The games may be over, but there is a war going on right now in the NFC East between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
It all started with the Cowboys hiring Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator. While hiring a new defensive playcaller isn’t a big deal, the fact that they hired him away from the Eagles, where he had been operating as their defensive pass-game coordinator/defensive backs coach, is noteworthy.
Though when it came time for the Eagles to hire a new offensive coordinator to replace the recently demoted Kevin Patullo, they turned to their division rivals too. Only, when the Eagles requested to interview Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams for the same role in Philadelphia, Dallas blocked the move.
So, how is it that the Cowboys were able to hire a coach from the Eagles but Philadelphia couldn’t hire one from Dallas?
It’s because when the Cowboys interviewed Parket, it was for a promotion. Meanwhile, when the Eagles wanted to interview Adams, it was for a lateral move. The NFL has rules allowing teams to control whether their coaches interview for lateral moves if they’re under contract. But if those coaches are up for an interview for a promotion, nothing can be done (aside from offering a better payday that may entice the coach to stay put).
Nevertheless, it only adds more fuel to an already strong divisional rivalry, where Parker knows everything about his former team. The Eagles were hoping to pick the mind of Adams, who helped lead the NFL’s seventh-ranked scoring offense this season. Yet, they’ll have to turn elsewhere to find their next offensive coordinator/playcaller.
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