Bouncing Back

Posted: June 21st, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

We can’t look back at history for many clues because this is unique.

1994 – 7-game losing streak to close out the season
1995 – new coach

2012 – team went 1-11 after a 3-1 start
2013 – new coach

2020 – team went 1-7 in the second half of the season
2021 – new coach

This will be the first time the Eagles come off a terrible finish and bring back the coach. Both coordinators got replaced so it isn’t as if the Eagles kept everything the same. There will be plenty of change. But things are different when you change the whole staff. Going from Rich Kotite to Ray Rhodes was a huge shake-up. Going from Andy Reid to Chip Kelly was about as different as it gets.

The change from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni wasn’t quite as drastic. Still, things were different and Sirianni’s new ideas and fresh approach helped the team to develop into a winner.

Sirianni has a tough challenge. He has to build on the things that went right in 2021 and 2022, even 2023. He also has to fix everything that went wrong in 2023. Knowing what to fix and what to leave alone isn’t easy. There is a mixture of scheme, culture and people (coaches and players).

Bringing in veteran coordinators sure seems like a smart move. Adding a weapon like Saquon Barkley to the offense could prove to be huge. Barkley has special potential. If sure feels like the Eagles fixed the secondary with all the moves they made. That group is younger, deeper, more talented and more athletic. I think going with a younger, hungrier team will make a difference. Maybe a big difference.

A couple of the teams mentioned above also changed QBs. Randall Cunningham went from starting 14 games in 1994 to only 4 in 1995. Rodney Peete took over that team and led them to the playoffs. Michael Vick and Nick Foles split QB duties in both 2012 and 2013. Carson Wentz started for most of 2020 before losing his job to rookie Jalen Hurts. Hurts then took over in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since.

Hurts was great in 2022. He took a step back last year, but still had a good overall season. This will be a key year for him. Hurts needs to show he can learn from last year’s mistakes and work well with new coaches. There will be a ton of pressure and scrutiny. I’m genuinely curious to see how he handles everything, on and off the field. His awkward answers about Nick Sirianni recently went from nothing to a story that everyone wanted to comment on.

That came in the offseason. What if it was after a bad loss? The Philly media would have gone nuts.

If Hurts and Sirianni can find their mojo from 2022, life will be good. There aren’t any guarantees that will happen, though. The good news is that the team has a ton of talent. Hurts has some great weapons to work with. If he can adjust to the new scheme, watch out.

The 2024 season is a huge opportunity for Hurts and Sirianni. They can show that last year was the anomaly.

*****

Willie Mays passed away on Tuesday. I never got to see him play live. I was starting to watch sports as he retired. For my money, he’s the greatest baseball player of them all.

Power. Speed. Defense. And he did it all with a big smile on his face. Football is a violent sport where we need players to be mean and to have an edge. Baseball is a kid’s game that happens to be played by grown-ups. Guys should smile and have fun. That’s part of the magic of the game.

*****

Actor Donald Sutherland passed away on Thursday. I loved him for a long time. He had such a unique presence. If you haven’t seen many of his films, here are some suggestions.

• Kelly’s Heroes
• Ordinary People
• MASH
• Klute
• JFK

Oddball is one of my favorite movie characters of all time.

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