The Philadelphia Eagles were able to fight off their offensive concerns in the first four games of the season. But tensions boiled over after Philadelphia’s Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos. Disgruntled receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith continued to express their frustrations despite being force-fed in the loss. The situation led to a players-only meeting, including Brown, Smith, and fellow Eagles stars Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts.
With the Eagles looking for answers everywhere, it has brought on big questions about what Nick Sirianni and his coaching staff think of the situation. While the staff didn't have much to say on the topic earlier in the week, we finally got our answer on Wednesday when Sirianni was asked about it during his press conference ahead of Thursday’s game against the New York Giants.
“Love the fact that we all get together and are looking for solutions to continue to get better,” Sirianni said, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “That’s just not a coaching thing, that’s just not a leaders on the football team, that’s this team. That’s the mindset of this team is how do we keep getting better? Playing our best football by the end of the year. So you love that. You love that for all the guys.
“I say to the coaches, anything we’re preaching, we better be living ourselves. And then you have the same thing when the captains on your team and the leaders of your football team are doing that and just focusing on how we get better and take the next steps. That trickles down to everybody. That’s my theory with the coaches, that’s my theory with the leaders of your football team.”
Nick Sirianni States the Ultimate Goal for Eagles Offense
Sirianni is correct in that he has a strong leadership group in place. But the players' only meeting this week has been taken by some as a poor reflection of the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has been under fire since the Eagles began the season due to the unit's regression from just a year ago, when Kellen Moore was in charge of the offense. It was also a point of tension even when the Eagles were winning games, signaling a long-term problem despite short-term success.
Also of concern is that the coaching staff doesn’t seem to be the group providing solutions. Aside from the meeting, Jalen Hurts told reporters earlier this week that he reached out to his former college coach, Nick Saban, seeking advice from the Alabama legend on how to fix the current situation. With Patullo frequently sounding like nothing is wrong, it’s hard to know when things are going to improve.
But Sirianni also provided another opinion. While the Eagles are struggling at the moment, the ultimate goal is to play at their best at the end of the year. That’s what Philadelphia did after a 2-2 start last season, and the Eagles responded by winning a championship. It also helped the Eagles win 20 of their past 22 games, even after Sunday’s loss to the Broncos.
“This isn’t all that different than last year, going through these things as well,” Sirianni continued. “You buckle down, you find solutions, you find answers to the problems and you work yourself to get better from that. That’s what it’s about. That’s how you grow. That’s a mental toughness thing. Obviously, we’re all going through that and trying to get better.”
If there’s a silver lining, the Eagles don’t have to wait long to make up for their last loss. Then again, those tensions could produce a hangover heading into a divisional matchup with the Giants. If Philadelphia doesn’t sort out its offensive issues soon, it won’t matter who is talking about them, as it could sink its hopes of a repeat.