According to TerezOwens.com, the Eagles and Jeff Fisher will have a sit-down meeting sometime in the near future to discuss the opening at defensive coordinator.

"My sources are telling me Fisher will meet with the Philadelphia Eagles about their defensive coordinator position opening," writes 'Terez.' "If he doesn’t accept, he will most likely take a year off living at his Montana ranch and then try become a Head Coach next year."

Philly was buzzing with Fisher rumors shortly after the long-time head coach left the Tennessee Titans thanks in part to ESPN's John Clayton and his usual shot-in-the-dark reporting, but that rumor was shot down fairly quickly by several people much more credible than Clayton.

Now, it appears, it can start again.


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Almost immediately after news broke that Jeff Fisher would not be the Tennessee Titans head coach in 2011, speculation began that he could return to his roots in Philadelphia as the Eagles' defensive coordinator, where he held the same title under head coach Buddy Ryan from 1988-1990.

But almost as soon as those rumors could pick up steam, they were cut down by several media mouthpieces who came out and said there was no chance Fisher would go from being a head coach for 16 years to a coordinator.

And even if he would, there was no way the Eagles would "rent" a coordinator for a season before Fisher got another head coaching gig in 2012.

However, according to ESPN's John Clayton, that's exactly what is about to happen.


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Washburn is expected to leave the Titans for Philly.


UPDATE: Washburn has accepted a three-year deal with the Eagles to coach the defensive line. The following is my thoughts on the hire before it happened.

Right now all the talk about the Eagles is who will be taking over the defense. But with Rory Segrest getting the boot shortly after former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, the team is also in need of a defensive line coach.

The first real candidate for the job, Tennessee Titans' defensive line coach Jim Washburn, is expected to accept an offer from the Eagles shortly according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

"After talking to sources tonight," Wyatt said via Twitter, "I'll be surprised if Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn doesn't leave for Eagles."

Whether or not Washburn leaves for Philadelphia is pure speculation at this point, but Titans' head coach Jeff Fisher has confirmed that Washburn has definitely been in contact with Eagles' head coach Andy Reid about the opening.

"The only thing I can confirm is [Washburn] has been talking [to the Eagles]," Fisher said. "We are in the middle of it and going back and forth. I would think we'd find out in the next day or so."

It's worth noting that Washburn is being considered only to come in and coach the defensive line, and is not a candidate to become the defensive coordinator. That spots remains in limbo and likely won't be resolved for another week or so.

But a guy like Washburn taking over the defensive line could have more of an impact than anyone the Eagles could bring in to run the defense at this point. The biggest problem has been the lack of a pass-rush from the front four, and teaching how to get a pass-rush happens to be Washburn's specialty.

However, as noted by Tommy Lawlor, it could mean a change of philosophy in how the defensive ends are taught to play. Under McDermott, and even dating back to Jim Johnson, the defensive ends have always been told to play the run first and get to the quarterback second.

Washburn, however, teaches the exact opposite.

His ends are taught to get to the quarterback and if they happen to sniff out the run, go ahead and play it the best they can. It's worked for the Titans over the past decade or so, but that line of thinking might not mesh with the new defensive coordinator.

Either way, Washburn is by far the best defensive line coach in the league and should be able to help Brandon Graham and Antonio Dixon realize their potential, as well as guys like Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley who have largely underachieved despite strong play.

Washburn's best quality is his ability to get everything out of his players. I thought it was worth keeping Jason Babin around this season -- especially at such a cheap price -- but it's entirely possible that Babin would not have been the same player in Philly this year as he was in Tennessee because of Washburn.

With Fisher's contract running out in Tennessee and his future very much in jeopardy, job security alone might be enough to get Washburn to jump ship. Add in the extra money the Eagles should be throwing at him, and by this time next season we could be talking about a defensive line full of Pro Bowlers.
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Andy Reid and Tom Coughlin talking after a game.


It's often debated on how much of the credit and how much of the criticism that a head coach deserves for the fate of his team.

After all, it is his team. He is the go-to guy and the man making all of the decisions. But on the other hand, he's not out on the field, so why should he get the credit?

Similar to most debates in the world of football, it will never see an end.

However there is something to be said for a head coach and the way the team plays. Especially if that coach also happens to take on the role of calling the plays, as a lot of head coaches are doing these days.

Either way, a coach will always receive the blame when the team doesn't play well, but never enough of the credit when they are.

It's a thankless job, really. Long hours at night and away from home, they don't receive the celebrity status of the players, and in most cases do not even sniff their salaries.

