Brain trust | Sports Daily Newsletter

Usually, coach and GM will meet the press a couple days after the season ends. This year, we had to wait nine days to hear from Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman after the Eagles’ collapse down the stretch.

And what did we learn in that 35-minute session?

Well, the duo spoke about the Sean Desai demotion, the current coordinator shuffle, and more. They sat and answered for the team’s shortcomings and promised “fresh ideas.”

The Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes breaks it all down.

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

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❓What do you think about Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

After the Eagles’ housecleaning, word came out that Vic Fangio was parting ways with the Miami Dolphins and is expected to roost in Philadelphia to run the defense.

Fangio, who has seen former Eagles defensive coordinators Jonathan Gannon and Sean Desai among those implementing his philosophies, has had an outsized influence on the Birds, aside from a stint as a consultant during the team’s Super Bowl run last season.

Who’ll run the offense? Here’s a look at nine candidates, with Kliff Kingsbury and Jerrod Johnson among those who’ve reportedly interviewed with the Eagles. If you ask David Murphy, Kingsbury is a nonstarter.

The new OC won’t get a chance to work with Jason Kelce if he follows through on retirement. But as a spectator to his brother Travis’ postseason run, Kelce hopped out of a suite in Buffalo to lift up an 8-year-old girl and entertain (mostly) everyone with his shirtless antics.

For months, and now years, we have waited for updates regarding the Hockey Canada sexual assault investigation. Wednesday provided the biggest breakthrough yet, as the Globe and Mail reported that five players from the 2018 Canada World Juniors team have been told to surrender and face charges of sexual assault in London, Ontario.

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, who requested and was granted “an indefinite leave of absence” on Tuesday, was a member of that team, which has led to a lot of speculation. General manager Danny Brière talked about Hart, Hockey Canada, and the Flyers’ immediate and long-term future on Wednesday at his midseason media availability.

Next: The Flyers will visit the Detroit Red Wings tonight (7, NBCSP).

The Eastern Conference has been dizzying with coach and player movement over the last couple of weeks. Former Sixers coach Doc Rivers landed with the Milwaukee Bucks, Philly native Kyle Lowry became a member of the Charlotte Hornets, and Pascal Siakam was shipped to the Indiana Pacers. But while teams around them shifted puzzle pieces, the Sixers simply rolled along. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell takes a look at where those moves left the East at midseason.

Next: The Sixers take the court against the Indiana Pacers tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (7, NBCSP+).

Alejandro Bedoya’s future with the Union has been in limbo since his contract expired at the end of last season. With the captain now 36 years old and entering the twilight of his career, it seemed as if Ernst Tanner and Co. were ready to move on from the former U.S. international.

Not so fast. It now looks as if the club legend could stay in Philadelphia for another season. Here’s what Jim Curtin said about Bedoya in an exclusive interview with our Jonathan Tannenwald from the Union’s training camp in Florida.

Tommy Gardler’s family is steeped in Philly hoops lore. His parents played at St. Joe’s, his sister at Villanova, and you may have heard of his grandfather, Harry “Bud” Gardler.

But Tommy was left without a hoops home when the University of the Sciences’ sports teams ceased competition two years ago.

Enter Fran Dunphy.

Gardler walked onto La Salle’s squad, and though he doesn’t play often, he has a key role. And last week, he was rewarded with a scholarship for his efforts.

The Atlantic 10 slate is well underway, but La Salle’s women are still searching for an identity. That and more was clear in their 75-47 home loss to Rhode Island on Wednesday. Lochlahn March has her takeaways from the rout.

Next: Both teams hit the road looking to snap skids. The men, who’ve lost four straight, will face George Washington (6 p.m. Saturday, ESPN+), while the women will try to end a three-game losing streak vs. Massachussetts (3 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN+).

We asked you: Who would you like to see as the Eagles’ offensive and defensive coordinators and why? Among your responses:

It should be Wink Martindale or someone else who knows how to blitz and create confusion on the offense. Read: Jim Johnson — Henry K.

Regarding new offense and defense coaches I have to be honest and admit to not knowing a whole lot about who is available. I read EJ Smith’s column just now and from those choices for offense I like Jerrord Johnson, Zac Robinson, and of course Frank Reich who helped our guys win their first ever Super Bowl. If Brian Dawkins would ever be interested in getting back into the game as a D coach he would be my first choice for many obvious reasons. It would be impossible of course to bring back Steichen and Gannon now that they are head coaches, but for sure that would be my first choice. We fired Brian Johnson, but have we really dealt with the 64K question — maybe Hurts himself was responsible for the offense’s collapse? — Everett S.

And one more on Sirianni ...

No! He’s the head coach and he made terrible decisions all year. First, he hired two coordinators who seemed lost all year.

I never witnessed responses that were so inept. Zero highlight films from either side of the ball. Finally, when we saw the players frustration during the second half of the season, that was an indication that he’d lost command of the locker room. As you noted, most of the offensive players went to the super bowl and 8-10 games later, many of them were disgruntled.

All one has to do was watch Baker, Lamar and others trying to rally their troops and then see Jalen sitting, stone faced and seemingly uninterested in the game or its outcome.

Now, even though you didn’t ask, I personally think that Howie might also be a problem. One rookie was selected to the all rookie team. Jalen Carter, and he was a chance pick. Not a good showing when you consider that he’s the guru. Hardly any of his trades paid off and he left a lot of talent available for everyone else. — Gig B.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, EJ Smith, David Murphy, Gabriela Carroll, Gustav Elvin, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jeff Neiburg, Lochlahn March, Kerith Gabriel, Aaron Carter, and Owen McCue.

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.

That’s it for me this week! Jim will be back tomorrow with the final Sports Daily of the week. — Maria