Another year, another coordinator. That’s how it’s been lately for the Eagles. After falling short against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, it was Shane Steichen who left for the Colts head coaching job. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni promoted from within, elevating quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to the position.
A year later, Johnson was out. The offense had faltered, and the relationship between Sirianni and Jalen Hurts had reportedly deteriorated to the point where they weren’t speaking regularly. In came Kellen Moore, who had no ties to Sirianni and thus brought a fresh perspective. It clearly worked, as the Eagles won the Super Bowl, fittingly against said Chiefs.
However, just like the last time they reached the big game, Moore left for a head coaching job. That marks the fourth different offensive coordinator in as many years for Philadelphia. Rather than going outside the building again, as Sirianni did with Moore, they promoted pass game coordinator Kevin Patullo.
A member of the Eagles coaching staff since Sirianni’s first year on the job, who also worked alongside the head coach with the Colts before that, Patullo will call plays for the first time this Thursday when the Eagles kick off their season at home against the Cowboys.
Of course, we shouldn’t be expecting any major changes. Even Moore didn’t overhaul the offense last year, instead adding a few new flavors to an already established playbook. That’s because the Eagles know exactly who they are on offense, especially after signing Saquon Barkley in free agency last year.
This team’s offensive identity is built around the run game.
Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has consistently put forth elite offensive lines that pave the road for whomever, and putting Barkley back there was the equivalent of strapping a rocket engine to a Lamborghini. Hurts’ physical running ability adds an extra dimension, too, and this offense is at its best when it’s using option plays early and often.
Hurts also has a great receiving tandem in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, along with Dallas Goedert at tight end, to throw to. When Steichen was in town, Hurts thrived on a robust package of RPO’s and play-action passing concepts. With Moore, an expansion of option routes gave more leeway to Brown and Smith to take what the defense was giving them.
So what will change with Patullo?
Philosophically, Patullo is a disciple of former Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey, under whom he coached with the Chiefs, Bills, and Jets. Gailey’s offenses were predicated on the quick game: he built his passing attack on quick hitters, timing-based concepts, and made extensive use of RPO’s in his latter years. He loved play-action, and often used it for situational deep shots.
Sound familiar? Patullo was a piece of the puzzle in building this Eagles offense alongside Sirianni and Steichen, finding ways to make things easier on Hurts while also taking advantage of his best assets. That background likely indicates a return to some of those staples of the Steichen years, meaning more RPO’s and more quick hitters.
That should be beneficial for Hurts, who held the ball too long too oftren last year. Among full-time starting quarterbacks last year, only one player had fewer passes attempted in under 2.5 seconds last year. Hurts also led the league in average time spent in the pocket. Patullo will surely seek to get the ball out of his hands quicker.
It will be interesting to see how well that works, though. Not only has Hurts been holding it longer each year, but his receiving corps is getting up there in age, too. Both Brown and Smith missed multiple weeks with injuries last year, and the Eagles nearly dealt the 30-year old Goedert in the offseason.
Meanwhile, Barkley is coming off just his second full season in his career, and it’s one that saw him touch the ball 482 times by the time the confetti came down in the Super Bowl. Only twice in his career had he ever even topped 350 total touches. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll have the same kind of effectiveness as he did last year, or at least come close to it.
On paper, Patullo has all the makings to be a great first time play-caller. That said, people were saying the same thing about Brian Johnson just two years ago. The Eagles know what they want to do on offense, but knowing it and doing it are two different things.
The Cowboys defense certainly faces long odds of containing them, though. Jerry Jones defended his sudden trade of Micah Parsons by highlighting the team’s need to stop the run. While that was certainly a big need, Kenny Clark alone may not be enough to get the job done. For the record, neither was Parsons, most likely.
It’ll be interesting to see how Matt Eberflus tries to attack Patullo in this game, especially without Parsons in the fold. The two coaches worked together in Indianapolis for three years, so they have some familiarity with each other. Who will end up having the upper hand? We’ll find out soon enough.
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