But someone has to do it, and these are the guys who do it best.



5. Jeff Fisher (Tennessee Titans)

128-102 regular season, .557 win%, 5-6 playoffs, .455 win%, 0-1 Super Bowl

Fisher is currently the longest-tenured coach in the NFL with 15 years under his belt all on the same team.

He has been with this team through their transition from the Houston Oilers, to the Tennessee Oilers, to the Tennessee Titans. Most teams fall apart during a move like that, but the presence of Fisher kept the team in tact.

He molded the future Hall-of-Famer in the late Steve McNair, and many years helped his teams to overachieve and accomplish more than most thought they could.

Just the simple fact that he's been with one team for 15 years in this day and age is enough to show what a good coach he is. Especially taking into account that every four years there are 32 new NFL head coaches.



4. Tom Coughlin (New York Giants)

115-93 regular season, .553 win%, 8-7 playoffs, .533 win%, 1-0 Super Bowl

Coughlin isn't exactly a "player's coach."

In fact, at the beginning of his tenure most players just downright hate him. However, he earns their trust and their respect, which makes him a good coach.

When he took over the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, no one expected much out of them for several years. However in only his second year with the team, and of the team's entire existence, he lead them to the AFC Championship game, where they fell just short.

Over the next three years the Jaguars would see an increase in regular season wins from nine to 11 in consecutive season, and even 14 wins in 1999. However, they would only win two playoff games over that stretch.

After consecutive 6-10 seasons with the Jaguars, he was fired. He was hired by the Giants, where he proceeded to again take his team to a 6-10 record.

He bounced back, however, in 2005 with an 11-win season and a division title, effectively keeping his job safe for about another two years, which is all it would take to get him his first Super Bowl victory.



3. Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)

22-10 regular season, .688 win%, 3-1 playoffs, .750 win%, 1-0 Super Bowl

Tomlin doesn't have a huge body of work, but it's tough to put him any lower.

22 wins in his first two seasons is impressive enough, but a Super Bowl victory just makes it that much better.

He's a young guy, so he can communicate with the players better than most older coaches because there's a relevancy and connection with the age and just overall life experiences.

He's a fiery guy who can often be seen jumping around and cheering on the sidelines, which makes it obvious how much he loves what he does, which radiates through every single player in that locker room.

This is a guy who just stepped in and immediately understood what it was going to take to get the players to not only respond to him, but respect and trust him. He's found a great balance of playing friend and authority figure, which really is the key to becoming a great coach in this league.

Tomlin is an old-school guy who can communicate in a new-school kind of way, and should have sustained success in Pittsburgh.



2. Andy Reid (Philadelphia Eagles)

97-62-1 regular season, .610 win%, 10-7 playoffs, .588 win%, 0-1 Super Bowl

With the firing of Mike Shanahan, Reid becomes the second-longest tenured active coach in the NFL, of course behind Jeff Fisher.

When Reid gets his 100th regular season win, it will be among the fastest coaches to ever do that, and with his 100th overall win became the first coach since John Madden to win 100 games in only 10 years with one team.

During Reid's 10 years in Philadelphia, he has only two losing seasons and seven winning seasons, and one .500 season. One of those losing seasons was in his very first year as a head coach, and the other came the year after losing the Super Bowl.

Many Philadelphia fans have been spoiled by Reid, and forget what it was like before he was in Philadelphia.

Reid changed the culture of a losing football team, and has turned them into a perennial NFC powerhouse. Five NFC Championship games in 10 years to go along with five division titles and a Super Bowl appearance after taking over a 3-13 team.

If and when Reid gets a ring, he will be a lock for the Hall of Fame.



1. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots)

138-86 regular season, .616 win%, 15-4 playoffs, .789 win%, 3-1 Super Bowl

This was a fairly obvious choice, and I'm sure it's not a surprise to see Bill Belichick top this list.

The numbers are hard to argue. Since joining the Patriots in 2000 he is 102-42, which equates to a .708 win percentage with three Super Bowl victories.

Those are Hall-of-Fame type numbers.

Belichick is an odd case because while in Cleveland, he seemed lost. He was not able to connect with players or ever set a real plan in motion. During his time there he only had one winning season and one playoff win.

Realistically, with what he's done in New England, it wouldn't matter if he didn't win a single game in Cleveland.

He's had one losing since in New England, which was his first season there in 2000. The next year, he won his first Super Bowl and set the ball in motion that created the dynasty of the New England Patriots.

Belichick will probably be remembered as the greatest coach of his generation, and perhaps one of the greatest coaches of all time.
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