The Philadelphia Eagles’ job search for head coaches is underway, and one of the first potential candidates to reach the Birds was Lincoln Riley, head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, according to a report by Ed Kracz of Sports Illustrated.
This is not the first time the Eagles have spoken to Riley about his potential interest in the Eagles. In fact, he and Howie Roseman, general manager, have a good relationship and it was a consultation with Riley that helped the Eagles draft both Jalen Reagor and Jalen Hurts, according to sources.
Oh, did he have a hand in the Eagles’ bad 2020 draft? He fits well already!
Aside from that, Riley is arguably the best coaching candidate from the university ranks as he achieved a 45-8 record in Oklahoma while developing some eighth overalls in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Riley also coached Jalen Hurts for one year, and Hurts ended the season as the runner-up in the Heisman poll.
A look at the numbers quarterbacks showed in Riley’s extremely quarterback friendly offense:
| Oklahoma QB’s | Comp-Att (Comp%) | Recruitment (YPA) | TD-INT |
| Baker Mayfield (2017) | 285-404 (70.5%) | 4627 (11.5) | 43-6 |
| Kyler Murray (2018) | 260-377 (69.0%) | 4361 (11.6) | 42-7 |
| Jalen Hurts (2019) | 237-340 (69.7%) | 3851 (11.3) | 32-8 |
| Spencer Rattler (2020) | 214-317 (67.5%) | 3031 (9.6) | 28-7 |
The Sooners reached the College Football Playoff in each of Riley’s first three seasons, losing all three games in the first round. In 2020, they did not make the cut after finishing with a 9-2 record, and rather played in the Cotton Bowl. In the four games he coached, Riley’s offenses averaged 41.3 points per game.
| Lincoln Riley | Final record | Role play |
| 2017 | 12-2 | Rose Bowl – 54-48 lost to Georgia |
| 2018 | 12-2 | Orange Bowl – 45-34 lost to Alabama |
| 2019 | 12-2 | Rose Bowl – 63-28 lost to LSU |
| 2020 | 9-2 | Cotton Bowl – 55-20 win over Florida |
Riley is considered an innovative offensive spirit, the scheme of which has been stolen by many NFL offenders. You can get a taste of what Oklahoma is doing here, in the running game:
And in the passing game:
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The Eagles’ open head coach position should not involve the best candidates. The quarter-place is restless, the roster is otherwise bad (and has little chance of getting better any time soon due to an awful cap condition), and there will be right-wing concerns about the history of head coaches having friction with team brass.
However, if Riley is comfortable with Hurts, and he has a good relationship with Roseman as reported, he may not see the warts we do. The bet here is that it will probably take another huge amount of money to withdraw him from Oklahoma.
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