Mike McCoy on Frank Reich: ‘I can't say enough good things'

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The Chargers wanted to move in a different direction.

The Eagles were happy to take their old one.

This offseason, new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson hired Frank Reich to be his offensive coordinator. Reich was only available because the Chargers fired him, along with several other offensive coaches, following a rough 4-12 season in 2015.

“Can’t thank Frank enough for what he did for the organization in the three years he was there,” Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said last week in Boca Raton, Florida, at the NFL owners meetings. “He did an outstanding job. It was a very difficult decision to make.”

In Reich’s place, the Chargers hired Ken Whisenhunt, who actually held the position before Reich, but moved on to become the Titans’ head coach for a couple years.

Earlier this offseason, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco alluded to the reason the team decided to fire Reich after two seasons as offensive coordinator.

“We want to get a bit more balanced,” Telesco told reporters in San Diego during his end-of-the-season media availability.

McCoy echoed that same reason Tuesday in Boca.

While the Chargers were a top-10 team in the pass game in 2015, they averaged just 84.9 yards per game on the ground, the second-worst number in the NFL.

Pederson previously said this offseason that he liked what Reich brought to the downfield passing game.

What else does Reich bring?

“The command of the room and the respect of the players,” McCoy said. “He did an outstanding job there of really taking advantage of what our players did best, I think in the passing game especially. The way we approached each week, the preparation, the involvement of the entire staff. I think that was another great thing that Frank did also. He was the coordinator so he had to make the final decision on everything, but get everybody’s input. And really just put a good plan together.”

Reich wasn’t the only coach to get fired by the Chargers this offseason. The team also fired four other assistants, including the offensive line and tight ends coach. It might have been surprising head coach McCoy survived a 4-12 season, but someone had to pay the price. One of those people was Reich.

But his previous boss had nothing but great things to say about him Tuesday. In fact, McCoy expects big things from Reich in Philly.

“I think like with any coach, the more you do something the better you’re going to get,” McCoy said. “And I can’t say enough good things about him as a person, as a football coach. If you ask Phillip Rivers, he’d say the same exact thing, same with all the guys on the offense.”

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