Man Behind The Mann

PHILADELPHIA – In the aftermath of a season of promise that abruptly ended, the Eagles elected to revert back to the drawing board to reimagine a largely static offense, casting a wide net in a prolonged search to identify its next offensive coordinator.

The extensive process would ultimately yield Sean Mannion, a 34-year-old first-time coordinator who has already drawn rave reviews. But among the interviews was another young, intriguing offensive mind who would ultimately join Mannion’s staff in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.

“It was a lot of fun in the interview process, really getting to know everybody in the organization,” Grizzard recalled last week. “I had worked with a couple people on staff here in the past, and they just raved about the culture here. And then finally getting the first chance through, the first time, on Zoom, getting a chance to meet with Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie and Howie [Roseman] and Nick [Sirianni].

“I really hadn’t met any of those guys in the past. But going through that process as the coordinator interview, and then coming in for the second interview, you really get a feel for the whole building. And actually meeting people – there’s a feel to this place, and the winning and the history – that really was exciting for me. So, not getting the coordinator job and then being offered the opportunity to join as a pass game coordinator, I felt like was a great opportunity.”

Josh Grizzard’s new role as Eagles pass game coordinator should help first-year OC Sean Mannion.

In Philadelphia, Grizzard, 35, will oversee the coordination of the passing game, a role in which he’s well-versed, having fulfilled that job description with the Buccaneers two seasons ago. Grizzard replaces staff holdover Parks Frazier, who now presides over the quarterbacks room.

Back to the hiring process, for a moment. The optics would ordinarily suggest a delicate working dynamic between the two offensive minds, given the circumstances, but that hasn’t at all been the case in the early going. While Grizzard didn’t know Mannion prior to arriving in Philadelphia, he knew enough people in his orbit who did, offering glowing endorsements.

“It’s been fantastic getting to know him and work with him,” he said. “He’s a tireless worker and he’s ready for the opportunity, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

It’s no secret the Eagles’ stagnant aerial attack is in need of retooling. The rhythm has sorely lacked for two seasons now, its overall complexion appearing lethargic and uninspiring to the eye. Sure, the absence of a prolific rushing attack last season certainly contributed, placing the passing game woes under a microscope, but the ground game is expected to experience a resurgence.

But for this new-look offense to function as intended, the evolution and efficiency of the passing game become critical factors. The installation process, of course, will be collaborative, but Grizzard’s perspective brings added appeal to the equation due to a shared philosophical vision that should only strengthen the communication element.

The job requirements of a passing game coordinator can be vague and open to interpretation in some cases, but Grizzard outlined the specifics of his role with the Eagles.

“Really, my role is to help Sean [Mannion] in a multitude of ways with getting ahead on each portion of the gameplan,” he said. “So, we break it down; first and second down, how do we want to attack a defense when it comes to the pass game? OK, we’ve put that to bed, now we can work on third down; how do we want to design plays for third down? Then how do we want to attack them in the red zone? How do we want to attack them in the red zone on third down?

“So, for Sean – for the coordinator – for Nick, being able to help these guys with, this is what I’m seeing on these downs and distances, and this is the plays we want to implement. It’s very collaborative. It’s not just all of my ideas, but it could be from any position coaches. But you’re able to work ahead a day or two, that way you could lay the framework for these guys as they start to get into it, that they have an idea of what we’re trying to attack.”

Grizzard, a graduate of Yale, joined the coaching ranks in 2012 with the Carolina Panthers, as a team operations intern. Following stints at Yale and Duke as a student and graduate assistant, respectively, Grizzard spent seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins, assuming various roles that included a two-year stint as wide receivers coach.

His coaching itch originated in high school, when Grizzard was 15 or 16 years old. An injury sidelined him, affording Grizzard an opportunity to view the game from a different perspective. While attending Yale, Grizzard was involved in college camps in each of his first three seasons in hopes of landing a gig as a graduate assistant. He always aspired to coach in the NFL, a vision he had for himself as a teenager that he never takes for granted.

“It sounds cliché, but it’s not,” he said. “Every day that I come to work, it doesn’t feel like a job. This is the most fun thing in the world, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Grizzard’s coaching influences are wide-ranging, beginning with his high school coach Jimmy Williams, who according to Grizzard, instilled in him a toughness and passion for the game that has endured. He also cited Yale head coach Tony Reno and mentioned Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, the latter of whom presented Grizzard with his first coaching opportunity.

In Miami, Grizzard managed to survive three different head coaches and constant turnover at the offensive coordinator spot, but noted his adoption of certain schematic and cultural components. Grizzard closed the loop by referencing his most prominent influence in former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and his exposure in working in that system. McDaniel, Grizzard said, “put a lot of the ‘why’ behind some of the things we did that I didn’t completely understand.”

Grizzard, who brings with him knowledge of the system being implemented and a shared vision, will work in collaboration with Mannion and others to restore the passing game, but he can also serve as a valuable sounding board for Mannion as he navigates his first season calling plays. Grizzard, who last season called plays for the first time, will have the luxury of seeing things from a different vantage point and can smooth out some of the learning curve for Mannion, such as answering questions in anticipation or providing helpful input with regard to structuring a week of game-planning.

Grizzard said his previous season in Tampa, where he called plays and had a full-scope view of the offense, helped him quite a bit in preparation for the role he’s tasked with in Philadelphia. The creative process will be collaborative, but the Eagles did well to provide Mannion with support in Grizzard, arming the staff with another, by all accounts, sharp offensive mind.

Right now, the Eagles are at the onboarding stage in terms of Mannion’s schematic implementation, making spring workouts invaluable. Mannion and his coaches must also learn the personnel and vice-versa. Dramatic changes, at times, necessitate a gradual acclimation period, so it’s reasonable to expect the offense will rev up in the coming months.

“It’s really once camp starts and you start to get into the early parts of the season, and you start to really feel how well everyone is understanding the scheme and how it’s fitting them, because until you have the pads on, a lot of the stuff, you just don’t get as good of a feel for it,” he said. “So, it takes a little bit of time.

“This time of the year, we’re all talking about fundamentals and techniques and conditioning. And we started this thing off with play style. I’m playing harder than the opponent and tougher than the opponent. And so, all those things, when it gets into more of the scheme, is more down the road.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.