It’s Super Bowl week, and Eagles’ players will be watching their game on their TVs. A year ago, they dominated the Chiefs on their way to their second Super Bowl title.

However, this past week, the Birds finally secured their much-heralded offensive coordinator position after weeks of debate. They also made another controversial decision, and some more coaching changes may be in the offing.

In this version of my Inside the Huddle column, I will look at the Eagles’ offensive coordinator position, as well as some situations around the league during Super Bowl week.

Also, I’ll rewind the tape to recall the career of a former Tamaqua star.

Greener Pastures Ahead? ... The Eagles shocked the league when they hired Packers’ quarterback coach 33-year-old Sean Mannion. He was quarterback at Oregon State, and was drafted in the third round by the Rams in 2015.

Mannion, who worked under future Packers’ coach Matt LaFleur, played 14 games with the Rams and Vikings. He made a start with each team, and was last active in 2021.

He spent two years with the Packers, and was the quarterback coach last season. Mannion also reportedly was in the running for the Bears’ OC.

Along with Mannion, the Eagles hired former Tampa offensive coordinator 35-year-old Josh Grizzard, who was recently fired by the Bucs, as their new passing game coordinator.

Grizzard has bounced around the league, and had been Miami’s quality-control coach under former head coach Mike McDaniel, having played a key role in two winning seasons.

Mannion is seen as one of the young, bright minds in the game, and Grizzard is respected as well. Both supposedly will be involved in the play-calling next season.

The question here is whether either or both will be a quarterback whisperer for Hurts.

Experience Counts ... While Mannion’s hire proved to be a surprise, other high-profile, ex-head coaches and coordinators were in the running.

Many signs pointed to the Eagles hiring McDaniel, who brought an impressive offensive resume. But McDaniel - who has expressed his dislike for cold weather - decided to take the Chargers’ offensive coordinator’s job to work with Justin Herbert.

Ex-Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, who was in the mix for a few head-coaching positions, would have been an excellent choice. Nagy has been in Patrick Mahomes’ ear for the past few seasons, and has head coaching experience.

There’s also ex-Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was recently hired as Tennessee’s OC.

However, according to my sources and reports, Daboll did interview but wasn’t interested in the job despite being mentioned as a strong candidate.

Others high on the list were current Bears’ offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, Texans’ quarterback coach Jerrod Johnson, former Colts’ and Lions’ offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, and Cowboys’ OC Klayton Adams, whose interview request was denied by the Cowboys.

The question will be whether the Eagles should have hired a seasoned coach to get them back into flight.

In the Nick of Time? ... With Mannion and Grizzard on board, Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni could be feeling some heat and be on a short leash if the Eagles don’t make the postseason or have a quick exit. Their recent first-round loss to a banged-up 49ers team didn’t sit well.

Sirianni apparently was high on Johnson and Cooter, both of whom he has built relationships with in the past. He has an overall 65-30 mark over five years, but has had five different OCs.

However, both new hires likely were made by owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman, who saw prior Sirianni buddy Kevin Patullo fail, while Kellen Moore left unhappy for New Orleans.

Now, it will be up to Sirianni, Mannion, and Grizzard to evolve the Eagles’ offense further. They will have to decide what to do with disgruntled receiver A.J. Brown, and realize Saquon Barkley is a year older. Dallas Goedert is also a free agent.

Making the Call ... Since 1971, the Eagles have had 17 offensive coordinators. During the 1973-75 seasons under Mike McCormick, there wasn’t a coordinator.

Brad Childress, who served under Andy Reid for four seasons, had a 67.2 winning percentage. Marty Morningweg had the longest stay in two stints in 2004, as well as from 2006-12.

It began in 1971 with ex-Saints coach Tom Fears under Jerry Williams and Ed Khayat.

Towing the Line ... There have been recent rumblings that longtime Eagles’ offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Jeff Stoutland, who has been the line coach since 2013 and run-game coordinator since 2018, is under fire with the Bird’s line and running game collapse last year. In his defense, Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, and Cam Jurgens weren’t at full strength. He is one of the league’s more respected coaches.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the upcoming weeks with the current hiring flurry of assistant coaches.

Putting It on the Line ... Through the first 59 Super Bowls, favorites have a record of 37-20 straight up, and 29-24-2 against the spread. While favorites generally hold the advantage, underdogs have covered in the last five Super Bowls and won three of them.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will peel back the pages to recall a former standout for our area.

Nate Boyle, a 2020 Tamaqua graduate, was an all-state running back who ran for a school career-best 4,008 yards and 79 touchdowns. He also set regular-season marks in rushing with 1,896 yards, 30 touchdowns and a single-game rushing total of 391 yards. Boyle helped lead the Blue Raiders to a district title his senior year.

After Tamaqua, Boyle continued his career at Moravian University, where he ran for 2,317 yards, seventh best in school history, and averaged 82.8 yards per game, third best in school history.

An Eagle Has Flown ... Former Eagles’ center Jason Kelce won’t do another season of his ESPN show, “They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce.”

Kelce decided to end the show, and wants to explore other opinions with the network.

Personally, I think we see too much of the former center with his exposure on TV, radio, and commercials.

Investment Opportunity ... According to several outlets, past and current NFL players as well as other former and current players from other sports have formed a “Players TV” streaming channel.

The channel/website (www.playersTV.com/newsroom) quietly began in late November, and features clips on various topics from athletes on topics like lifestyle and business.

There is an investment opportunity, and it continues to fetch a steady stream of new clients.

Giant Mistakes? ... Bill Belichick’s recent Hall of Fame snub was a mistake. It seems hard to debate his accomplishments on the field, but his “Spygate” and “Deflate Gates” issues as well as his gruff personality may have been the difference. It’s inevitable that he will reach Canton one day.

Eli Manning was also snubbed, and his status is debatable. Manning has two Super Bowl wins and an MVP, along with an 8-4 (7-2 road) postseason record with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. However, he has a 117-117 overall record with a 60 percent completion rate, 366 touchdowns and 244 interceptions.

What Team Do You Like? ... During the season, I haven’t made too many predictions, but I’ll have to give you one for the big game.

Both teams enter the game with identical 13-4 records, but I am leaning toward the Seahawks.

Seattle appears to be a complete team on both sides of the ball, and Sam Darnold finally has debunked all of his critics. He has been given time to throw, and hasn’t been sacked. Kenneth Walker IV has developed into a major running threat. They were able to outlast the Rams, a team many believed would be in the Super Bowl.

New England’s Drake Maye is having an MVP season, and may get the honor. It’s early at this writing, but Maye’s shoulder issue may evolve into a major issue. He didn’t throw the ball well against Denver, and his running ability saved the game. The Pats’ defense lately has been better than advertised.

I’m looking for a game in the range of the opening line favoring Seattle by 4.5 points. There are prevailing feelings that Seattle will blow New England out based on the Pats’ schedule that saw them face only two teams with winning records (Buffalo twice, and Pittsburgh), and play a schedule with opponents’ combined record of 113-176 (.391 percentage).

It should be a good game, and Seattle will win their second Super Bowl with a 21-17 victory.

Enjoy the game!