Jonathan Gannon Still Being Blamed for Eagles Woes

There's no shaking the fact that storylines help generate conversation, interest and overall engagement in professional sports - the NFL knows this all too well. 

What a tasty storyline we've got on our hands this week.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon will lead his new squad into a familiar city - one of brotherly love - as the Philadelphia Eagles play host to the redbirds on Sunday. 

Gannon's time in Philadelphia came to a shocking halt. Just weeks after the defensive coordinator told a national audience he was staying with the Eagles despite head coach interest, he departed for the desert just days after losing the Super Bowl right here in Arizona. 

It was eventually revealed Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort made illegal contact with Gannon - also known as tampering - during the impermissible time period. The two sides settled it with a trade that occurred right before the draft.

Gannon certainly faced heat for a multitude of reasons. His overall body of work in the Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in a losing effort was harshly criticized by fans. Philadelphia media didn't get a chance to speak with him after the game, though they did invade his podium at the NFL Combine and ensured they got their questions off. 

Eagles fans painted Gannon as a clown and nearly celebrated when he left town, though their defense has undoubtedly suffered since his departure. He was blamed for Philly losing the big game in the offseason, and now is being portrayed as a domino that set his former organization back in the hiring process for his replacement.

From a joint report between ESPN's Josh Weinfuss and Tim McManus:

"Gannon did not tell the Eagles about it or his intention to interview with Arizona, according to a league source, a lack of transparency that disappointed the Eagles in large part because it hurt their chance to retain preferred replacement Vic Fangio.

"The Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in the Super Bowl, with the defense giving up 17 fourth-quarter points. Two days later, Gannon was hired by the Cardinals and the Eagles ramped up a search for a new defensive coordinator in a thinned-out pool.

"Gannon's exit created a ripple effect that continues to reverberate in Philadelphia, where his successor, Sean Desai, has been demoted and the Eagles are fielding a defense that ranks in the bottom half or near the bottom of several statistical categories."

It's not as if the Eagles are struggling - they're still in the mix for the NFC's No. 1 seed, have already wrapped up a playoff spot and are the current leaders of the NFC East division. 

It's notable the Eagles also lost offensive mind Shane Steichen - who took a job with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Personnel on the field took a major hit, too. T.J. Edwards, Marcus Epps, Javon Hargrave and Kyzir White were snatched up in the opening hours of free agency. Miles Sanders, Isaac Seumalo and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson eventually departed Philadelphia.

Yet everything still tracks back to Gannon, who put the Eagles in a bad position by departing for his new opportunity and causing Philadelphia to miss out on potential replacement Vic Fangio.

"Beyond the call being impermissible, the Eagles' lack of knowledge about where things stood between Gannon and the Cardinals put them behind the eight ball, league sources said. At the time, they were confident Gannon was returning for a third season," wrote ESPN.

"Instead, it wasn't until the Friday before the Super Bowl -- approximately 10 days from the tampering call between Ossenfort and Gannon -- that Ossenfort called Eagles GM Howie Roseman and told him he would be submitting an interview request for Gannon after the Super Bowl, an Eagles source said.

"Fangio, the architect of one of the most popular defensive schemes in the league, was the Eagles' top choice to replace Gannon, according to multiple sources. If Gannon had relayed that he planned to interview with the Cardinals, the Eagles could have gotten the ball rolling on replacement candidates and, most importantly, notified Fangio about the potential opening. Fangio was under contract with the team, having signed a two-week deal leading up to the Super Bowl to serve in an advisory role, and widely admired in the building.

"But the Miami Dolphins were in pursuit of Fangio as well. With the Eagles' DC job seemingly spoken for, he informally committed to join the Dolphins staff in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. The Eagles' front office tried to get Fangio to decommit from the Dolphins once it found out about Arizona courting Gannon, sources said, but by that point Fangio had already made up his mind."

Perhaps things are different for the Eagles if Gannon stays - or at least notifies them of his departure - or perhaps not. 

Nobody really knows, and to quote the great Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: "We don't deal in hypotheticals." 

It's clear that for better or for worse, he's a talking point for Philadelphia to this day.