Finding Fault
Posted: January 16th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 12 Comments »Now that the Eagles season is officially over, a new sport is set to take place. The Blame Game. It won’t shock you to find out Nick Sirianni is the star. Everyone is focused on Sirianni and his myriad faults.
You don’t go 1-6 down the stretch with a talented roster because of one person. We need to keep that in mind as we perform an autopsy on the weirdest Eagles season in recent memory. 2020 was close, but you could point to injuries as the biggest factor in that team having a disastrous season. 2023 saw the Eagles as the hottest team and the coldest team in the league with basically the same set of players. That’s hard to do.
Sirianni deserves a ton of blame for the team’s failures. I don’t want to go in-depth on everything. We’ll focus on the big stuff for now. The biggest issue with Sirianni was demoting Sean Desai. The defense was having problems, especially on third downs. But demoting Desai and promoting Matt Patricia? That’s the kind of drastic move you can only make if you are certain it will fix the problems. If it doesn’t work, the head coach looks bad because he’s undermining his DC. It also feels like a panic move and that’s not lost on the players. It doesn’t send them a great message.
Changing coaches can work. It did for the offenses in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. But the guys who lost their jobs had multiple seasons to get things turned around and didn’t. Those head coaches were as patient as they could be before feeling like something drastic had to happen. Desai had 13 games and one of the weakest back sevens in the NFL. That’s hardly the same thing.
Sirianni’s decision did not work, to put it mildly.
While the Eagles offense remained one of the Top 10 units in the league for the season, they struggled down the stretch. The offense was held to 19 or fewer points in 5 of the final 7 games. The last three weeks, teams had success blitzing the Eagles. Sirianni had no answers for that, which drew the ire of anyone and everyone who watched the Eagles play. The Eagles kept doing the same thing, over and over. It kept failing, over and over. Yikes.
Sirianni is supposed to be an offensive guru. The fact he couldn’t come up with answers despite having plenty of talent to work with is a bad look. Really bad.
The other issue with Sirianni is that he couldn’t push the right buttons with this team. He got so much right with the 2022 team and so much wrong with this one. Players underachieved. There were weird vibes all year. Sirianni had to talk to AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert at different points in the season about their lack of touches. Too often the players felt more like 53 independent contractors than one team. There was a lot of celebrating and fun in 2022. That was missing this season.
Sirianni has a lot to answer for.
But he’s not alone. Howie Roseman isn’t without fault. His magical touch from 2022 wasn’t to be found in 2023. He brought back James Bradberry, which made good sense at the time. But Bradberry had an awful season. He had some twilight zone aging deal where instead of going from 29 to 30 he went straight to 47. Teams picked on him all year, no matter who he covered. It is Howie’s job to know when guys are going to get old. He missed the call on Bradberry.
Linebacker proved to be a disaster. Roseman let TJ Edwards walk in free agency and hoped a combination of Nakobe Dean and Nick Morrow could get the job done. Oops.
The plan at safety didn’t work, with Justin Evans getting hurt and Terrell Edmunds struggling. Reed Blankenship had a solid season, but wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of someone good across from him.
Veteran players who joined the team during the season were all disappointing. Bradley Roby didn’t show much interest in tackling and his cover skills didn’t exactly make up for that. Kevin Byard made one high level play in 11 games. Julio Jones didn’t do much. Shaq Leonard was awful. Rashaad Penny couldn’t even get on the field.
There is a bit of randomness and luck that goes into personnel moves, but Howie had too many not work out this season.
Finally, we can’t excuse the players.
- Bad passes
- Fumbles
- Missed blocks
- Dropped passes
- Missed tackles
- Poor gap integrity
- Coverage breakdowns
You don’t expect everyone to be a Hall of Fame player, but you do need guys to execute the basics well. That was a struggle for the Eagles all year long. You can go re-watch the opener vs the Pats and see issues. We thought they would go away. They never did.
