Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon: We won’t box ourselves into one scheme

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Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon worked under coaches like Jerry Gray, Mike Zimmer, and Matt Eberflus before getting his current job and it sounds like they’ll all have some influence on how the defense looks in Philadelphia this season.

Gannon held a press conference on Thursday and faced questions about the kind of scheme that he’s going to run in his first season with the team. Gannon said “we’re not going to box ourselves into one scheme” and explained that having a fuller sense of what works best with this roster will be significant to planning for the season.

“Every player you have is different, and it’s our job to say, hey, this is what works for you,” Gannon said. “You can do that. That’s what I love about our staff. We’re not hardheaded; it’s my way or the highway. That’s not what this is about. It’s about serving the players and getting them to hit their ceiling.”

“Why? Because it’s the best thing for the team and the defense, point blank. So we’re going to do everything — we take that mentality with everything that we do. If we’re going to walk up and press, well, this guy might not do the same thing that another guy does, or if we’re going to play off, well, this guy might play a little bit different than this other guy. So I think it’s all about arming our players, seeing what they do, arming them with tools to put in their toolbox to be successful.”

Gannon said the main thing for the team is not going to be the scheme that they play, but “how we play.” Given Gannon’s responses Thursday, it will be some time before the Eagles reveal the answer to either question.