The Linc - Jimmy G in the NFC East?

NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams — Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/6/22.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Jimmy Garoppolo trade destinations: Five best fits for the 49ers quarterback – NFL.com
2) Washington Commanders. It is time for Ron Rivera and Co. to fix their quarterback problem after watching a number of potential QB1s struggle over the past two seasons. With Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen and others faltering under the weight of expectations, the time is now for the Commanders to make a move and close the gap on their competitors in the NFC. Garoppolo is not a top-10 quarterback, but he is certainly an upgrade over whoever the team has trotted out as starters over the past two seasons. From his leadership skills to his poise and timely play-making ability, the veteran passer can add some stability to a position that has been in flux in the nation’s capital. Moreover, he can bring the championship magic that the team wanted when Alex Smith joined the squad in 2018.

Giants reportedly hire Eagles executive, interview Jim Schwartz – BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles lost one of their two directors of player personnel when Ian Cunningham was hired by the Chicago Bears last month. Now the other one, Brandon Brown, is reportedly leaving Philly to be the New York Giants’ new assistant general manager.

Above the Nest with Raichele #41: Jalen Hurts undergoes ankle surgery + Doug Pederson hired as Jaguars head coach – BGN Radio
Raichele Privette recaps the latest news surrounding the Birds this past week including Jalen Hurts who underwent ankle surgery on Wednesday, Doug Pederson who was hired as the Jaguars head coach and Darius Slay who among other NFL players expressed support for Brian Flores.

Pederson explains why he needed year off – NBCSP
“I knew still in my heart of hearts I did want to coach in this league and still be successful, that never left,” he said. “I just needed time to just step away and gather myself a little bit. It was a great year from the standpoint of we watched our oldest son (Drew) get married, we had a grandchild during the season, you know I lost my brother (Craig) to cancer last year, so I got to spend quality time with family, and that means a lot to me. And then obviously my wife (Jeannie) and I, to kind of even re-connect. Because the wives in this business – and maybe the husbands of wives that are in this business – they suffer. They struggle a little bit because it’s a long year, it’s a grinding year, and it was really good for us to be able to take some time and refocus.”

Eagles Extra Q & A: What can we expect in Year 2 from Nick Sirianni? – NJ.com
Q: I really like this Kyle Hamilton from Notre Dame. Malcolm Jenkins played every defensive snap the whole time he was here and always making plays. Brian Dawkins created chaos in the backfield and was always a threat. I know this kid is going to go early, so what are the chances they make a trade and go up for a game-changer? And if not, what do you think they are going after the most first? … I really like Hamilton. I think he is a three-level defender in that he can play the deep zone effectively, match up against tight ends and slot receivers in the intermediate route areas, and be an effective blitzer and run stopper at the line of scrimmage. His injury may make him drip, but I doubt he gets to 15. I think they look at edge rusher first, followed by interior offensive line help and, dare I say it, one of the two linebackers. (Side note) Watching the Senior Bowl practices on TV, if the Eagles took Illinois DB Kerby Joseph in Day 2 or 3, I think he’d provide good value as a safety.

Pro Bowl could have positive lasting effects on first-timers – PE.com
We know how the Pro Bowl is played – with flash and dash and a smile in the spirit of fun competition. The game itself, played on the Sunday in front of us, is an exhibition game for the best players in the NFL and should be taken as such. The value of being there for a player like defensive end Josh Sweat and for defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, is an intangible that can have a meaningful, lasting impact. For players like Sweat and Hargrave and placekicker Jake Elliott, all first-timers to the Pro Bowl, the experience of being around the best of the best for a week in Las Vegas is both a social benefit and a confidence lift. Sweat, finishing the fourth season of his career, gains affirmation that he belongs among the elite, and so when he leaves Vegas for the remainder of his offseason, Sweat has a better understanding of the standard of excellence in the league. Elliott is the steely nerved one and he has supreme confidence and there is no question he’s enjoyed his time with the NFL’s all-stars. Hargrave, the same.

