Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/256ybjnp
PHILADELPHIA — Nearly four months after the Eagles hired him as offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion met the Philly media last Thursday.
The 6-foot-6 former quarterback — who once held the Pac-12 record for career passing yards and still holds several records at Oregon State — brought alpha energy to the podium. He was friendly and smiling, yet relaxed and in command.
Mannion, 34, has never called plays before, but as a former QB, including nine seasons as a backup in the league, this ain’t his first rodeo. Most recently, he was Jordan Love’s quarterbacks coach in Green Bay, working under Matt LaFleur — Mannion’s former OC during a 2017 stop as a player with the Rams — before coming here.
“I’ve always been kind of working toward the hope of getting the opportunity to do this,” Mannion said. “So even in Green Bay, you’re always going through, as the quarterbacks coach, saying, ‘All right, what calls do I have to have (Love) ready for?’ You’re kind of thinking through the process of the game throughout the week: ‘What’s (LaFleur) going to look to call here? What’s my favorite third-down call?’
“You’re always kind of taking yourself through that process mentally. It was the same thing as a player. You’re always taking yourself through that process, kind of flexing those muscles. Even now, scripting practice, you’re still going through that same operation.”
2017 was Sean McVay’s first year as head coach in Los Angeles. He, along with LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell and, of course, Kyle Shanahan, have advanced the modern iteration of the West Coast offense. That’s what Mannion is installing with the Eagles.
The son of a coach
Mannion grew up in Alameda County in Northern California, where he was both a pitcher and quarterback in high school. He, like Jalen Hurts, is the son of a coach.
His father John coached high school football for 37 years, including in Oregon after Sean signed with the Beavers. He won a combined 10 league championships and two sectional titles, reached a state final and was nationally recognized before retiring a few years ago. He currently puts out a coaching newsletter.
“I think it really, for me, starts with my dad,” Mannion said. “My dad was a longtime high school football coach. I’ve been around the game my entire life. He’s a teacher. My mom’s a teacher.
“You can hear me talk about the teaching influence a lot when it comes to coaching. But just the drive, the work ethic, the relationships with the players, the commitment to fundamentals — my dad was a huge influence on me there.”
The offensive philosophy
Mannion’s offensive approach reflects today’s evolution of Bill Walsh’s West Coast concepts. It is quarterback-friendly and relies on rhythm, timing and simplified QB reads. Here are some basics:
● Often places the QB under center rather than in shotgun.
● Emphasizes quick, three- to five-step dropbacks, with release of the ball when the back foot plants on the final step.
● Positions receivers to create yards after the catch off short, easy throws.
● Stretches the defense horizontally, not just vertically.
● Presents similar plays out of multiple formations.
● Deploys both run and pass plays out of identical formations and identical backfield movement.
● Regularly uses a zone-blocking attack in the run game, with lateral movement by the offensive line (as opposed to north-south blocking man-on-man) to create natural openings and cutback lanes for runners. It is designed to stress defenders’ discipline by eliciting overpursuit and forcing them to defend a wider horizontal area.
● Employs lots of bootlegs and play action, including the quarterback turning his back to the defense on handoffs and fakes, to keep defenders honest and get the QB on the move. The zone blocking on pass plays often mirrors the lateral zone blocking on runs.
● Interchanges running backs, wide receivers and tight ends in the passing game, including an emphasis on tight end involvement.
● Incorporates lots of pre-snap motion and reads to create favorable matchups and force the defense to reveal itself.
● Aims for sequencing of play calls, creating an offensive “story” as the game progresses, with later calls building off of earlier ones.
● Often includes condensed formations to cause traffic for the defense as receivers spread the field horizontally with quick diagonal outs and crossing routes.
● Utilizes diversity of personnel.
The big question is, how will this system mesh with Hurts? And will it be complicated to learn all the West Coast verbiage?
“Jalen’s been awesome,” Mannion said. “I really think he can do anything we ask of him. He’s accurate. He’s a great athlete. He really attacks the fundamentals. That’s what’s been really fun to watch these last two weeks. He’s always wanting more things to work on, wanting more things regarding fundamentals, timing, understanding the scheme. He’s hungry for more.
“Jalen’s been outstanding in the meetings, and I think having gone through multiple coordinators and stuff, you can tell he’s a really capable learner. … I think there’s always going to be some degree of connection (between new and old). It’s a blend of all the things — the things he’s really thrived on here and some of the new things we’re bringing to the table.”
‘Listen to his feet’
Recent criticisms of Hurts have included flaws in his footwork, not trusting his progressions and holding the ball too long. Such issues, which are interconnected, have contributed to inconsistent production — an offense that hums one quarter and sputters the next. These are all areas in which Mannion specializes. He’s a stickler, in fact.
“I think the quarterback position — there are so many things that go into it. I think everything has a predetermined timing and rhythm to the play. It’s really installing a scheme that has proper timing and proper rhythm in terms of how the different elements involved in the concept work with one another.
“Then you train the quarterback to really understand that and listen to his feet. That’s something we talk about. If your footwork is sound and your rhythm’s good, it’s just going to feel like the ball wants to come out, right? And if it’s not, then you move on.”
The Eagles officially begin organized team activities on Tuesday.
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.