The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Nick Sirianni overcomes his own adversity for another Super Bowl trip – NBCSP
But he’s also a pretty good coach, especially for this team. And it’s time Sirianni gets his flowers. Next season, Sirianni is set to enter the final year of the five-year contract he signed when he was named the head coach in 2021. Jeffrey Lurie won’t let Sirianni enter a lame duck season after a Super Bowl appearance. So it’s also time to give the man his contract extension. Sirianni, 43, is just the third head coach ever to get his team to multiple Super Bowls in his first four years at the helm, joining Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin. He’s already the first Eagles coach to ever reach two Super Bowls and he’s the first coach to make the playoffs in each of his first four years and take his team to multiple Super Bowls. Sure, the Eagles have talent and you can’t ignore that. Lurie and Howie Roseman have set up a situation for Sirianni to thrive — but he is thriving. You can knock him for having a bunch of talent but there’s a skill in getting a team to play up to its potential and Sirianni is doing that right now. The Eagles had one of their most complete games of the season to punch their ticket to New Orleans. Another part of the criticism is that Sirianni’s role became more of a CEO-type coach this season. There are other CEO coaches in the NFL but they were hired with that responsibility in mind; Sirianni ended up here because the offense was too stagnant in 2023. Kellen Moore was brought in to take control of the offense. The big question entering the season about Sirianni revolved around what his actual role would be. Sirianni during the offseason was asked, if Moore is in charge of the offense and Vic Fangio is in charge of the defense, what’s your role? “The head coach,” Sirianni quipped back. And, to his credit, he’s been a darn good one in 2024.

Eagles-Commanders Film Review: Multiple defensive standouts from the NFC Championship Game – BGN
Nolan Smith has been lights out in the playoffs. He has progressed so much in his second season. I’m so happy for him. He’s become a good pass rusher and an outstanding run defender who plays nearly all of the snaps. This was a great rep where he takes on the pulling guard (who weighs about 82 lbs more than him) and still makes the tackle. Speaking of EDGE defenders, I didn’t clip up anything for Jalyx Hunt this week, but he had a good game. He showed some promise rushing the quarterback and was good against the run. Hunt played 42 snaps!

Saquon Barkley’s game-breaking ability is key to the Eagles’ Super Bowl Hopes – PFF
Barkley’s explosiveness on the ground has been unmatched this season. Through conference championship weekend, he leads the league with 54 runs of 10 or more yards, and the numbers only become more impressive as the distance increases. He’s tallied 13 runs of 30-plus yards, two more than Baltimore Ravens star Derrick Henry, and 10 runs of 40-plus yards, four more than any other player. Runs of 50 or more yards? Barkley has nine, while no other player in the NFL has more than three. Adding to the historic nature of his season, Barkley’s seven touchdowns on runs of 60-plus yards, including the playoffs, outnumber the combined total of 10 for the rest of the league. These aren’t just dominant numbers for 2024—they’re historic. Since PFF began charting data in 2006, Barkley’s seven runs of 60 or more yards are the most ever recorded in a single season.

Who is better, Eagles or Chiefs: Offense edition – PhillyVoice
While not a top 10 passer in the NFL, Hurts is pretty clearly a top 10 quarterback, as he probably doesn’t get enough credit for his contributions to the best rushing attack in the NFL. There really isn’t a pros and cons list for Mahomes. It’s just all pros. Like, he’s even an elite flopper. When his career is over he’ll be in the conversation for greatest football player of all time. Edge: Chiefs, duh.

