SBNation.com User Blog: JeromesFriend

After the positive feedback from the last fanshot, here is another from Philly's Inferno. Read why Vick is in a battle for a roster spot, not just a starting spot.

Howie Roseman, Chip Kelly, and The Art of War

JeromesFriend — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:34:00 -0000

Buddy Ryan was preparing his team for war. So it was odd that for a few cold, winter weeks in December 1988, the Philadelphia Eagles called Phoenix home. Buddy had planned the trip at the beginning of the season as a reward for clinching the playoffs, but by the time the team had played the Cardinals in Phoenix, the Eagles had not clinched a playoff spot and the sojourn was still scheduled. So the hell with it, thought Buddy. The team remained in Phoenix and was given an 11PM curfew, just like in training camp. They practiced at Phoenix East High School before playing Dallas in the season finale, and after clinching a berth, the team practiced there again when preparing for their divisional playoff game in Chicago. The Eagles were 0-11 against the Bears in Chicago, and Buddy wanted to beat the Bears.

Buddy's team was confident and had swagger. When he became coach two years earlier, he released many established veterans. He wanted his team to have his players. With guys like Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Keith Jackson, and Randall Cunningham, now it did. He wasn't the only former Bear on the Eagles coaching staff. Jeff Fisher was a defensive back for the Bears and became the defensive backs coach for the Eagles. According to Fisher, "Philadelphia's a team to be reckoned with. I'd rather go to war with a young team that's going in the right direction than a team that's been there before."
***
Football is often analogous with the tactics, strategies, and art of war. Undoubtedly many franchise owners, presidents, general managers and coaches have read The Art of War by ancient Chinese philosopher and military strategist Sun Tzu. After the Eagles announced the hiring of Chip Kelly, I'm beginning to think Howie Roseman has as well. The manner in which Kelly's name retreated from many teams' searches reeks of a Tzu-like deception: "Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him." Reports leaked that Roseman himself was seen as a roadblock to any high profile coaching target. Local and national media reported regularly that Roseman was an unproven general manager, a money man not worth entrusting with the responsibility of providing talent. This baited belief lulled other teams into a false sense of security. Ten days ago reports surfaced indicating Chip Kelly would remain as head coach of Oregon. Since then, the Eagles continued interviewing candidates and seemed prepared to offer the job to Seahawks defensive coordinator and Monte Kiffen protégé Gus Bradley, to the near euphoric excitement of a fan base initially intrigued by a potential Kelly hire. As reports of Kelly's disinterest in the NFL surfaced, other pro teams that also expressed some interest in Kelly (Cleveland, Chicago, and Buffalo), began hiring from further down their candidate lists. Then, the Eagles feigned disorder by letting Gus Bradley go to Jacksonville with no reported job offer. As a result, there was a social media furor. Not only was Roseman serving as a roadblock, he was downright incompetent. Yet during this time, no one other than Roseman was talking to Chip Kelly and a few hours after Gus Bradley boarded a plane for Jacksonville, the Eagles announced Kelly as their head coach. The hammer had fallen.

Buddy Ryan was often too brazen for deception, content with telling you what he was going to do, how he was going to do it, just try and stop him. It may be a small reason why his Eagles team left Phoenix for Chicago and eventually lost to the Bears on what became the foggiest day in sports history. But Howie Roseman just proved that he can be a strategist, a tactician, a solid arranger of chess pieces, and maybe a little foggy in his own right, a man capable of smoke screens. If he and Kelly are working from a playbook written nearly 2500 years ago, then expect them to follow this Tzu-ism: "These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand." In other words, expect Roseman and Kelly never to tip their collective hand. Regardless, Kelly has never been here before, so he better head in the right direction.

You can follow Philly’s Inferno on Facebook and Twitter (@JeromesFriend).

