Eagles may have found Kevin Patullo's replacement before he's even gone
Just a season removed from being one of the most explosive units in recent memory, the Philadelphia Eagles' offense has become an anchor pulling the team away from the dominance their roster is capable of. Understandably, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has taken most of the heat for the change in production. His overly conservative play-calling and inability to maximize the talent at his disposal have led Eagles fans to call for his job.
While it's just Patullo's first season in the position, it wouldn't be shocking if a team with consistent championship aspirations chose to cut ties with an underperforming play caller. There aren't any excuses for fielding a dysfunctional offense with this level of talent.
If the Eagles do choose to move on from him, recently fired Brian Daboll could quietly be the perfect replacement.
Brian Daboll could be Eagles' perfect Kevin Patullo replacement
Daboll's tenure with the New York Giants was rocky at best. After three and a half seasons as their head coach, the Giants fired him this week. He was able to lead an effective offense with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, but being a head coach requires much more than that. Per reports, the coach's aggressive personality rubbed people within the organization the wrong way. Those divides, along with multiple blown leads this year, led to his firing.
While he might not be fit to be a head coach in the NFL, Daboll could still be an impactful offensive coordinator. Able to focus on one side of the ball, the coach's weaknesses would be covered up. He demonstrated his ability to lead a potent offense with the Buffalo Bills before being hired by the Giants. In fact, he was a crucial part of Josh Allen's development early in his career.
There are some clear reasons why Daboll would be a risky hire for the Eagles. His explosive personality could clash with Nick Sirianni's, as both coaches are known to be intense on the sidelines. Fans in Philadelphia may be hesitant to hire a coordinator who failed with a division rival.
However, the former Giants' head coach would likely be able to get the most out of the Eagles' talent in a way that Patullo has struggled to. And if the hire worked out, Eagles fans would have yet another claim to bragging rights over Giants fans. It would certainly be a risky hire, but the reward can't be beat.
Cowboys Stars Pushed Key Rookie Ahead of Week 11 Debut
In theory, if iron sharpens iron and all that, the Cowboys secondary should be razor sharp, and should have been so throughout the bulk of this NFL season. It hasn’t. In fact, with a battered safety bunch, plus with DaRon Bland a disappointment, Kaiir Elam merely serviceable and Trevon Diggs not healthy, it’s been arguably the worst secondary in the NFL this season.
Still, the Cowboys have one of the league’s best quarterbacks, Dak Prescott, and two receivers who would star on roster in the NFL: CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
For rookie third-round draft pick Shavon Revel, facing those two in practice for the past four months has raised his game, even as he is also working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered a year ago in college.
Revel revealed what practicing against those two players has made him think about NFL receivers as he prepares for his debut on Monday night against the Raiders. “It’s real,” he said. “It’s real, man.”
Shavon Revel Learned Much From Cowboys Stars
Revel said that trying to keep up with the speedy and elusive Pickens in Cowboys practice has been especially difficult.
“Especially George Pickens, man, slippery and slithery,” Revel said. “You know how he get. Definitely competition, I feel like they brought me back to myself, approach it every day like, these are the same guys you’ve been going against, you know. I can’t say too much about it because every day I feel like I am getting better, and every day I feel like I am making them better, too.
“That boy George, man, he makes you work. He will get you ready for game day.”
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys
Shavon Revel ‘Very Excited’ for Debut
For Revel, being dropped into action here in the midst of a season, at a time when the Cowboys are essentially in a must-win situation for weeks to come. will be a challenge. But he is joining a secondary that is currently ranked 31st in the NFL in coverage, via Pro Football Focus.
The challenge, he said, will be playing with energy and excitement, while also reeling himself in and keeping his play-to-play focus tight.
“I am very excited, not playing football for a whole year. I am very excited,” he said. “I just gotta focus on my details. A little rust coming back, but at the end of the day, I know what I gotta do. I know I gotta put that work in, I gotta take that step every day.
“Leading into it, it’s kind of nerve-wracking. But I know what I can do. I feel like everyone knows what they can do—I know my body, so I feel like I can go out there and play my game and be confident in it.”
There is a question, too, about trusting his knee and worrying about getting re-injured. Revel says he is trying not to think about that.
“I am not sure,” he said. “I will take that step-by-step every day. I don’t want to put that in my head. I want to come out here and do what I do and do it my best.”
Cowboys Playing With heavy Hearts
There’s the added element, too, of Monday being fraught with emotion because the Cowboys have not played a game since the death of teammate Marshawn Kneeland. Revel is using Kneeland’s death, and the friendship they struck up in training camp, as inspiration.
“It was hard on me, especially talking to him every day back in football camp back in California,” Revel said. “You know, he wants best for you. I looked at it as, ‘What would he want me to do?’ Taking a step forward, he wouldn’t want me to sit around and mope around all day, so I just took it like that.
“I have people I lost at home, and I wouldn’t say it did (motivate me) too much because I challenge myself. I am already self-motivated. Pushing myself to the limit.”