Kellen Moore – Iggles Blitz
Losing Moore certainly isn’t ideal for the Eagles. There are some critics who would like to see him go. I certainly get that. The offense has been odd this year. The passing game hasn’t been nearly as smooth and productive as it should have been. It feels like the Eagles should be better than they are on offense. I don’t think enough people appreciate what a complicated situation the Eagles have. Nick Sirianni has an offensive background and will always have his say in the offense. Jeff Stoutland is in charge of the run game. Kevin Patullo is going to be involved in the passing game. There is also the Jalen Hurts factor. You have to build the offense around his skill set. You also have to listen to what he wants. Hurts has strong ideas on what he wants to do and that affects the OC’s play-calling. The offensive coordinator doesn’t have the freedom to run his system, his way. He’s got restraints. The OC has to be able to fit his ideas into what is already in place. Go watch the Dallas offense from a few years back and then watch the Eagles. Those game tapes aren’t going to be the same. Moore just called his best game of the year in the NFC championship game. He called passing plays that gave Hurts quick reads and allowed him to get the ball to Dallas Goedert and AJ Brown. Moore mixed in the jet sweep to DeVonta Smith. Motion was used effectively.

Jalen Hurts improved against the blitz in 2024. Can he outduel Steve Spagnuolo? – The Athletic
Can Hurts join Brady and Burrow? Since Hurts entered the league in 2020, only three other quarterbacks have a higher career EPA per dropback versus the blitz in games against Spagnuolo than Hurts (0.21), per TruMedia (min. 20 dropbacks). Hurts’ EPA per dropback against the blitz in Super Bowl LVII (0.34) is also tied with Brady’s Super Bowl LV performance for the highest mark in those terms against any Spagnuolo-coordinated defense in a single playoff game in the 65-year-old coach’s career. The pieces are all still there to adequately equip Hurts in his fourth game against Spagnuolo. An offensive line studded with Pro Bowlers. A Brown-Smith duo that’s amassed 47 touchdowns and over 7,000 receiving yards in three seasons. A high-powered run game in which Saquon Barkley has fielded the greatest single season by any running back in Eagles history. It’s arguable that this is the most equipped Hurts has ever been. He ended the 2024 regular season with the highest blitz EPA of his career (0.25), per TruMedia.

NFL playoff rosters: Predicting free agent departures, cuts – ESPN+
Potential candidates for release: CB James Bradberry, CB Darius Slay. After a disappointing 2023 season, the Eagles moved Bradberry to safety over the summer, only for him to suffer a lower-leg injury in training camp. Despite initial reports that the injury would cost him six to eight weeks, he hasn’t returned to the roster. While he’s owed only $2.1 million next year, the Eagles are likely to make the 31-year-old a post-June 1 release. Slay is still playing well enough to start, but with the emergence of rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, it would be a surprise if Philadelphia didn’t want to start its two budding stars on a full-time basis in 2025, which would push DeJean ahead of the veteran on the outside in two-cornerback groupings. Slay has a $16.1 million bonus due before the start of the 2025 season, but I would expect Roseman to either redo Slay’s deal or move on from him to avoid paying that amount. The 34-year-old Slay could choose to retire, which also would resolve the situation.

Unscripted: How the Eagles won the NFC Championship – PE.com
For the second time in three seasons, the Eagles are NFC Champions. Unscripted, presented by Lincoln Financial, guides you through an emotional week that ended with a 55-23 blowout victory over the Washington Commanders. From exclusive access to the team meeting to the preparation on the practice field to Gillie Da King leading the Eagles out of the tunnel, everything that led to a party on Broad Street is right here.

Eagles fans end feud with Commanders superfan in heartwarming manner – On Pattison
Then a funny thing happened. Tailgate Ted challenged Eagles fans to help out his fundraiser to fight lung cancer. And, one week after raising tens of thousands of dollars for California wildfire victims in advance of the Birds’ game against the Rams, Eagles fans stepped up again.

Andy Reid roundup: 4 takeaways from the Chiefs’ head coach – Arrowhead Pride
Reid provided a brief initial scouting report of the Philadelphia Eagles. As to be expected, the head coach has a ton of respect for the upcoming Super Bowl opponent. “Those receivers have been in the offense now for a while,” said Reid of the Eagles. “They’ve got good tight ends (Dallas Goedert); they’ve got good receivers — I mean real good receivers (AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith), and they’ve got a running back (Saquon Barkley) that arguably is one of the best in history of the game. And their offensive line, for all those guys to work, their offensive line has to be good, too. Their quarterback (Jalen Hurts) is dialing it up right now, so whatever injuries he had earlier in the season, he’s playing like crazy right now. That’s a heck of an offense and another huge challenge for us.”

