The 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles have the best record in the NFL. Even when they haven’t been at their best, Nick Sirianni’s squad has found a way to steal wins.
That’s a credit to the resiliency and grit of the team, but it also helps to have talented players and coaches. That’s something the Eagles possess in abundance, beginning with their third-year head coach Nick Sirianni, whose coaching record is 35 -14, with a Super Bowl appearance and two playoff appearances.
Eagles Thriving With Two New Coordinators
Then there’s fourth-year quarterback Jalen Hurts, who’s coming off an incredible 2022 season where he finished second in MVP voting in both the regular season and Super Bowl. The Eagles finished second in total offense last season, and lost coordinator Shane Steichen to the Indianapolis Colts.
Steichen’s replacement, Brian Johnson, was the team’s quarterback coach and worked with Hurts closely daily, has hit the road running with the offense. That’s even caught the eye of ESPN’s Dominique Foxworth.
Foxworth Likens Eagles Staff To Prime Warriors Staff
Under Johnson this season, the offense has dropped from second to ninth in production but it’s the things that he’s doing to adjust to defenses at crucial moments that’s most impressive.
During Tuesday’s episode of “Get Up,” Foxworth made reference to the Eagles coaching staff as a whole, but it starts with Johnson on offense.
“Yeah, it feels like when like how I used to feel about the Warriors when they were hot,” Foxworth said. “It was like they had seen so many different things that when you attack them with a different type of defense, they had already seen two years ago. They’re going to adjust.”
“It feels the same way with Jalen Hurts,” Foxworth continued. “While it’s not pretty up until the end of the game, it does feel like with the talent that they have and the intelligence of that quarterback that they have the key to every lock that you put in front of them. They just have to find the time to use it.”
Likening the Eagles to the Steve Kerr, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant Warriors is a bit much, but we get what Foxworth is attempting to say.
Johnson Is The Biggest Difference In 2023
It’s all a credit to the coaching staff, but mainly Johnson, a rising star in the coaching ranks. He’s allowed Hurts more freedom to change plays and get the team into the right play and better down and distance. The offense seems to have a little more creativity as well.
That is huge, and Hurts has rewarded him with timely big plays, including Sunday’s game-winning walk-off quarterback draw where Hurts was given a choice based on how the defense was aligned.
Johnson also seems more inclined to allow the game to come to him as a play-caller, never forcing the issue or panicking, and not deviating much from the game plan. His play calling has also been money in pressure situations, and that was never more evident than in wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.
