The Eagles are working toward their first preseason game against the Ravens, and offensive coordinator Sean Mannion spoke to reporters over the weekend about the team’s expectations, and what they want to see from an operational standpoint and from the offense as a whole.
Here’s some of what the OC had to say:
On the tush push
“It’s going to be a part of what we do. It’s been an extremely effective play here, and we’re going to lean into that. It’s something that this organization has executed at a high level. So along
with many other elements to our offense, certainly it’s something that will be a part of it.“
On the “call-it” periods
Mannion talked about how it’s a huge priority for him to get the plays in quickly to the QB to allow for the offense to get up to the line and assess the defense.
“These call-it periods in practice have been huge for that, both for our operation by position groups on the field and then also as a staff, just to manage kind of the lines of communication that’ll take place on game day. It’s critical. We want to apply pressure to the defense at all times. Part of that, frankly, is how you break the huddle, approach the line of scrimmage, get lined up, begin your motions if there’s motions on that specific play. It’s a huge weapon and a huge part of our offense that we work on every day.”
The OC later explained how massively helpful the call-it periods have been for him as a play-caller. Being able to go through the whole process as a staff, including things like managing substitutions, and doing so as close to a game setting as possible, will have them ready for Week 1.
Mannion talked about his goals for the Eagles first preseason game in terms of play-calling, and he pointed to sharpening the process of the game day logistics. He explained that there are so many parts to the operation behind the scenes, so it’s about every person executing what they’ve mapped out. They’ll be working through all those logistics in real time throughout the rest of the preseason.
On the WR group
Mannion made sure to give the wide receiver credit for the time they are dedicating to their craft in training camp. He noted that the group as a whole will stay after practice to run routes with QB Jalen Hurts, or spend time on the jugs machine, and the whole WR room has embodied the commitment to improvement that the coaching staff has been emphasizing.
The OC said it’s been exciting to watch guys like Elijah Moore and DeVonta Smith out in practice, and they want to build an offense around the strengths of their players.
Makai Lemon
“It’s been going well. It’s an unfortunate part of camp. Sometimes you lose a guy for a few days, but he’s been super engaged in the meetings. Out at walkthrough, he has a script, he’s following every play. He’s kind of mirroring the alignment of his position in the offense. He’s been making the most of a situation where you obviously want guys to be out there, but he’s been super engaged. I know he’s attacking his rehab to get back out.”
Darius Cooper
Mannion said that Darius Cooper has done a great job so far. He noted that the WR unfortunately missed time in the spring due to injury, but he’s done a lot of nice things now that he’s back out on the field. The team loves Cooper’s skillset, and are excited about the different attributes he brings to the group.
Dontayvion Wicks
“Wicks is a great worker. He’s got a ton of talent. He’s off to a really good start. One of the things I’d like to highlight about really our whole wide receiver group is these guys are blocking in the run game at a really high level. The effort they’re putting in — Wicks is certainly a huge part of that. As a group collectively, again, everybody is attacking each day, ready to get better.”
On Saquon Barkley’s involvement
“Saquon, he’s a tremendous player. Everything we do offensively ultimately is about how do we put all of our players in the best position to succeed. Obviously, Saquon’s a focal point of our offense, that goes without saying. We carry that mindset into everything we do schematically, what we’re repping at practice and all the different facets of that go hand in hand. As we build the run game, as we build what we’re going to do formationally, you want the play pass game, the keeper game to play off of that. All of these things need to marry with one another. We’re always trying to maximize our players’ skill sets. Saquon obviously chief among them, and then all the different things kind of spawn off of that.”
Other notables
- Mannion talked about QB Cole Payton, and said that the rookie has done a really nice job so far. He pointed out that there were a couple of days when Payton needed to better protect the football, but overall the OC is happy with where the QB is in his development. He went on to say that Payton has made tremendous improvement in terms of timing, rhythm, and accuracy, and is doing everything he can with the limited reps he gets.
- As for the OC’s philosophy on trying new things in practice, he explained that they want treat every practice as if it was a game, and execution matters. So, he doesn’t subscribe to trying things, or using a different approach to practice than they would in a game.
- The team is days away from their first preseason game, and Mannion said he’s looking for execution and play style from the offense. They want to see the effort and physicality guys are playing with, and then operationally, they want to see a clean process from sideline to line of scrimmage.
- Mannion had good things to say about the offensive line depth — guys like Markel Bell and Drew Kendall. He said that the OL has been highlighted by a group of veterans who have played at a high level for a long time, but they are really excited about the young guys they have on roster, as well.
