The Phillies re-signed reliever Tim Mayza to a minor-league contract, his agency Covenant Sports Group announced Thursday.
Mayza, 34, posted a 3.78 ERA and 1.320 WHIP in 15 regular-season appearances last season between the Pirates and Phillies. The left-hander landed on the injured list in April with a muscle strain in his left shoulder, and the Pirates placed him on waivers in August.
After the Phillies claimed him as relief depth, Mayza was included on the National League Division Series roster but did not make an appearance. He is originally from Allentown, attended Upper Perkiomen High, and was drafted out of Division II Millersville in 2013.
The Phillies also announced Thursday that the Baltimore Orioles had claimed utility man Weston Wilson off waivers. He had been placed on waivers to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher J.T. Realmuto, who officially re-signed on Tuesday.
Wilson made his major league debut with the Phillies in 2023. In 2024, Wilson hit for the 10th cycle in Phillies history.
Wilson slashed .198/.282/.369 over 52 games last season as a right-handed bench option. He primarily played first base, second base, and left field for the Phillies.
In less than three weeks, Phillies pitchers and catchers will hold their first spring-training workout. It’s a good time, then, to sit down with manager Rob Thomson, who discussed the roster in the aftermath of not signing Bo Bichette, the potential impact of rookies Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter, the value of J.T. Realmuto, and whether the Phillies are better now than at the end of last season. Watch here.
Union manager Bradley Carnell did not hesitate to send new signings Ezekiel Alladoh and Japhet Sery Larsen into the fray of game action.
Just two days after the team arrived in Marbella, Spain, for its preseason camp there — which started just a week after the players reported to Chester — the duo played the first half Tuesday in a 1-1 tie with Czech club SK Sigma Olomouc.
Alladoh hadn’t seen live action since the end of the Swedish league season in November, timing that allowed the Union to move to sign him in December.
Larsen’s last game was Dec. 11 in the UEFA Europa League, and when he arrived in Chester, he spent a few days training on his own.
Ezekiel Alladoh (center) has quickly gotten to know his new Union teammates.
Game reps for a centerback are especially important for building chemistry within the defense. So it mattered that Larsen paired with Olwethu Makhanya to form the Union’s expected centerback duo. They were challenged not just by the opposition but by Carnell’s decision to start reserve team prospect Giovanny Sequera at right back and midfielder Ben Bender at left back.
Neither Alladoh nor Larsen looked out of place, which is fine at this point. The Union’s next scrimmage is Friday in Marbella against Danish club Nordsjælland at 8 a.m. Philadelphia time. (Nordsjælland will stream the game behind the paywall on its website; there’s no word yet if there will be a free option.)
“I think both of them have integrated seamlessly in all sides of the game with us,” Carnell said in a news conference on Thursday. “I think we got to see Ezekiel’s qualities in the game the other day, and potential threats. I think you could see that he’s a real weapon in behind, and just his speed and power and holdup play.”
Carnell praised Larsen, a native of Denmark who, at 25, is the Union’s oldest centerback, for having “come in here and had such a calmness about him, and a real professional working manner about him, and hit the ground running. … I think he’s already establishing some form of foundational leadership capabilities here as well.”
Japhet Sery Larsen (center) on the ball in a practice in Spain this week.
Two transactions
The Union promoted reserve team striker Stas Korzeniowski to the first team this week, a reward for the former Penn striker’s good work with Union II last year and with the first team in preseason this year.
Korzeniowski scored the Union’s goal Tuesday with a well-taken finish, though his promotion was in the works before then.
“Stas has certain qualities and a skill set that we really like,” Carnell said. “And, for sure, it’s far from polished right now, but that’s the journey that he started to take now with us and having him in these environments and just around the team and playing in our way.”
The Union also loaned 18-year-old centerback Neil Pierre to Lyngby of Denmark’s second division, a club in which the Union have had an investment stake for a year and a half. A move like this is a big part of why the Union did the deal, but this marks the first of a transaction of this kind on the books.
Pierre is a marquee prospect, better than the reserves’ level in MLS Next Pro but not ready physically for the top flight. Lyngby is currently atop Denmark’s second division, pushing for promotion after being relegated a season ago.
