Phil Snow is the sort of coach every staff needs, and my Panthers-Eagles prediction
Every good coaching staff needs someone like Phil Snow, the tell-it-like-it-is, 65-year-old defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.
Snow is Matt Rhule’s defensive guru and, as Rhule likes to say, is “the best football coach I’ve ever been around.” Rhule has pulled Snow along from Temple to Baylor to the Panthers as his defensive coordinator, and at each place Snow has taken stock of the ingredients he has and then cooked up something that works.
After four games, and even after giving up 36 points to an explosive Dallas offense last week, the Panthers defense remains ranked in the NFL’s top three in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed and total sacks. The Panthers will get another big test Sunday against quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, who Snow knows will try to pound the ball up the middle like Dallas did with Zeke Elliott.
“In the second half, they came out in some big (personnel) groups that they had not really shown,” Snow said of Dallas. “You know, with three tight ends. ... We didn’t prepare for that. We were working on empty (backfield sets) and some other stuff. They had not shown any of that. So a lot of that is on me. ... And physically, that offensive line and that tailback (Elliott) — they were ready for a fight. And I’m not sure we were.”
That’s the way Snow talks. He’s a straight shooter.
NFL offensive and defensive coordinators are generally available once a week to the media. I make it a point to never miss listening to Snow, either live or on tape. You always learn two or three things. He also will make you laugh, like the time he noted that in college football an all-out blitz was always followed by somebody’s band playing — either yours or theirs, depending on what happened on the high-risk play.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s press conferences, on the other hand, are absolute snooze-fests. He begins almost every answer with something like: “without getting into specifics ...” Brady also knows a lot. He does not share any of it.
Snow, though? He doesn’t care. He says what he thinks. He’s a bit like Panthers owner David Tepper in that way.
When asked about Philadelphia’s likely game plan against Carolina, Snow said: “Well, obviously, when you give up that many rushing yards (Carolina allowed Dallas to gain 245 yards on the ground), that’s a concern, right? I’m sure they’re going to try to take advantage of some of the things that Dallas did.”
You can guarantee Snow will have his troops ready, though. Under his tutelage, young defensive players like Brian Burns, Derrick Brown, Donte Jackson and Jeremy Chinn have thrived. He’s the kind of key assistant coach you want on your side — rarely recognized in the grocery store, but indispensable on the sideline.
My Panthers-Eagles prediction
I moved to 3-1 last week when picking Dallas to beat the Panthers.
This week I think Carolina will rebound behind some more fine play from quarterback Sam Darnold and a defense that will give up some points but also take advantage of Philadelphia’s injury-ravaged offensive line at a critical moment. Prediction: Carolina 27, Philadelphia 20.
