Meet ‘Mama Stout’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

In Philadelphia, folks are quite familiar with Jeff Stoutland, who is widely considered one of the best position coaches in the NFL.

For 13 seasons, he has led the Eagles’ offensive line to sustained excellence, guiding seven players to 26 combined Pro Bowl appearances, and five to 15 All-Pro teams. During his coaching journey, which has taken him to an array of places, the 63-year-old has had his wife, Allison, by his side for 33 years. She was a devoted teacher, but it became a difficult job to sustain.

So Allison decided to pivot and become a children’s author. She misses the classroom at times, but writing has allowed her to reach more children than she ever could in the past. And the warmth she once brought to her students, she brings to the Eagles — plus some baked goods, too.

You also don’t want to miss this read by The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell, who spoke with 76ers coach Nick Nurse about how he dealt with a woeful, injury-plagued 2024-25 season. He faced an irked feeling that lingered and lingered well into the offseason.

“You could feel his frustration, feel his pain,” a close friend of Nurse said. Then as the summer rolled around, it was time to get back to work, and Nurse was plotting. Maybe he even had an extra boost or focus coming off a disastrous season. Whatever he did and is currently doing, it seems to be working.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓What do you think about the Sixers’ early play and success? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Eagles coordinators met for their weekly press conferences Tuesday before the team breaks for the bye week, and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo shared how he has dealt with criticism — particularly the sentiment that Nick Sirianni’s right-hand man was handed a job and wasn’t up for it.

After being a mostly behind-the-scenes guy in previous seasons, Patullo suggested that it comes with the territory, “but really, it’s all about just winning games.”

👀 Speculating: Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe could be the best backcourt in the NBA, especially after Monday’s performance.

🎉 Commemorating: The Phillies may not be in the World Series, but two South Jersey natives are representing the area on the big stage.

🎧 Listening: Jeff McLane and Mike Sielski break down how the Eagles changed course heading into the bye and what’s next for the 6-2 Birds.

🤔 Wondering: Why does Jeremiah Trotter Jr. frequently go to the medical tent during games? The answer isn’t because of an injury.

Forty-five years ago last week, the Phillies won their first World Series championship. It wouldn’t have happened without Greg Luzinski.

Luzinski didn’t get a hit in the World Series. But “the Bull,” as he was known, picked up two game-winning hits in a five-game National League Championship Series for the ages against the Houston Astros, and there wasn’t a more important postseason series in franchise history.

Luzinski, 74, joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, last week to discuss that series, the World Series that followed, and the crossroads facing today’s Phillies. Read our Q&A with him here or watch the entire interview here.

For folks who may have been wondering what a bumper is, we have the answer for you. Power-play systems are constantly changing and evolving. But the most common type of power play, and one that pretty much every team in the NHL has employed for the last eight to 10 years, is the 1-3-1 formation.

In this system is where the bumper lives, it’s the middleman, who is typically situated in the slot between the flanks. The spot requires quick hands and a quick mind. Usually, if it’s done properly, the bumper is the player “who is left open a lot,” coach Rick Tocchet says.

The bumper paid dividends on Tuesday night as Bobby Brink capitalized from the area to score the Flyers’ first goal on the power play. The Flyers went on to defeat the Penguins, 3-2 in a shootout, in what was a drama-filled and testy affair.

In the long run, the Sixers’ Tuesday night game against the Washington Wizards probably won’t mean a lot. But no matter the outcome, the Sixers already are one of the league’s early season success stories and off to their best start since going 5-0 in 2019-20. No one outside of the Sixers organization expected them to be in this position, regardless of sample size. And how could they? But the Sixers aren’t surprised by their hot start.

Speaking of those Sixers, the comeback kids did it again on Tuesday night, rallying from 19 points down to beat the Washington Wizards in overtime. Here are Keith Pompey’s latest takeaways, including a closer look at Joel Embiid’s performance.

In a span of less than two weeks, we went from Dave Dombrowski comparing Bryce Harper to a player who is currently batting third for a team that is two wins away from its second straight World Series title, to Dombrowski definitively saying that Harper will not be traded, to Harper saying that he is “hurt” and “uncomfortable” with all of the trade talk sparked by Dombrowski’s comments. The feud doesn’t add up at first glance, but look again, and it could just be a plea from Harper to recruit more lineup protection, writes columnist David Murphy.

Who threw the most career interceptions (151) in Eagles history?

A. Ron Jaworski. Joey M. was first with the correct answer.

We asked: Who is the Eagles’ best tight end ever? Among your responses:

One of the best was Pete Pihos in the 50’s. 5600 yards and 61 TD’s. Naturally being 86 I remember watching him play at the old Shibe Park at 21st & Lehigh Ave. — Ronald R.

Tough Question. Lots of outstanding Eagle tight ends. When I was a kid Pete Pihos was one of my favorite Eagles and was an outstanding end although not yet featured as a tight-end. Pete Retzlaff is a Hall of Famer and our first real tight end. Zach Ertz leads all time in receptions and is the best of recent years. I think the two who were tops in natural athletic ability were Keith Jackson and Charley Young. L.J. Smith, Brent Celek deserve mention, and Dallas Goedert I think is an outstanding end who probably should get thrown to much more than he is. I can’t close off here without mention of Bobby Walston who played his entire 12 year career with the Eagles and was an outstanding wide receiver, tight end, and place kicker before the soccer guys took over that role. — Everett S.

Zach Ertz. Hands down. He had a career season his last year with the Eagles, helped to win our first super bowl, and is still going strong with the Commanders. We never should have let him go! — Lynda M.

The Eagles best tight end was Pete Pihos. — Dom R.

Zach Ertz is often said to be widely considered the best tight end in Eagles history due to his many franchise records and Super Bowl win, though Pete Retzlaff is also a strong contender for his accomplishments in a different era. as a talent, the most talented was Charlie Young, who could do it all, but played only 3 years with the Eagles before he went to the Rams and then the 49ers in his 10-year Pro Bowl career. — John W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Gina Mizell, David Murphy, Jeff Neiburg, Scott Lauber, Jeff McLane, Mike Sielski, Keith Pompey, Lochlahn March, Jackie Spiegel, Colin Schofield, Kerith Gabriel, and Gabriela Carroll.

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.

As always, thanks for reading. Have a wonderful Wednesday. Kerith will be back in your inbox with Thursday’s newsletter. — Bella