“Closing the gap between Next Pro, MLS, and then there’s a mid-station there with Lyngby,” Carnell said. “Also going out of your comfort zone is a big one. … Very important for Neil to go and get those experiences, and I think he’ll grow as a person and as a player as well.”
It’s also notable that the loan is just through June, instead of the full year. With MLS stopping for the World Cup after Memorial Day, it really means Pierre won’t be available until the season resumes in mid-July. But perhaps he’ll get a chance in the Leagues Cup in late summer.
Neil Pierre (right) has played just once for the Union’s first team so far.
Another prospect’s next chance
Malik Jakupovic, the 16-year-old striker who’s getting a lot of hype, was named Thursday to the United States squad for Concacaf’s under-17 World Cup qualifiers next month.
There’s a long history of major Union prospects showing their skills at the under-17 level. The next under-17 World Cup, which now is an annual event, will be played in Qatar in November.
“We’ve seen a couple of good glimpses in training here in preseason that he comes to life and you think, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” Carnell said of Jakupovic. “And then you just get to remember, ‘Oh right, he’s just joined us for three, four days already in camp.’”
The Union’s coaching staff is well-aware of the hype and is trying to not add too much more.
Malik Jakupovic at a practice last week.
“We don’t want to put any sort of crazy amounts of pressure on him,” Carnell said. “We want him to have fun, we want him to develop, we want him to learn and grow.”
Goalkeeper Matthew White also made the 21-player roster, and midfielder Willyam Ferreira was picked as an alternate.
MLS announced its roster rules for the year on Thursday, and they included two significant changes.
A year after finally allowing teams to sell players within the league for cash instead of allocation money (basically extra cap space), the league axed its cap of two sales per team per season.
The Union’s sale of Tai Baribo (right) to D.C. United for more than $4 million in December wouldn’t have been allowed in MLS a few years ago.
That certainly will benefit the Union, who’ve taken full advantage in selling Jack McGlynn, Dániel Gazdag, and Tai Baribo for big sums. But it also will be welcome leaguewide because it’s a better measure of players’ market values than allocation money’s limits.
MLS also adjusted its transfer windows, the times of year when teams can buy players. The winter window will run from Jan. 26 to March 26, and the summer window will run from July 13 to Sept. 2. The latter has been shifted later in the year, bringing it in line with windows used by other big leagues worldwide.
It has been nine days since the Eagles removed first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Since then, some of the team’s prime candidates have fallen off the board.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini first reported that former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who the Eagles interviewed on Tuesday, is focused on the Bills’ head coaching job. If Daboll does not land in Buffalo, where he served as Josh Allen’s offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2022, he is “expected” to take over as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, per Russini.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, another one of the Eagles’ prospective candidates, is now expected to be hired as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator, per ESPN. Meanwhile, former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, a Philadelphia-area native and Penn graduate, has been hired to take over head coaching responsibilities for the Atlanta Falcons.
The Eagles have recently requested to interview 29-year-old Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Doyle joins former Chiefs offensive coordinator and Bears head coach Matt Nagy, who the Eagles interviewed on Wednesday, as a prospective candidate. Additionally, former Commanders offensive coordinator and Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is still available.
With some fans growing impatient over the Eagles search and candidates falling off the board every day, local and national media members have been looking to answer: Is the job as valuable as Eagles fans believe? Why have the Eagles not hired a candidate yet? What type of coordinator should they bring in?
Local talk radio blames bad fan behavior
In late November, following the Eagles’ 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears, Patullo’s South Jersey home was vandalized.
A video of vandals throwing eggs at Patullo’s home went viral on social media, sparking an investigation by the Moorestown Police Department. At the time, Patullo explained that he knew that “part of [his] job is to handle criticism,” but the egging of his home “obviously cross[ed] a line.”
Now, 94 WIP host Joe DeCamara is wondering if the that has turned likely candidates away from the Eagles job.
“Every coordinator in football knows it. Every one. And you know who also knows it? The wives of the candidates,” DeCamara said. “Because when the wives talk to the candidates, the men who are their husbands, it’s ‘OK we’ve got seven openings, maybe there’s four we’re interested in, honey let’s put together pros and cons, let’s put the ledger on a piece of paper.’
