During the 2020 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles were a nightmare. Their quarterback had regressed as an overall signal caller to the point of needing to be benched, their coaching staff was so far behind the rest of the league, and the front office seemed more intent on pointing fingers than solving the roster issues at hand.
It’s been almost two full seasons since the Eagles lost to the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field. Since that time, the Eagles have gone through such a massive transformation that they seem unrecognizable to the group that sucked the joy out of the city.
It’s crazy to think how far they’ve come.
Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts was at the center of the past controversy and future success. Once, he was the player fans were begging to see week after week after Carson Wentz crumbled under the pressures of being a franchise quarterback. Now, he’s not only taken the reigns of the franchise, but he’s a serious contender for the NFL MVP award.
Since the loss at Green Bay two years ago, Jalen Hurts has started almost every game for the franchise. He’s led the Eagles to the playoffs and has the franchise off to one of its best starts ever. His growth as a passer has been night and day from his contest two seasons ago, and he’s become one of the most dynamic players in the NFL to date.
The Eagles created a quarterback mess in 2020. Lucking into a franchise quarterback is one of the best decisions the team has made in recent memory.
Eagles Coaching Staff
Doug Pederson will forever be a hero in Philadelphia for his work in bringing a Super Bowl in 2017. That doesn’t take away from the fact that his downfall with the Eagles was as surprising a fall as any coach in history.
His defenders will say that Carson Wentz got Pederson fired for his poor play, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Pederson’s offense had become stale and his inability to change his playcalling duties or his system as a whole has sunk the Eagles before poor quarterback play finished them off.
The current coaching staff led by Nick Sirianni couldn’t be more different. Sirianni’s staff has emphasized the need for coaches to shift their game plan to the players. Common sense has taken over with position battles and the Eagles appear more together than they ever were with Pederson.
There aren’t any more anonymous sources, fights in the locker room or worse. And that alone is because of this coaching staff.
The front office
During their matchup against Green Bay two years ago, the Eagles’ front office watched as a team with aging veterans struggled to do anything all year. The cap situation was hell, the draft picks were atrocious and there was little sign that things were changing anytime soon.
Yet Howie Roseman’s transformation has been as stark or more than Jalen Hurts’. The Eagles’ cap situation has improved, the draft position has flipped on its head, and the issues in communication with the coaching staff have completely disappeared.
No matter what happens at the end of the year for the Eagles, it is clear they are in a much better situation than they were two years ago.
When the Eagles take on the Packers Sunday night, it is a perfect opportunity to reminisce just how far the group has come as a unit and franchise. From one of the worst teams in football to one of the league’s best, there’s nothing better than what we’ve seen in this transformation for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)
