“What would you say, ya do here?”

Famous line from Bob Slydell in Office Space, who asks Tom Smykowski to elaborate on his Initech role, beyond bringing the specifications from the customers to the software engineers.

Rich Scangarello is much more qualified than Tom Smykowski, but his role as “Senior Offensive Assistant” seemed a bit vague when the Eagles decided to bring him as part of the staff changes that saw Mike Groh and Carson Walch depart.

Speaking with media this week, the former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator and San Francisco quarterbacks coach explained his job description with the Birds:

“Pretty much I was hired here to come help be a part of a staff that is already a veteran group that have worked together, that really kind of had its way. Just kind of incorporate myself to help the offense be the best version it can be with whatever way I can help Doug and the entire group in planning.

But it’s been pretty seamless. It’s been really good. It’s a veteran group. They are easy to get along with. They’re detailed, prepared. The offense, it’s been a fun thing to be a part of so far with these guys.”

Working with Kyle Shanahan on two separate occasions, there’s obviously influence and overlap in the way both guys approach the game. It’s a philosophy that centers on a lot of pre-snap motion and shifting, zonal running and blocking, play-action passes, and a personnel set that’s generally smaller and faster, including linemen. The Chiefs had those types of offensive players last year and the Eagles added some this year.


Scangarello on that:

“Personally, my offensive philosophy is to be aggressive and attack. I’d like to use different parts of marrying a package up through the run, and the play-pass and stuff like that is ultimately what you want to do to attack defenses on first and second down.

In this situation here, it’s exciting because we have some great tools and great players to be a part of to use in whatever role we can, with different types of traits.

Kyle has been a big influence on me. Obviously, that’s my background, that’s what I believe in. I think those philosophical beliefs, they can be used in any style of offense and any type of run schemes. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

Keep in mind that the Birds are rolling without a traditional offensive coordinator this season. Doug will call the plays, as he always does, while working with a pass game and run game coordinator. That’s a setup Scangarello says he’s familiar with because of his San Fran experience.

“Honestly one of the reasons I felt very comfortable coming here was in San Francisco, it’s a very similar thing. Kyle calls the offense. It’s his vision for the offense. Ultimately there was a group of us that helped shape that vision. We all had our input in our different ways, our area of expertise. We did our part to make it come to life for him. We were always on the same page.

The group of coaches here, they may have different titles, but they’ve been together for quite a bit. They get along. They know how Doug thinks. They know how each other thinks. They play off each other well. It’s been really positive energy as far as getting along and getting on the same page.

I think it’s fun when someone comes from the outside and gives you fresh perspective on things. Whether you agree or disagree, it’s always good to hear it. It has been very seamless and effortless in those ways communicating with each other.”

So there you have it. A senior voice in the room. A guy who worked with Kyle Shanahan and can add some new ideas for Doug Pederson to utilize. Should be interesting to see how the Birds look when they hit the field in… holy shit, less than three weeks.