Nick Sirianni
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Nick Sirianni and the Eagles are searching for big plays despite their 2-0 start.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-0 almost in spite of their offense. Still, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is sure the big plays are coming.
The Philadelphia coach addressed his sluggish offense’s lack of dynamic plays and admitted he feels they could take some time to unfold at his Monday press availability.
Despite their wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles have just 44 points in that span. They have just three plays of 20-plus yards over their first two games — a year after putting up 74 such plays in their 17-game regular season.
What Did Nick Sirianni Say About The Eagles’ Lack of Explosive Plays?
Part of the Eagles’ lack of explosive plays can be chalked up to their opposition, since the Chiefs have an elite defense. But Sirianni noted Philadelphia is working on ways to get his explosive playmakers into space and to make big plays.
“That’s an element that we have to improve because you’re always looking to win the explosive-play battle, and the last two weeks we haven’t won it,” Sirianni said. “But we’ve protected the football.
“I think we’ve been very efficient at moving the ball forward as an offense. Now, it’s hard to consistently inch your way down the field. You want to hit explosives. You’ve got to hit explosives.”
That the Eagles have not hit big plays is to be expected, since they are working in a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo. But they also boast a number of elite playmakers, including the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley, plus A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and dual-threat QB Jalen Hurts.
“It starts with us as coaches, putting them in positions to succeed different ways, then the players have to go out and execute,” Sirianni said. “I trust our players fully, because I know we got really good players. I trust our coaches. I know we’ve got really good coaches.”
Why Have The Eagles Not Hit Big Plays?
The Eagles have not gotten Barkley uncorked in the rushing game, which would open up everything else. Though he’s averaging 86 all-purpose yards per game, Barkley is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and has just one run of 20-plus yards as opposing defenses have crowded the box to try and stomp out Philadelphia’s run game.
Without those play-action passes, Brown has been far less effective, since he only has 35 receiving yards on six receptions this season with a long of eight yards. Hurts has just two passes of 20-plus yards and a long of 51.
“There’s different reasons of why we had this many or why we had that many,” Sirianni said. “But we understand that to be what you want to be on offense, we have to be more explosive.
“We’ve got to get better at that phase of our game, and I have some great thoughts how to do that. What I love about our team is we’re always in self-critical mode and open to everything and only in the attempts to get better, and that’s an area we can get better at.”