Former Eagles OC is silencing the doubters as a rival's assistant coach
We're entering a bye week. Our most recent memories of the Philadelphia Eagles weren't too pleasant. Frankly, we were disgusted. That being said, we need a break from discussing them. It's times like these when we watch other teams and Philly's rivals.
Being a Birds fan carries with it interesting dynamics. We enjoy seeing teams we hate lose almost as much as we love seeing the guys in Green win.
There's just one issue. The Washington Commanders aren't losing all that often these days. We mentioned we were disgusted, right?
Here's the worst part. A former Eagles assistant and rookie quarterback have helped them climb to the top.
Former Eagles assistant Brian Johnson is proving the doubters wrong in Washington.
Four weeks of the 2024-25 NFL season have come and gone. The Commanders sit alone atop the NFC East. Brian Johnson is their assistant head coach and offensive pass game coordinator. He works closely with their OC, Kliff Kingsbury in developing rookie Jayden Daniels. You all remember Coach Johnson, don't you?
Johnson spent last season as Philly's offensive coordinator after formerly being their quarterbacks coach (2021 and 2022). He was blamed for all of the Eagles' offensive struggles in 2024. Sadly, everyone ignored a few nuggets everyone ignored. One of the most obvious was he was handcuffed by running Nick Sirianni's offense.
Everyone forgot about his success and offensive acumen at the collegiate level. Everyone seemingly forgot about Jalen Hurts' season in 2022, one where he finished second in MVP voting.
At Inside The Iggles, we tried to tell you much of his criticism was unwarranted. No one wants to talk about that now, huh? Sure, saying 'I told you so' in this business might be bordering on Busch league, but right now, we could care less.
We will enjoy this petty moment, stick out our chests, and say we told you so because we did. He was a scapegoat for Nick Sirianni's failures. That led to 'weird vibes' and 'tension' after his exit. Everyone wasn't on board with his dismissal.
Sure, the NFL is far from the NCAA in difficulty levels, but Johnson shined at Utah as an offensive assistant coach. Then, he shined at Mississippi State, Houston, and Florida. This season in Washington, he has overseen rookie Jayden Daniels' progression, and the rook might wind up as an MVP candidate if his success continues.
So, here's a question. If you knew nothing about Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels, how would you describe each quarterback if you only drew from the past four weeks?
Who would you think is the rookie? Who would you believe was the former MVP candidate that shined in a Super Bowl? Daniels completed just under 92% of his passes in his third career NFL start. That's the best mark ever by a rookie. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts has been a turnover machine.
There's a tie that binds them both. That tie is Brian Johnson. He's shining again now that he has freed himself of Nick Sirianni's shadow.