What Losses by Denver and Seattle Mean for Mike McCoy, Gus Bradley, and the Eagles

JeromesFriend — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:54:27 -0000

Sometimes football is just too poetic, the gods too cruel. This was the case yesterday. With the game tied at 21 on a frigid, face-numbing type of day where points were as precious as they were plentiful, Peyton Manning and his Broncos offense were ready to hike the ball from their own 20-yard line, 36 seconds on the clock and three timeouts remaining. But Manning took the ball from center and quickly handed off to running back Jacob Hester for minimal gain... the offense jogged off the field as the clock ran down to zero. The Ravens defense was undoubtedly thankful. Then, at the end of the game, an opportunity for redemption presented itself. Tied at 35, the Broncos had the ball at their own 20-yard line with 31-seconds remaining and a chance with Manning to prove Elway was even more a genius than we realize. Broncos fans, long suffering from inadequate QB play at the hands of Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, and Tim Tebow, were anticipating magic. Even Paul Domowitch tweeted, "Manning with 31 seconds is like Patton with 100 tanks." If this is the case, then Manning with 31 seconds and two timeouts is like Patton with 100 tanks and a nuclear arsenal. But this time, Manning took the ball from center and then took to his knee. The Denver coaching staff was decidedly content on attempting to win the game in overtime, which ultimately they did not. Confused Denver fans were left to wonder what could have been.

It turned out, what could have been actually happened a few hours later. Faced with an eerily similar situation, Atlanta possessed the ball on their 28-yard line with 31 seconds and two timeouts remaining. The difference between Atlanta's situation and Denver's was that the Falcons were down by one point and could not afford to sit back and wait for overtime. It's perhaps a point-of-view that Denver should have assumed. In three plays and 23-seconds, Atlanta moved the ball into field goal range and ended up winning the game on a 49-yard field goal. Again, Denver fans were left to wonder what could have been. Perhaps Jeffrey Lurie was as well.

The decisions by Denver coaches Mike McCoy and John Fox to go the conservative route with an elite quarterback in all likelihood reduces the chance that Mike McCoy will coach the Eagles next season. They were poor decision that contradict Jeffrey Lurie's quest for an innovative leader. However, Gus Bradley's day was only slightly better, if not more optimistic. Seattle's defense gave up an average of 15 points per game this season, yet found themselves giving up 20 points to Atlanta in the first half Sunday. Gus Bradley's unit could not stop the run, or Atlanta's efficient attack. However, where Bradley excelled was with his second half adjustments. Recognizing that the zone coverage that characterized Seattle's first half failures wasn't working, Bradley switched to a man-to-man scheme that effectively limited the Falcons offense in the second half and allowed Russell Wilson to lead an admirable comeback. It was a performance that showed heart in a situation that could have easily been deflating.

Poetic justice and cruelty aside, two coaching candidates lost Sunday. While neither McCoy nor Bradley did much to endear themselves to Philadelphia, Mike McCoy severely hurt his chances to become the Eagles next head coach. And with both candidates out of the playoffs, Lurie will decide soon he would like to command his tanks.

You can follow Philly's Inferno on Facebook and Twitter (@JeromesFriend).

Nailing the Head Coach Bullseye - Chucking Darts with Eagles Brass

JeromesFriend — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:13:55 -0000

Jeffrey Lurie is a pretty good dart player. Well, about as good as your average corner bar-frequenting Eagles fan. But you wouldn't know it by looking at him now. "Dammit," he mumbled.

"So close," said Eagles' President Don Smolenski.

"Bob Kraft would've made that shot."

"Good news. Bob doesn't have to."

Deep within the confines of the Novacare complex, Lurie and Smolenski stand in Lurie's office, facing a wall that looks a lot like something you would see in a CSI episode. There is a large map of the United States with multi-color pushpins and pictures of what look like potential head coach candidates... Bill O'Brien, Mike McCoy, Lovie Smith, Gus Bradley, and dozens more. There are blue pushpins for defensive coordinators, red for offensive coordinators, yellow for college coaches, white for prior NFL coaches, and so on. Some pictures are in color, some in black and white, some look wrinkled and folded and others crisp, like they were still warm from the printer. And some, like O'Brien's and Chip Kelly's, are marked in red with a big "X". There are also blue and red strings connecting silver pushpins, all converging on an oversized pin pushed on the city of Philadelphia. And of course, the map was littered with dart holes.

Lurie turned toward Smolenski and asked, "Where is Howie with that picture of Chudzinski? I need that picture of Chudzinki so we can put it on the board and X him out."

"He's coming. He had an issue with the coffee machine," answered Smolenski as he handed Lurie three darts.

"Haha... He wants to buy a new one, but I told him it's not in the budget."

