Sean McDermott Discusses the Eagles’ Coaching Job… Is He Our Next Coach?

The Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott, appeared on the 97.5 The Fanatic Morning Show today talking football, philosophy, and the Eagles’ head coaching position. I will say one thing, this guy is passionate about two things: Football and Philadelphia. Sounds perfect, right?

In listening to the interview, I took away a few things I’ll give my opinions on below.

“I love the area.”

Sean grew up in this area, and coached with the Eagles for 12 years. That’s a lot of time and passion for not only this city, but for the Eagles as well. McDermott even went on to say…

“It’s been painful to watch.”

It is rare that coaches ever show allegiance or “fandom” to a team that they are not coaching. This statement to me spoke volumes. It means not only did McDermott love his time here, but he still watches what the team is doing, and has a passion for their success. We have always clambered for a coach that got this city and what it meant to have a passion… Well, this is as close as you could ever get.

“I want to get the magic back.”

This speaks to what I said just above. Sean has a passion for this team and wants to see them find success. He even referenced the defensive lack of play and identity by going on to say that the defense needs to know, “what it means to play Philadelphia defense.” Just imagine if our defense looked like Carolina’s and we got back to seeing D play reminiscent of the Jim Johnson days; we’d fall in love with McDermott for that alone.

“In Carolina, we have invested in people to find success.”

McDermott spoke about how they have filled their squad with passionate, accountable players with a deep desire to win. He said he needs high character (sounds like Andy Reid) guys that care about the team over themselves. He spoke about how amazing and close knit locker room Carolina has. That sounds like everything our team is currently lacking. Sign me up for all of these things, now!

“It’s about building an identity.”

McDermott spoke about how the biggest compliment he can get as a coach is hearing statements such as, “Your team plays extremely hard” or, “That team really tackles well and plays through the whistle.” Outside of talking about players as individuals, we can’t single out our defense as a whole and say they all do one thing well. We can’t say we have an identity in any way, shape, or form. McDermott went on to say that he wants every team they play thinking, “you’ve got to work extremely hard on offense to beat us.”

“You’ve got to connect and relate to the modern athlete.”

This right here – this is the major undoing of Chip Kelly. He never knew how to relate to our squad, and it ultimately is what caused him to lose the pulse of the locker room, team, front office, and then the city. McDermott spoke about how he talks to his players, relates to them, and even said he listens to their music which, “all the guys love and get a kick out of.” He also discussed that in today’s NFL you need to be able to communicate your vision clearly, as well as finding the trigger to bring out the best in your guys. Chip never seemed able or willing to do this exact thing. It seems to be what McDermott is all about.

In the end, McDermott sounds like, and has the credentials to be the coach we have all been craving. A Philadelphia guy, passionate, tuned in, player friendly, would demand respect, but understand what it takes. The downside? It seems like the Eagles have zero interest in him, and there currently is almost zero chance he ends up here. It’s fun to dream, though.