For a team that enters the 2023 regular season as talented as the Philadelphia Eagles, there is still one group that could potentially get in the way of their success.
Head coach Nick Sirianni has been the most successful coach to start his career in Eagles’ history but still has plenty to prove as he enters his third year at the head of the table. The coach’s antics on the sideline have made him a pariah across the NFL, and he doesn’t call plays: an important step in the coaching process.
Of course, it’s hard to argue that Sirianni’s message has not been effective. Philadelphia has shown the ability to overwhelm opponents with simple game plans and adjustments. The locker room has his back, and he’s gotten the most out of the young talent; something that past Eagle coaches have struggled with.
Sirianni isn’t the only Eagles coach that will have a key role…
Philadelphia opens the season with brand new offensive and defensive coordinators. On the offensive side, Brian Johnson’s relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts should lead to continued success for an Eagles offense already considered a top unit in football. The big key for Johnson is that he keeps his group on schedule.
“A lot of it is done during the week, but the biggest thing is being ready to adjust and understand what the potential problems are, so understanding your strengths, understanding your stresses in each different call, and how defenses can try to attack you. You’ve got to have your counterpunches ready to go,” Johnson said back in August.
Johnson was promoted to the OC role after Shane Steichen left to be the head coach at Indianapolis. His experience as the quarterback coach for Hurts and the Eagles should benefit him well.
Sean Desai, the team’s defensive coordinator, doesn’t have the same benefit.
Desai was hired as the defensive coordinator after Jonathan Gannon’s much-publicized departure to Arizona. He takes over a new defense with five new starters on the roster. It may not be a simple challenge, but it’s something that the first NFL coordinator of Indian descent is happy to attack.
“I’ve learned that from some of the great coaches I’ve worked for. That’s a big message from [Head] Coach [Nick] Sirianni, We have to reestablish our identity as a team this year. That’s what you have to take real ownership in doing,” Desai explained.
Philadelphia’s three-headed monster of a coaching staff will be under the microscope in 2023. They own the hardest schedule in football and have plenty of talent to make the most of that difficult road.
The question will be if the coaching staff is more of a detriment or ally to the skill on the roster on game day. That answer won’t be solved immediately, but a first look at that will be seen on Sunday when the team opens up their 2023 campaign in New England.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
