Howard Eskin: Eagles were lined up incorrectly on failed fake tush push
Eagles sideline reporter and 94WIP's Howard Eskin is reporting that the Eagles' players deserve blame for the failed fourth-down fake tush in Sunday's win over the Saints for lining up incorrectly.
"Since so many people treat Nick Sirianni as a piñata and you focus on that play right before the half with 14 seconds left. So now I'm going to give people the facts because I checked this and checked this, and like what happened here? So he calls a play which last year went for a touchdown. Now, I know Saquon Barkley wasn't here, but that play went for a touchdown last year. So let's move past that. So you assume there's going to be a first down, however the players lined up incorrectly. I would've gone for the field goal...The players were lined up incorrectly. That play was practiced multiple times last week, they have practiced that play and now they line up incorrectly."
Eskin could not confirm who exactly was lined up incorrectly, but by looking at both videos it appears Dallas Goedert is positioned inside the left tackle during last year's fake tush push that went for a touchdown, compared to outside the left tackle during Sunday's failed attempt.
"Now, the coach wants to call a timeout, however he can't because they had called a timeout and if you call two consecutively it's a 15-yard penalty," Eskin continued. "So now he's got to go with it. So now assuming they still would have gotten a first down, depending on the time he would have likely—and sorting through this and talking to people—if he had enough time, taken one shot at the end zone and still left you enough time...and then he would have kicked a field. The problem is the players were lined up incorrectly and they always say it's the coaches fault and there's no accountability for the players."
Eskin went on continuing to defend Sirianni, who has been criticized by fans and media all week for his decision to go for it down 3-0 with 14 seconds in the first-half instead of kick the field goal.
"This guy is a good coach," Eskin said. "Is he the best coach in football? No he's not, Andy Reid is. But people didn't like Andy Reid when he was here. You can't always blame the coach, it's so sickening...At first I said he should've kicked a field goal and then I said, 'What happened here?'"