“There’s pros here. Three guys in the last three years have gotten a head coaching job here. Two on offense, one on defense. There’s a lot of success here. A lot on the pro side of the ledger. But don’t kid yourself. Those kids that egged the house, that is a [expletive] setback in hiring a coordinator. The wives know the last guy’s house got egged. That’s tough, man. That’s tough for the dude who’s going to be OC, tough for the wife.”
Joe DeCamara on the impact of Kevin Patullo hate in the Eagles OC search:
"Those kids that egged the house, that is a frickin setback in hiring a coordinator, because the wives know that the last guy's house got egged." pic.twitter.com/zIfEB1IkBm
Russini argued on WIP earlier this week that the Eagles’ job may come with too many “hard decisions,” leading to candidates not ranking it first among their available options.
“I don’t [think the Eagles offensive coordinator job is an attractive job]. I think coordinators that are on this list are aware that navigating Philly is difficult because of the way it’s set up right now — who’s on the team and really what it’s going to look like in the next few months,” Russini said.
“I think this offseason, of any team right now in the NFL, I think this Eagles group has to probably do the biggest revamp of figuring out what they are. … What is going to come with it are some hard decisions and figuring out who wants to be there and maybe perhaps who they need to bring in.”
Dianna Russini does not view the Eagles’ vacant offensive coordinator position as an attractive opening. 😳
“I think coordinators on this list are aware that navigating Philly is difficult, and it’s not the easiest place to step into—especially if you’re looking for a successful… pic.twitter.com/qISVCVmqeG
The Eagles have 10 free agents on offense, including tight end Dallas Goedert, wide receiver Jahan Dotson, and tackle Fred Johnson. Additionally, there has been a lot of dialogue around whether the Eagles will bring back star wideout A.J. Brown, who has made his frustration well known throughout the season.
Chris Long, Brandon Graham want a ‘Vic Fangio’ on offense
Eagles past and present are also weighing in on the team’s coordinator vacancy.
On The Rich Eisen Show, former Eagles defensive end and Super Bowl LII champion Chris Long urged his former squad to hire a “cheat code” at offensive coordinator.
“You need to hire a cheat code offensive coordinator. We talk about this thing a lot — bring somebody out of retirement, or find somebody who’s aged out,” said Long. “Find yourself a [former Saints and Raiders coach] Dennis Allen, because you have one on defense and his name’s Vic Fangio. He’s not getting a head coaching job. He doesn’t want one.”
Long went on to explain that the Eagles should hire a coordinator who will not leave for a head coaching vacancy to assist Hurts’ further development. Famously, Hurts has had nine offensive coordinators in 10 years, a trend dating to his time at Alabama.
Meanwhile Eagles legend Brandon Graham, who came out of retirement to play for the team this past season, seems to agree.
“I feel like you got to have someone that’s experienced,” Graham said on his podcast. “I like what someone said about a Vic Fangio [on offense] … You really do have to have that command. Because if A.J. [Brown], and all the guys that [were], you know, disgruntled last year, we got to get everybody believing it. …
“I think a veteran person, or someone that got respect in the league will just have everybody kind of [have a] change in belief and get a re-energized feeling.”
SALT LAKE CITY ― Standing in the hallway outside the Flyers’ locker room at the Delta Center after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, Rick Tocchet was the most frustrated and direct he’s been all season after a loss.
“Obviously, we had good parts of it, but that’s unacceptable what happened tonight. So [there’s] really not much to say,” the Flyers coach said.
“I’ve been here [49] games, and there’s some really good stuff,” he added. “But when the pressure hits this team, we’ve got to learn how to play winning hockey.”
The Flyers had the game on their sticks. Literally.
Garnet Hathaway skated in on an empty net with Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka pulled and nothing standing in his way of making it a two-goal game with 1 minute, 27 seconds left in regulation. Instead, he dallied, got his pocket picked, and never got a shot on goal.
Garnet Hathaway literally had to just shoot the puck into the empty net to ice the game.