Bucks County fans decorate house with all things Philadelphia Eagles for Super Bowl – PhillyBurbs
The Glowacki’s Philadelphia Eagles decorated house lights up their neighborhood in Middletown on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid on Joe Thuney’s move to LT: He steps in and ‘never blinks’ – NFL.com
During this week’s edition of SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go” podcast, Chiefs coach Andy Reid discussed Thuney’s willingness to switch positions with Jim Gray and Bill Belichick, who coached the lineman for his first six seasons in New England. “Bill let me have Joe Thuney, so I appreciated that,” Reid said, chuckling. “But that kid, we have him out at left tackle now. I mean, Bill, you had him as… an All-Pro guard, and now he’s out there at left tackle, and he doesn’t say a word about it. He doesn’t complain. And that’s a whole different world out there. There’s no security blanket when you’re on that side there on your outside. That’s a tough spot. But he just steps in and goes and never blinks on it.”

Year One of the Commanders’ Rebuild Was the Most Dramatic One-Season Turnaround in the Salary Cap Era – Hogs Haven
There is no guarantee that the Commanders will match the long-term success of teams like the 1997 Rams, 2010 Seahawks, 2013 Chiefs or the 2017 49ers whom they outpaced in the first year of their rebuild. But it is undeniable that the franchise reset is off to a great start.

Former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy to focus on 2026 cycle, will not coach this season – Blogging The Boys
McCarthy interviewed for the Chicago Bears job that ultimately went to Ben Johnson. He also was in discussions with the New Orleans Saints, who have also interviewed former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and they were the last team left needing a coach after Dallas hired Schottenheimer. It appears either McCarthy felt the Saints job wasn’t going to be his or wasn’t worth his time.

The Winners and Losers of the NFL Coaching Carousel – The Ringer
But Dallas is in a precarious position. Not only is Jones at the helm of the team, but its roster is getting more expensive. If the Cowboys couldn’t win with CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons making 5.5 percent of the team’s salary cap this past season, how will they win with those two making roughly 22 percent? Dak Prescott coming off a hamstring injury doesn’t help matters, either. For now, though, Schottenheimer has reason to celebrate. Not only did he achieve a lifelong goal, but he’s also shown a generation of coaches that if you just sidle up to an eccentric, out-of-touch billionaire and hold firm while they drive everyone else away, you too can obtain a dream job that slowly morphs into a gilded-cage nightmare. Think about how many coaches Schottenheimer—sorry, the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys—has inspired.

New York Giants free agency: What to like, not like, about QB Jimmy Garoppolo – Big Blue View
The New York Giants are searching for a long-term solution at quarterback — 33-year-old Jimmy Garoppolo is not that. Still, the Giants may be in the market for veteran leadership and three quarterbacks to bolster a new-look quarterback room. Should Jimmy Garoppolo be considered for the quarterback three spot, if Joe Schoen and the Giants opt to add three signal callers? New York may target two free-agent quarterbacks in March while likely selecting one early in the draft. If two are added, both free-agent quarterbacks would not be guaranteed a roster spot, especially with a cheap, non-guaranteed contract. In this scenario, Garoppolo may be considered an option, purely as veteran depth.

Why the hell did the Bears hire Press Taylor? – SB Nation
The Eagles front office wanted Taylor fired, but was met with incredible resistance from Doug Pederson. The coach was so hellbent on keeping Taylor on his staff that he ultimately got fired from his head coaching job for sticking by him. The pair were fired after the 2020 season, and the Eagles immediately got better without Taylor being involved. Jalen Hurts completed just 52 percent of his passes under Taylor’s guidance, but lifted this to a breakout 2nd year with Nick Sirianni’s takeover.