time2rock Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Looking Smarter Posted: November 22nd, 2021 | Author: Tommy Lawlor It wasn’t that long ago that there questions about whether Nick Sirianni could be a good coach. The questions were fair at the time, with the Eagles struggling and Sirianni making questionable decisions. Sirianni has quieted his critics since then. The Eagles have won 3 of 4 games and lead the NFC in rushing. They are firmly in playoff contention. The Eagles won’t be mistaken for some kind of juggernaut, but Sirianni and his team have figured some things out and the Eagles are playing good football. Give Sirianni plenty of credit for this. It took longer than it should have, but the season really turned around when he embraced the run game. He went away from the RPOs and quick screens and started calling more designed runs. That let the OL start to take over and it brought out the best in the RBs. The offense found an identity. The new style also took pressure off Jalen Hurts. He still has a chance to make plays, but he’s not making as many decisions or throwing as many passes. Hurts has more of a chance to just play now. And he’s playing at a high level. He was number one in the NFL in QBR in Weeks 8-10. On Sunday, Hurts ran for 3 TDs. He is making plays as a runner and passer. There are questions about the sustainability of the Eagles offense. I think that misses the point in a big way. Sirianni needed a way to get the most out of these players and he’s doing that. Go watch the Eagles offense from 1999-2001. It looked very different from the one used from 2002-2004. Andy Reid came in and worked with what he had. That meant more running. Once his QB got experience and the offense got some weapons, Reid went to his beloved passing attack. This isn’t about Sirianni embracing this style for the next decade. This is simply about how to get the most out of the 2021 Eagles. It took Sirianni longer than I would have preferred, but he figured out the strength of the offense is the O-line and the best way to use them is to run. That showed he could understand his talent and make adjustments. Those are key traits for winning coaches. Think about how different the Patriots offense has looked over the years. Bill Belichick adjusts to his talent. Adaptability is crucial. One thing you have to understand is that the Eagles aren’t just "running the ball”. This isn’t lining up in the I-formation and running Iso-left and Iso-right. Sirianni and his staff are being creative with the run game. Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and Hurts are all averaging 5 yards per carry. This isn’t 3 yards and a cloud of dust, as the old football saying goes. The Eagles want chunk plays. They want to move the chains and score points. The offense is working. The Eagles have two games of 40 or more points in the last month. The Eagles didn’t have a single 40-point game in 2018, 2019 or 2020. You can put all kinds of context on that, but the bottom line is that this team has shown the ability to score points. In the previous three seasons, the Eagles didn’t finish higher than 12th in scoring, despite having a franchise QB in Carson Wentz and plenty of veteran offensive coaches. Right now the Eagles are 8th in the NFL in scoring with a new staff and young QB. We still don’t know if Sirianni will prove to be the long term answer, but he’s showing legit progress. 5-6 may not sound great, but consider that Doug Pederson went 4-11-1 last year so this team is already better. In Pederson’s first year, the team went 7-9. In Reid’s first year, the Eagles were 5-11. It is important to point out that there is no conclusion to be made. We’re making real time judgments on what we see. Sirianni looked smart as heck after a dominant season opener. Then there was a 1-5 stretch and he deserved a lot of criticism. Now he’s got the team on a 3-1 stretch and deserves praise. Learning about coaches is a process that takes time. Jimmy Johnson looked like an idiot after one year. Chip Kelly looked pretty damn smart. Kelly’s team peaked, while Johnson built a dynasty. You have to give a coach time. We’re not microwaving hot dogs here. This is like cooking a fancy meal like Hamburger Helper. It takes time. It’s okay to have opinions without knowing definitive answers. We’re sports fans. We’ve got more opinions than Jimmy Bama has stick figures. Just be open to changing those opinions as the facts change. Most of all, the team is playing well right now. Enjoy it. The OL is just dominating right now. http://igglesblitz.com/2021/11/looking-smarter/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob331 Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Tommy missed one thing. We've abandoned the screens and outlets to the running backs. There is room for improvement there, but I completely agree that we should all enjoy what we're seeing recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 14 hours ago, time2rock said: They are firmly in playoff contention. The Eagles won’t be mistaken for some kind of juggernaut, but Sirianni and his team have figured some things out and the Eagles are playing good football. Hardly a juggernaut but this season they have games where they've scored; 40, 30, 44, 30 and 32. In some of those games they have had TDs taken off the board. In other games not noted above they've had TDs taken off the board. Juggernaut may be too far but this offense puts up points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bover907 Posted November 24, 2021 Share Posted November 24, 2021 Quote We’re not microwaving hot dogs here. This is like cooking a fancy meal like Hamburger Helper. It takes time. 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted November 24, 2021 Share Posted November 24, 2021 I contiinue to hope that Sirianni’s empowering of an increasingly younger roster will make him our Ted Lasso. It may take a couple seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoconoDon Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 As long as Hurts grows as a pocket passer, the long term fortunes of the team improve. To me, that's the keystone of this arch they want to build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 48 minutes ago, PoconoDon said: As long as Hurts grows as a pocket passer, the long term fortunes of the team improve. To me, that's the keystone of this arch they want to build. Indeed. Hurts bring a lot of other skills to the position but the one needed the most (to develop into a great passing threat) is at the very top of the list. It would be absolutely huge moving forward if he can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infam Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 15 minutes ago, time2rock said: Indeed. Hurts bring a lot of other skills to the position but the one needed the most (to develop into a great passing threat) is at the very top of the list. It would be absolutely huge moving forward if he can. If he becomes even better passing, Hurts is a legit superstar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 36 minutes ago, Infam said: If he becomes even better passing, Hurts is a legit superstar. Indeed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weko Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 5 hours ago, Infam said: If he becomes even better passing, Hurts is a legit superstar. All he has to do is greatly increase his arm strength, learn to read progressions, stop locking in on his target at the snap, stop floating balls high in the sky like it's recess football. Once he's told he is a career backup and doesn't have to play hero ball, he'll throw less picks. Could have a 15 career as a well paid 3-4 mil a year backup. That's his ceiling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted November 29, 2021 Author Share Posted November 29, 2021 13 hours ago, weko said: All he has to do is greatly increase his arm strength, learn to read progressions, stop locking in on his target at the snap, stop floating balls high in the sky like it's recess football. Once he's told he is a career backup and doesn't have to play hero ball, he'll throw less picks. Could have a 15 career as a well paid 3-4 mil a year backup. That's his ceiling Oh is that all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weko Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 31 minutes ago, time2rock said: Oh is that all? No there's more. We need to bar Lurie from being the one to choose which QB to draft next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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