Jalen Hurts’ slow start, how to solve the Eagles’ defensive struggles, and more from our Reddit AMA
The Inquirer's Jeff Neiburg sat down with members of r/Eagles for a Q&A on the state of the Birds in the bye week.
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With a slew of questions surrounding the Eagles as they head into their bye week, Inquirer staff writer Jeff Neiburg took to Reddit to provide some answers about the team’s 2-2 start.
You can find the full thread here, but here are some highlights...
Q: Do you think the coaches have failed to show a willingness to adapt during this season so far (playing off coverage when seeing quick passes in succession; not scheming to spread the ball around on offense), or can the faults thus far be chalked up to lack of execution?
A: Right now it seems like both coaching and playing. Vic Fangio gave a kind of telling answer Tuesday when asked about why the Eagles played such soft coverage. Tom Brady apparently mentioned on the broadcast that Fangio wasn’t comfortable yet playing press with this group, and Fangio disagreed when presented with that critique.
» READ MORE: Bad playing, bad coaching, and what comes next: Eagles DC Vic Fangio assesses damage from Sunday’s loss
“Our guys, particularly the corners, have the ability to press based on formation,” he said. “If they’re stacking receivers and stuff it’s hard to press then. On normal splits, they have the ability to press in almost all our calls.”
Which begged the obvious follow-up: Why didn’t they?
“We tried to communicate that early, that we had to get tighter,” Fangio said. “But credit to them, they caught it better than we defended it.” Asked whether it was a coaching error or a player error, Fangio said it was “probably me not coaching it well enough.”
The answer suggests, obviously, that the players had the autonomy to press or not. It’s curious why they weren’t told to press, especially with how often Baker Mayfield got the ball out quickly and exploited the Eagles’ inability to tackle.
On the other side of the ball, it’s hard to really grade Kellen Moore so far since the Eagles have played 75% of their games without their best player and played 1½ games without two other pivotal players. But that’s not an excuse. The Eagles have been horrible to start games, as my colleague Olivia Reiner wrote about today.
» READ MORE: The Eagles offense has sputtered to start every game. Kellen Moore aims to tune it up.
It’s pretty inexcusable that Saquon Barkley has touched the ball just twice on four opening drives. Especially when factoring in the injuries.
But the Eagles on offense have been really good in the second half, which shows they have adapted at times. Week to week? In game planning? There’s more to be desired on both sides.
All of this is a long way to say: The coaches, to this point, haven’t shown an ability to adapt well enough to win games, but there’s also been plenty of failed execution to go around. Talent problem? Coaching problem? Execution problem? It’s early, and we’ll know the main culprit soon enough.
Q: What’s the general probability of Nick Sirianni getting fired? Is Jeffrey Lurie considering any options? Have Nick and Jalen Hurts seen eye to eye?
A: During the season? I’ll go 10% chance. I just don’t see the wheels falling off enough to believe Nick won’t survive the season. The Eagles have what Tankathon ranks as the easiest schedule the rest of the way.
After the season, if they limp into the playoffs or have another embarrassing exit? Or, of course, if they don’t make it? It’s hard to think it’s much lower than 90%, right? He kept his job after the slide at the end of last season, and if the Eagles don’t make obvious strides, Lurie will find another guy.
As for your last question, I’ll answer by pointing to something PHLY’s Zach Berman mentioned yesterday at the NovaCare Complex (and something he said on his show): Paraphrasing here ... “How many times is “we have our moments” said or applied to any relationship that can be described as good or functional?”
It’s true. In what scenario is that wording — which Jalen Hurts used Sunday in response to a question about whether he and Sirianni, as leading voices of the team, discuss messaging and what to say to keep the team moving in the right direction — applied to a good relationship? “How are things with your dad?” ... “We have our moments.” ... “Do you and your partner have meaningful conversations about your relationship?” ... “We have our moments.”
Find me a time when anyone would say that and it wouldn’t raise eyebrows. I’ll wait.
Hurts has multiple times since the end of last season had the floor to say something normal or even vaguely supportive of Sirianni. He has rarely ever done it. So, do they talk eye to eye? It sure doesn’t seem like it.
Q: I’m going to ask the most generic question that everyone wants an answer to: What does Nick Sirianni actually do? Besides taking blame in press conferences, no one seems to talk about what he does for the team.
