Missin’ Steichen | Sports Daily Newsletter

Watching the Indianapolis Colts this season might give you a sense of nostalgia. No, not for former Eagles backup QB Gardner Minshew and his flowing locks.

No, it’s for the guy running the show. In his first season in Indy, Shane Steichen brought the Colts to the doorstep of a playoff berth. Last season, he helped guide Jalen Hurts and the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

But he isn’t coming back anytime soon. It’s not time to write off Nick Sirianni yet, David Murphy writes, but it’s clear Steichen was the brains of last year’s operation.

So if things don’t go as planned Monday night, cleaning the house will be the easy part.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓Give us your score prediction for Monday night. Who will win the wild card contest and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

So much has changed since Week 3, when the Eagles handily beat the Buccaneers, 25-11. The Bucs went on to win the NFC South. The Eagles, meanwhile, have been in free fall and now will visit Tampa Bay for an NFC wild-card game.

How will the Eagles’ secondary handle the Bucs’ star wideouts? What about the Birds’ run game vs. the Bucs’ defense? EJ Smith breaks down the five biggest matchups that could determine who advances and whose season is over.

Next: The Eagles will visit the Buccaneers for a wild-card playoff game at 8 p.m. Monday (ESPN, 6ABC).

The Flyers made a franchise-altering move on Monday night, shipping out top prospect Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks.

The Flyers didn’t want to make the move but had few choices, given Gauthier had told the organization he didn’t want to ever play for the Flyers. How did the Flyers fare given the context that Danny Brière had limited leverage? We asked our experts to grade the move.

But while the Gauthier era ended before it started, the Jamie Drysdale era is just beginning. Here’s what the new Flyers defenseman had to say after his first practice with the Orange and Black.

Next: The Flyers host the Montreal Canadiens tonight (7 p.m., NBCSP).

“I don’t accept the effort.”

That was 76ers coach Nick Nurse’s response when asked about his team’s back-to-back blowout losses against the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz. He wasn’t worried about missing shots, instead focused on the lack of urgency exhibited on defense. When recently discussing the same topic, he was reminded by an assistant, “We miss Melt up there.”

The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell looks into De’Anthony Melton’s return from a back injury and what the Sixers missed while he was out.

Next: The Sixers hit the court on Wednesday, without Joel Embiid or Robert Covington, mind you, when they play the Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m., NBCSP+).

A game against Penn State way back in 2020 helped put Michael Penix Jr. on the map. The quarterback dealt with several serious injuries during his time at Indiana, but took his college career to new heights after transferring to Washington.

That culminated in Monday’s College Football Playoff title game. While it didn’t go the way he or any of the Huskies wanted, his determination was on display — a determination forged while he was a Hoosier playing for Tom Allen, who’s now the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator.

This South Jersey native showed out for Michigan on Monday night.

Where do the Huskies, Wolverines, and Nittany Lions stand in these way-too-early CFP championship odds for 2024?

Also, two names with ties to the area and a Penn State great were among the 22 in the College Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2024.

A Sainted legacy: Neumann Goretti recently honored its longtime basketball coach, Carl Arrigale.

Ram tough: This Spring-Ford forward is getting plenty of Division I attention ... in football.

Andy Reid racked up 10 postseason wins with the Eagles. Who stands second all-time in career postseason victories for the Birds?

Answer: B. Doug Pederson won four postseason games for the Eagles, including the Super Bowl in 2018. Stephen T. was first with the correct answer.

We asked you: Do you think Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense can snap out of their funk in time to win in the playoffs? Among your responses:

One and done! Get ready for a purge of players and coaches. — Virgil K.

I think the Eagles problems are much greater than a “funk”. From an outsider they look like a group of players (not a team) that cannot or will not play together. So it looks like one and done then house cleaning time. — Jim K.

The 2023 season is over. The entire coaching staff needs to go. — Gwen J.

Whether the Eagles can beat the Bucs in the first round will be evident in the first quarter. They must reverse the current momentum that is taking them down and down. If they fall behind early, they will have another total collapse and lose again to an inferior opponent. I want this to happen, so that all of the Eagles coaches including Sirianni are replaced. It has been clear from early in this season that the biggest problem has been coaching. Not only are the coordinators not getting their jobs done, but Sirianni as well as Johnson, Desai, and Patricia are not competent enough to hold their positions in the NFL. This is still a solid roster of players, even if several of the core veterans retire. What will be a younger team in 2024, they will not trust any of these coaches next season when they might face a rough patch again. — Jay W.

As a longtime Eagles fan I would love to be enthusiastic and say they can regroup and be successful in the playoffs, but considering those last games from Seattle to the Cardinals to the Giants and all that has happened in a negative way I cannot be confident of even getting by Tampa Bay. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. — Everett S.

This team lacks character to rebound. They seem to be unmotivated and lack the desire to compete. While the offense is our stronger side of the ball, they don’t seem to have confidence in the play calling or themselves. Going rogue on play calls made has probably been happening for a while. The defense can’t stop anyone and the offense is way too inconsistent to sustain any type of momentum. They might beat Tampa Bay, but I wouldn’t bet on it. — Tom G.

THE EAGLES ARE COMING VERY CLOSE TO THE WORST PROFESSIONAL TEAM COLLAPSE SINCE THE PHILLIES IN 1964 AS A 13 YEAR OLD BOY WHO WITNESSED THOSE LOSSES AT CONNIE MACK STADIUM THE COMPARISONS OF COMPLETE HUMILIATION AS A TEAM ARE ERRIE. NOW THEY MUST FACE THE BUCS IN TAMPA. — Andy P.

No I don’t think they can snap out of this offensive funk in time for the playoffs. Todd Bowles is a good defensive coach and he sees the problems the Eagles have had dealing with blitzing defenses. Hurts does not seem to be able to make any adjustments pre or post snap. He hasn’t hit a “hot” receiver to deal with the blitz all year!! — Bill R.

It’s not the offense that’s in a funk. It’s the defense! No pressure on QB, inadequate secondary coverage, and poor tackling led to all recent losses. Offense just has to fix one thing — RUN THE BALL! — John P.

Not likely without more creative play calling, especially increased use of motion.

Right now, they are being severely outcoached on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Their special teams are good. — Theo C.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, EJ Smith, Gustav Elvin, Lochlahn March, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Maria McIlwain, Devin Jackson, Kerith Gabriel, Aaron Carter, and Dan Arkans.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back tomorrow with more of the best coverage of Philly sports. — Maria