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As the Eagles’ coaching search enters Day 11, it looks like two of the top candidates for the job are Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Eagles running back / assistant head coach Duce Staley.
It’s a decision Jeff Lurie won’t take lightly and if it comes down to Staley or McDaniels, it will come down to very different candidates.
Former NFL running back LeGarrette Blount, having played under both coaches, is uniquely qualified to give his opinion and he had his chance Tuesday afternoon on 94WIP.
Blount, 34, played under McDaniels from 2014-2016 and won two Super Bowls with McDaniels as the offensive coordinator.
“I loved playing for Josh,” said Blount. “Josh is an incredible offensive coordinator and game planner on the offensive end.”
Of course, there are major questions and concerns regarding McDaniels, who failed as head coach of the Broncos ten years ago. At the time, he was a very young coach and also had control of the staff. He did something that several other New England assistants tried to do when they took head coaching jobs elsewhere: he tried to be Bill Belichick.
So Blount has some of the same questions and concerns with McDaniels that a lot of fans do.
“I think the question is the approach,” Blount told WIP. “There are a lot of guys that come from New England trying to get New England to a different team and then you don’t have the same kind of players. Bill knows how to find players who will fit in and blend in if he wants to or needs it too. And I think sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
“And I don’t know how Josh would approach the head coaching situation, if he would want to bring that or if he would put his own version in it, like (Brian) Flores with Miami. You never know the ideas and what they will bring. “
For what it’s worth, McDaniels has repeatedly said publicly that he learned from his first experience as a head coach. But in 2018 he also dismissed the Colts, who hired him as a head coach before stepping down.
Meanwhile, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who says bad things about Staley, who has been the Eagles’ running back coach since 2013. Blount only spent one season in Philadelphia but c t was a magical season that ended with a parade.
“Duce is amazing,” said Blount. “He thinks Duce is a great candidate. I think Duce will be a great leader for this team.
One of the masterpieces of Staley’s time as the Eagles running back coach came in 2017 when he was able to keep the backyard room without ego with two legitimate starters in Blount and Jay Ajayi, who are halfway through the season.
It’s Duce’s ability to build relationships with players that makes Blount think his former coach would be a good head coach.
“I would love this hire,” Blount said. “I think everyone in this team and in this organization respects Duce as much as possible. They respect his opinion, they love him there. He is a former player, he can relate to every person and to any type of person in this locker room and in this building.
“I just think of Duce, and it’s just me who’s been here a year, I can imagine what people think of him who’s been with him for a lot longer.” It’s just the impact he had on me that year. Obviously I feel like I respect him a lot and I think he’s a great person.
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