PHILADELPHIA — Eagles cornerback James Bradberry heard the rumors about Jonathan Gannon much like his teammates leading up to Super Bowl LVII.
Gannon, the defensive coordinator, was on the verge of becoming the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, who just happened to play at State Farm Stadium, site of the Super Bowl. The deal was all but finalized as the Kanas City Chiefs defeated the Eagles, 38-35.
If you watched replays of the second half, one in which the Philly defense was so easily and systematically dismantled by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, you had to wonder what the heck Gannon was thinking beyond visualizing where he and his family would reside in Arizona.
Allowing two walk-in touchdowns is an unofficial Super Bowl record. Getting gashed on the ground by a Big Red offense is unfathomable. Those are a few of the favorite things we’ll remember about J.G.
“I definitely didn’t think he packed it in,” Bradberry said of Gannon, who brings the Cardinals to Lincoln Financial Field Sunday. “I just feel like he was trying to handle two situations and kill two birds with one stone. Of course, it was already out there. But I never saw any slack from him game planning or coaching. At the end of the day, it’s about the players.”
Bradberry would know: He committed a costly penalty enabling the Chiefs to seal the win and shouldered much of the blame personally. All the Eagles needed was a stop on third-and-8 at their 15-yard line to force a Chiefs field goal with 1:48 left.
While giving the Chiefs a three-point lead, it also would have preserved clock for a comeback by Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
Instead, Bradberry held wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster not once, but twice (the second was moderate), the Chiefs maintained possession and then shifted into Church Mode with kneel-downs where they burned the clock before kicking the winning field goal.
Gannon, good guy that he is, surely must have consoled Bradberry for that awful holding mistake after the game. After all, it was a team loss.
“I don’t remember talking to him at the end,” Bradberry said. “Of course, I was one of the main media focuses. I had a lot of questions. I don’t think he really had time to get up and get to me. And I was trying to get out of there.”
Bradberry stood tall and honestly answered questions. Yes, he held. And he did so despite not knowing if he’d be back with the Eagles. Bradberry was an unrestricted free agent on a team that had to squirrel away money to extend Hurts’ contract. Cornerback Darius Slay felt the pinch, as well. He figured he might be working for the Baltimore Ravens this season. The Eagles low-balled safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, the best player on the back end of the defense, and he signed with Detroit.
But back to Gannon and his refusal to adjust when the Chiefs pounded the ball on an Eagles defense that dared them to do just that.
“I think what really kind of stole some of the momentum from us was when they came out in the second half, they pretty much ran the ball down our throats,” Bradberry said. “They were really successful running the ball and I feel like that kind of took away our momentum and definitely got us started on a bad special half. And we had a couple of plays in the red zone that hurt us. Now, if we had played like we did in the first half we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Definitely wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Gannon is saying all the right things before the trip back to Philly. He loves Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, his close friend. He made no mention of how he told then rookie head coach Sirianni to give up the play calling after a 2-5 start in 2021, per reports. The Eagles have since gone 33-12, including the playoffs.
Gannon said that he and Arizona defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, also on the Eagles’ staff in that Super Bowl, haven’t had a second to think about the homecoming because of the challenge of getting the 3-12 Cardinals ready for the 11-4 Eagles.
“I mean, you guys know how I am,” Gannon told media covering the Cardinals. “I put everything into what I’m doing that day. There is a time for reflection, which is not now.”
We’ll have to take J.G.’s word for it.
At the end of the day, Gannon wasn’t nearly the coordinator we cracked him up to be. The Super Bowl formula was to get early leads, control the football and make the opposition abandon its game plan playing catch up. That enabled the Eagles to produce a club-record 70 sacks and run the ball to kill the clock down the homestretch.
Gannon played a role in helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. But let’s be honest. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, was the brains behind the Eagles’ success. He got the most out of Hurts, who has become a turnover machine this season. Steichen is now in charge of a team leading its division with Gardner Minshew at quarterback.
Gannon left the Eagles hanging so long that Sirianni wound up with Sean Desai as his defensive coordinator. Overwhelmed by the job, Desai stepped aside so veteran Matt Patricia would call the defensive plays.
Thanks for everything, J.G. Happy Sunday.
To contact Bob Grotz, email rgrotz@delcotimes.com