A: Taking blame at press conferences isn’t nothing. A certain former Eagles coach who went on to win a few Super Bowls made that a habit, too.
But to your point, Sirianni’s new role as CEO-coach hasn’t produced great results yet. My understanding is he’s all over the building. He’s involved in the offensive game-planning with Kellen Moore, he says he doesn’t do much game-planning on defense, but he meets with Vic Fangio and knows what’s going on and can ask questions and give some input, but you hire a defensive coordinator like Fangio to be hands-off when you’re an offensive guy like Nick is.
» READ MORE: Eagles’ loss to Bucs was the ‘most one-sided start to a game’ Jason Kelce has seen in a long time
He’s the culture guy. For better or worse. Some players, like C.J. Gardner-Johnson, have been very publicly supportive of Nick’s role. Others, like the franchise quarterback, haven’t been. Winning cures everything. I’d bet if they were 3-1 this question probably wouldn’t have been asked, but maybe it would have, because it’s a real concern, and one that will be asked over and over again as the season goes on. Jeffrey Lurie is surely evaluating it.
Q: What is the likelihood the Eagles swing a trade for a pass rusher at the trade deadline? Trying to make a postseason run with the personnel they have now is a recipe for failure.
A: There are four more games to be played before the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline. The answer lies with how Bryce Huff plays in those four games. Right now, chances are, yes, the Eagles will have to make a move for a pass rusher if they really want to contend.
But they have some time now to maybe reevaluate what they’re asking Huff to do, because there’s a big discrepancy between that tape from last season with the Jets and what he’s showing with the Eagles. Right now, it’s one of Howie Roseman’s biggest swing and misses. The Eagles desperately need Huff and Josh Sweat to get going, and they need Nolan Smith to start showing some promise (speaking of swings and misses).
There’s no reason Brandon Graham at 36 years old should be their second-highest-graded edge rusher according to PFF (Sweat is first). The Eagles have a big weapon in the middle with Jalen Carter, but until they show they can win on the edge, Carter is going to get too much attention in the middle to make up the difference.
Q: How do you expect the Birds to respond after the bye?
A: The Eagles will, at minimum, get A.J. Brown and Lane Johnson back after the bye. Possibly DeVonta Smith, too.
Cleveland is really struggling. You think the Eagles are missing too many tackles? The Browns are allowing an NFL-worst 2.24 yards after contact per rush. Saquon Barkley should have a field day, assuming Kellen Moore decides to give him the ball. And, on the other side, Deshaun Watson has been terrible. He’s completing just 61.5% of his passes and has a 4/3 TD/turnover ratio.
It’s a game the Eagles will be favored by a touchdown in and shouldn’t lose. If they do, Nick Watch will probably be on for real this time.
After that it’s a road game in New York, the Saquon Barkley Revenge Game. There’s no reason the Eagles shouldn’t be 4-2 heading to Cincinnati to take on what could be a pretty desperate Bengals team that, like so many of the Eagles’ upcoming opponents, is unable to stop the run right now. That’s a winnable road game to lead into LeSean McCoy’s Hall of Fame night on Nov. 3 vs. Jacksonville.
It’s not out of the question the Eagles could win their next four games. A too-optimistic view? Maybe.
Q: With Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce retiring there was concern going into this season about a lack of veteran leadership in the locker room. Is this lack of leadership contributing to the Eagles recent struggles, and if so how much of an impact is it having?
A: I’ll be honest ... I find the locker room leadership rah-rah stuff to be a little overrated, and there are some players who would agree.
There’s something there, obviously, Jason Kelce was the heart and soul of the Eagles for a long stretch there. But Jordan Mailata is a great leader and has been around. Lane Johnson has been anchoring the right side of that line for years. Brandon Graham is in his 15th (!!) NFL season.
» READ MORE: Eagles’ Darius Slay addresses his recent social media posts: ‘That’s not me, that’s not my character’
By all accounts, the players in that locker room think Jalen Hurts is a capable leader, too. Quiet and intentional, but he organized workouts with some players this offseason, including rookies and new additions like John Ross.
I think we too often use leadership concerns as a crutch. Right now, the Eagles have a coaching and playing problem.