Did Eagles Get it Right With Hire of Brian Johnson? Early Indicators
PHILADELPHIA - Not much should change for the Philadelphia Eagles when it comes to the move from Shane Steichen to Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator.
It’s not that Steichen, now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, won’t be missed. The former offensive coordinator proved to be a really good coach in Philadelphia with an excellent play-calling feel. The Eagles, though, understood there was a good chance they would be losing Steichen and had the plan in place to elevate Johnson from quarterbacks coach.
It remains coach Nick Sirianni’s offense in Philadelphia and the Eagles' head coach still has his consigliere in passing game coordinator/associate head coach Kevin Patullo, along with perhaps the most well-balanced starting 11 in football.
Yes, Philadelphia lost two of its starters in running back Miles Sanders and right guard Issac Seumalo in free agency but capable replacements are on hand.
Speaking for the first time as offensive coordinator on Thursday, Johnson described the handoff of the baton as “a seamless transition to this point.”
The real trick is matching Steichen’s acumen as a play-caller. The now-Colts head coach had a knack for pushing the right buttons and often gashed teams with the “callback,” a method of setting up the defense by running a play out of a certain look and then dialing it back up in a big spot by countering with a different design out of the same look.
Johnson was asked by SI.com’s Eagles Today what makes a great play caller and he defaulted to where both Sirianni and Steichen usually start, the idea of preparation.
“I think a lot of play calling obviously is playing throughout the course of the week, so I think just the way you structure your week to put yourself and put the players in the best position to do what they do well,” Johnson said.
The more situations you’re prepared for the easier it will be to get to the right play at the right time.
That said, Johnson is cognizant that the job isn’t robotic.
“When you talk about in-game, I think it becomes a little bit of art and science. It's a little bit of a feel of feeling when to call certain things and being able to hunt and find match-ups that you like throughout the course of the game,” Johnson said.
The “feel” is what sets the great one apart and Johnson isn’t defaulting to his experience as a play caller at the college level.
“That ability to have that feel, that ability to adjust quickly is something that really shows up compared to the college game because you don't get as many plays,” he said. “Your adjustments have to come fairly rapidly in terms of after the first, after the second series to see how teams are playing you, and you've got to be ready to roll with those adjustments and not be a play behind.”
Watching Steichen only made Johnson more confident.
“I think Shane is obviously a great play caller,” Johnson said. “I think we see the game very, very similar in terms of how to attack defense, what pops in our brain versus structure. There were many times throughout the course of the game where we were on the same page of what we needed to get to.”
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
