Late last season, as Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles were forging a 10-1 record by early December, there was a feeling that they were arguably the best team in the NFL.
But the warning signs that had already been there turned into a plunge throughout December and January, and that plunge culminated in a wild-card playoff round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Suddenly, the Eagles were a team in disarray, and head coach Nick Sirianni was thought to be on the hot seat.
His seat has cooled a bit since, but during offseason workouts, he has reportedly installed an offense that is mostly new.
Philly also has a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, who had success with the Dallas Cowboys and spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Former Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Plaxico Burress said on “The Carton Show” that Sirianni may not be doing the right thing.
“I really don’t like it. I really think Nick Sirianni is in panic mode,” Burress recently stated on “The Carton Show.”
Granted, the Eagles have a new major weapon in running back Saquon Barkley, a two-time Pro Bowler who ran for 962 yards and scored 10 touchdowns from scrimmage last year. But it is important for returning players to have continuity, which helps a team get out of the blocks quickly to start a season, as opposed to working out the kinks of a new system throughout September and October.
In 2023, Philly finished in the top eight in points, first downs, total yards and rushing touchdowns, so perhaps offense wasn’t really the problem.
Indeed, they were ranked near the bottom of the NFL in several defensive categories just one year after going to the Super Bowl on the strength of one of the league’s best defenses.
At midseason, the team reassigned defensive playcalling duties from defensive coordinator Sean Desai to senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia.
It then surrendered 32 points in its playoff loss to Tampa Bay, a team that was rather anemic overall on offense during the regular season despite a breakout year from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ two-time Pro Bowl QB, has serious weapons at his disposal in Barkley and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. But it will likely be defense that determines how much the team bounces back and how far it will go this winter in its quest for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
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