With great talent comes great responsibility.
As the Eagles prepare for the 2022 season, I keep coming back to that phrase. The roster is very talented, perhaps more than we’ve collectively acknowledged. The schedule does not look daunting. The division is there for the taking. The Eagles have a chance to do real damage this fall, so long as the leader of the team puts them in position to succeed.
The biggest question mark to a special Eagles season isn’t quarterback Jalen Hurts or defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
It’s head coach Nick Sirianni.
Let’s preface this: I like Sirianni. His first season turned into a success. The players seem to like and respect him. His ability (and passion) for teaching is refreshing. He loves the game, and comes across as a grinder. He’s likable, and could grow into a no-doubt-about-it long-term coach in this city.
But I’m not convinced yet, and still need to see a few red flags disappear before being sold that he’s the right coach to maximize this roster and bring this team close to a Super Bowl.
Let’s start with training camp, preparation and knowing what he’s doing to get a team ready for the season.
Sirianni’s short practices were a big talking point when camp opened, and understandably so. My bigger concern than practice length: Sirianni has zero track record in the NFL of winning early in seasons, and has not been around a team that successfully conquered the hurdle of adequately preparing a team for the first quarter of the season.
Sirianni has been in the NFL for 13 years as an assistant, coordinator or head coach. His teams have had losing records through four games in seven of those years. He’s held a winning record only three times. Sirianni has been on the sidelines for a combined 20-32 record through the first quarter of seasons in his NFL tenure, including last year’s 1-3 Eagles start. We can harp on sports science dictating shorter practices and Sirianni listening to the Eagles front office on padded practices or preseason playing time, but the bigger issue is a background that clearly didn’t involve mastering the art of preparing a team for September. And while it’s a long season, the 2022 Eagles simply can't afford to waste what looks like a favorable September schedule while finding themselves again.
Then there’s the head-scratching play calling thing that still strikes me as odd.
Sirianni (quietly) gave up play calling to Shane Steichen in the middle of last season, right around the time the team (and offense) took off. That set up will remain the same for 2022. On the surface, it’s not a huge deal. As long as the Eagles are winning and scoring points, it doesn’t have to be a major issue.
But let’s not pretend that this isn’t bizarre.
By my count, Sirianni is one of only two (along with Mike McCarthy, a name we’ll likely hear on the hot seat by mid-October) head coaches with offensive backgrounds that won’t be calling offensive plays this season. Eighteen current head coaches are offensive guys. Sixteen will call the plays. Teams are on the hunt for offensive-minded coaches to run the show and call plays. It’s primarily been the set up Jeff Lurie has wanted and chosen for the Eagles in his tenure. Sirianni was supposed to be the next in line, but suddenly switched to being a CEO-type.
Will this last? Will Sirianni take back the play calling if the offense sputters? Who gets final say in run-pass ratio during the week of prep, and then again on game day? If Hurts pops and this team soars, what happens if Steichen parlays success here into a head coaching opportunity? One of the advantages of a head coach that calls offensive plays is more continuity and less instability. That is suddenly not part of the Sirianni appeal.
Lastly, and perhaps most concerning, is how great Sirianni was last year. We talk about the leap Hurts needs to make as if his head coach doesn’t have to make one just as big, if not bigger.
We can look back and appreciate the job Sirianni did, but let’s not pretend concerns about his long-term viability didn’t persist early last season. When the Eagles left Las Vegas last October, I thought we were watching a one-and-done coach. The fact that it took Sirianni as long as it did to recognize the best route to winning (running the ball more, throwing less, and playing complementary football to keep his defense off the field) is alarming when replaying the season back in my head.
Then there’s the subtle, but important x-factors.
I appreciate Sirianni’s intensity, but how often do we see great, championship coaches lose their temper on the sideline? Buddy Ryan was fun. He wasn’t a true winner. You know why Bill Belichick is the best in-game coach ever? He stays calm while the other sideline melts. Sirianni’s intensity makes for a fun replay and soundbite. Focus and remaining calm for his team should be his actual goal.
And when it comes to x’s and o’s, let’s cross our fingers that he can soon be the one out-coaching an opponent rather than the other way around. We all know the young quarterback didn’t play well in Tampa Bay last January. What’s not talked about as much: The young coach was completely outclassed by Todd Bowles’ defensive mind.
If that game was a one off, maybe it would be easier to let it go. But it wasn’t. Three rushing attempts in Week 3 vs. Dallas was egregious. Slow starts in the first quarter of games down the stretch were maddening. And I can’t get this one out of my head: Remember the throw Hurts missed at the end of the first half in the back left corner of the end zone vs. the Chargers? Hurts slid left, didn’t reset his feet and threw inaccurately to an open Smith in a game the Eagles would eventually lose by one score. After the game, Sirianni admitted that he (incorrectly) read blitz and coached Hurts to slide left upon the snap. There was no blitz or pressure from the right side. Hurts was given poor direction. It’s a minor thing, but something that will matter more as the games and stakes get bigger. The head coach has to win more of those chess matches to put his players in a better position to succeed.
I believe in the Eagles' talent. I believe in Hurts’ track record of getting better by the year. I believe Gannon is a sharp coach that will be way better with more talent on defense. I believe in the culture and vibe of this team.
I want to fully believe in Sirianni, and think the mold of a very good coach is there. But I’ll leave some room for doubt on the biggest question mark that few seem to be actually questioning heading into the season.