What I'm seeing with the Philadelphia Eagles: The pressure's on and other observations

SAO PAULO In response to a Tuesday question about his eagerness to finally deploy Saquon Barkley , Nick Sirianni instead teetered into a tangent on the significance of playing football on a Friday night.

The Eagles coach is sometimes susceptible to such ramblings.

Its generally a sign that 1) somethings struck Sirianni emotionally, 2) hes uncertain if therell be an opportunity to speak publicly about it, and 3) hell attach it to the next available moment that feels best.

Advertisement In this case, a brief Barkley anecdote led to Sirianni saying theyd had a team meeting that day in which he said the words, Hey, we have got to be ready Friday night.

Wow, what an unbelievable thing to say we have a game Friday night, Sirianni reflected.

That gives me goosebumps to think about that.

Theres a reason those goosebumps matter.

Their relevance reaches into the past.

They snatch Siriannis memories of his father Fran, a longtime high school football coach, who raised three sons that followed his footsteps and attach them to a present-day situation in which an embattled Sirianni is reminded why hes coaching at all.

Sirianni is aware of the scrutiny surrounding him in Philadelphia .

He knows theres intense pressure for him to field a Super Bowl contender .

How the Eagles perform under Sirianni in his new CEO-type role is the biggest storyline of the 2024 season.

But Sirianni, 43, hasnt been carrying himself with any less confidence.

He hasnt been speaking as if he were a dead man coaching.

Quite the opposite.

Throughout the offseason, the summer and training camp, Sirianni has spent portions of press conferences talking like a coach whose self-belief has been renewed.

GO DEEPER Can the NFL get a soccer-obsessed nation to love American football? Its a stark contrast to the despondency that shrouded Sirianni in late January , sitting there next to general manager Howie Roseman after last seasons cataclysmic collapse, explaining why hed needed to jettison the first coaches hed ever fired.

Subsequently hiring Kellen Moore to take away the staleness of the offense can be viewed as a setback for Sirianni.

A month later, at the NFL scouting combine, I chased down Sirianni to ask him how hed handled the decision to take a step back from offensive oversight .

(I was) excited about the opportunity to grow, Sirianni said.

Youve always got to be growing in this league because theres so many good coaches, theres so many good players that youve got to be in constant growth.

Advertisement Sirianni pursued growth.

He visited with his mentor, Larry Kehres, whod coached Sirianni at Mount Union.

He reached out to national title-winning college basketball coaches, Dawn Staley (South Carolina) and Jay Wright (Villanova), and spoke to them about fostering winning cultures.

When I spoke to Staley about their visit in June , the most poignant moment of our interview was when she discussed how things can linger on a team, festering into an unnecessary virus that can wastefully sicken the entire locker room.

Like, a small thing can linger and become big if you allow it to, if youre not communicating whats actually happening, Staley said.

And then you finally, you know, halfway through the season, you finally address it and its over in a matter of five minutes? You just wasted a whole half of a season.

When theres miscommunication, when theres no communication, like, that frustrates me more than anything.

Like, more than anything.

I couldnt help but consider that quote after a training camp practice in early August, when Jalen Hurts sat behind the wheel of security chief Dom Disandros golf cart, with Sirianni in the passenger seat, and drove the cart past the media tent, music blasting, flashing a smile as they disappeared.

I couldnt help but wonder if either of them were trying to make a statement about their oft-reported relationship.

Hurts, known for being tight-lipped and intentionally vague, seemed to offer a small window into his doubts about Sirianni in June, when he answered a question about what he thought of Sirianni being open-minded about the offense by saying, Thats a great question.

I dont know if I know the answer to it.

Hurts had spent the 2023 season playing for his fourth play caller in four seasons, Brian Johnson , whose attempts to solve the teams offensive issues were at the very least complicated by Siriannis hands-on presence in offensive game plan meetings.

How could he yet know if his experience with his fifth play caller in five years would fare any better? GO DEEPER NFL execs rank NFC teams: 49ers still reign, but could the Packers overtake the Lions? Beyond the golf cart scene, there are signs that Hurts has since gained confidence in the arrangement of the offense.

He began training camp with an opening statement about how everyone must buy into their role to win championships.

He said he and Sirianni were in a great place, and generically (but specifically) described frustrations as an adversity that you have to overcome.

Hurts has often expressed his eagerness to play in a system in which his responsibilities, namely in pre-snap checks, have been increased.

Advertisement That Hurts didnt throw an interception in training camp until the final day of practice suggests he is indeed comfortable commanding an offense that hasnt truly yet faced an opposing defense.

Signs abounded throughout the summer that the Eagles are capable of fielding a top-5 offense in 2024.

With Hurts, Barkley, A.J.

Brown , DeVonta Smith , Dallas Goedert and Jahan Dotson , Moore has his hands firmly on the controls of the most talented assemblage of players hes ever had .

The only sense of obstinance permeates from Sirianni when hes asked about pre-snap motions.

Theres multiple reasons why youd motion, why you wouldnt motion also, Sirianni said in training camp.

Sirianni is proud of the success of Philadelphias past offenses, which, ranking last in pre-snap motions usage in 2023, according to ESPN Stats and Info, were the most stagnant in the NFL .

Theres a sentiment that Sirianni believes the Eagles are talented enough to just line up and beat people.

Perhaps they are in a fresh system.

But that system is being renewed by a coach who believes in motions.

Moore, whose Chargers offense ranked eighth in pre-snap motion usage.

Could this philosophical difference eventually create disorder? But of all the air time devoted to the Eagles offense, the most questions fall upon their defense.

The organization finally has the creator of the defensive system they covet : defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

And almost every projected starter has at some point said they dont mind Fangios tough, no-nonsense, old-school demeanor (of which Miami Dolphins players in Fangios 2023 defense expressed umbrage).

More importantly, Roseman equipped Fangio with the upgrades in the secondary that the defense desperately needed.

Safety C.J.

Gardner-Johnson seems like his usual self back in a familiar city.

Cornerback Darius Slay, by defending Brown and Smith in training camp, showed hes still playing at a high level.

And first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell has proven himself capable of playing both safety and nickel.

Fangio, who has not shied away from saying players arent yet where they need to be, has confidently stated Mitchell is ready to play in a full game at both cornerback and nickel.

Mitchells demeanor reveals a confident rookie.

Among his first words to Brown and Smith: That route was trash.

And his play has backed up his words.

The only clear vulnerability remains at nickel safety, which second-round pick Cooper DeJean appears destined to fulfill once hes fully acclimated from his hamstring injury.

The Eagles, which maintained its dangerous pass rush by signing Bryce Huff , are once again a team thats favored to win the NFC East on paper.

Two main factors stand in their way: communication (as Staley described it) and youth.

Franchise pillars Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox have retired.

Players like Cam Jurgens , Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are now thrust into major on-field roles, as well as off-field ones.

There is a palpable camaraderie that suggests this team will not repeat its mistakes from 2023.

If that indeed becomes true, this can be a very, very dangerous team in 2024..

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