PHILADELPHIA — Following the departure of much-maligned former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon after the Philadelphia Eagles' loss to Kansas City in last year's Super Bowl, the Birds turned to Sean Desai to take over.
Sunday's debut in a 25-20 win at New England was something of a mixed bag for Desai's unit. While the Eagle defense stiffened to deny a pair of potential go-ahead drives in the game's closing minutes, Philly allowed quarterback Mac Jones to pass for 316 yards and three touchdowns and failed to get a lot of pressure on him in spite of the fact that the Patriots were starting two rookies on the offensive line.
On the other hand, the Eagles scored a defensive touchdown on Darius Slay's 70-yard interception return, set up a second TD with a fumble recovery deep in New England territory, and eventually did get a pair of sacks on Jones when they needed two stops in the closing minutes.
Meanwhile, rookie Jalen Carter was a force on the defensive line, recording one of the Eagles' two sacks, as was second-year tackle Jordan Davis, who forced a fumble for the Eagles' second turnover.
In the end, there was a lot to like about the defense -- but the Birds have a lot to clean up before Thursday's home opener against the Minnesota Vikings and their all-world wideout, Justin Jefferson.
But Desai's experience and background should give fans reason to believe the Birds will get it done.
While he comes from the same coaching school as Gannon -- both are heavily influenced by Vic Fangio's defensive philosophies -- Desai is reputed to be more adaptable on defense, offering more alignments and disguised coverages than Gannon's units.
Last year, fans criticized Gannon's defensive strategies, which were designed to limit big plays downfield. While the approach certainly had its benefits -- the Eagles recorded an astounding 70 sacks and were among the league's top-rated defenses all season -- but fans became frustrated watching quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott pick their secondary apart.
And then came the Super Bowl. The Eagles had a double-digit lead at halftime, but Gannon's defense was unable to stop Mahomes and the Chiefs from rallying in the second half. After the game, some Chiefs players said they didn't see any defensive adjustments by Gannon after halftime.
When the news came out that Gannon reportedly spent some of the leadup to the Super Bowl prepping for a job interview with the Cardinals -- which resulted in a tampering penalty for Arizona from the league -- Gannon's reputation among Philly fans suffered even more.
So Desai steps in to take over a defense with loads of talent and tons of potential but with perceived weaknesses at linebacker and safety, where three of last year's starters were lost to free agency.
Desai comes to Philly from Seattle, where he spent last season as the associate head coach - of defense. The Seahawks were a somewhat surprising playoff team last year, and their defense ranked fourth in the league in forced fumbles (15), seventh in sacks (45), eighth in takeaways (25) and 10th in opponent completion percentage (62.7%).
Rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen and safety Quandre Diggs were both voted into the Pro Bowl, thanks in part to Desai's guidance.
Prior to his time in Seattle, Desai spent nine seasons serving in various roles with the Chicago Bears, including one as the defensive coordinator in 2021. During that season, the Bears ranked fourth in the league in sacks (48), third in pass defense (191.6 yards per game) and sixth in total defense (316.7 yards per game).
Desai, 40, began his coaching career at Temple in 2006 and spent four seasons with the Owls, serving as a defensive and special teams coach. He moved to Miami for a job as the Hurricanes' assistant director of football operations in 2010 and spent a season with Boston College as special teams coordinator in 2012.