Nick Seeler then had a shot that was blocked by Clayton Keller, the eventual tying- and winning-goal scorer, with 1:16 to go. Travis Konecny had a third chance at the empty net from the right point blocked by Jack McBain with 53 ticks remaining.
Those came after Trevor Zegras had been robbed by the glove of Vejmelka and Owen Tippett nailed the crossbar. Zegras also hit a post with 2:55 left. But those were just missed opportunities to ice the game.
The Flyers also allowed the Mammoth to climb back into a game in which they led 3-0 and 4-2.
Noah Juulsen rushed to defend Jamie Drysdale and got tagged for an extra minor, leading to the 4-3 goal with less than eight minutes to go. “I love Juuls, but take a punch in the mouth,” Tocchet said afterward. “You’ve got to win the game. … You can’t take a penalty there.”
Then there was veteran defenseman Travis Sanheim getting dog walked by Keller on the tying goal with 35 seconds left, and Konecny losing the puck to Dylan Guenther deep in the Utah zone in the lead-up to Keller’s overtime winner.
The Flyers also could have done with one more timely save along the way from Sam Ersson, who allowed five goals on 27 shots.
Rick Tocchet called the way his team handled pressure on Wednesday “unacceptable.”
As Ersson said, “Obviously, it [stinks], losing this game, but it’s not on one guy, it’s on everybody.”
Tocchet can say that they’ve got to “keep building certain people, and get some of these young guys to understand that and go that direction.” But this was on the veterans.
Regardless, the game is now in the past. Mistakes happen. It’s what one does in response that matters.
“I thought for the most part, we were the better team [and] played some good hockey,” said Christian Dvorak, who scored twice. “Sat back a little bit. It’s a tough loss. It stings, but we can’t let it tread on the next game.”
That next game is Friday against powerhouse Colorado. The Avalanche, who have only five regulation losses all season, are 20-1-4 at Ball Arena.
With the Flyers sitting three points out of a playoff spot at 23-17-9 and with the 16th-best points percentage in the NHL, this is a big game. Leaving a three-game road trip with at least four points out of six across the new Death Valley would not only keep the Flyers in the playoff picture but be a good return considering they entered the week riding a six-game losing streak.
The Flyers need to do what they did well early on against the Mammoth:
They need to play as aggressively as they did in the first period, when Cam York scored after sneaking down from the point to bury a rebound, and Dvorak got behind the defense and scored around a sprawled-out Vejmelka.
The power play scored twice, with Bobby Brink getting one of the goals. The Flyers moved the puck well and created good momentum, but as Tocchet said, “I liked it early, and we did a good job, but then the last one or two, we revert to old style again.” After going 2-for-6 on the power play, the Flyers have moved up from 32 to 30 (15.5%) but will have a tall task against the NHL’s best penalty kill (85.0%).
The penalty kill was good early on and looked like the unit that went 6-for-7 against the Vegas Golden Knights’ potent power play on Monday. But it came up short in the end, with Guenther given space to put a shot on goal that hit Barrett Hayton to make it 4-3. “You’ve got to come out and block the shot, play aggressively, and we sunk,” Tocchet said. “We let Guenther, one of the best shooters in the league, go and shoot the puck. Obviously, we unraveled, and we’ve got to put the pieces back.” One positive — the Avalanche’s power play, given its immense star power, is surprisingly not clicking much better than the Flyers’ at 16.5%.
Turnovers are going to happen. It’s inevitable when you’re playing in a 200-by-85-foot enclosed space with 10 people typically skating around 20 mph. But the Flyers need to minimize them, especially when facing guys like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, who can turn it into a goal in a heartbeat.
Whether it is Ersson or Dan Vladař returning from his injury in goal, the Flyers need saves. Early on, like he played in Vegas, Ersson was impressive against Utah, playing with confidence as he read the puck well, especially through traffic. The late goals were not entirely his fault, as one was a deflected shot, and the game-winner saw a guy left wide-open in the slot, but the Flyers will need big-time saves against the Avs. Ersson was in net for the Flyers’ 3-2 loss at home to Colorado in December, and let in three goals on 28 shots, with the game-winner coming off a cross-ice pass.
