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We can talk about how Moore’s offense struggled against better teams or how they didn’t show up in the postseason, but that is also the epitome of the Cowboys offense we just witnessed this past season. Maybe those shortcomings aren’t as Moore-dependent as we thought. But when you look at his four years with the Cowboys, during that span, the Cowboys offense ranked second overall in both points in yards gained. What is amazing about that is that they were without Dak Prescott for a total of 17 games across three different seasons. Even with Andy Dalton, Garrett Gilbert, Ben DiNucci, and Cooper Rush, the Cowboys’ offense has still been the second-best group in the league under Moore’s tenure in Dallas. Hopefully, he won’t be the answer in Philly, but if he is, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise for Cowboys fans who have had a front-row seat to Moore’s body of work in recent years.
PHLY
If you’re looking for reasons for skepticism, it’s this: the Cowboys moved on from Moore last season and their offense improved, and the Chargers did not make the jump they hoped for with Moore last season and the coaching staff was fired. To the latter point, the injuries were clearly a factor. Justin Herbert missed four games and Mike Williams played three games, but the Chargers still went from sleeper Super Bowl pick to top five in the draft. The Cowboys offense was not as effective through the first five games of the season as it was under Moore before catching fire. It’s worth exploring how much of Moore’s concepts they used as the season progressed, but it clearly was not Moore calling the plays. (This is also where the menu vs. play-caller conversation comes into play.) And there seemed to be some fatigue about Moore’s offense by the end, although the results still put them near the top of the league.
NBCSP
In Moore’s four seasons as offensive coordinator in Dallas, the Cowboys ranked 2nd in the NFL in points per game (27.7), 2nd in yards per game (391), 4th on 3rd down (44.1%), 4th in passing yards per game (264), 7th in rushing yards (126.6) and 3rd in first downs (22.5).
BGN
It’s easy to forget how fair Hurts has come from a processing standpoint. I can still remember his rookie year and how he really struggled in this area. I think his development is still incredibly impressive, and I do not doubt that he can continue to improve. He’s only 25! At times this year, he couldn’t use his mobility due to his injuries, and he still looked like a good quarterback. That’s impressive.
BGN Radio
Raichele Privette breaks down what you should know about the Eagles new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
The Ringer
How much of an upgrade are Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio over Brian Johnson and Sean Desai/Matt Patricia? It isn’t news that the Eagles had a coordinator problem in 2023. Head coach Nick Sirianni demoted Desai and elevated Patricia to the defensive play caller in December, and nothing changed. The defense closed out the season ranked 30th in points allowed per drive and played especially poorly in a wild-card playoff loss to Tampa. The offense, meanwhile, stalled and then bottomed out over the final two months of the season. Sirianni kept his job, but the playcallers did not. Enter Moore, the Chargers’ offensive play caller in 2023, and Fangio, Miami’s defensive coordinator. The Eagles certainly have roster questions to address heading into next season, but any real improvement starts with the coaching staff. Both sides of the ball need an injection of identity and innovation in 2024 if they’re going to right the ship in a hurry (and save Sirianni’s job).
SI
How Fangio fits in Philadelphia bears watching. The Eagles announced their hiring of Fangio on Saturday night, and thus ended what really was a two-year courtship of the former Broncos coach from Philadelphia. Through 2022, the team did everything but have Fangio measure out an office to line him up as their contingency plan, in the event Jonathan Gannon bolted for a head coaching job. Officially, he served as a “consultant.” All of that came apart simply due to timing. Gannon did land a job with Arizona, but that didn’t crystallize until just before last year’s Super Bowl, which was well after Fangio agreed to take the Dolphins job, at $4.65 million per year. Fangio went to Miami, and the Eagles turned to Sean Desai instead. Since, Desai and Fangio have both effectively been fired. The former was first stripped of play-calling, then dismissed. The latter’s situation was messier. Fangio’s one-voice approach to running the defense wore on other coaches—an example being that he didn’t allow position coaches to present their work to the defense, instead gathering information from them and doing it himself. That sort of approach is decidedly old school and seeped through to players who, by the end of the season, started to tune Fangio out. So while Fangio may have wanted to go to Philadelphia all along, his departure from Miami wasn’t exactly voluntary. And my sense is whoever’s next (former Chargers coach Brandon Staley meets with the Dolphins on Sunday) will have to employ a more collaborative style, plus mesh better with stars such as Jalen Ramsey.
PhillyVoice
Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA: Latu suffered a serious neck injury while playing at Washington, and his football career was seemingly over. He transferred to UCLA, where he thrived. In 2022, he had 10.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. In 2023, he had 13 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 INTs. When you watch his highlights, it’s easy to see that Latu has an extensive repertoire of pass rush moves, and he can win either on the edge or from the interior on obvious passing downs. He’s going to be a first-round pick.
Iggles Blitz
The defense was a mess in 2023. The scheme was fine, but they didn’t have the right guys to teach it and keep all 11 players on the same page. We saw breakdowns week after week. There was poor communication. There was confusion. It seems like Nick Sirianni understood that hiring young coaches and hoping they would mesh wasn’t a good strategy. He hired a veteran DC and is now bringing in veteran coaches. They should help bring out the best in the players the Eagles have. And there will be some personnel upgrades as well. It feels like the Eagles have a stronger sense of direction this offseason. Last year was crazy. The offseason didn’t start until mid-February, and a lot of good coaches were already gone. Sirianni tried to go with young teachers since he had luck with that on the original staff. It didn’t work.
Field Gulls
Fans of the Seattle Seahawks have joked during the offseason that it would be hard for defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt to land another job after the performance of the Seattle defense under his watch over the last two seasons. However, according to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero Monday afternoon, Hurtt has found a new employer for the 2024 season.
Acme Packing Company
Dennard Wilson. Age: 41. Current position: Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach (2023-present). Wilson, a former college DB himself who had a brief stint on an NFL practice squad, has seen …
