The Eagles continued to improve their coaching staff on Wednesday with the official announcement that Dick Jauron will join Andy Reid's coaching staff as senior assistant/defensive backs coach.
In Jauron, the Eagles have added a proven, quality defensive mind. Jauron last served as defensive backs coach for the Green Bay Packers from 1986-94 before taking over as defensive coordinator of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, he's been a head coach three times and has continued to shape defenses across the league. In Philadelphia, Jauron is reunited with Reid, with whom he worked from 1992-94 in Green Bay.
"Most of the appeal for me starts right at the top with Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie and Andy Reid," Jauron said on a conference call with Philadelphia reporters. "The job is a position I love, working in the secondary. I'm really excited about learning from (defensive coordinator) Sean (McDermott) the scheme, a scheme that's been so successful, and doing the best I can to help any way I can."
Jauron said that he has studied the Eagles defense for years, especially their pressure packages, and he's looking forward to seeing it from a new perspective.
"I love the defensive scheme," he said. "The pressure is really interesting; I'm really excited about working in it. I'm excited about learning more about it ... It'll be great and exciting for me to be able to get inside of it and see if I can learn it and contribute to it."
"First and foremost, Dick Jauron is a person with tremendous integrity and his football background speaks for itself," said McDermott. "I'm excited about his addition to the team and look forward to utilizing his experiences in the way of adding value to our defensive staff."
Jauron said Reid called him a few weeks ago about the opportunity to join the coaching staff. Jauron then came to the NovaCare Complex for what he described as about a six-to-eight hour interview process that consisted mostly of "talking football" with Reid and McDermott. The match seemed perfect, and Jauron added that he approaches the job of defensive backs coach no differently than any other job he's had.
"I've never felt really much different in the roles," Jauron said. "Now, saying that they're obviously really different roles, but when I was a secondary coach ... I just loved it. It wasn't like I was holding my breath to be a coordinator. It wasn't one of those things where I couldn't wait for that opportunity. I always thought and would say to my wife, if I do a great job at this thing, at the secondary, then what happens happens, but I like this. And I felt the same way as a coordinator, really enjoyed it."
Jauron inherits a secondary that sports two Pro Bowlers - Asante Samuel and Quintin Mikell - and another player, Sheldon Brown, who reportedly turned down an opportunity to play in the Pro Bowl because of injury. While Jauron said that he will spend the next several months getting to know his personnel better, he knows what it takes to be a successful defensive back in the NFL.
"The secondary specifically, you have to have a very short memory," he said. "You've got to really be a person that loves to take a challenge. You've got to be a person that knows you're not going to win every single snap, that's focused on technique so that over the course of a 16-game season, you're going to win a whole lot more snaps than you lose."
Reid isn't the only member of the Eagles' coaching staff who Jauron has worked with before. Bobby April, the new special teams coordinator, worked in the same role under Jauron in Buffalo for the past four seasons.
"I think Bob adds something anywhere he goes," Jauron said of April. "He's a high-energy coach. He's got a proven track record. His teaching methods, I've been fortunate enough to observe him up close, his teaching methods are outstanding. He works in a progression, he teaches in a progression. He makes good decisions on game day. I really enjoyed the interaction, getting ready for game day and then on game day. He's bold. He can be very bold but his special teams are always very well prepared."
Jauron, who himself was a safety in the NFL for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals, is looking forward to what lies ahead for the Eagles and their defense.
"I've always felt very lucky to play in the league, very lucky to coach in the league (and I'm) looking forward to this opportunity as another really great experience," he said."
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 4:09 p.m., February 3
