Fresh start? | Sports Daily Newsletter

With the Eagles collapse of 2023 still fresh, the team has traded in its two scapegoats ... uh, coordinators ... for two high-profile guys.

According to several media reports, the Eagles are hiring offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who spent four seasons running the Cowboys offense and one at the helm of the Chargers attack. On defense, they’re going with Vic Fangio. (More on him below.)

One thing we can say for sure about Moore’s hiring, David Murphy writes: It is better than hiring Jason Garrett. Will it work? That’s a more complicated question. It’s also out of Moore’s control. The onus is still on Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni.

The worst thing you could do to a head coach is make him hire someone more famous than he is, Murphy writes. There aren’t many young, accomplished, ambitious assistant coaches the Eagles could have hired without undermining Sirianni’s authority, but Moore fits the bill.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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On defense, the Eagles named Vic Fangio as coordinator. Marcus Hayes has identified a major issue Fangio can help with: unleashing the Philly Bulldogs and unlocking their potential.

Fangio has shown the ability to get the most out of players, and Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith could use the help. The Eagles could also get more help in the draft, and we have a look at one player at each position group they should look at in Mobile, Ala., as Senior Bowl practices take place this week.

On a day when defenses dominated, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens, 17-10, for the AFC championship. As we all know by now, Taylor Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and she follows his progress. As always, Swift became a sideshow at the game, which at the very least entertained Marcus Hayes.

Eagles center Jason Kelce cheered on his brother in Baltimore and seemed to leave the door open to a possible return next season. “... I don’t know what’s going to happen for me,” he said in an interview with Olivia Reiner. “But I do know, I still want to be involved in the organization and still want to be a part of it, regardless of what the decision is.”

The Chiefs will square off in the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers, who beat the Detroit Lions, 34-31, for the NFC title.

Andrew Painter and Mick Abel — 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-5, respectively — remain atop The Inquirer’s ranking of the top 10 Phillies prospects, an annual exercise carried out with input from opposing scouts. But the prized pitchers are joined for 2024 by five newcomers, including four teenagers, two of whom entered the organization last year.

Joel Embiid missed the 76ers’ game against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in Denver. What else is new? The center was shut down because of knee soreness that has caused him to miss several games, and much talk surrounded Embiid’s absence. That concern is directly tied to the MVP and the battle for center supremacy. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell breaks down the race for the NBA’s top individual award.

Next: The Sixers visit the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at 10 (NBCSP).

Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim has seen a considerable drop in his game. Although he got an assist Saturday in a 6-2 loss to the Bruins, it was just his second helper in his last 15 games. And while he needs to up his game offensively, the blueliner’s lapses in his own end are glaring, Jackie Spiegel writes. The extended All-Star break comes at a good time for Sanheim.

Former NHL player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police in connection with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by several members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team.

Next: Travis Konecny will represent the Flyers in the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday in Toronto (3 p.m., 6ABC).

Jan. 29, 1971: Hal Greer of the 76ers became the sixth player in NBA history to score 20,000 points during a 142-118 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, EJ Smith, David Murphy, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Scott Lauber, Jackie Spiegel, Aaron Carter, Brooke Ackerman, and Colin Beazley.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That’s all for today, newsletter faithful. I’ll see you Tuesday with the best stories in Philly sports. — Jim