The Impact of Jonathan Gannon Leaving the Philadelphia Eagles
Jonathan Gannon certainly made some waves after leaving the Philadelphia Eagles. The former defensive coordinator unceremoniously accepted his first head coaching job without following accepted practice in the NFL. The tampering mishap cost the Eagles the opportunity to hire Vic Fangio as Gannon’s replacement.
He will lead the 3-12 Arizona Cardinals into Lincoln Financial Field in Week 17.
“The Eagles lost out on arguably as good of a defensive coordinator as there is in the league.” -Adam Schefter
Jonathan Gannon: A Poor Exit
Adam Schefter spoke on The John Kincade Show in May about the tampering penalties imposed on the Cardinals by the NFL.
“I just think that the Eagles weren’t comfortable with the information they learned.” -Schefter
He retraced back to the original story during his weekly appearance on Wednesday at 8am.
“If there had been just a little bit more transparency, the Eagles would have been able to keep Vic Fangio, I think. Because there wasn’t and they were waiting for an answer from Jonathan, they were waiting for that to get done when I think it was trending that way all along, then Philly could have kept Vic Fangio. They didn’t, and Vic took the Miami job. The next day, Gannon took the Cardinals job.” -Schefter
The Philadelphia defense has struggled to handle the coordinator and personnel changes of the offseason. Sean Desai lasted only 13 games as the primary decision-maker. Veteran Matt Patricia now calls the plays after a desperate late-season change.
The Eagles have slipped to 23rd in the NFL in defensive DVOA after finishing 6th under Gannon in 2022, per FTN Fantasy. They rank 20th in yards allowed and 25th in points allowed.
Gannon’s Legacy with the Eagles
Gannon coached the top-ranked defense in the NFL by yards allowed in 2022. The Eagles shattered their franchise record with 70 sacks, two shy of tying an NFL record. The defense posted dominant performances in the NFC playoffs by holding their opponents to 14 combined points in two games.
Personnel upgrades made a bigger impact on the surge than the defensive coordinator. However, coaches don’t roll out the ball without instructing their players. Haason Reddick, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, James Bradberry, and company wouldn’t have succeeded as well as they did if Gannon had forced them into an ineffective system.
Instead, the DC allowed his players to utilize their strengths, something his predecessor Jim Schwartz struggled with. The approach was good enough for a Super Bowl appearance. It wasn’t good enough to get the Eagles another Lombardi Trophy, however.
Gannon showed an inability to develop game plans to stop top-tier NFL quarterbacks during his two seasons in Philadelphia. That was never more evident than against Patrick Mahomes and the Kanas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. Sheil Kapadia pointed out alarming stats of ineffective defense on the biggest stage.
He took the previous 400 Eagles games as his sample size and ranked the defensive performance in the Super Bowl 395th by defensive success rate. The Kansas City offense in the Super Bowl ranked in the 98th percentile of offensive success rate for every game of the 2022 season.
The Eagles defense came up with no plays in the most crucial moments, and it cost Jalen Hurts and the offense a chance to win an all-time classic.
Eagles, Cardinals, Dolphins in 2023
The units relevant to the conversation haven’t thickened the plot much in 2023. The Eagles haven’t performed well defensively this season. There is no singular root of the issues, however.
Matt Patricia finds himself working with a lack of edge rusher depth, a pair of declining outside cornerbacks, and a glaring void of playmakers at the linebacker and safety positions.
Sean Desai might not have helped the situation in 13 games, but it’s hard to say Vic Fangio would be running a defensive unit at the top of the NFL if he took the DC job in Philadelphia.
The Miami Dolphins have allowed their fair share of points under Fangio. They rank 20th in scoring defense but 4th in yards allowed. They rank 15th in defensive DVOA.
The Cardinals rank dead last in the NFL in defensive DVOA. They don’t have the talent to pin their problems on coaching, but no organization that hires a defensive-minded head coach expects to sit toward the bottom of the league in most major defensive categories.
The Intensity of Philadelphia Fans
“All sides have done what they can to move forward in a respectful way.” -Adam Schefter
Schefter spoke only about Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals, and the Eagles. The organizations aren’t the only ones who get a voice inside NFL stadiums.
The most passionate fans in professional sports react to the success and/or failure of the Eagles with extremes. Gannon knows that all too well after taking intense criticism throughout his two-year tenure under Nick Sirianni. He gained no supporters with a misguided and unprofessional offseason rant about how the Philadelphia media and fans perceived him.
The Eagles might not ultimately be in a better position if Vic Fangio was calling the defense, and the Miami defense isn’t lighting the world on fire anyway. When Gannon walks into the Linc on New Year’s Eve, the Philadelphia crowd probably won’t think much about that. They’ll see a flawed former assistant coach who criticized Philadelphia publicly after he left the Eagles on less-than-spectacular terms.
He’s now in charge of a pitiful 3-12 football team that comes to town to face an Eagles team in need of a get-right blowout. What better target for a chorus of boos reigning down at the Linc?
Don’t expect many Eagles fans to wish Jonathan Gannon a happy New Year.
Watch The John Kincade Show on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on weekday mornings from 6am-10am.
Philadelphia Eagles Projected 2023 Week 17 Starters
Jalen Hurts
Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020D'Andre Swift
Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)A.J. Brown
Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)DeVonta Smith
Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021Julio Jones
Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)Dallas Goedert
Tight End, #88
South Dakota St.
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018Jordan Mailata
Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018Landon Dickerson
Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021Jason Kelce
Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011Cam Jurgens
Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022Lane Johnson
Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013Josh Sweat
Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018Fletcher Cox
Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012Jordan Davis
Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022Haason Reddick
Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)Nicolas Morrow
Linebacker, #41
Greensville University
6th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)Shaquille Leonard
Linebacker, #50
South Carolina St.
6th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (December 2023)Kelee Ringo
Cornerback, #22
University of Georgia
1st NFL Season, Drafted in 4th Round (105th Overall) in 2023James Bradberry
Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)Avonte Maddox
Cornerback, #29
University of Pittsburgh
Drafted in 4th Round (125th overall) in 2018Kevin Byard
Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)Reed Blankenship
Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)
