The Eagles seem to have their head coaching search narrowed down to a final four. We already outlined the pros and cons to hiring Josh McDaniels, now we look to another candidate: Duce Staley.
Pros: When Jeffrey Lurie addressed the media after firing Doug Pederson he said specifically he was looking for a leader of men. Look no further than assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley.
Want someone who is respected by his team? Duce has constantly received accolades from players and former players since the job became available.
Duce Staley #NextManUp !!! Every time he stood in front of the team he had the attention and respect of everyone in the room. The embodiment of what it means to be an 🦅 @Eagles , in a coach. I’m good where I’m at lol BUT, In another lifetime I’d love to play for him!
— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) January 11, 2021
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DO IT! https://t.co/CTEMMniOJ6 pic.twitter.com/yyWIc2ZShq
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) January 12, 2021
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Duce has been a fixture on the Eagles coaching staff since 2011. He’s climbed the ranks and knows what it means to play Philadelphia Eagles football.
It’s unclear if Duce would call plays in “his” offense. He would likely bring in a proven play-caller to help design the offense which would make him a CEO-style coach to focus on coaching up the players and not so much on the intricacies of play calling.
In conclusion: he’s respected by the team, has been here since 2011, and could be the CEO style coach the front office is looking for.
Cons: He didn’t receive any buzz for any of the other six head coaching jobs. Though he’s viewed as a leader here, we could be looking at Duce through rose-colored glasses.
One can make the argument that he hasn’t really developed any running back talent. Miles Sanders is good but he hasn’t proven to be a true bell-cow back. Boston Scott is a nice change of pace guy – but what else is there? Donnel Pumphrey did nothing, Josh Adams fizzled out fast, Corey Clement is maxed out. It could be circumstantial but it’s worth noting.