"Very funny, sir."

Lurie faces the wall and raises his arm, ready to throw when Howie Roseman runs into the office, hot coffee dripping from the Eagles mug onto the carpet. "Here you go Mr. Lurie, just the way you like it. And the picture of Chudzinski. There's a little coffee stain on it. Sorry."

"Ugh. Fine. Pin the picture on the map, will you? And put the coffee down on my desk."

"Thank you sir. I also brought a picture of John Gruden, just in case."

"Dammit Howie!" said Lurie angrily. "No! No John Gruden! You know Christina had a thing for him. He's off the board!"

"Sorry, sir. I forgot."

"It's a good thing you make better coffee than Banner. Ok, back to business..."

After Roseman pinned the picture, Lurie resumed his pose. Facing the wall he raised his arm, bent back at the elbow, and flung his first dart at the board. The dart landed in Canada. He threw his second dart... it landed in Lake Superior. His third dart hit the red-X'd face of Bill O'Brien squarely in the jaw.

"How'd I do," asked Lurie.

"Not great," answered Smolenski. "Maybe we should take off the blindfold."

You can follow Philly's Inferno on Facebook and Twitter (@JeromesFriend).

Jeffrey Lurie is a pretty good dart player. Well, about as good as your average corner bar-frequenting Eagles fan. But you wouldn't know it by looking at him now. "Dammit," he mumbled.

"So close," said Eagles' President Don Smolenski.

"Bob Kraft would've made that shot."

"Good news. Bob doesn't have to."

Lurie turned toward Smolenski and asked, "Where is Howie with that picture of Chudzinski? I need that picture of Chudzinki so we can put it on the board and X him out."

"He's coming. He had an issue with the coffee machine," answered Smolenski as he handed Lurie three darts.

"Haha... He wants to buy a new one, but I told him it's not in the budget."

"Very funny, sir."

"Ugh. Fine. Pin the picture on the map, will you? And put the coffee down on my desk."

"Thank you sir. I also brought a picture of John Gruden, just in case."

"Dammit Howie!" said Lurie angrily. "No! No John Gruden! You know Christina had a thing for him. He's off the board!"

"Sorry, sir. I forgot."

"It's a good thing you make better coffee than Banner. Ok, back to business..."

"How'd I do," asked Lurie.

"Not great," answered Smolenski. "Maybe we should take off the blindfold."

You can follow Philly's Inferno on Facebook and Twitter (@JeromesFriend).

The Perception that Defense Loses Championships and its Impact on the Philadelphia Eagles’ Head Coach Search

JeromesFriend — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:47:46 -0000

The scenes change. Ghostly images appear and disappear both on the field and in the stands. Murmurs, whispers, yells, moans, sighs, passionate cheers, and boos are all mashed together in a chaotic broth of noise. This is what the Vet has become; this is where Philly sports history remains alive. Jerome and I walk the steps up to the 700 level and look downward. The view cannot be unlike Dante's as he entered the gate of hell. However, there is no inscription, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here". Quite the contrary, hope is the Philly fan's curse. There always exists hope and expectation and pride, and because of these, misery as well... when hopes and expectations are not met, when pride is wounded.

Jerome directed me to section 734, adjacent to the end zone on the visiting side. It was far from much of the action on the field, but one could imagine that 734 could still be heard. In the fifth row stood a man in disbelief, hands on head, jaw dropped, eyes almost full of terror. I turn to Jerome and ask, "What did he see?"

"Joe Jurevicius being chased down the sideline."

***

It was the 2002 season's NFC Championship game. The Eagles were ahead 7-3 in the first quarter, with a confident defense that didn't allow Tampa Bay to score an offensive touchdown during their meeting earlier in the season. The Buccaneers faced a third-and-two when Brad Johnson took the snap from center and threw a four yard in-route over the middle to Joe Jurevicius. Jurevicius caught the ball in stride and sprinted through the middle and down the sideline for 71 yards before getting tackled at the five yard line. The game-changing play set up a Mike Alstott one yard touchdown run and injected life into a Tampa team that thrived on it. After taking the lead, Tampa never looked back and went on to win the Super Bowl. For Eagles fans it was like a nightmare, however, the image of Levon Kirkland chasing Jurevicius illustrates a culture shift in the NFL, one that contradicts that long-lasting and basic tenet: "Offense wins games. Defense wins championships."

