Finding Solutions

If you needed a new drinking game, go watch Nick Sirianni’s press conference from Monday and take a drink every time he uses the phrase “finding solutions”. Just make sure you don’t need to be anywhere early the next day.

Head Coach Nick Sirianni speaks with the media. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/8A9Pww5Uz7

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 13, 2025

His point does have merit. Sitting around and blaming this player or that coach isn’t going to accomplish anything. It would make some fans happy and certainly WIP would love it, but it wouldn’t change anything. As Sirianni pointed out repeatedly, the key is finding solutions.

That said, part of finding solutions is identifying problems. And that does involve pointing fingers to a certain extent. You might need to point out to Kevin Patullo that he’s got to mix up formations better than he currently is. You might need to let the edge rushers know that sacks are a good thing. The OL could use a suggestion on actually playing well for a whole game. Heck, even three quarters would be a step in the right direction.

Playing on Thursday night means the coaches have had a few extra days to study tape and analyze data in their search for solutions. Let’s hope they found some. Sirianni wouldn’t go into details, as you would expect. Why would you announce to the world the solutions you figured out? Save them for the upcoming games.

Some of the problems seem pretty obvious so it would be highly disappointing if Sirianni and his staff were not able to find solutions. We’ll find out on Sunday when the Eagles go to play the Vikings.

*****

A new problem arose on Monday.

This is a surprise. It looks like Za’Darius Smith just retired. pic.twitter.com/rAiaWJTZJf

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) October 13, 2025

Mixed feelings on this. Smith had some good moments for the Birds. He had 1.5 sacks and 2 TFLs. There was a play in the Giants loss where Smith looked slow. Jaxson Dart is a good athlete, but Smith looked old and slow on the play. I wonder if he saw that or just started to feel that way.

I’m told Za’Darius Smith’s decision to retire is a personal one. It has nothing to do with the Eagles.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 13, 2025

As bad as the Eagles struggles feel to some, the team is 4-2. Guys don’t jump off that team. A two-game losing streak isn’t a big deal for most organizations. If the Eagles were falling apart like the 1-5 Ravens, that might be different. Smith missed Training Camp. He joined the Eagles after the opener. You wonder if he’s fully committed or realized that he was simply ready to walk away. Football isn’t an easy game. It isn’t a casual game. You might fool yourself into believing you still want to play. For now we can just speculate on Smith’s thinking.

This does leave the Eagles light at edge rusher.

Jalyx Hunt
Azeez Ojulari
Josh Uche
Patrick Johnson

Nolan Smith will come off IR after the bye, but the Eagles still could be looking for help. The edge rushers haven’t been good enough this season. We know Howie is an aggressive GM who likes to trade. We also have to remember that it takes two sides to deal. You can identify a good rusher on another team, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be available.

The most obvious choice is Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals have fallen apart. I would assume he will be available. The problem is that he could cost a lot for a rental. If multiple teams are bidding, how high do you go. The real key here is for Howie, Sirianni and Jeff Lurie to have an honest talk and figure out if they think this team truly is  a title contender. The Eagles don’t feel like one right now, but that could change in a week or a month. Would adding a good pass rusher make a significant difference?

You’ll hear a lot of rumors. The Eagles will get mentioned a lot, partially because of Howie’s nature. He isn’t afraid to take chances. Some rumors might be true, but many won’t be. Agents, media types and other teams will leak all kinds of info. Only a portion will be true.

Howie will talk to everyone to find out what is possible. That doesn’t mean he’ll make a move. Again, he’s got to figure out if the risk is worth the reward. Adding Golden Tate helped the Eagles win a wild card game. Adding Robert Quinn didn’t do squat.

It is also important to remember that Vic Fangio will have some say in this. He’s picky about who/what he wants. He and Howie need to be on the same page. You wouldn’t want another Bryce Huff situation.

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