Birds' Coaching Shuffle
Secondary coach Otis Smith is no longer with the team, an Eagles spokesman confirmed today.
Eagles assistant secondary coach Otis Smith is no longer with the team, an Eagles spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
No further information was offered. Smith, a 13-year NFL cornerback who played for the Birds early in his career, joined the coaching staff as an intern in 2007 and was promoted in 2008. He worked under secondary coach Sean McDermott, who currently is running the defense while coordinator Jim Johnson takes a leave of absence during his cancer treatment.
The Eagles recently brought in former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart to assist McDermott, mainly with the secondary. It's unclear whether that move had anything to do with Smith's departure. Smith worked all of the OTAs, or minicamps, this spring.
The move came to light in a roundabout way. It's a big old goofy internet world out there, as this story illustratres. Derek Sarley of Igglesblog e-mailed your Eagletarian, saying that one of his readers, a salary cap maven named "shlynch" had noticed Smith is no longer listed among the Eagles' coaches on the team Web site, and that a story on that Web site listed former Birds on the current coaching staff, and did not mention Smith. (Sometimes it really is kinda like "Pravda," the nickname bestowed by cynical fans.)
Anyhow, the Eagles acknowledged Smith is gone. Thanks to Derek and to "shlynch."
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In the earlier posts: