It’s tough to put into words how much Jim Johnson meant to the Eagles defense over the years because essentially he was the Eagles defense. It was his knowledge and advanced blitz schemes that helped keep opposing offenses off guard, and if you look at some of the players who had success here and struggled elsewhere (Jeremiah Trotter immediately comes to mind) you’ll get an idea of how Johnson always put his players in a position to succeed.
Now the pressure of replacing him falls squarely on the shoulders of Sean McDermott, a name many Eagle fans may not be immediately familiar with. McDermott joined the Birds back in 1999-2000 as an Assistant to the Head Coach and worked his way up through the organization, eventually becoming the Linebackers coach in 2008, and the Secondary coach last season. He also spent 2004-2006 working with the DBs.
McDermott was the longest tenured defensive assistant under Jim Johnson and worked closely with him on the weekly game plan, so if there was anyone capable of replacing JJ McDermott would be the guy. Obviously we won’t know how good of a coordinator he’ll be until we see the unit working under him week-to-week, but the fact that he was a strong candidate for both the Packers and Broncos DC openings this offseason speaks to how highly regarded he is outside the Eagles organization.
Another important move by the Eagles front office to aid McDermott was the hiring of former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart in late May. Stewart will bring an advanced knowledge of the NFC to the Eagles defensive coaching staff and will help McDermott make the adjustment from assistant to coordinator.
Again, we may not know right away whether McDermott is cut out to replace Jim Johnson, but he’s clearly put in the time under one of the greatest coordinators who ever lived. Now the Eagles just have to hope he is ready for the challenge.
