The moment Philadelphia Eagles fans and NFL media heard head coach Nick Sirianni was promoting Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator in the offseason, the alarm bells rang with fear that he would be the next Brian Johnson. Those alarm bells were replaced with pure silence after Patullo's impressive debut as the play caller.
Patullo helped the Eagles take down the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27 in the first preseason game of the season for the team. The Eagles finished with 432 yards of offense, with 300 through the air and 132 on the ground. They held on to the ball for nearly 33 minutes to the Bengals' 27 minutes.
There were several offensive standouts from Tanner McKee's 252 yards and three total touchdowns to Darius Cooper's 82 yards and one touchdown catch. Even the previously struggling Johnny Wilson caught three passes for 73 yards.
Even the Eagles' running game was impressive with Will Shipley, A.J. Dillon, and ShunDerrick Powell each averaging at least 5.3 yards per carry. All four running backs who carried the ball were able to get over 20 yards, with Shipley leading the way with 48.
So what is the secret to Patullo's success in calling the game? What made this offense score at will against the Bengals' starters and backups?
Patullo did this one thing to perfection that shows he understands play calling
All offseason, there was criticism that the Eagles ran the ball too much, which was affecting how people viewed quarterback Jalen Hurts, suggesting that he couldn't be effective if he was asked to throw it 30 times a game. That might have added pressure on Patullo to be forced into a corner to throw the ball more. It didn't, though.
The Eagles threw the football 38 times and ran it 33 times. It was nice to see Patullo throw it a bit more, but he stuck true to what the Eagles want to be known for: a well-balanced offensive attack.
Unlike Johnson in 2023, Patullo didn't run many screen passes or call for deep balls down the field. Many of the pass plays were eight- to 15-yard routes for the receivers. Patullo knew precisely when the run the ball versus passing it.
Despite it being preseason, he also showed that they can split the reps at running back with other guys. Shipley, Dillon, and Powell had a nice balance of carries in the first three quarters and looked great doing it. That should be what Eagles fans can expect with Saquon Barley along with most likely Shipley and Dillon in the backfield.
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For all the worries about Patullo, Sirianni appears to have made the right call so far, as it was as good of a debut as anyone could have asked for.