You know the old saying that success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan? Jeffrey Lurie needs to do a good job of identifying all the dads for this disastrous finish and flawed overall season. There is more than enough blame to go around.
Figuring out who to blame is only part of the equation. The tricky part is then coming up with solutions so 2024 is a better season. If Nick Sirianni doesn’t have some good answers for his bosses, he just might be updating his resume.
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[…] Finding Fault – Iggles BlitzWhile the Eagles offense remained one of the Top 10 units in the league for the season, they struggled down the stretch. The offense was held to 19 or fewer points in 5 of the final 7 games. The last three weeks, teams had success blitzing the Eagles. Sirianni had no answers for that, which drew the ire of anyone and everyone who watched the Eagles play. The Eagles kept doing the same thing, over and over. It kept failing, over and over. Yikes. Sirianni is supposed to be an offensive guru. The fact he couldn’t come up with answers despite having plenty of talent to work with is a bad look. Really bad. The other issue with Sirianni is that he couldn’t push the right buttons with this team. He got so much right with the 2022 team and so much wrong with this one. Players underachieved. There were weird vibes all year. Sirianni had to talk to AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert at different points in the season about their lack of touches. Too often the players felt more like 53 independent contractors than one team. There was a lot of celebrating and fun in 2022. That was missing this season. Sirianni has a lot to answer for. […]
[…] Encontre um bug – Eagles BlitzEmbora o ataque dos Eagles tenha permanecido uma das 10 melhores unidades da liga nesta temporada, eles tiveram dificuldades ao longo do caminho. O ataque foi reduzido a 19 pontos ou menos em 5 dos últimos 7 jogos. Nas últimas três semanas, as equipes tiveram sucesso no ataque aos Eagles. Sirianni não tinha respostas para isso, irritando todos que assistiram ao jogo dos Eagles. Os Eagles continuaram fazendo a mesma coisa indefinidamente. Ele continuou falhando repetidamente. OK. Sirianni é considerado um guru ofensivo. O fato de ele não ter conseguido encontrar respostas, apesar de ter muito talento para trabalhar, é feio. Muito ruim. O outro problema com Sirianni é que ele não consegue apertar os botões certos com esta equipe. Ele acertou muito no time de 2022 e errou bastante neste. Os jogadores não atingiram o nível exigido. Houve feedback positivo durante todo o ano. Sirianni teve que conversar com AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith e Dallas Goedert em vários momentos da temporada sobre a falta de toques. Muitas vezes, os jogadores se sentiam mais como 53 contratados independentes do que como uma equipe. Houve muita comemoração e diversão em 2022. Era isso que faltou nesta temporada. Sirianni tem muito a responder. […]
[…] Finding Fault – Iggles BlitzWhile the Eagles offense remained one of the Top 10 units in the league for the season, they struggled down the stretch. The offense was held to 19 or fewer points in 5 of the final 7 games. The last three weeks, teams had success blitzing the Eagles. Sirianni had no answers for that, which drew the ire of anyone and everyone who watched the Eagles play. The Eagles kept doing the same thing, over and over. It kept failing, over and over. Yikes. Sirianni is supposed to be an offensive guru. The fact he couldn’t come up with answers despite having plenty of talent to work with is a bad look. Really bad. The other issue with Sirianni is that he couldn’t push the right buttons with this team. He got so much right with the 2022 team and so much wrong with this one. Players underachieved. There were weird vibes all year. Sirianni had to talk to AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert at different points in the season about their lack of touches. Too often the players felt more like 53 independent contractors than one team. There was a lot of celebrating and fun in 2022. That was missing this season. Sirianni has a lot to answer for. […]