Yes, franchises have been built on the premise that "offense wins games; defense wins championships." In fact, Tampa Bay's Super Bowl XXXVII winning season is a fine example. That Buccaneers team was defined by their powerful defense and won games with their adequate offense. However, switching points of view from the victor to the victim, defense can just as easily, and just as often, lose championships. It was the Eagle's defensive lapse that turned the tide against Tampa. And since then, we the fans of Philadelphia have become Levon Kirkland.

Since Tampa Bay won with Brad Johnson at the helm, the Super Bowl winning quarterbacks have all been elite (or elite performing). Here is a comprehensive list: Tom Brady (twice), Ben Roethlisberger (twice), Peyton Manning, Eli Manning (twice), Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers. Of their teams, only one (2008 Steelers) finished the regular season as the top-ranked defense. Two others (2005 Steelers, 2010 Packers) finished in the top-five, but three - 2006 Colts (21st), 2009 Saints (25th), and 2011 Giants (27th) - finished the regular season ranked in the bottom third. During this time there were also three top-five defenses (2006 Bears, 2007 Patriots, and 2010 Steelers) that each lost the Super Bowl to lesser ranked defensive teams. These results suggest that offenses (at least those with elite-performing quarterbacks) win games and those offenses increase the likelihood of winning championships. On the other hand, defenses, regardless of statistical ranking, can potentially lose championships. Jeffrey Lurie's head coach wish list for the Eagles supports this new philosophy. Bill O'Brien, Chip Kelly, Mike McCoy, and Dirk Koetter are all well-regarded offensive-minded coaches. But does Lurie have the right idea?

Actually, what these results illustrate is another NFL tenet, "Any given Sunday..." More important than developing a top five offense or defense is the ability to develop, lead, game plan, execute on game day, and make adjustments when necessary. Yes O'Brien, Kelly, McCoy, and Koetter are offensively inclined, but are they able to win on any given Sunday more often than available defensive-minded candidates like Mike Zimmer? Since Tampa Bay's victory, five of the nine Super Bowl winning coaches have come from the defensive side of the ball. Here is the list with their respective offensive (OFF) or defensive (DEF) mindedness: Bill Belichick (DEF), Bill Cowher (DEF), Tony Dungy (DEF), Tom Coughlin (OFF), Mike Tomlin (DEF), Sean Payton (OFF), Mike McCarthy (OFF). Given that Lurie's top candidates are from the offensive side of the ball, Philadelphia fans should be fearful that he may be limiting his candidate pool. The perception that "offense wins games; defense wins championships" may be obsolete, but Lurie needs to hire the coach capable of winning on any given Sunday, regardless of inclination.

Note: Originally written before news of the Eagles' interest in Gus Bradley and Lovie Smith.

"Joe Jurevicius being chased down the sideline."

***

Note: Originally written before news of the Eagles' interest in Gus Bradley and Lovie Smith.

Why Gus Bradley should be the Next Eagles Head Coach

JeromesFriend — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:37:32 -0000

Chris Clemons knew he had it in him. An undrafted rookie free agent, he floated on the Redskins roster for two years without getting a chance to really prove himself. Finally, with the Oakland Raiders, he was a major contributor on defense with eight sacks in a limited role. At season's end he was rewarded in free agency by the Eagles, who gave him a five-year contract with the hope that he could duplicate his production on a defensive line that included Trent Cole, Juqua Thomas, and Victor Abiamiri. It didn't happen. He could not get on the field for enough plays and never had more than four sacks or 15 tackles in each of his two seasons. Then, prior to the 2010 season, the Eagles traded Clemons to the Seahawks in a package for Darryl Tapp. And that's when Clemons met Gus Bradley.

Gus Bradley was a fan of Clemons. Bradley recognized his talent and production and, like the Eagles, recognized his potential at the leo/elephant position, a hybrid stand-up defensive end rushing from the weakside in a 4-3 scheme. After the signing, Bradley said of Clemons that he liked "his length and speed. As you can imagine, if he's always on the end you need a guy who has great speed coming off the edge and great pass rush. So I think his length and speed are great assets for him." Under Bradley's tutelage Clemons produced. A lot. He has at least eleven sacks and 40 tackles in each of the last three seasons, as well as three forced fumbles in each of the last two. Unfortunately, Clemons tore his ACL in the Seahawks' victory against Washington, but it's Clemons' growth in Seattle that demonstrates why the Eagles need Bradley as their head coach.

