January 02, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
Images from the last few Eagles games are nightmarish for fans.
Epic failure.
The Philadelphia Eagles have lost total control of their own destiny. Exposed as an easy to read offense, the playbook is out and nobody on the coaching staff seems willing to adjust. The players are unable to perform anywhere near last year’s level of domination, and those who have – cough cough AJ Brown – aren’t even put in the proper position to succeed.
Jalen Hurts is visibly frustrated — how could anyone not be after running a screen on 3rd and 20 that got their second-best receiver hurt. The team is falling from within, as the rug gets pulled out on a season that was doomed from the start.
During multiple win streaks earlier in the year plenty of us were told not to worry about the Eagles and that winning means more than how they won. While that holds up in the playoffs, it’s not anything that should be celebrated during the regular season. These are long stretches of games where guys are hurt, matchups change, and there’s extra motivation for hungry opponents.
I would think not allowing a former coordinator, now head coach to come back and embarrass the Eagles would be a top priority. But no, and once again, the Eagles are stuck scratching their heads saying things need to change. It’s another week of cliches full of how the team needs to get better, clean up mistakes, and fix whatever problems they have.
Here’s the problem: the Eagles have run out of time and so too has Nick Sirianni. If the Eagles are unable to get out of the first round of the playoffs, even if they bow out disgracefully in the second round, then it’s time to look at replacing the entire coaching staff.
We were led to believe that Sirianni was instrumental in deciding on both Brian Johnson and Sean Desai as his new coordinators, this after both Shane Stichen and Johnathan Gannon bolted for HC jobs. The new guys are a colossal disaster. One of them didn’t even make it through his first year as coordinator, the other guy looks like he’s getting worse by the week. The failures of Johnson and Desai fall directly on the shoulders of Nick Sirianni.
It was the same with Doug Pederson who fell on multiple swords and even tried to bring back his own failures at coordinator. The team used it as a reason to remove him, as they saw Jim Schwartz bolt for a new job. This was after winning the Super Bowl.
There seems to be a troubling amount of turnover that can only hurt consistency on the field. Changing offensive coordinators multiple times under Jalen Hurts won’t help him bounce back from struggles. Changing the defensive coordinator 13 weeks into the season is a cry for help, not a sign of command.
Seeing this team exit early in Tampa or New Orleans would be the final nail in this year’s coffin. Nobody on the offensive side of the coaching staff is helping Hurts, Brown, or anyone else succeed. We know the team has the talent; it’s just not being nurtured. This is where coaching is so vital in the NFL and where coordinators truly matter.
Most teams have some talented players on either side of the ball. The Eagles happen to have a bunch on both sides, especially loaded on offense. The team dominated last year with a historic run in 2nd quarters. Hurts was arguably the league MVP!
Ok, so what happened?
The NFL. The league adjusts, it adapts, ultimately, it evolves. Each year a player, team, or scheme takes the NFL by storm. Some players are damn good enough to thrive year in and year out, but they don’t do it alone. There’s innovation and creativity behind these players, pushing them to evolve their own play, as defenses/offenses will do the same in stopping them.
Nobody has ever been successful by continuing to do the same thing year in and year out, not changing or adapting. It’s a chess match and the Eagles coaching staff looks lost. This isn’t a matter of playing chess versus checkers, rather the NFL is playing chess and Brian Johnson is still reading the directions. Matt Patricia just played the “rules” card.
Howie Roseman needs to take a full temperature check with this team and ensure there’s no complete cave of trust. However, it’s tough to see this any other way. The Eagles are an early exit away from firing Nick Sirianni, the unfortunate face of one of the worst regular season declines in team history.
Eytan Shander is a long time radio and TV personality in Philadelphia. In addition to his weekly column, you can currently listen and watch him on Fox29’s Good Day and other sports shows. He’s giving betting advice on OddsShopper. A lifetime Eagles fan, Eytan lives just outside the city with his wife.
Follow Eytan on Twitter: @shandershow
