Eagles LB Nicholas Morrow Highlights Philly’s Obsession with Situational Football
PHILADELPHIA - Nicholas Morrow has spent six seasons in the NFL but the veteran linebacker has yet to see it all, something he learned quickly since signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
At Thursday’s OTA practice, the first open session for the Eagles this spring, Morrow lined up as the WILL linebacker next to Nakobe Dean in 7-on-7 drills. After the session, the St. Louis native was given the podium treatment where he broke a little news by confirming that Dean will indeed wear the green dot as the on-field leader of coordinator Sean Desai’s defense.
That was just the sizzle that most understood was coming to the steak of unveiling the secret sauce to Nick Sirianni’s success.
The third-year Eagles coach has raced to the top of his profession with a unique devotion to situational football.
In Sirianni’s mind, the margin for error in the NFL is so small that the difference each week usually boils down to handling three or four big spots so his goal is to be prepared for even the most unusual circumstance.
Flying by the seat of one’s pants is not an option for anyone on Sirianni's staff and their jobs is to get the players ready for the one circumstance that will tilt the needle in Philadelphia’s favor.
“Since I’ve been here for six weeks … this is the most that I’ve learned situationally,” Morrow said. “We’ve really emphasized situation awareness, and this is probably the most I’ve learned in my seven-year career.”
That’s not necessarily an indictment to the Raiders or the Bears, the two teams Morrow played with before arriving in Philadelphia.
Those organizations are the constant where situational football is important but not an obsession. Sirianni’s Eagles are the outliers. Often, the coach will highlight film from around the league and even college games when unique situations arise and flesh out the right way to handle things with his lieutenants.
Nothing is left to chance if at all possible.
“I don’t want to give away too much, but in the team meetings, [we are] constantly going over [situational football],” Morrow told SI.com’s Eagles Today. “Every time we have a team meeting, we bring up situations.
“And everyone’s up. Anyone could be asked a question, and everyone’s responsible to understand what’s going on in a game.”
Once Morrow let the cat out of the bag, another free-agent pickup, safety Terrell Edmunds, was asked if he agreed with the assessment.
“I do,” Edmunds said. “I think situational football, that wins and loses games. So those third-down plays, those small plays of the game that mean so much to the game. Those fourth-down stops, those third-down stops to make them punt or get that first down.
"… Those are things that can really get us off the field.”
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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
