What is the Eagles greatest strength as an organization?

The Philadelphia Eagles have reached two Super Bowls in the past six seasons. Despite a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on the game’s biggest stage, they have established themselves firmly in the top tier of NFL franchises.

After the Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, Bo Wulf spoke on The Athletic Football Show about how the return to the Super Bowl reflects on the successful ownership approach of Jeffrey Lurie and the persistence of Howie Roseman.

The 21st century is the golden era of the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ve appeared in the conference championship game more than any team besides the New England Patriots, and they’re tied for the second-most playoff wins with 16. They’ve made the NFC Championship Game more frequently than they’ve had a losing season.

The franchise wouldn’t be where they are without great leadership at the top and on the sidelines. Lurie’s successful formula for hiring NFL head coaches has become the greatest strength of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Three of his past four hires have shared some of the same easily identifiable qualities. Andy Reid, Doug Pederson, and Nick Sirianni all took their first NFL head coaching jobs with experience as offensive assistants. None of them had other NFL teams lined up to hire them, all three of them impressed the Eagles with intangible leadership qualities.

Head Coaching Hires: Andy Reid and Doug Pederson

When Lurie and Joe Banner began their coaching search in 1999, they closely scrutinized the careers of NFL head coaches who had reached multiple Super Bowls. 

“All of these coaches were very detail-oriented, to the point where it drove those around them crazy. They were exceptional at evaluating people, and could apply that not just with players, but with coaches and scouts and support staff alike,” Banner wrote on SI.com in 2018.

Reid began as an unknown whose only previous NFL experience came as a position coach for the Green Bay Packers. He became the franchise’s all-time leader in wins over a 14-year tenure that changed the direction and perception of the Eagles forever.

Lurie revisited his previously successful approach by hiring Pederson in 2016. The former NFL backup quarterback had spent the previous three years as Reid’s offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and four seasons on his staff in Philadelphia from 2009-2012. 

Reid’s recommendation carried weight with the Philadelphia owner, who placed leadership qualities and emotional intelligence at the forefront after an ugly divorce with Chip Kelly. All Pederson did for the Eagles was win the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl after the 2017 season.

The Eagles haven’t quite kept franchise lifers around the same way as the Pittsburgh Steelers in their improbable run with three head coaches since 1969. Reid and Pederson both lost their jobs after four-win seasons in a market that burns hot with passion on a yearly basis.

Nick Sirianni

However, Lurie kept true to his beliefs when he brought in Sirianni to replace Pederson. Once again, he took from the tree of one of his former coaches. Frank Reich spoke about Sirianni, his former offensive coordinator, after the Eagles made the hire in 2021.

“He cares about people. He’s the guy who knows everybody’s name in the building because he cares. He’s just great at connecting with people like that,” Reich said.

Sirianni’s five key principles for success in the NFL helped the Eagles to an appearance in Super Bowl LVII in his second season as an NFL head coach.

Chip Kelly was Lurie’s worst of five head coaching hires. Despite an unforgettably sour ending, the former Oregon Ducks hotshot did start off with consecutive 10-6 seasons in a league where the worst franchises recycle unsuccessful coaches like there’s no tomorrow.

Lurie also hired Ray Rhodes, who won the NFL Coach of the Year Award in 1995. Rhodes did a respectable job in four seasons although he couldn’t sustain long-term success.

Eagles Staff in Flux

Great head coaches are bound to lose staff members, and Sirianni will face the departure of five assistant coaches.

The Andy Reid coaching tree includes successful NFL coaches like John Harbaugh, Ron Rivera, and Sean McDermott. Although immediate replacements didn’t always replicate the same success, his consistent ability to groom coaches is one of his most admirable qualities.

Pederson struggled to replace Reich and John DeFilippo with an awkward dynamic of offensive assistants that didn’t help the development of Carson Wentz. The dynamic between Pederson, his assistant coaching staff, and the front office factored heavily into his exit from Philadelphia in January 2021.

Brian Johnson will replace Steichen as an internal promotion. Sean Desai will replace Gannon as an external hire. Will Sirianni show an ability to withstand the poachers with a tenure as long as Reid’s in Philadelphia, or will he take a hard and fast fall like Pederson?

Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire