interview, he was very thorough (and) had some good ideas for coaches, especially offensive and defensive coordinators, both from the pros and from college. He has got guys from what I understand he has talked to if he gets the job. He is prepared. From what I understand that has impressed Jeffrey Lurie."

Here are a few more lines from Shorr-Parks from a very well-written story on his end. Pay close attention.

"Multiple players, current and former, have come out publicly and endorsed Staley for the job. There is no doubt Staley has the personality to be a head coach. The question is whether his lack of play-calling experience on either side of the ball will hurt his chances. Also not helping (him) is the fact that Staley doesn’t have experience coaching (the quarterback position), a crucial skill for whoever is named either head coach or offensive coordinator."

Now, players don’t have a ton of say in the hiring process. We all get that, but how can the CEO and chairman, Jeffrey Lurie ignore his team on a subject that directly affects them (or how they will develop), especially after they’ve shown so much favor to Carson Wentz?

Remember, they’ve allowed both a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and a Super-Bowl winning coach to leave this organization partially because they wanted 11 to be both happy and comfortable.

Okay Philadelphia Eagles fans, let’s have a serious discussion about something.

The immediate questions after all of that are obvious. What would Staley’s attitude be if he’s passed over again? He interviewed for the head-coaching position in 2016 and was passed over. He then threw his name in the hat for the OC position in 2018, but that was given to Mike Groh.

If Staley is turned down again, you have to believe that even the most loyal Eagle, which he most certainly is, has to believe he’s spinning his wheels and he’s reached his ceiling. Then, there are the other assistant coaches. What does that do to their confidence in Philly’s theory about promoting from within? Duce had the words ‘assistant head coach’ added to his title in 2018 as well. If he isn’t given the job as the head man now, doesn’t that state his title is a bit of a farce?

Seriously, even if you don’t think he’s the most qualified candidate, you have to agree that there is an argument for him deserving a chance right? Again, he’s survived two coaching changes. He played for Andy Reid before joining Big Red’s staff in 2011. He’s also worked with both Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson.

There’s also this. With what appears to be a fractured locker room with low morale, doesn’t it stand to reason that one of the better ways to help this team heal is by giving them the leader many of them seem to want to follow? We know Duce demands respect. How might they react if the team’s brass ignores their pleas and chooses to go with a guy some might see as the outsider?

Naturally, common sense tells us that both Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman have the final say, but if they’re smart they’re listening to their team right? They have to make the best decision for the team sure, but when you weigh everything, it’s hard not to keep coming back to the same conclusion. What in the heck do they know about football? Maybe they should listen to their players.

Lurie and Roseman have bent over backward for Jason Peters and Carson Wentz. What kind of message does it send if they don’t take everyone else’s opinion into account?

We’ve seen what happens when this Philadelphia Eagles franchise is on the same page. Duce could be the glue that binds everything back together. Then, the focus can be placed on finding him a strong offensive and defensive coordinator. Be honest. This idea is starting to make sense to you, isn’t it?