In Roob's Observations: What everybody's getting wrong about Gannon

[time2rock]

In Roob's Observations: What everybody's getting wrong about Gannon

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

A curious trend regarding quarterbacks making their NFL debut, a player who needs to have a bigger role in 2022 and what people keep getting wrong about Jonathan Gannon.

The Eagles’ season may be over, but when it comes to Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Observations, there is no offseason.

1. This isn’t meant to defend Jalen Hurts. He played poorly in Tampa. No excuses. But I do want to put into perspective just how rare it is for young quarterbacks in their postseason debut to perform at a high level. In NFL history, quarterbacks making their playoff debut at 23 or younger are 8-20. But of the eight QBs who won, five had a passer rating of 60 or below and only two were above 80 – Daunte Culpepper vs. the Saints in 2000 (120.6 against) and Pat Mahomes against the Colts in 2019 (85.2). Even of the 20 losing QBs only five had a passer rating of 80 or higher (Neil Lomax, Mark Sanchez, Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Stafford, Dak Prescott). And 80 is barely adequate. So only 28 quarterbacks have ever reached the playoffs before their 24th birthday and of those 28, only seven even played average. And of those seven, only one (Sanchez) was on the road. And none of them were facing the defending Super Bowl champs. The point is playoff football is a different animal and there aren’t a lot of 23-year-olds lighting it up in their postseason debut.

2. Quez Watkins isn’t an ideal WR2, at least not at this point in his career. But he would be one hell of a WR3. Watkins is only the third wide receiver drafted with the 200th pick or later with 600 yards in either his first or second NFL season in the last 30 years. The others are Marques Colston and Pierre Garcon. That’s rare production for a young guy drafted that late. Watkins is still raw and still learning and you see mistakes – like slowing down on that crossing route Sunday in Tampa – but you’re not going to find a finished product in the sixth round. You’re going to find traits, and Watkins has ‘em. World-class speed and very good hands and he’s going to keep getting better. If the Eagles add a solid veteran No. 2, they’ll be in terrific shape with DeVonta Smith, veteran WR2 and Watkins and then Greg Ward as the next guy in. I know who I didn’t mention, and while I do expect him to be here because of cap issues, he needs to be inactive all year. Unless everyone else gets hurt.

3. Today’s Eagles Trivia: A great Eagles question guaranteed to stump all but the most hard-core Eagles fans: Who’s the last quarterback to win a playoff game for another team after leaving the Eagles? Hint: It’s not Randall Cunningham. Answer below.

4. I know about the injuries. I know about the missed games. But if you look at his production, Miles Sanders has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the NFL. He just has to stay on the field. Sanders’ 5.04 career average is tied for 8th-highest in NFL history among RBs with at least 500 carries. That’s higher than every running back in the Hall of Fame other than Jim Brown. His 5.5 mark this year was highest by an Eagles running back since Steve Van Buren in 1945. He’s one of only six RBs in NFL history with two seasons averaging 5.3 yards per carry before his 25th birthday and one of only seven to start his career with three straight seasons with 750 rushing yards and at least a 4.5 average. Sanders is one of only three players in NFL history with 2,000 rushing yards, a 5.0 average and 100 receptions in their first three seasons. I could go on and on and on. The numbers are truly staggering. Keep him healthy and you have something special. If he gets 250 touches next year, he’s a Pro Bowler.

5. I just shake my head every time I get some angry Tweet about how terrible Jonathan Gannon is. That notion couldn’t be more off base. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten something to the effect of, "He’s no Jim Johnson!” OK, let’s go back to Jim Johnson’s first year as Eagles defensive coordinator. First of all, Jim is one of the greatest defensive minds I’ve ever been around. That’s indisputable. But remember, Jim was not an instant success here. His first year as Eagles defensive coordinator – with Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, Jeremiah Trotter, William Thomas and Hollis Thomas no less – the Eagles ranked 24th in the NFL in defense. Gannon – with a small fraction of the talent – had the No. 10 defense in the NFL this year. And don’t tell me about the Eagles’ weak schedule because the 1999 Eagles also played a last-place schedule after going 3-13 in 1998. Gannon had two above-average starters this year in Darius Slay and Javon Hargrave. Two. To do what this team did with mediocre talent – the Eagles held an NFL-high 10 teams to 18 or fewer points and ranked 7th in yards allowed per play – is truly impressive. Ask yourself why you want the Eagles to go defense-defense-defense in the first round of the draft. Because they don’t have players. Yet they had a top-10 defense. Why might that be? Because Gannon got the most out of his barely adequate personnel in his first year on the job. Nobody blasted Johnson after 1999 because it was obvious the defense was headed in the right direction. Why doesn’t Gannon get the same benefit of the doubt? There’s a reason three NFL teams are interested in Gannon as a head coach. They see what some people have simply elected not to.

6. Tom Brady is only nine months younger than Donovan McNabb. Brady has won 191 games, 26 playoff games and four Super Bowls since McNabb last played.

7. For the first time in a while, the Eagles actually have the makings of a young, talented nucleus, and that’s one really encouraging byproduct of the 2021 season. And what’s interesting is how those players were acquired. I made a list of the Eagles’ top 10 players 24 and under - Smith,  Hurts,  Watkins, Sanders, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Josh Sweat, Kenny Gainwell, Milton Williams and Jack Driscoll - and only one of them – Smith, of course - was a 1st-round pick. Three were taken in the 2nd round, one in the 3rd, two in the 4th, one in the 5th, one in the 6th and one in the 7th. Watkins, Sweat, Gainwell, Driscoll and Mailata were all taken in the 4th round or later. As poorly as the Eagles have drafted in the 1st round, they’ve found terrific value in the bottom half of the draft. And it doesn’t matter where you get players as long as you get players. That said, you have the best chance to land elite talent in the 1st round. And if the Eagles can nail this draft – I know, it’s a big if – they’re going to have themselves a really promising group of young talent.

8. Speaking of Gainwell, I just think this kid is something special. I know I talk about him a lot, but I think he has to be RB2 next year, and that’s not a knock on Jordan Howard or Boston Scott. But his versatility and production in limited usage are rare. Including the playoff game, Gainwell netted 599 scrimmage yards on 107 touches. That was the 4th-most scrimmage yards in the league this year by a running back on 107 or fewer carries and by far the most by a rookie. He was one of only four rookies in the league with 250 yards both rushing and receiving and only the fourth RB drafted in the 5th round or later since 1984 with 250 and 250 as a rookie (Terrell Davis, Andre Ellington, Howard, Tyreek Hill). And the kid finds the end zone. Seven TDs on 107 touches. The only other RB in the NFL with that many TDs on that few touches was Scott, believe it or not. Gainwell is only the fifth rookie RB in the last 34 years to score seven TDs on 107 or fewer touches (along with Corey Clement, Karlos Williams, Knile Davis and Brandon Jacobs). And he had NINE games this year with three or fewer touches. This kid HAS to have a larger role and a regular role on offense in 2022.

9. I don’t know how this is even possible, but the only Eagles defensive end with 9.0 sacks in a season over the last four years is Michael Bennett.

10. I’m surprised Doug Pederson’s name has stopped popping up for head coaching interviews. Pederson interviewed early on with the Bears and Jaguars and there was a report that he would be interviewing with the Vikings, but it doesn’t appear that has happened. Not too often you have a Super Bowl-winning coach who took three straight teams to the playoffs very recently who’s available. I’ll be really surprised if he doesn’t get another shot at a head coaching job at some point if it doesn’t happen now. Interesting that the last eight Eagles head coaches before Pederson all got another head coaching job after getting fired by the Eagles: Chip Kelly with the 49ers, Andy Reid with the Chiefs, Ray Rhodes with the Packers, Rich Kotite with the Jets, Buddy Ryan with the Cards, Marion Campbell with the Falcons, Dick Vermeil with the Rams and Chiefs and Mike McCormack with the Colts. The last Eagles head coach who didn’t was Ed Khayat, who went 2-11-1 in 1972 in his only full season with the Eagles. Khayat did serve as an assistant for another 20 years with five other NFL teams and as late as 2003 – when he was 68 – was still coaching in the Arena League.

Trivia Answer: The last quarterback to win a playoff game for another team after leaving the Eagles is Jay Fiedler, who spent 1995 with the Eagles but never played. Fiedler was the Dolphins’ starting quarterback in their last postseason win – a wild-card game in 2000 against the Colts. Fiedler is the only Dolphins QB other than Dan Marino to win a playoff game since 1984.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-observations-what-everybodys-getting-wrong-about-jonathan-gannon

[Procus]

On 1/23/2022 at 9:21 AM, time2rock said:

10. I’m surprised Doug Pederson’s name has stopped popping up for head coaching interviews. Pederson interviewed early on with the Bears and Jaguars and there was a report that he would be interviewing with the Vikings, but it doesn’t appear that has happened. Not too often you have a Super Bowl-winning coach who took three straight teams to the playoffs very recently who’s available. I’ll be really surprised if he doesn’t get another shot at a head coaching job at some point if it doesn’t happen now. Interesting that the last eight Eagles head coaches before Pederson all got another head coaching job after getting fired by the Eagles: Chip Kelly with the 49ers, Andy Reid with the Chiefs, Ray Rhodes with the Packers, Rich Kotite with the Jets, Buddy Ryan with the Cards, Marion Campbell with the Falcons, Dick Vermeil with the Rams and Chiefs and Mike McCormack with the Colts. The last Eagles head coach who didn’t was Ed Khayat, who went 2-11-1 in 1972 in his only full season with the Eagles. Khayat did serve as an assistant for another 20 years with five other NFL teams and as late as 2003 – when he was 68 – was still coaching in the Arena League.

I'd be very surprised if Dougie was a good at being interviewed this most recent go around.  Does anyone seriously think absent his prior stint with the Eagles that he would have been hired?  When he was hired, it was universally panned as the worst head coaching hire out of the 2016 class of new head coaches.

Dougie has his strengths.  I doubt that excelling at job interviews is one of them.