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The DiCecco Daily: A Closer Look At Some Vital Eagles Assistant Coaches · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on?
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Everyone? Welcome into another episode of to check Odali Andrew
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: de Checko, Eagles beat reporter for insidethebirds dot Com, and
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: today I want to take a look at some of
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: the Eagles assistant coaches. Who of that group will be
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: most key in the Eagles twenty twenty six success. And
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: I'm excluding Sean Mannion and Vic Vangio for obvious reasons.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Clearly they are going to be at the forefront.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: I'm more so looking at coaches who are helming a
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: certain position room and why they are going to.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Be key to the Eagles success.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: We'll start with Parks Frasier, the Eagles newly minted quarterbacks coach.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: He moves over from passing game coordinator and this is
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: yet another quarterbacks coach that we'll be working with Jaywen Hurts.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: So I think that if you're looking at it from
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: an opt mystic point of view, you like the fact
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: that he was already in house, so they were in
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: the building together. Now they will be working exclusively with
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: one another. And Parks Fraser and the time that we
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: got to speak to him seems very well put together,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: sharp mind. He's not going to overcomplicate things, and he's
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: going to approach the tutelage with Jalen much like he
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: would any other quarterback, And he outlined that I wrote
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: a story about it on Inside the Birds dot com.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: He doesn't necessarily have to tower his approach because of
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Jayalen's history learning from different coaches, Parks Fraser has worked
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: with a bunch of different coaches, and from watching him
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: on the practice field, he's very engaged. He's very involved
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: in the quarterback drills as one would expect, But when
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: you look at Jalen Hurts and his transition to this
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: new offense, Parks Fraser is going to be hugely important
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: in refining the mechanics. Remember, Parks Fraser's coming from knowledge
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: of this scheme. He spent some time in Miami with
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: Mike McDaniel, so he has an idea of what it's
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: supposed to look like. And I think footwork, oddly as
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: it may sound, will be really, really, i should say,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: especially critical to this offense in doing some of the
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: different things. And he talked a little bit about that
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: and just refining some of the mechanical elements of this
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: offense and working with Jalen on timing and precision and
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: all of that. That's why Parks Frasier is going to
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: be really important. And what really strikes me I should
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: outline this about all of the Eagles assistant coaches is
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: their commitment and devotion to teaching. They view themselves as
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: teachers first, coaches second, and they all share that common theme,
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: which I think makes for a very strong collection of
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: assistant coaches. The other one that I want to mention
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: on the offensive side, and there are many, but I'm
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: gonna limit it to a couple because this podcast would
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: go all day. Chris Cooper, the Eagles offensive line coach.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: And this is someone who is very intense. I can
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: tell you that from watching them practice, Unlike Jeff Stoutlin.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: And to be clear, I'm not saying one way is
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: better than the other. We have no way of knowing.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: Jeff Stoutlin has had a Hall of Fame level of
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: success here in Philadelphia and he'll be forever revered. But
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: I'm looking at it in terms of watching practice, Chris
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Cooper never has his offensive lineman idol.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: They're constantly moving.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: He's going from player to player and taking stock of
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: what they're doing. There are some certain elements that they're
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: implementing like medicine balls and working on angles coming out
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: of their stances and things like that. And this is
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: someone who's coming from a situation with the Minnesota Vikings
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: where frankly, it didn't go particularly well and they had
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: a number of different iterations of that offensive line. And
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: I think because of that, you're going to see more
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: cross training to better prepare the reserves. So if they
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: do have to step in, you're not having to move
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: all these different pieces around. It's going to lend itself
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: to what would appear to be more of a seamless
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: transition relative to what you saw last year at the
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Minnesota Vikings. But this is someone who has played the
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: game before.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: He was a.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Starting guard for the Denver Broncos. So I think he
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: is already coming in. I don't think. I know he's
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: already coming in with a level of respect having played
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: the game. There's a relatability there, and there's already buy in.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: And so I look at what Lane Johnson had to say,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: I look at what Cam Jurgens Jordan Mylotta had to say.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: He said that they're learning a lot in the classroom.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: But Lane Johnson said that the buy in comes from
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: his prior career as a player, and he reached out
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: to different players on the Vikings to get a better
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: assessment of him, and Brian O'Neill gushed over Chris Cooper,
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: saying that that was his fit, the best offensive line
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: coach that he's had in his career. So there is
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: some Injurgue intrigue there with Chris Cooper, and I understand
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: that when you look at his previous track record, it
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: may not move the needle all that much for you.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: But I would also say that you have to wait
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: and see first. You got to let things play out,
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: and as the summer progresses will have a better idea
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: of how the offensive line is taking to his tutelage
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: and how they fit into this scheme. But I can
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: tell you right now that a lot of energy, a
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: lot of coaching and teaching on the fly, and I
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: think that will sort of reinvigorate. And when I say that,
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: I'm saying that in the sense that not necessarily that
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: it got stale under Stoutland, but that sometimes when you
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: have a new voice, a new presence commanding a room,
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: it kind of.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: Fuses it with a different level.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: Of energy and the verbiage and everything else is all new.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: So now you have veterans that have learned one way
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: for their entire career and they're now working to master
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: the different intricacies of what they're being asked to do
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: in this offense.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: So that could also be viewed as a positive.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: So Chris Cooper on the offensive side is another key coach.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: I could have.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: Listed Ryan Mahaffey, who's the run game coordinator and tight
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: ends coach. He's working with Eli Stowers, so his work
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: and helping him develop as a young player will be critical,
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: as will his.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Role as the run game coordinator.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: He's replacing a legend in Jeff Stoutlind But I wanted
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: to list too from each side. On the defensive side,
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: the first coach that I could think of is defensive
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: passing game coordinator Joe Casper, and Joe Casper is someone
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: who got promoted from safety's coach and rightfully so he's
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: replacing Parker in that role.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: But while there's no questions about the.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: Talent level and the performances of Quinna Mitchell and Cooper Dejen,
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: he's gonna be viewed under a microscope and how he's
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: able to bring Rik Wolland along, is he able to
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: work with him and help him maximize his talent level,
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: revert back to the player that he was previously early
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: in his.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: Career at the Seattle Seahawks.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: Details and honing in on the disciplined aspects of this
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: defense and the technique and things like that that you
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: need if you're going to be a part of this
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: defense under Vic Vangio. I also look at the safety position,
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: right because you have Drew mccouba, who started just ten
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: games as a rookie, played in eleven but started ten
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: and played just shy of seven hundred snaps, But still
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: the sample size is small.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: He's coming off.
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: A season injury, and while the Eagles and Joe Casper
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: are very excited about mccuba and his growth, there's still
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: going to be questions as to how can he handle
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: the top spot. Red Blankenship held that role and held
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: it well for a number of seasons, and now Drew
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: mccuba in just his second year, assents to that top spot.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: So communication and fundamentals and having a grasp of this
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: defense and being able to be that traffic cop back
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: there are going to be paramount and we'll get a
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: better read on that when you get into training camp
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: and you watch these players and you talk to them
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: after practice. But right then and there, I just listed
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Riek one and Drew mccuba as players who are going
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: to be directly learning under Joe Casper, and Joe Casper,
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: with his background in safeties and working with mccuba exclusively
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: last year, I think should should help the acclamation process
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: as he takes on a larger workload. And then you
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: have to identify who that second safety is going to be.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: And it's going to be like I mean, of the
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: candidates who are in house, Michael Carter the second or
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: Marcus EPs. Marcus EPs is a veteran, He's tried and true.
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: I talked about this in a previous podcast. But identifying
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: who is the best fit for this system and then
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: working with them and bringing them to a level where
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: they're not I don't want to say a liability, or
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: they're not their shortcomings aren't as aren't as noticeable, I
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: think is a fair way of putting it. And that
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: comes from coaching that comes with putting players in the
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: best position to be successful, which Joe Casper will now
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: be tasked with the spotlight's a little bit brighter on
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: him this year. He's a coach that I am extremely
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: bullish on. Everything that I've gathered behind the scenes over
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: the past two or three years really suggested that this
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: was a coach who was an arrow up guy who
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: is really bright and sharp. It speaks volumes that Vic
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: Fangio brought him to Miami without having really any prior
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: experience with him other than being around him in twenty
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: twenty two, brought him to Miami, made him a safety's coach,
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: So he caught his eye, and I think his attention
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: to detail, his commitment to teaching and working with players
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: and not talking at players and not complicating things but
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: instead trying to streamline as best as possible.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: There is a relatability factor.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: He's a younger coach, and like every coach, he really
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: drills the fundamentals and explains the why behind what they're asking,
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: and I think that really puts things in a perspective
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: for players. It makes it easier to grasp and digest.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: And so Joe Casper is the first coach that I
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: wanted to highlight, and then the second one on defense
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: is linebacker's coach Bobby King.
• 10:51
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  Speaker 2: Bobby King has really his star has risen during his
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: time in Philadelphia. He's worked with Zach Bond, He's brought
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah Trotter, who was a fifth round pick where he
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: wondered how he was going to transition to the NFL
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: a little bit undersized. He's worked with him and developed
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: him into a high end backup as the number three linebacker,
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: Nikobe Dean took a step forward under Bobby King's Tutoich.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: All of the linebackers speak glowingly about him. He's got,
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: you know, block Destruction University, and all of the rookies
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: have to graduate before they can get to block Destruction University.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: I remember talking to Smile Mandan about that last season
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: maybe and maybe it was Lance Dixon as well in
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: one of the pre after one of the preseason games.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: But you have to earn your stripes. He's an intense coach.
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: He fixates on details.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: When you watch the Eagles.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: Do the bas security drills or when they're dislodging the football,
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: he's right there in their face, engaged in the drills.
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: Looks like a throwback type of coach where he could
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: play linebacker right now. The energy, the intensity that he
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: brings and one of the coaches that I believe has
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: the potential to be a defensive coordinator at the next level.
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: Wouldn't surprise me and that's if he wants to do that,
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: because his track record of player development in a very
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: short period of time in Philadelphia is something that should
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: be talked about.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: A little bit more than it is.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: And why he's highlighted here is because now his next assignment,
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: if you will, will be ensuring that Jahad Campbell's progression
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: continues to go according to planned right. I mean, he's
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: now starting, he's reclaiming his starting spot. He opened the
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: year as a starter, but now he's entrenched.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: He knows it.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: You're playing alongside Zach Bond. But it's about limiting mistakes.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: And going through.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: Some of the things that he did last season and
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: trying to refine specific areas. Jahad Campbell's also missed the
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: past two springs with different shoulder injuries, so it'll be
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: up to all of the coaches, but namely Bobby King
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: and helping him get up to speed, making sure he's
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: dialed in and continuing his step forward hit the steps
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: forward that he made last year. And Jahad Campbell Andrew mccooba,
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: if you notice both players I listed here, they're both
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: going to be called upon to take on a pretty
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: sizable workload and there's not necessarily the established complimentary pieces
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: surrounding him. In the case of Red Blanket Ship in
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: the Kobe Deane, it's their show now. They're not going
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: to loosen, They're not going to tighten the reins or
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: anything like that. There's no one who's going to usurp
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: them for their jobs. And I think because the Eagles
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: have two talented players there who have a very sharp
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: football mind and are devoted to their craft, that counts
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: for something.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: But the fact that they also have to devoted and
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: I guess I would say to.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: Well versed defensive coaches that are keen on the teaching
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: aspect of their jobs, that right there should really bode
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: well in inching them forward in their progression. So I
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: could have won a lot of different ways here, but
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: I landed on those two coaches on offense and the
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: two coaches on defense. But training camp will soon be
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: here and we'll have football to talk about, which I'm
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: very much looking forward to. But with that, that is
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: going to do it for this episode of the Czech
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: O Daily.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: I'm Andrew Decheco.
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: We'll catch you all on the next one.