Laila Edwards, the first Black player to make the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, could become one of the breakout stars of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
She’s also from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the hometown of Jason and Travis Kelce. The brothers experimented with hockey growing up before committing to football, and they remain fans of the game.
In November 2023, when Edwards first made the women’s national team, they gave her a shout-out on New Heights.
“I thought, ‘I’ll just message them thanking them, they’ll never see it,’” Edwards told People. “And then Travis and I had a full conversation over DM, and that was super cool. He was a really down-to-earth, humble guy who was super supportive and had really good things to say. They shouted me out again recently for making the Olympic team.”
Their support didn’t end there. Edwards told People that Travis made a large donation to her family’s GoFundMe page, which has raised over $50,000 to help her family fly to Milan to support her and the U.S. women’s national team.
Kylie Kelce will be on-site in Milan, after NBC named her as part of its Creator Collective. Jason and Kylie attended the Paris Olympics, and supported field hockey, volleyball, and women’s rugby. This time, Edwards hopes to see them at some of her games.
“Travis was saying that Jason and Kylie are big fans of mine, and I’m hoping to meet them all in Italy,” Edwards said.
Jason and Travis Kelce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Eagles reportedly are going to be on the market for a new defensive backs coach.
Christian Parker, who has served in that role with the Eagles under Vic Fangio for the last two seasons, is expected to become the next Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.
Parker, 34, had become a hot commodity this offseason, as he was also reportedly slated to interview for the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator vacancy. He has risen quickly through the ranks, as he began his NFL coaching career with the Packers seven years ago as a defensive quality control coach.
In 2021, Parker joined Fangio’s staff with the Denver Broncos as defensive backs coach and followed him to the Eagles in 2024. Parker also held the title of passing game coordinator with the Eagles.
The Cowboys are working to hire Christian Parker as their defensive coordinator, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
Just 34 years old, Parker spent the past two seasons as passing game coordinator/DBs coach under Vic Fangio with the Eagles. Now gets his first DC job in the NFC East. pic.twitter.com/boxhtCnEvk
In a short stint in Philadelphia, Parker helped develop a pair of young, standout cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The second-year players earned their first All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods under Parker this season.
The Eagles have boasted a strong secondary with Parker at the helm for the last two years. Last season, the Eagles defense conceded the fewest passing yards in the league (174.2 per game) and the sixth-fewest passing touchdowns (22). In 2025, the Eagles allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards (189.8) and the fewest passing touchdowns (14).
“I could say a lot of things about him, what he’s meant to me and Q, too,” DeJean said at locker clean out on Jan. 12. “We’ve had a routine of me and Q go meet with him two or three times a week just to go over the team we’re playing. Talk about different looks.
“I don’t think I’d be the player I am or I’d have the success that I’ve had without him. He’s poured a lot into me and Q, too, ever since we got here. I appreciate him for that. Not everybody notices him, and he doesn’t get the recognition that I think he should. But him and [safeties] coach [Joe] Kasper, what those guys mean to us in the DB room, how they coach, the intensity they bring, the passion they have for the game, means a lot to us. Doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Parker reportedly will replace Matt Eberflus, whom the Cowboys fired in January after one season leading one of the worst defenses in the organization’s history.
The Eagles could promote internally to replace Parker. Kasper is in his second stint with the Eagles, rejoining the staff in 2024 to serve as safeties coach. He had previously worked with Fangio in 2023 in the same role with the Miami Dolphins.
Kasper began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles in 2021 as a defensive quality control coach, a position he held for two seasons.
One by one, offensive coordinator candidates that have been tied to the Eagles have been taken off the big board.
The latest is Zac Robinson, who is finalizing a deal, according to multiple reports, to be the next coordinator in Tampa. Robinson, who interviewed with the Eagles, joins Mike McDaniel, who talked to the Eagles, as candidates who are no longer in the pool. McDaniel will head west to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Another name to potentially cross off is Brian Daboll, who, according to The Athletic, wants to be the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills and otherwise plans to head to Tennessee to be the offensive coordinator under new defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh.
The Eagles are the only team that didn’t make a head coaching change to still have an offensive coordinator opening. Eight teams that fired their head coach still have an opening at offensive coordinator.
