Shane Steichen Follows Similar Path to the Eagles as Frank Reich
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles ended their one-year drought without an offensive coordinator when the team announced Shane Steichen would be joining new head coach Nick Sirianni’s staff in that role.
This isn’t the first time the Eagles have brought in a former Chargers offensive coordinator, with the last being Frank Reich. Reich ended up being incredibly instrumental in helping the organization win its first Lombardi trophy.
Now, Philadelphia will hope the second time will have a similar outcome.
As a matter of fact, according to Chargers beat reporter for SI.com, Fernando Ramirez, Steichen’s path to Philadelphia is eerily familiar.
“Shane [Steichen's] career with the Chargers mirrors what Frank Reich’s was. Chargers fans were frustrated with him. But then Frank gets a fresh start, everything disappears, and Chargers fans wonder if they were wrong. A lot of people were wondering last year - was it Shane Steichen, was it quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton, was it Anthony Lynn or was it all Justin Herbert?” says Ramirez.
“Shane didn’t do a bad job. They called some really good plays. Now, the only concerning part to me about Shane Steichen is at times there was some miscommunication, as Anthony Lynn (former Chargers head coach) put it, between Anthony, Justin, and Shane. Miscommunication starts with the offensive coordinator, and we know that the offensive coordinator was the one calling plays. There are some concerns there, but from what I heard from Justin (and people around him), he did a great job helping to prepare him. Everyone had a hand in helping Justin out, but for a quarterback making that transition from college to the NFL during a pandemic and no offseason, I think Shane is going to be good for Jalen Hurts.”
To hear Steichen comes into Philadelphia with play-calling experience should appease some Eagles fans.
The main concern with this brand-new coaching staff was the lack of known play-callers among the group. But Steichen did have those duties in Los Angeles during Justin Herbert’s historic rookie quarterback season.
“Shane was the one calling the offense. He and Anthony would obviously discuss everything and Pep Hamilton even had a hand in it. But Shane really was the guy [calling the plays],” Ramirez told SI.com's Eagle Maven. “He was the one giving the signals to Justin. I think Anthony was more of the coach, Shane was the offensive coordinator, and he would call the plays. A couple of years ago, halfway through the year, the Chargers fired Ken Whisenhunt. The offense was not clicking. Philip Rivers was turning the ball over a lot, and they decided to give Shane Steichen the opportunity.”
“The final eight games of the season, they performed a little bit better. Anthony decided to stick with Shane despite Chargers writers thinking they should add a bigger name. I think he’s just a young coordinator learning. Shane is a young guy. And I think he’s still learning how to call plays. But I do think once he gets a handle on it, he’ll be able to elevate an offense as he did with the Chargers [this past season].”
Sirianni made it clear during his introductory press conference in Philadelphia that he’ll be calling the plays for the Eagles, but Ramirez paints a clearer picture of why Steichen may have been Sirianni’s pick, despite their close relationship, for his sidekick.
After handling the coronavirus pandemic's gruesome limitations, while working with a rookie quarterback on the fly, Steichen’s play-calling produced a historic season by Justin Herbert.
The rookie QB was able to throw for more than 4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a completion percentage above 65, all while earning The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
The top two offensive coaches on the Eagles both had to adapt to quickly changing quarterback situations.
Steichen went from a grizzly veteran in Rivers to a fresh face rookie entering the most unorthodox NFL season in history. Sirianni’s had to help orchestrate an offensive scheme that fits three different quarterbacks in back-to-back-to-back seasons.
Both coaches appear to be in a position to handle whatever change comes under center in Philadelphia.
“I wasn’t surprised [that Sirianni brought Steichen with him to Philadelphia] because Shane was somewhat a hot commodity in a sense," said Ramirez. "I know that Seattle reached out; I know some other teams reached out to him. But I wasn’t surprised because [Sirianni and Steichen] were both on the Chargers staff for a couple of years together. You can tell that Sirianni trusted Steichen, and he’s trusting him with the face of the franchise now that Carson Wentz is gone. He’s telling him I need you to get Jalen up to speed, or they draft a quarterback, and they ask him to develop those guys like he did Justin in 2020.”
Whether it’s Jalen Hurts, a quarterback prospect as yet to be determined in the 2021 NFL Draft, or a veteran coming through trade, the Eagles will need a strong emphasis on development.
Herbert giving Steichen credit in being a helping hand in a historic rookie season should signal hope for fans apprehensive about the team developing a quarterback after the Wentz fallout.
Sirianni also has strong ties to the Chargers organization. Ramirez shed some light for Eagle Maven as to the connection level he could make with Rivers during their time together with the team. For a borderline Hall of Fame quarterback to have this level of respect for his, at the time, wide receiver coach is intriguing.
“Sirianni was Philip’s guy. During the Mike McCoy (former Chargers head coach) era, as soon as Philip came off the field, the first person he would go to was Nick Sirianni. If a guy like Philip, whose stats speak for themselves, really trusts you, then that means the Eagles can trust Nick Sirianni,” Ramirez said.
“I think Nick and Shane will put their stamp on the Eagles offense. The best thing about Shane is he adapts to whatever quarterback he has. If they draft a quarterback, he’ll adapt to that. If they go with Jalen, he’ll adapt to that. That’s the impressive part about Shane. Two years ago, when Philip was still there, the offense was basically catered to a quarterback that stays in the pocket. And in this last year with Justin, it’s completely different.”
Eagles fans were curious what role Steichen had in Herbert’s success. It appears the young offensive coordinator played a more significant role than previously known.
With Philadelphia going through so much change and potentially dealing with the task of developing a young quarterback in Hurts, or a rookie, it appears they added the best candidates for those specific tasks given their resumes in the NFL.
Time will tell if Steichen will follow Reich’s successful path from the Chargers to the Eagles, but given the new information we have on Philadelphia’s new offensive coordinator, it’s safe to have some optimism with this hiring.
Conor Myles is a contributor for Sports Illustrated’s Eagle Maven. Listen to Conor and Ed on Eagles Brawl available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and RADIO.com. Reach Conor at ConorMylesSI@gmail.com or Twitter: @ConorMylesNFL
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
