The knee jerk reaction following a loss like the Eagles’ 33-16 defeat to the Buccaneers is to fire off enraged broadsides against everyone and everything having to do with the mess we saw in Tampa last Sunday, not because it was just one awful game, but because in many respects, the 2024 Eagles seem to have picked up where the ‘23 version left off.
Since their disastrous 42-19 loss to the 49ers on December 3rd, the Eagles have been outscored 310-218 over their last 11 games, an average defeat of 28-20. Despite the additions of new coordinators Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio, both sides of the ball look remarkably similar, not just in terms of production (certainly the absence of A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith and Lane Johnson hurt a lot last week) but also in terms of scheme and creativity. The quarterback continues to offer more turnovers than a going-out-of-business bakery, and the defense appears exposed against modern NFL offenses.
But caveats abound. The travel schedule has been brutal through four games. An opener in Brazil, then a Monday night game, then a short week on the road to New Orleans, followed by another road game in 100 degree heat in Tampa. It would be irresponsible to not acknowledge those extenuating circumstances. That said, there are a number of areas of this team to be concerned about heading into this early-season bye. Below are my levels of concern, on a scale of 0-10 (from least to most).
Nick Sirianni – 9
If there is a problem with the head coach, the rest of the team becomes difficult to judge.
Take the 2022 Phillies, for example. Joe Girardi simply didn’t connect with the clubhouse, he made poor in-game decisions and, after a lackluster 22-29 start to the season, coming off two subpar seasons previous, he was fired. In steps Rob Thomson. The clubhouse vibes changed immediately. His communication with players improved. Younger players felt freer to be themselves and the veterans in the clubhouse fostered an environment that helped everyone succeed.
This isn’t to say that Sirianni should be fired during the bye week, but it does speak to the impact the head coach can have on the entire team. And right now, it seems clear some on the team, especially the quarterback, doesn’t believe Sirianni has the answers to get them back to respectability.
The Eagles were not ready to play Sunday in any facet of the game. Effort was lacking. The offense had no cohesion. There was no alternate game plan without A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith in the lineup. Sirianni did not get an opportunity to screw up a 4th down call in Tampa because it was 24-0 before the team could catch its breath. He has supposedly given up control of the offense to Kellen Moore, but honestly, it looks as if Moore is running the Sirianni offense with some minor and ineffective dress-ups most of the time.
As long as Sirianni is in charge, the new coordinators will be limited in how much influence they can wield on the team as a whole. The players will continue to have that doubt that they can win. They will try to do too much. A new head coach could change virtutally everything we’re seeing… or he might not.
Jalen Hurts – 6.5
At the conclusion of Super Bowl 57, I was convinced Jalen Hurts was the Eagles’ answer at QB for the next decade. Now, I’m not so sure.
Hurts still has the ability to make big plays. He throws a beautiful ball most of the time, fitting throws in tight windows and hitting receivers in stride. When he’s playing well, he’s exceedingly difficult to beat, and his motor never stops. With Hurts, there’s always a chance to win, even when you’re down. There are also alarming aspects to his game that have not improved since the start of last season.
The turnovers are well documented by this point. He’s either thrown an interception or lost a fumble in nine straight games, and has more turnovers (7, 4 INTs, 3 lost fumbles) than touchdowns (6, 4 passing, 2 rushing). Thankfully, he looks more runnerish this year, and certainly not having A.J. Brown for three of his first four games is an issue, but Hurts continues to possess a lack of pocket awareness and questionable decision-making that should have left his game long ago.
Again, some of this may be the coaching, but I’m starting to doubt Hurts will ever get back to the level we saw him play at in 2022. I do still believe he’s a good quarterback, though, but we have not seem him grow in a few crucial areas over the last two seasons.
He needs to develop trust in players not named Brown or Smith. His lack of trust in other targets is hurting the team. He needs to play within the structure of the offense. He needs to stop playing hero ball and take what the defense gives him. He’s a $50 million quarterback and he’s playing like a guy who’s still getting his feet wet in the NFL. That’s gotta change.
Offense – 4
All that being said, it’s hard to judge this team with perhaps the best wideout duo and the best right tackle in the game on the sidelines. Yes, they should have done better than they did on Sunday, but when they’re at full strength, this is still an offense that will move the ball. Brown is such a huge part of what they do, it’s hard to remove him and not expect a drop-off.
We’re still waiting for this offense to look substantially different than last year’s, and one has to wonder how much influence Sirianni continues to wield in Moore’s scheme. Yes, there is motion, but is there enough of it? And what is its purpose? How effective is it? I believe Sirianni hasn’t truly let Kellen Moore cook with his own recipes yet.
