Sean McDermott loves Philly, wants Eagles to ‘recapture magic'

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Several names have been reportedly linked to the Eagles’ head coaching search in the last few days. 

Curiously, Sean McDermott isn’t one of them.  

But the Panthers’ defensive coordinator was on 97.5 The Fanatic on Tuesday morning and it sounds like he’s interested in returning to Philadelphia. 

“I mean, listen, we love it here. Living in Carolina has been great. We’ve been here five years,” McDermott said. “But, yeah, we’re always interested. I love the Philadelphia area and quite honestly, it’s been tough to watch the last several years, having grown up in the area and worked there for 12 years. The fan base, I know what’s important to them. They’re genuine, dedicated and they’re real. And the facilities up there are second to none. So I’d love to see the Eagles recapture the magic, so to speak.” 

McDermott seems like he would fit with the Eagles. And, in fact, he would be CSNPhilly's Reuben Frank's choice.

McDermott, 41, has been the Panthers’ defensive coordinator since 2011, when he was fired from the same role with the Eagles. This year, he has led one of the best defenses in the NFL for the Panthers (15-1). 

This week is a bye week for the Panthers as the NFC’s top team, which means McDermott is available for interviews. It sounds like he’s waiting for the Eagles to call. 

When asked if the Eagles have reached out, McDermott deferred to his agent. He did, however, say he was “humbled and honored” to be mentioned as a possible candidate for head coaching jobs. 

“I would just like to see the Eagles recapture that magic and that’s the best I can say at this point,” McDermott said. 

One of the things owner Jeff Lurie said when he held his press conference a little less than a week ago was that he wanted someone who understood Philadelphia and its fans. McDermott definitely checks that box. 

He grew up in the Philadelphia area and first joined the Eagles staff as an intern in 1998. Then he was groomed by head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. 

“I don’t think there’s a lot of people who are as fortunate as I was to be around a mentor like Jim and like Andy, to be honest to you,” McDermott said. 

A majority of the interview was spent talking about McDermott’s current team, the Panthers, and what has made their defense and team dynamic so great. McDermott praised former Eagle and current Panthers starting safety Kurt Coleman, as well as linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. 

One part of the interview that was particularly interesting was when McDermott talked about the importance of connecting with players. He said as a relatively younger coach, it’s sometimes easier for him. For example, he said the players enjoy when he pretends to like their music. 

Lurie preached the importance of “emotional intelligence” during his press conference. That was something it seemed Chip Kelly didn’t have. 

“The game is not all about X's and O's,” McDermott said. “It's bigger than that. It's leadership and it's about people. We're not in the business of making doorknobs. We're in the business of people.”

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