Monday, February 21, 2011
Posted: 3:27 p.m.Updated: 7:45 p.m.
By Reuben FrankCSNPhilly.com
Eagles assistant coach James Urban, promoted less than two weeks ago to the newly created position of assistant offensive coordinator, has left the team and accepted a seemingly lesser position as wide receivers coach with the Bengals.
Urban, who was the Eagles quarterbacks coach in 2009 and 2010, was just promoted 11 days ago to assistant offensive coordinator, a position head coach Andy Reid created specifically for Urban.
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Because Urban was under contract with the Eagles, he was only allowed to interview with the Bengals after Eagles head coach Andy Reid granted permission. According to a league source, Urban had only one year left on his contract with the Eagles but received a long-term deal from the Bengals, who announced the move on their Web site Monday afternoon.
After five years as the University of Pennsylvanias director of football operations, Urban joined the Eagles in 2004 as an entry-level assistant to the head coach and worked his way up to offensive quality control coach in 2007 and then quarterbacks coach in 2009, after Pat Shurmer left to become Steve Spagnuolos offensive coordinator with the Rams.
Urban has a tenuous connection with new Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, whose brother Jon worked with Reid in Green Bay.
Urban becomes the sixth member of Reids 2010 coaching staff that is no longer with the organization, following Sean McDermott, Bill Shuey, Rory Segrest, Dick Jauron and Jeff Nixon. McDermott is now with the Panthers, Jauron with the Browns and Nixon with the Dolphins. Shuey and Segrest do not currently have jobs.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com