Who’s left among the candidates the Eagles either interviewed or planned to? Another name popped up on the list Thursday morning. Let’s start there …
Declan Doyle
The Eagles, according to ESPN, requested to interview the 29-year-old Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator. Doyle was hired by Ben Johnson last offseason after serving as the tight ends coach in Denver for the previous two seasons. The Iowa native and 2018 Iowa graduate worked as a student assistant with the Hawkeyes from 2016 to 2018 and then was an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints from 2019 to 2022. Talk about a fast riser.
Johnson, of course, has a big hand in the offense and calls plays for the Bears. But Doyle had a hand in the Bears’ sixth-ranked offense by yards per game. Chicago was 32nd a year ago. Johnson gets a lot of credit for that, but Doyle’s role can’t be discounted.
Doyle has never been a play-caller, which makes him an outlier among the other candidates the Eagles have been in contact with. The Eagles seem to be targeting coaches with more experience than Doyle, but there is value in meeting and talking to a young coach like him. Even if it’s not for this job at this juncture.
Jim Bob Cooter
Cooter was a consultant when Nick Sirianni first got the Eagles job in 2021 and has been Shane Steichen’s offensive coordinator in Indianapolis since 2023. The Eagles, according to Sports Illustrated, interviewed Cooter on Friday. Like Doyle in Chicago, Cooter does not call plays for the Colts, which is why the Eagles job would be a promotion.
Brian Daboll was one of Jalen Hurts many offensive coordinators over the years. The pair was together during the 2017 Alabama season.
Brian Daboll
It’s still worth putting Daboll here, despite the report from The Athletic. Until a deal is done, he’s still a candidate. The Eagles, sources said, interviewed Daboll on Tuesday. Daboll was most recently the head coach of the New York Giants, a position he was fired from in November. Daboll wants to be in Buffalo probably for a few reasons: He’s from the area, and his best stretch of coaching came as the OC in Buffalo, where he helped develop Josh Allen.
The Eagles, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported a few days ago, plan to interview Grizzard, who was let go by Tampa Bay. Grizzard, 35, was the offensive coordinator for one season after joining the Bucs in 2024 as a passing game coordinator. Before Tampa Bay, Grizzard worked with McDaniel in Miami and was with the Dolphins during stints with Adam Gase and Brian Flores, too.
Mike Kafka
The Eagles have already interviewed Kafka, who was Daboll’s coordinator in New York before taking over as interim head coach. Kafka is a familiar name around here, having spent two seasons as a backup quarterback after the Eagles selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. During his 10-year coaching career, Kafka has spent time with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. He was Mahomes’ quarterbacks coach from 2018 to 2021.
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy (left) has been with Andy Reid for most of his career, starting as an intern in Philadelphia.
Matt Nagy
The Eagles interviewed Nagy on Wednesday, according to sources. Kansas City just hired his replacement in Eric Bieniemy. Nagy, unlike in Kansas City, would call plays with the Eagles. Nagy, who went to high school in Lancaster County and attended the University of Delaware, got his start in the NFL as an intern under Andy Reid with the Eagles in 2008. Nagy followed Reid to Kansas City, then returned to the Chiefs after his four-year stint as the head coach of the Bears. He had been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for the last three seasons.
Bobby Slowik
The Eagles, according to ESPN, requested to interview Slowik, Miami’s senior passing game coordinator. Slowik is another branch on the Shanahan tree. He worked with the Shanahans in Washington from 2011 to 2013 and then was a Pro Football Focus analyst. Kyle Shanahan hired Slowik in 2017 as a defensive quality control coach in San Francisco. Slowik jumped to the offensive side of the ball with the 49ers in 2019. He was the passing game coordinator for the 2022 season before Houston hired him to be its offensive coordinator in 2023. He held that position and called plays for two seasons.
Charlie Weis Jr.
It’s unclear if the Eagles have interviewed Weis, who helped Lane Kiffin run an explosive Ole Miss offense that has been at or near the top of the NCAA rankings in offense the last few seasons. They at least reportedly had interest in Weis, who will join Kiffin in his same role at LSU.
