It’s OK to be concerned. It’s natural to have doubts. It’s not an overreaction to wonder about the future. That’s how bad the performance from a key member of the Eagles future was on Monday Night Football in Dallas.
But I’m not talking about Jalen Hurts.
The biggest concern right now in Philadelphia should be about Hurts’ head coach, Nick Sirainni.
Now, before we go any further: Hurts was bad vs. Dallas. Really bad. I don’t care about the garbage-time stats late in the game. He was inaccurate and not close to good enough. If every game is a referendum on his future as a starter in the NFL, Week 3 was a bad sign. But young quarterbacks have bad games. They look awful at times. It was Hurts’ seventh career start. A red flag? Yes. An indictment on his career or future? Not quite.
As for Sirianni? Yikes.
I’ll go as far as saying this: That was the worst coached game in the NFL this season, and the worst we’ve seen around here since Chip Kelly’s final season. The plan was poor. The adjustments didn’t exist. The explanations since have been baffling. The worry is now real about Sirianni’s viability on the sideline.
Related
It’s one thing to get blown out or have a bad night, but it’s another to have a completely ridiculous game plan that ignores every dose of reality and the strengths of the players on the Eagles roster. We’re not just talking about a bone-headed decision or a fourth-down call (like the ultra-pandering Philly Special 2.0 stunt vs. San Fran in Week 2) gone wrong. We’re talking about an offensive attack that fell totally flat and a team that continues to show zero discipline.
Listen to Philadelphia sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Eagles team gear
Let’s start with the offense that was so much worse than the final numbers looked. Three runs by running backs? Really? I’m the furthest thing from Mr. Run The Ball, but that was egregious. There is a way to win with Hurts as this team’s quarterback. As I wrote and said from the day Hurts took over last December, there’s a Lamar Jackson quality to his game. Let his legs raise the ceiling of the offense.
Call an actual run play, not just RPOs that allow the defense to dictate where the ball goes. Call pass plays that accentuate Hurts' strengths and hide his weaknesses. Don’t ask him to throw 40-50 times per game. Use Hurts’ legs in conjunction with a strong backfield to create a dominant run game, stay ahead of the chains, win time of possession (Philadelphia ranks 28th in T.O.P through three weeks), and create motion to define reads for a young, developing signal caller. When you add in having to start Andre Dillard at left tackle and a rookie at right guard, running the ball seemed like a no-brainer to calm the game down, keep Hurts in rhythm, and keep Dak Prescott off the field.
Instead, Sirianni drew up a game plan that asked Hurts to go throw for throw with Prescott. To add to the insanity: Zero plays run by the Eagles offense were accompanied by motion. No creativity, no chances to help Hurts decipher man or zone pre-snap by forcing the Dallas defense to show its hand. As good as Sirianni looked in Week 1 with extra weeks to prepare, he’s looked totally overmatched in the two subsequent weeks.
Perhaps even more alarming? Sirianni fancies himself a teacher, who comes from a family of teachers. The thought is admirable, and a real trait of all good coaches. But what happens when the message clearly isn’t getting across? Because when watching Hurts look indecisive the last two weeks, it sure feels that way. Maybe Hurts can’t grasp what his job and decision-making process is and should be fast enough post snap. Or perhaps the teacher isn’t teaching the concept well enough. When a group of students fail as spectacularly as the Eagles players did on Monday, I tend to blame the teacher for the entire group of pupils flunking together.
Then, of course, there’s the discipline issue.
The 2021 Eagles have set the record for the most penalties in the first three weeks of a season. They are on pace to have the most penalties in a season ever, as in all time. If Sirianni is a teacher, it feels like he’s being treated like the substitute that’s not really respected. Maybe that changes. Maybe it doesn’t.
Hurts’ future is up for debate on a daily basis. But for as much as we discuss the quarterback position, the Eagles are in position to upgrade if the current starter proves not to be worthy of holding the job long term. The most efficient path back to contention involves Hurts reaching his ceiling and using two (or three, depending on if the Colts pull the plug on Carson Wentz before too long) first-round picks on talent to surround him with. But if the Eagles need to pivot, acquiring a veteran through trade or moving up for the No. 1 guy in next year’s draft are viable options.
This franchise is in a much more precarious situation if Sirianni is overmatched and remembered around here more for t-shirts and press conference blunders than wins. If Sirianni flops, they’ll have to either hope and pretend this hiring wasn’t a mistake, or fire a coach after one year. That’ll make this franchise look like a Mickey Mouse operation, and like a dumpster fire for potential candidates. To go from firing a Super Bowl head coach, to a flop, to another search within a year would be an incredibly bad look. Why would any top candidate want to sign up to be here?
You can be worried about Hurts. I’ll give the young quarterback more time. It’s the head coach that I now have some real doubts about, and his growth (or lack thereof) is currently the biggest concern for the long-term success of this franchise.