Eagles mailbag: Would Duce Staley make a good head coach?

The Eagles are in the offseason but it certainly doesn’t feel like it as their head coaching search continues.

Thanks for all your great questions. We got so many I won’t be able to get to all of them, so for that, I apologize.

But I’ll try to answer as many as I can. Let’s start here:

Why is Duce Staley thought of as a great HC hire for the eagles yet nobody ever interviews him to even be an offensive coordinator let alone a HC? Sounds more like a yes man for Howie and Jeff to hire so he won’t step on their toes and give push back rather than what’s best.

— Shane Sockriter (@shane_sockriter) January 15, 2021

I got a ton of questions about Duce Staley, who interviewed for the head coaching position on Friday, so let’s answer them all here.

The idea that because Duce isn’t a “hot candidate” certainly doesn’t mean he won’t be a good head coach. Just think about the last time the Eagles hired a head coach. People laughed at the Doug Pederson hire. He was ranked as the worst coach hire that offseason and he outlasted everyone and won a Super Bowl.

And now think about the hot names that year. Everyone wanted Adam Gase or Ben McAdoo. Heck, the Eagles seemed to want one of those two guys too. You can never tell.

But a lot of the qualities that made Pederson a successful coach in Philadelphia, Staley has. I don’t want to minimize Staley by calling him a “rah-rah coach” because that’s not fair and that’s not true. But I also don’t want to minimize the importance of having a head coach who is a great leader, a head coach players want to play for. And I can guarantee one thing: If Staley becomes the head coach, guys are going to want to play for him.

There aren’t many people more respected around the league, especially by players, than Staley. During the 2020 season, Jason Kelce was asked about what makes a great coach and those leadership qualities were the first things he mentioned. Here’s a taste of what Kelce said that day:

“I think a great head coach is a guy that is a great motivator,” Kelce said. “I mean, is it important to be a genius? It helps, I guess. Is it important to be a big rah-rah guy? It helps. But the most important thing is, does this guy relate to people and does he motivate people? And does he get the most out of people, players, the coaches under him, everybody.”

And I’m not ready to say that’s all Duce is either. He played in the NFL for 10 years and has now been coaching in the NFL for another 10. He’s been around some great offensive coaches and in different schemes during that time. I don’t know how he’d handle play calling responsibilities and what his scheme would look like, but every great play caller had to start somewhere.

It has always been my policy don't quit a job unless you have a replacement, Employers don't fire someone unless you have a replacement. With that in mind why did the Eagles fire a coaching staff without a replacement or even a plan? If they have a plan what is it?

— Storman Norm (@Comoglin) January 15, 2021

I get what you’re saying but the Eagles’ explanation for firing Doug Pederson was that their plans for the future didn’t line up. I think Pederson deserved to stay on but that done. The Eagles definitely didn’t do themselves any favors by waiting an extra week really start their search process.

But I also know they didn’t start the process of trying to hire a coach after they fired Pederson. The Eagles are always trying to identify candidates and I’m sure the first second they thought there was a chance Pederson would be gone, that process kicked up a notch.

And you have to remember, if you fire your head coach because you don’t agree with his vision for the future, those interviews become really important. Because you have to really figure out the vision of the next head coach, those conversations matter.

Any chance Lincoln Riley comes to Philly?

— Bobby Bowfinger (@512Davey) January 15, 2021

Nah, I don’t think so. But I certainly don’t blame the Eagles for trying. To me, he really is an ideal candidate. He has head coaching experience at a major program and has an innovative offense that isn’t a one-trick pony.

The problem is that it’s really tough to get some college coaches to leave their jobs. Riley is already getting paid a ton, is a big fish in a little pond and has far more job security at Oklahoma than he’d ever have in the NFL. The Eagles have lured a top college coach to the NFL before so you can’t blame them for at least kicking the tires on Riley. I think he’d be a home run.

If someone like Kafka or Leftwich get HC, do you think Duce would stay as OC? Opinion on if Mayo would left NE for DC job here.

— Lou (@lgansky13) January 15, 2021

It’s fair to wonder if a young coach like that would be interested in keeping Duce on staff. By the way, we should mention that Kafka has been linked to the Eagles but Leftwich has not been, at least not yet.

But if Staley doesn’t get the head coaching job this time, that will be four interviews for a promotion that he hasn’t gotten since 2016. At a certain point, I just wonder if he wouldn’t be better off leaving and trying to move up through the coaching ranks.

As far as Mayo, I’m not really sure, but that is at least a worthwhile thing to keep in mind. If he isn’t ready for a head coaching position, the Eagles’ DC job might be attractive if they land on an offensive coach. Would he be given the same time of autonomy as Jim Schwartz had? Maybe not, but it would be worth a phone call.

If the moon were made of BBQ spare ribs, would Howie Roseman eat it?

— Bryan Wislosky (@b_wizzer) January 15, 2021

You guys OK?

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