That said, the offensive line has functioned just fine with Cam Jurgens at center. Mekhi Becton has been great. Saquon Barkley is the team’s MVP through the first four weeks, and yes, we even had a Dallas Goedert sighting in Week 3. They’ve also improved against the blitz, although they’re still not world beaters.
I believe this team will score points most weeks, but there will be some ugly ones thrown in the mix, too.
The Culture – 9
It’s easy to have a great locker room when you’re winning (unless you’re the first-half 2023 Eagles, apparently), but when the chips are down, young players look to their leaders to get their cues on how to act. If young players are looking at guys like Brandon Graham, they’re probably going to be OK, but this week, Hurts and cornerback Darius Slay made some eye-raising comments to the press and on social media.
In his post-game press conference, Hurts was asked if, as the two leaders of the team, he and Sirianni get together to talk about a vision and a message for the team in order to get them through times like these, to which Hurts responded, “We have our moments.”
It’s just the latest in a string of cryptic comments made by Hurts regarding his head coach.
Folks, this is a big problem.
Sirianni and Hurts don’t have to hang out and take selfies together, but they do need to figure out how to get along in a real and productive way. Sirianni seems to be going out of his way to avoid placing any public blame on Hurts, while Hurts seems to be going out of his way to avoid saying anything nice about his head coach.
The status quo is simply unsustainable.
Then you had team captain Darius Slay responding to a tweet critical of his play Sunday by running down a laundry list of his accomplishments, urging fans to remember “his greatness” when they’re ridiculing him. He’s since deleted the tweet and apologized to Eagles fans. He then went on Micah Parson’s podcast this week and laughed at some of the things CJGJ has done and said over the last few weeks.
CJGJ’s response on his Insta…
For a team that ended the 2023 season 1-7 and has gotten off to a bumpy start in 2024, particularly on defense, this is drama that is simply not helpful. And if you don’t think this has an impact on what’s happening on the field, you’re nuts.
Vic Fangio (His Defensive Scheme, Mostly) – 8
Try to remember the last time a Vic Fangio-inspired defense had any kind of success against an 11-personnel team. The Dolphins in Week 7 of last year under Sean Desai? The defense had success against a bulkier New Orleans offense last week, but against three wide receivers playing soft coverages, this scheme was eaten up once again.
In ‘22, Jonathan Gannon’s version of the defense worked because the front four almost broke the all-time sack record. This group ain’t doing that, and if the front four isn’t getting constant pressure, QBs will pick apart this passive, bend-but-break defense all day. It took three series for Fangio to realize Tampa was going to go with a quick-throw style of game. By the time he did, it was too late.
This team doesn’t pursue well. They don’t tackle well. They get inconsistent play from virtually everyone on the field and, perhaps most alarming, none of the young players are improving. No one is getting better. It doesn’t appear the Eagles have the personnel to fit this scheme, and even if they did, there’s mounting evidence the league has caught up to this style of defense. I have no confidence in this unit turning things around.
Defensive Line – 8.5
To my previous point, Bryce Huff has one tackle and one assisted tackle in his first four games as Haason Reddick’s replacement at EDGE. Nolan Smith, a former first round pick, is invisible. Josh Sweat is nowhere to be found. The best edge rusher on the team is the 36-year-old Brandon Graham.
Jalen Carter had an awesome game against the Saints in Week 3, then went back into his hole and was nowhere to be seen against the Bucs. Jordan Davis is kinda just there.
And there are no real solutions to the problem, other than the pedigree of the players on the field finally showing up. I’m not holding my breath.
Howie Roseman – 5
On the whole, Roseman has done a fine job as this team’s GM, and while it’s hard to find fault with any of his recent draft picks (even if they aren’t quite working out), his off-season decisions in free agency and in the trade market have been a mixed bag.
Perhaps there was more happening behind the scenes than we knew, but swapping out Reddick for Huff could end up being a season-altering disaster. Giving up a third round pick for Jahan Dotson looks like a major mistake. CJGJ has disappointed in his return to Philadelphia, bringing back Avonte Maddox was ill-advised, and the Devin White situation grows more bizarre by the week, similar to last year’s Rashaad Penny signing.
He did hit a home run with Barkley and Zach Baun, so he deserves credit for those two acquisitions, and I can’t really get on Roseman for drafting Davis, Carter and Smith in the first round, or Dean in the third round, when all those picks were universally praised at the time. Regardless of how those players are actually playing, they were the correct picks in the moment, and Roseman was right to turn the keys of the defense over to these younger, early-round draft picks. Those individuals need to perform, and some blame must go to a coaching staff whose job it is to help make players better and put them in positions to succeed.
All in all, this feels like an Eagles team that will likely make the playoffs as a wild card or a weaker division winner, but the Super Bowl feels a long way off for this group, as currently constituted.
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