[…] Trouver une faute – Iggles BlitzBien que l’offensive des Eagles soit restée l’une des 10 meilleures unités de la ligue pour la saison, elle a connu des difficultés tout au long de la séquence. L’offensive a été limitée à 19 points ou moins dans 5 des 7 derniers matchs. Au cours des trois dernières semaines, les équipes ont réussi à affronter les Eagles. Sirianni n’avait pas de réponse à cela, ce qui a suscité la colère de tous ceux qui regardaient jouer les Eagles. Les Eagles ont continué à faire la même chose, encore et encore. Cela échouait encore et encore. Ouais. Sirianni est censé être un gourou offensif. Le fait qu’il n’ait pas pu trouver de réponses malgré ses nombreux talents avec lesquels travailler est une mauvaise idée. Vraiment mauvais. L’autre problème avec Sirianni est qu’il n’a pas pu appuyer sur les bons boutons avec cette équipe. Il avait tellement de raison avec l’équipe 2022 et tellement de tort avec celle-ci. Les joueurs n’ont pas réussi. Il y avait des ambiances bizarres toute l’année. Sirianni a dû parler à AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith et Dallas Goedert à différents moments de la saison de leur manque de touches. Trop souvent, les joueurs se sentaient davantage comme 53 entrepreneurs indépendants que comme une seule équipe. Il y a eu beaucoup de célébrations et de plaisir en 2022. Cela manquait cette saison. Sirianni a de nombreuses responsabilités. […]
[…] Find a bug – Eagles BlitzWhile the Eagles' offense remained one of the top 10 units in the league this season, they struggled along the way. The offense has been held to 19 points or fewer in 5 of the last 7 games. In the past three weeks, teams have had success attacking the Eagles. Sirianni had no answers for that, angering anyone and everyone who watched the Eagles game. The Eagles kept doing the same thing over and over again. It kept failing over and over again. OK. Sirianni is supposed to be an offensive guru. The fact that he couldn't come up with answers despite having a lot of talent to work with is a bad look. Really bad. The other problem with Sirianni is that he can't push the right buttons with this team. He was right a lot on the 2022 team and wrong a lot on this one. The players did not achieve the required level. There has been positive feedback all year. Sirianni had to talk to AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert at various points in the season about their lack of touches. Often times, the players felt more like 53 independent contractors than one team. There was a lot of celebration and fun in 2022. That's what was missing this season. Sirianni has a lot to answer for. […]
[…] Finden Sie einen Fehler – Eagles BlitzWährend die Offensive der Eagles in dieser Saison weiterhin zu den Top 10 der Liga gehörte, hatten sie auf dem Weg dorthin Probleme. Die Offensive wurde in 5 der letzten 7 Spiele auf 19 Punkte oder weniger beschränkt. In den letzten drei Wochen hatten die Teams Erfolge beim Angriff auf die Eagles. Darauf hatte Sirianni keine Antwort, was jeden verärgerte, der das Eagles-Spiel verfolgte. Die Eagles machten immer und immer wieder das Gleiche. Es scheiterte immer wieder. OK. Sirianni soll ein offensiver Guru sein. Die Tatsache, dass er trotz seines großen Talents keine Antworten finden konnte, sieht schlecht aus. Wirklich schlecht. Das andere Problem mit Sirianni ist, dass er bei diesem Team nicht die richtigen Knöpfe drücken kann. Er hatte mit dem Team 2022 viel Recht und in diesem Fall viel Unrecht. Die Spieler haben das erforderliche Niveau nicht erreicht. Das ganze Jahr über gab es positive Rückmeldungen. Sirianni musste zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten der Saison mit AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith und Dallas Goedert über deren fehlende Ballkontakte sprechen. Oftmals fühlten sich die Spieler eher wie 53 unabhängige Vertragspartner als wie ein Team. Im Jahr 2022 gab es viel zu feiern und Spaß zu haben. Das hat in dieser Saison gefehlt. Sirianni hat viel zu verantworten. […]
