The aftershock of the Philadelphia Eagles hiring former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion as their offensive coordinator is starting to wear off, as it has sunk in that the Eagles got their man.
It might be a surprise that they went with a coach with a total of two years of coaching experience and no prior experience as an offensive coordinator, but that didn't stop the Eagles from finding a young, innovative coach to join the team. Philly feels like they have their guy who can change an offense that finished in the bottom 15 in every major offensive category.
There is considerable risk in a move like that, but all the best coaches started somewhere and still thrived. While many Eagles fans are excited about the potential Mannion brings, not everyone shares that excitement.
Stephen A. Smith weighs in on Eagles hiring Sean Mannion
When the topic came up on ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith gave his thoughts on the move. While he's happy for Mannion to get the job, he is skeptical about whether he is a good fit for Philadelphia.
"It's not that he doesn't deserve this opportunity. The issue is not him. It's the Eagles. They have fired the last two people they've plucked from out of nowhere to be first-year offensive coordinators."
"I'm like, if you are the Philadelphia Eagles, why would you do that? Why was that the way to go? Why couldn't you go and get somebody that's more experienced schematically, that's been around the league, that's seen so many things that has offensive coordinator play calling abilities, because Nick Sirianni isn't the greatest offensive play caller in the world. Yes, he takes over the duties from time to time, but he's basically been like a CEO, being defensive to his offensive coordinators. You need somebody a bit more experienced because of the personnel you have and the problems you've had. I don't want to use the words optics, but perception definitely matters."
It's fair to question the move, since Sirianni has not had the best track record with first-time play-callers. The key difference here is that this is not an internal hire; it's an external hire.
Johnson and Patullo came from an Eagles system that was more about running the football, with the passing game succeeding as a result. Mannion comes in from an outsider's perspective and brings something new to the picture, as Kellen Moore did in 2024.
Read more: The clock is ticking on Nick Sirianni after his risky hire for Eagles OC
There will be a lot of questions about the hire, but the Eagles are at least open to changing how they do things offensively. This should bring about a positive change in the unit. Hopefully.