HOUSTON – As the architect of the Philadelphia Eagles’ explosive offense, Shane Steichen collaborates with quarterback Jalen Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni in a creative way.
The Eagles have manufactured one of the top offenses in the NFL, and Steichen is regarded as a major reason why they’re clicking on all cylinders heading into the playoffs.
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Steichen is regarded as a good candidate for the Texans’ head coaching vacancy as an up-and-coming offensive coach, and he completed a virtual interview with the AFC South franchise Friday, according to league sources, prior to upcoming interviews with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers.
The Texans also have an interview scheduled Saturday with Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, a top candidate who interviewed twice and was a finalist in last year’s hiring cycle before they went with Lovie Smith, who was fired after a 3-13-1 season.
Steichen has coached Los Angeles Chargers quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Philip Rivers in addition to Hurts, a Channelview graduate.
A year ago in his first season with the Eagles, the Eagles ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns and led the NFL in explosive plays and were fourth in third-down percentage. Hurts combined for 3,928 yards of total offense, 3,144 passing yards, and 26 touchdowns as Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce earned All-Pro honors and DeVonta Smith thrived as a rookie wide receiver.
This season, Hurts is an MVP candidate with a 14-1 record, 3,701 passing yards and 22 touchdowns with just six interceptions while rushing for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s passed for 7,906 career yards and 19 interceptions. The Eagles rank third in scoring offense and total offense.
“Yeah, it’s great,” Steichen said this season of his collaboration with Hurts. “The communication, any time you’re around somebody for a long time you get to know them. You get to know what he likes, you get to know what he’s good at. All of those communications, those conversations in the room, on the field in between series, I mean it just continues to grow and grow. Then, you see great growth from it.”
A former defensive assistant with the Chargers prior to a sting with the Browns as an offensive quality control coach, Steichen, a former UNLV quarterback, got his start coaching in the NFL in 2011. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach by the Chargers in 2016.
Between Steichen and Hurts, it’s a great chemistry.
“We all spend so much time together and Shane spends a lot of time with Jalen to understand what he likes,” Sirianni said. “Shane and I are in every quarterback meeting and obviously talking through everything. What are we going to do against this look, what are we going to do against that look.
“Obviously, on a football level, they’re very close and they’ve worked on their connection … I think Shane does a good job with Jalen of connecting with him, not just in football, and I think Shane has continued to do a very good job of connecting with all the offensive players.”
Steichen was the offensive coordinator with the Chargers during Herbert’s excellent rookie season.
The Texans have requested eight coaches for interviews, according to sources: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who was the first interview, Steichen, Gannon, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who’s expected to interview as soon as Tuesday, in addition to requesting San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown.
A highly respected defensive strategist, Gannon ranks as a top candidate the Texans’ wish list for a potential new head coach with mutual interest between the Cleveland native and former Louisville safety and an organization bereft of a solution at head coach, according to multiple league sources.
Several league sources have labeled Gannon as a top candidate for the Texans’ potential opening after he made a strong impression during his interviews with the Texans last season.
“I know that first and foremost those guys are committed to this team,” Sirianni said of Steichen and Gannon. “We have some time off here later in the week. We’re not grinding until 10 o’clock maybe every night. So there is some time that’s happening later in the week for them to be able to do it. We’re in the middle of self-scout right now. I know all our minds are on that.
“You don’t just get ready for an interview the week of the interview or the day of the interview. These guys have been preparing for this just like I did before I got the head-coaching job here, so it’s just tidying up some things, making sure they’re ready. I imagine Gannon will be wearing a pretty nice suit. So, I imagine he’s got the dry cleaning. I don’t know, Shane will have a nice suit on, too, but it won’t be as nice as Gannon’s.”
Gannon could possibly assemble an experienced staff with his connections to former Colts coach Frank Reich and Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson.
Gannon interviewed with the Texans, Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings during the last hiring cycle.
Gannon “knocked it out of the park” and “crushed” his meetings with NFL teams, impressing them with his knowledge, creativity, detailed plans about strategy and staff and his passion for the game, according to league sources.
One member of an NFL search committee said of Gannon: “He knows the answer before you even ask him the question.”
Gannon is regarded as someone who’s destined to be a head coach one day, perhaps as soon as this offseason.
“I would love for him to be here the entire time I’m the head coach, but I know that’s probably not a reality,” Sirianni said. “I love Jonathan Gannon, how he coaches and who he is as a person. I am so glad he’s our defensive coordinator.”
The Eagles have four players with at least 10 sacks, including 16 from Haason Reddick and 11 apiece from Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat. The Eagles allowed just 179.8 passing yards per game, the least in the NFL. They had 17 interceptions and recovered 10 fumbles.
“I believe in Jonathan Gannon,” Sirianni said. “He’s a great football coach and you have continued to see the defenses get better and better and better. I just think he’s a special coach.”
One NFL executive described Gannon as having some similarities to Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley 2.0. Staley and Gannon are close friends who grew up competing against each other in youth sports in Ohio.
“Incredibly intelligent and passionate,” a source said of Gannon. “This guy is a superstar. He’s worked with great people like George Paton and Rob Brzezinski with the Vikings. It says a lot that those guys think the world of the guy.”
Former NFL defensive coordinator Gregg Williams worked with Gannon when he was a scout for the Rams and with the Tennessee Titans as a quality control coach. Now, Gannon coaches the NFL’s second-ranked defense for a prime Super Bowl contender.
“Jonathan is a really good person with a great upbringing who’s never been afraid to outwork everyone around him and never afraid of any tasks,” Williams said. “He’s had to work his way up in the business. Those are the guys I love the most. If he winds up as a head coach, you have to have a working understanding of all of the other people at all of those levels and those positions they occupy.
“”I think Jonathan does a great job of being a great people person. He’s sharp. He’s a detailed person. He’s a good football man. When you start out as a defensive assistant and quality control, no one can do their job without the information that’s passed on from him. Players want to know, ‘How can I be better? And he has a knowledge and a feel that is really impactful to help someone improve.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.