[…] Su’e Sese – Iggles BlitzA’o tumau pea le solitulafono a le Eagles o se tasi o iunite Top 10 i le liki mo le vaitau, sa latou tauivi i lalo o le tulaga. O le solitulafono na taofia i le 19 pe itiiti ifo ‘ai i le 5 o taaloga mulimuli e 7. O le tolu vaiaso talu ai, na manuia ai ‘au i le fa’atosinaina o le Aeto. E leai ni tali a Sirianni mo lena mea, na mafua ai le ita o soo se tasi ma tagata uma na matamata i le taaloga a le Aeto. Sa faia pea e le Aeto le mea lava e tasi, i lea taimi ma lea taimi. Sa toilalo pea lava pea. Ioe. Sirianni e tatau ona avea o se guru leaga. O le mea moni e le mafai ona ia maua mai ni tali e ui ina tele taleni e galue ai o se foliga leaga. E matua leaga lava. O le isi fa’afitauli ia Sirianni e le mafai ona ia tuleia le sa’o ki i le ‘au lea. E tele mea sa’o na ia maua i le ‘au 2022 ma e tele naua mea sese i lenei. Le au taaalo le ausia. Sa i ai lagona uiga ese i le tausaga atoa. Sa tatau ona talanoa Sirianni ia AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith ma Dallas Goedert i vaega eseese o le vaitau e uiga i le leai o se paʻi. O le tele o taimi na lagona ai e le au taaalo e pei o ni konekarate tutoatasi e 53 nai lo le au e tasi. Sa tele le fiafia ma le fiafia i le 2022. Na misi i lenei vaitau. E tele mea e tali atu ai Sirianni. […]
[…] Encuentra un error – Eagles BlitzSi bien la ofensiva de los Eagles siguió siendo una de las 10 mejores unidades de la liga esta temporada, tuvieron problemas en el camino. La ofensiva se ha limitado a 19 puntos o menos en 5 de los últimos 7 juegos. En las últimas tres semanas, los equipos han tenido éxito atacando a los Eagles. Sirianni no tenía respuestas para eso, lo que enfureció a todos los que vieron el partido de los Eagles. Los Eagles siguieron haciendo lo mismo una y otra vez. Siguió fallando una y otra vez. DE ACUERDO. Se supone que Sirianni es un gurú ofensivo. El hecho de que no pudiera encontrar respuestas a pesar de tener mucho talento con el que trabajar es una mala imagen. Muy mal. El otro problema con Sirianni es que no puede presionar los botones correctos con este equipo. Acertó mucho en el equipo de 2022 y se equivocó mucho en este. Los jugadores no alcanzaron el nivel requerido. Ha habido comentarios positivos durante todo el año. Sirianni tuvo que hablar con AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith y Dallas Goedert en varios momentos de la temporada sobre su falta de toques. Muchas veces, los jugadores se sentían más como 53 contratistas independientes que como un equipo. Hubo mucha celebración y diversión en 2022. Eso es lo que faltaba esta temporada. Sirianni tiene mucho de qué responder. […]
[…] Znajdź błąd – Eagles BlitzChoć ofensywa Orłów pozostawała w tym sezonie jedną z 10 najlepszych drużyn w lidze, po drodze mieli problemy. W 5 z ostatnich 7 meczów w ataku utrzymywano się na poziomie 19 lub mniej punktów. W ciągu ostatnich trzech tygodni zespoły z sukcesem atakowały Orły. Sirianni nie miał na to odpowiedzi, co doprowadzało do wściekłości każdego, kto oglądał mecz Orłów. Orły cały czas robiły to samo. Za każdym razem kończyło się to niepowodzeniem. OK. Sirianni ma być ofensywnym guru. Fakt, że nie potrafił znaleźć odpowiedzi, mimo że miał ogromny talent do pracy, jest zły. Naprawdę źle. Innym problemem Sirianniego jest to, że nie potrafi wcisnąć odpowiedniego guzika w drużynie. Miał dużo racji w sprawie zespołu na rok 2022 i bardzo się mylił w tym przypadku. Gracze nie osiągnęli wymaganego poziomu. Przez cały rok zbieraliśmy pozytywne opinie. Sirianni musiał rozmawiać z AJ Brownem, DeVontą Smithem i Dallasem Goedertem w różnych momentach sezonu na temat ich braku kontaktu. Często gracze czuli się bardziej jak 53 niezależnych wykonawców niż jeden zespół. W 2022 roku było mnóstwo świętowania i dobrej zabawy. Tego właśnie brakowało w tym sezonie. Sirianni ma za co odpowiadać. […]
