Philadelphia Eagles fans criticized former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon for his recent statement. The current Arizona Cardinals head coach shared in a press conference:
"I'm comfortable talking to the media. Philly is a very hard media market. We were 9-0, and I did my presser, and they said, 'Coach, we want you fired.' And I say, 'We're the number one defense in the NFL right now in every statistical category. Why do you want me fired?'”
“(They said,) 'You don't blitz enough.' We led the league in sacks by 30-plus sacks. So if you want to call a defense, have at it. But it's cool. They have a job to do, and I understand that."
Rabid Eagles fans unleashed a firestorm of comments negating Gannon’s thoughts.
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The Eagles finished second in total yards allowed (301.5), first in passing yards allowed, and tied for sixth in points allowed (20.2) per game. They also led the league with 70 sacks, 15 more than the second-placed Kansas City Chiefs.
However, they did not start the season 9-0, as Jonathan Gannon claimed. Instead, they suffered their first loss in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, giving them an 8-1 mark. The Eagles ended the regular season with a franchise-best 14 wins, earning them the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
Jonathan Gannon’s defense struggled when it mattered most
The Eagles defense limited the Chiefs to 14 points in the first half of Super Bowl LVII. However, Kansas City made the necessary adjustments to turn things around. The Chiefs collected 24 points and scored on all four second-half drives.
Conversely, the Eagles responded with only 11 points in the third and fourth quarters. Those points were insufficient as the Chiefs completed a comeback victory, 38-35. Despite playing with an injured ankle, Patrick Mahomes had his way against the Gannon-led defense.
Philadelphia’s defense will transition after Jonathan Gannon and former linebacker coach Nick Rallis leave for the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Javon Hargrave, TJ Edwards, Kyzir White, Marcus Epps, and CJ Gardner-Johnson have all signed with other teams.
They will try to replace them with Terrell Edmunds, Justin Evans, Greedy Williams, Kentavius Street, and Nicholas Morrow. However, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense will heavily rely on starters Fletcher Cox, Haason Reddick, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, and James Bradberry.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Gannon will try to reverse the Arizona Cardinals’ fortunes. They finished 4-13 last season after posting an 11-6 record in 2021. The Cardinals made the playoffs only once in the previous seven seasons.
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