Bucs Have Familiarity With Eagles’ DC Desai

There’s plenty of new faces amongst the coaching staff of the Bucs and Eagles. Tampa Bay has a new system on offense with coordinator Dave Canales and also wide receivers coach Brad Idzik in the mix. The Eagles had a difference as well after former defensive coordinator Brian Johnson signed on to be the Cardinals head coach, which Philadelphia then hired Sean Desai as their defensive coordinator.

Eagles DC Sean Desai – photo by USA Today

Canales and Johnson are new to their teams, but there’s a lot of familiarity between each other. Canales and Desai were assistant coaches with the Seattle Seahawks last season as Canales was the quarterbacks coach and Desai was a defensive assistant. Part of the matchup in any game is the offensive coordinator against the defensive coordinator, so we’ll see a big chess match with two coaches that know each other well.

Bucs’ Canales vs. Desai Is A Chess Match

Before going to the Eagles, Desai was on the Bears’ defensive coaching staff where Canales really appreciated what he can do as a coach. Canales versus Desai was a highlighted matchup between the Seahawks and Bears back in 2021. Desai will be a game within the game on Monday night for the Bucs and Eagles.

“Sean and I got to spend a good amount of time together, just bouncing off thoughts about structure of defense and different things like that. He’s really sharp. I played against him in 2021 when Chicago came to Seattle – snow game. He had some cool stuff for us. He had some great adjustments for every situation – it seemed like it was tailor made. It didn’t feel like he was just calling plays out of a hat, necessarily, or just rotating calls. They were very specific, very intentional. It’ll be a good challenge.”

While Bucs fans understandably will start booing Desai as the game goes on, he should also get some praise for helping develop the Bucs’ newest starting safety, Ryan Neal. The duo worked a ton together last season and Neal credits him for upping his game as an NFL player.

“Great dude, I mean he really helped me out with my safety stuff,” Neal said of his former coach. “Really just giving me details, fine tuning me as a person. He figured me out as a player. That was one thing I really appreciated him for, always giving me just little reminders – “Hey, slow down. Calm feet, calm eyes” just stuff like that.

Bucs S Ryan Neal – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Game Within The Game

Pewter Report has called Canales “The Human Celsius” because he’s so upbeat. It’s not sure what the Eagles call Desai, but in Seattle they would call him a computer for what he knows about the game. Neal spoke about his relationship with the coach.

“He’s a really smart dude. Super smart in the game. I call him a Computer, he’s a computer. He’ll laugh at me when he here’s that but just really teached me about the smaller things of the game, tuning to situations and stuff like that. I owe him a lot. Great dude and I’m looking forward to seeing him this Monday. It’s going to be cool to see him again.”

Neal was happy to discuss his former coach during the week. The outcome of the game, whether good or bad, might have a little bit of a different taste to it.