Brandon Brown hired as assistant GM by Giants, per reports – Big Blue View
The New York Giants are reportedly hiring Philadelphia Eagles Director of Player Personnel Brandon Brown as their assistant general manager, per NFL insider Adam Schefter. General manager Joe Schoen had indicated recently that Kevin Abrams, Giants assistant general manager since 2002, had expressed a willingness to relinquish that title if Schoen deemed it necessary. That will now happen. The Giants announced Saturday afternoon that Abrams has been named the team’s senior vice president of football operations and strategy. “Kevin has been and will continue to be an invaluable resource for me and our staff,” general manager Joe Schoen said. “In his new role, Kevin will be assisting with the day-to-day football operation, administration and strategy of the organization moving forward.”

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson will call plays in Jacksonville – Big Cat Country
There wasn’t a mincing of words when it came to who will be calling plays in Jacksonville for head coach Doug Pederson – it will be him, and him alone. Pederson was asked specifically about his intentions to do so, something he says he prides himself in. It’s part of the appeal Pederson had during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, leading one of the best offenses into the Super Bowl to defeat the New England Patriots in the 2017 season.

Will the Texans hire Brian Flores? – PFT
The Texans have three finalists for their head-coaching job, which has been vacant for more than three weeks. Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, or Josh McCown, unaffiliated, will get the job. Amid unconfirmed chatter that the job will go to Flores or Gannon (it becomes much more difficult, even for the Texans, to hire a completely unqualified white candidate after the filing of the Flores lawsuit), would the Texans actually hire Flores? One school of thought, as articulated during Friday’s PFT Live by Peter King, is that the Texans would be wise to hire Flores. Any players who pay attention to league news and matters would view the Texans very differently than they already do if the Texans were to entrust the head-coaching job to the man who has filed a landmark racial discrimination case against the entire league. And as to any potential retaliation by the NFL against the Texans for giving a head-coaching job to someone who has made inflammatory allegations that have prompted the issuance of strong statements from the likes of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, former Broncos G.M. John Elway, and the New York Giants, perhaps the league office would be relieved by the potential benefits — especially from a P.R. standpoint — of Houston doing something that the league has been trying desperately to get more teams to do.

Kellen Moore interviewed with the Dolphins, but everyone believes they will hire Mike McDaniel – Blogging The Boys
Kellen Moore was interviewed yesterday and at the time of this article, we don’t know just how long Moore’s interview was for. But something did happen recently, besides that 10-hour interview with McDaniel, that makes people think McDaniel is the guy. The 49ers might have already hired a replacement for McDaniel leaving.

Ranking NFL non-quarterback MVP candidates in 2021: Top 10 includes Cooper Kupp, Micah Parsons, Ja’Marr Chase – ESPN+
The NFL’s MVP award is quite often the most valuable quarterback award. As maybe it should be, given that is the most important position. But the game is played by 21 non-quarterbacks on a given scrimmage play, and some of those players were awfully valuable themselves — even if they aren’t true candidates for the actual MVP award. Aaron Donald, T.J. Watt and Jonathan Taylor had incredible seasons, but likely won’t ever get that national recognition. They deserve their own award — the non-QB MVP. [BLG Note: Former future Eagles WR Justin Jefferson made the list at No. 6 while actual former Eagles safety Jordan Poyer made it at No. 10.]

NFL Reacts #26: Jags have a head coach, and fantasy outlooks for championship game losers – The SB Nation NFL Show
Welcome to another edition of NFL Reacts! Stephen Serda, Kate Magdziuk, and Justis Mosqueda discuss the last three remaining head coaching vacancies with the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans. The Jags have their new head coach in Doug Pederson but they might keep Trent Baalke. Jim Harbaugh met with the Vikings for 9 hours and didn’t get the job. The Niners and Chiefs have big offseasons ahead so we take a look at their fantasy futures before we finish things up with some early Super Bowl NFL Reacts polls.