'On-Phase:' The Simple Answer To The Eagles' Offensive Problems

When the Eagles' offense gets behind the sticks, it can get predictable.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and offenisve coordinator Kevin Patullo speak with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) . / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo are in lockstep when it comes to the idea that Philadelphia’s embattled offense is predictable, pointing the blame toward circumstance.

“I know Nick alluded to this, too, is sometimes situational moments in the game where you're limited a little bit depending on where you're at [with] field position, down and distance, select plays, what the defense does at times, if they're a big edge pressure team during certain situations, that can dictate a little bit of what you want to do,” Patullo admitted Tuesday.

“I think when you talk about the situational stuff and/or the predictability, you've just got to look at where the whole context is, and I think that's what kind of the last day or so, over the weekend, things we were able to look at where we were, where we are, where we want to go, and what we know we need to do to go forward,” the OC continued. “ I think it was very productive. We had a good meeting yesterday as an offensive unit, and so I think we're in a good spot working forward.”

That sentiment will be put to its first test Sunday in Minneapolis when the 4-2 Eagles try to halt a rare two-game skid against the 3-2 Vikings, who will likely start former Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz,

Some of the Patullo spin is true. The Eagles have had far too trying a time staying on-phase this season, and when any team is behind the sticks, they get far more predictable for the defense.

Chicken Vs. The Egg

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65). / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Still, when future Hall of Fame right tackle Lane Johnson laments the issues, antennas are raised.

“I listened to that response, too, and I think that [Lane] said a lot of things there. He talked about predictability,” Sirianni said. “We talk about predictability when you're behind the sticks. He also talked about execution. Again, when I listened to Lane's explanation of it, I felt a lot like he was thinking about anything he could do to get better, and that's how I felt and that's how I took it. 

“But you never want to be predictable, obviously. As you look at teams, it's like, ‘How do we make this team one-dimensional so we can make them predictable in the pass game?’ It's usually how that goes down.”

The real elephant in the room might be the inconsistency when the Eagles are on-phase, particularly when it comes to toggling between the blitz, which the team has generally handled better than it ever has in the Jalen Hurts era, vs. simulated pressure, something it has handled poorly.

“I think when we look at the plays that we're on schedule, we're dictating and we've had our moments where we've done a good job with those pressures and different things,” Patullo said. “Yes, we've done a good job, but we've got to continue to push the envelope, right? Because defenses will change and do different things and find new answers.”

The Eagles will get plenty of different things this week against a Brian Flores defense, perhaps the most unconventional DC in football right now.

“We're playing a really, really good defense this week again, and so we've got to continue to push that to give them new things and different things,” said Patullo. “I think that's the way the league's going. If you watch around the league, there's a lot of this stuff popping up in games, the simulated pressures and different things. So, it's our job to just continue to work on it.”

And the best way to work on it is by staying on-schedule as much as possible.

“That's what we've been talking about. … How do we be more efficient on first and second down, so we don't have that predictability? Sirianni asked rhetorically. “That's what defenses are trying to do, is trying to make you one-dimensional so they can play and sell out to a certain thing. Whether that's predictability in our run game, whether that's predictability in our pass game, whatever it is, it starts with run-pass, stuff like that.”

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