***

In a 2009 Seattle P-I article, Clare Farnsworth recounts how then new Seahawks head coach Jim Mora hired Gus Bradley:

Mora said it was a call from [Monte] Kiffin that got Bradley an interview for the defensive coordinator job, even though Bradley has been in the NFL for only three seasons. Re-creating the call from Kiffin, Mora slipped into his high-pitched, rapid-delivery impersonation: " 'Hey, J.L., J.L., I got to talk to you about this guy Gus Bradley.' "

Mora worked for Kiffin with the New Orleans Saints, when both were on the staff of Mora's father. Kiffin still calls the younger Mora "J.L.," and it's relevant because the younger Mora has repeatedly been referred to as "Jim Mora Jr." by the national media in recent weeks. He is not a Junior, but Jim L. Mora (for Lawrence). His father is Jim E. Mora (for Earnest). But it was more what Kiffin said about Bradley than the way he said it that prompted Mora to bring the Tampa Bay linebackers coach in for an interview. "Monte says, 'J.L., listen to me. I have got a guy here in Tampa that is one of, if not, the finest football coaches I have ever worked with. He's an A-plus. He's a once-in-a-lifetime coach. You need to talk to him,'" Mora recalled. "He said, 'J.L., this guy is special. You have to bring him in. You have to talk to him.'"

Once in the building, Mora took Bradley to the limit. From 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. last Wednesday, they talked about everything from ways to generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks to how they like to spend those rare moments of downtime. "I spent 15 consecutive hours with Gus," Mora said. "Because I felt that was an incredibly important decision to make: Who was going to be our defensive coordinator? Who I was going to put in the room with that group of men, so that they can reach the level of play that they need to reach for us to bring a Super Bowl (title) to the city of Seattle. "Through the course of the day, I realized, boy, Monte is dead on. This guy is special."

Even though Mora's stint with the Seahawks was short-lived, Pete Carroll, who became the Seahawks coach in 2010, was impressed enough with Bradley's leadership and ability to retain him, significant because Carroll is a defensive-minded coach with his own philosophies. According to Carroll, "He's the best teacher I've ever been around. He's so thorough, so thoughtful, and he'll go to such lengths to find ways to make sense of the information so the guys can understand it in practical ways. It doesn't matter how good we teach. It's how well they learn. I think that connection is really clear with Gus. He's great at it." An example of one of those connections is Bradley's message to "be allergic to the big meal. Eat the crumbs." It's another way of saying be humble and stay hungry. He gave his players plates full of crumbs for emphasis. And his players have responded. In his fourth year as Seattle's defensive coordinator, the Seahawks have the top scoring defense in the league.

***

The Eagles have a recent lineage of top defensive coaches upon which fans draw much pride: Buddy Ryan's Gang Green defense, Jim Johnson's bend-but-don't-break-get-after-the-quarterback approach... the city of Philadelphia enjoys it's defense. What Jeff Lurie needs to recognize is that Andy Reid's best teams were not defined by his offense, but by Jim Johnson's defense. More often any criticisms or weaknesses of his early playoff teams were offense-related: time management, play-calling, McNabb's poor throws, etc. Chris Clemons' emergence should illustrate to Lurie how another (possibly better?) coach corrected a mistake of his previous one. Jeff Lurie is fond of Eagles history, so he should recognize this fact. Or, he can look back no further than Buddy Ryan, a hot-shot defensive coordinator who developed and coached the league's top defense before becoming a head coach of the Eagles. Sound familiar? If history is any indication, once Bradley and Lurie are in the same room talking football together, Lurie will be sold. Granted, despite the competitiveness of Ryan's teams, they never won a playoff game. But what good is history if we cannot learn from and improve upon it? How hungry is Lurie?

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In a 2009 Seattle P-I article, Clare Farnsworth recounts how then new Seahawks head coach Jim Mora hired Gus Bradley:

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