[…] Temukan bug – Eagles BlitzMeskipun serangan Eagles tetap menjadi salah satu dari 10 unit teratas di liga musim ini, mereka kesulitan dalam prosesnya. Pelanggaran telah ditahan hingga 19 poin atau kurang dalam 5 dari 7 pertandingan terakhir. Dalam tiga minggu terakhir, tim-tim sukses menyerang Eagles. Sirianni tidak punya jawaban untuk itu, membuat marah siapa pun yang menonton pertandingan Eagles. The Eagles terus melakukan hal yang sama berulang kali. Itu terus gagal lagi dan lagi. OKE. Sirianni seharusnya menjadi guru yang ofensif. Fakta bahwa dia tidak dapat memberikan jawaban meskipun memiliki banyak bakat untuk dikerjakan adalah gambaran yang buruk. Sangat buruk. Masalah lain dengan Sirianni adalah dia tidak bisa menekan tombol yang tepat dengan tim ini. Dia banyak benar di tim 2022 dan banyak salah di tim ini. Para pemain tidak mencapai level yang disyaratkan. Ada tanggapan positif sepanjang tahun. Sirianni harus berbicara dengan AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith dan Dallas Goedert di berbagai titik musim ini tentang kurangnya sentuhan mereka. Seringkali, para pemain merasa lebih seperti 53 kontraktor independen daripada satu tim. Banyak perayaan dan keceriaan di tahun 2022. Hal itulah yang kurang di musim ini. Sirianni punya banyak jawaban. […]
[…] Finding Fault – Iggles BlitzWhile the Eagles offense remained one of the Top 10 units in the league for the season, they struggled down the stretch. The offense was held to 19 or fewer points in 5 of the final 7 games. The last three weeks, teams had success blitzing the Eagles. Sirianni had no answers for that, which drew the ire of anyone and everyone who watched the Eagles play. The Eagles kept doing the same thing, over and over. It kept failing, over and over. Yikes. Sirianni is supposed to be an offensive guru. The fact he couldn’t come up with answers despite having plenty of talent to work with is a bad look. Really bad. The other issue with Sirianni is that he couldn’t push the right buttons with this team. He got so much right with the 2022 team and so much wrong with this one. Players underachieved. There were weird vibes all year. Sirianni had to talk to AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert at different points in the season about their lack of touches. Too often the players felt more like 53 independent contractors than one team. There was a lot of celebrating and fun in 2022. That was missing this season. Sirianni has a lot to answer for. […]
[…] Finding Fault – Iggles BlitzWhile the Eagles offense remained one of the Top 10 units in the league for the season, they struggled down the stretch. The offense was held to 19 or fewer points in 5 of the final 7 games. The last three weeks, teams had success blitzing the Eagles. Sirianni had no answers for that, which drew the ire of anyone and everyone who watched the Eagles play. The Eagles kept doing the same thing, over and over. It kept failing, over and over. Yikes. Sirianni is supposed to be an offensive guru. The fact he couldn’t come up with answers despite having plenty of talent to work with is a bad look. Really bad. The other issue with Sirianni is that he couldn’t push the right buttons with this team. He got so much right with the 2022 team and so much wrong with this one. Players underachieved. There were weird vibes all year. Sirianni had to talk to AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert at different points in the season about their lack of touches. Too often the players felt more like 53 independent contractors than one team. There was a lot of celebrating and fun in 2022. That was missing this season. Sirianni has a lot to answer for. […]