Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, PhiladelphiaEagles.com will catch up with several of the assistant coaches for three questions to discuss some of the moments and players who have helped the team reach the championship game.
When the Eagles acquired Saquon Barkley, what were the areas where you thought he could get even better?
"The thing that I do no matter who the back is go through their entire tape –every carry, every reception, every block, all those types of things, and to be honest with you, I saw a very elite player that could do a lot of things. I thought in pass protection that would be an area that he [could grow]. I think he's improved in that. There were some runs where I thought, 'Hey, if we could just get him to get his shoulders square a little bit more, he'll be able to see the full field. And I think he's done that. He's made some great cuts that, as a coach, maybe on tape it doesn't look like much, but have been great. Those couple of things I wanted him to work on. He's such a great dude, coachable young man. He just wants to be great."
What has it been like having a front-row view to Saquon's historic season?
"It's fun. At the end of the day, it's what you want your backs to be able to do and he has shown that he has that next-level speed to have the explosive play and make it big. It's fun, sometimes I'm just sitting back and watching him go."
How have Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley improved to help the team?
"Unbelievable. We talk about our room doing everything we can, taking advantage of every opportunity, whether it's running the ball, whether it's a kickoff return, whether it's a kickoff (coverage). I think if you look at our last game, the NFC Championship Game, just how the game went. You had Will Shipley have a great return on the first. Kenny's blocking for him on that. And then Saquon had the TD run on the very next play. Then you fast forward to the end of the game, Will Shipley goes down on a kickoff, forces a fumble, Kenny Gainwell is the guy that recovers it. You look at the stats just of what they did on special teams and Saquon's run, just as a room, it's been fun. A lot of fun."