Staff writer Jeff McLane contributing reporting to this story.
Entering Tuesday’s game against South Florida, Temple coach Diane Richardson and her staff held a meeting with the players to provide some clarity about their roles on the court.
The Owls were reeling from a three-game losing streak and fresh off a lopsided loss to East Carolina on Jan. 17. The meeting proved to be what they needed to get back on track.
Against South Florida, which entered Tuesday second in the American Conference standings, Temple played cohesively, which Richardson hadn’t seen lately. The result: an 86-83 win in which the Owls (8-10, 2-4 American) shot 52.7% from the field and had four players score in double figures.
“I’m really pleased that they stepped up and realized that we have to play together,” Richardson said. “It’s a tough conference. When we play together, it makes a big difference, and as I look at the stats, I think we did pretty well in most of the categories. The biggest one was that we only had 11 turnovers. But, again, that’s confidence in each other and playing together.”
Guard Kaylah Turner was one of the main benefactors of the meeting, rediscovering her role.
The junior shot 29.8% from the field in the Owls’ first five conference games and struggled with inefficiency and taking quick shots. Turner, who was named preseason first-team all-conference, looked like herself on Tuesday.
She shot 7-for-15 from the field and found her spots to knock down jumpers. She also used her speed to get to the basket for easy layups and finished with a game-high 23 points.
“It makes it 100 times easier when my teammates are always telling me, be confident in my shot, continue to drive, even if I miss two layups or miss a three-pointer,” Turner said. “I’ve got coaches who say the same thing.”
With Temple’s leading scorer back in her groove, the rest of the offense fell into place.
Richardson wasn’t happy with Temple’s 5-of-23 shooting from three against Tulane on Jan. 13. She wanted the team to play faster and get more looks near the basket. The Owls fed the ball inside vs. South Florida, which led to a big game from forward Saniyah Craig.
The Jacksonville transfer flourished in the post and scored a season-high 22 points, including 10-for-13 shooting from the free-throw line. Despite having less of an emphasis on three-pointers, Temple still went 8-for-16 from deep, led by forward Jaleesa Molina, who made all four of her attempts and finished with 19 points.
Guard Tristen Taylor also finished with 16 points, meaning 80 of Temple’s 86 points came from four players.
“I think we were more efficient with the things that we did today,” Richardson said. “We were more efficient in ball security. We were more efficient in our shots. I think those made a difference, even though it doesn’t show on the stat sheet. That’s what I told them in the locker room, the things that are not on the stat sheet was the defense, was the intensity, and was the bench. The bench was really into the game, and they were cheering them on.”
With clarity in their roles, the Owls got back to playing their brand of basketball. Richardson’s equal opportunity offense was in full effect, her team was connected and playing together, and it resulted in a statement win.
They will look to carry their newfound momentum into the middle of American play, starting with a home game against Charlotte on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).
“This is a great win, but we’re nowhere near done,” Turner said. “So we’re going to lock in the next practice, and we’re going to make sure we start the beginning of practice how we started this game, and we’re going to practice the entire way so we transfer it to this weekend.”
Added Taylor: “I think our biggest thing is just don’t be complacent right now.”
Vic Fangio could be going home with some hardware in February, just not the Lombardi Trophy.
The Eagles defensive coordinator is a finalist for the Associated Press assistant coach of the year award for a second consecutive season. Fangio, 67, is one of five finalists, along with Minnesota’s Brian Flores, Denver’s Vance Joseph, Seattle’s Klint Kubiak, and New England’s Josh McDaniels.
The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 5 in San Francisco, three days before the Super Bowl.
Fangio was the maestro behind another dominant Eagles defense in his second season with the team. The group finished tied for fifth in points against (19.3 points per game allowed). No team in the league conceded fewer passing touchdowns (14).
He helped his players garner leaguewide recognition, too. Cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell earned their first All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in their second seasons. Linebacker Zack Baun and defensive tackle Jalen Carter also earned Pro Bowl distinctions for a second straight year.
Fangio, who hails from Dunmore, Pa., won the assistant coach of the year award in 2018, his fourth and final season as Chicago Bears defensive coordinator, a position he left at the end of that season to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
