Beware Of Big Red

Super Bowl LVII, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, will be decided by the matchups on the field and showcase a battle between two of the NFL’s best coaching staffs.

On the latest episode of “Inside The Birds,” Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher were joined by John DeFilippo, Eagles quarterbacks coach for the 2017 Super Bowl team, to preview of the championship game and share his own experiences.

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid has evolved from his 13 year stint in Philadelphia, but still remains one of the best head coaches in the NFL

Media Frenzy

John DeFilippo: “When you get there, it is a gong show of all gong shows. Players are worried about getting their families in, the hotels can be messed up, flights delayed, media obligations. Even as a coach, the amount of media you have is amped up times 10. Even as the quarterbacks coach, I had something going on every single day, media-wise. You have to have your plan in by the time you get there, because there’s a lot going on and you have to maximize your meeting time in the bye week.”

Jalen Hurts

DeFilippo: “I have been one of Jalen’s biggest proponents since before the season started. Did I think he’d be playing at an MVP level this year? No, but I knew the kid was going to take a big jump because he cares, he’s confident, and he’s really good.”

Chiefs Defense

DeFilippo: “I think if you try something different, that’s fine, but if, all of a sudden after a series or a series and a half, you’re getting gutted, you have to go back to what got you there. You may see the Chiefs go base defense if the Eagles decide to go big, because you’ve seen them go big on people at certain times this year. They may try to big boy the Chiefs and say, ‘Hey, we’re bigger and stronger than you,’ and you may see the Chiefs throw a 3-4 or 4-3 on the field. You’re going to see them blitz, usually when you’re undersized, you blitz a little bit more and slant and angle the line, you just can’t let those guys maul you up front. I do think if all of the sudden you see a series where Jalen and the fellas go straight down the field and score, you have to go back to what’s gotten you to the game [nickel defense].”

Andy Reid

DeFilippo: “He’s incredible. I was out there this spring. Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach for the Chiefs, is one of my best friends, so I went out to visit him for a couple of days and watch their mandatory camp. When you watch Coach Reid on the field during practice, there’s just an air of steadiness and confidence. It’s not like he’s yelling at people, it’s just that he’s been there and done that, he’s seen it all. There’s a steadiness to the ship. As a play-caller, I have always admired guys that are not stuck in their ways. Coach Reid, when he got to Philadelphia, ran a split back, old school west coast offense. Now, you see [Kansas City] throwing the ball all over the field and everything is vertical.” 

Final Score Prediction

DeFilippo: “The Eagles win a tight one. It’s going to be a really good game. I’ve gone with the Eagles all year because I think they’re really good. The thing you worry about is the experience of the Chiefs, the big-play guys and the quarterback.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.
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