If there was one area of the game the Philadelphia Eagles remained frustrated with after Sunday's 33-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams, it was the return game. However, this doesn't excuse John Metchie and Tank Bigsby both made crucial mistakes in the closely fought win. Both returners mishandled returns, failing to secure the ball and opening the door for game-changing plays. There simply isn't an excuse for this level of poor execution.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni isn't letting them take the blame though. Stepping up in his usual brand of leadership, he took responsibility for the way coaching played into those mistakes. More specifically, he highlights not doing enough to prepare his returners for a unique challenge of playing the Rams.
Nick Sirianni Admits Failure to Prepare for Rams' Joshua Karty
Rams kicker Joshua Karty has proven to be an underrated special teams weapon with the new kickoff format. He kicks knuckleballs that move unpredictably and can be hard for even well-seasoned returners to gauge. Without Karty on the roster, that can be especially tough to prepare for in practice. And Sirianni took the fall for that lack of preparation, saying "we've got to be more detailed, and it starts with me, " per Eagles beat reporter EJ Smith.
The national media loves to make a big deal of Sirianni and the Eagles' animated exchanges on the sidelines. But it's made clear every week how much their head coach cares and leads by example, never shirking responsibility. And in his defense here, it's a tough spot to prepare for anyway.
Preparing for Karty's kickoffs is a unique challenge. Is Jake Elliott capable of emulating Karty? Probably, but he hasn't mastered that kickoff the same way Karty has. And it's also a fine line to walk when Elliott needs to get in his own practice for the week.
So for Bigsby and Metchie, who only have a combined 20 NFL kick returns to their resumes (excluding touchbacks; 13 from Bigsby, 7 for Metchie), this week was a bit of trial by fire.
With fans frustrated at the returners even after the Eagles' dramatic victory, Sirianni had the opportunity to throw the returners under the bus. Instead, the head coach took it on the chin and made it clear that he accepted the players' failures as his own.
That's a perfect example of the type of head coach Sirianni is and the culture that has been built in Philadelphia as the Eagles look to defend their 2024 Super Bowl run. No question, this is a franchise built around incredible talent and leadership, with Sirianni's latest comments serving as an example of this and leaving Philly fans increasingly excited for the season ahead.