The Eagles added Joe Milton to the roster just a few weeks ago, but he’s already getting an opportunity to turn things around for a struggling Philadelphia offense. Head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to reporters on Friday and explained their decision to promote Milton and demote Tanner McKee in the process.
“Obviously, that’s always a difficult thing to think through because it isn’t ever just on one person. Matter of fact, I think Tanner [McKee] played solid, but this is just what I felt like we needed
to do right at this particular moment to give ourselves the best chance to win this weekend.”
Sirianni went on to say that Milton is talented and has been in Philly for a couple weeks, they’ve seen that he has a talented arm and is a talented athlete that can process and make decisions.
“Just a lot of good qualities that [Joe Milton] has. I like his confidence and everything that he brings, and it’s been fun getting to know him and working with him.”
The head coach also explained that they felt it was best to make the move now instead of waiting for the bye week, because they are doing everything they can to win each and every game.
“At the end of the day, I have to make the decision based off of that. But every decision that we make, we talk through in great, great detail. Obviously, Howie [Roseman] and I talk in great detail, the offensive staff and I, Parks [Frazier] and Sean [Mannion] and everybody. We just talk through it. At the end of the day, my job as the head coach is to make these decisions that I think is best for the football team, but you discuss everything with everybody.”
Sirianni was asked about comments on Monday in support of Tanner McKee keeping his job. He revealed that they were fresh off the Sunday night game, and that was the initial plan, but after looking through the film and planning for the next game, they went in another direction. He also confirmed that while they made a change at quarterback, they did not make any changes to coaches roles.
The head coach talked about how they look at everything when evaluating players, including that McKee was leading an offense decimated by injuries. Still, he noted that everyone still has to the best with whatever their circumstances may be, but they evaluate everyone fairly. Sirianni also threw his support to the entire QB room, saying he has always believed in the players they have at the position.
He also defended his decision to withhold the information that they were making a change at quarterback, saying that he only tells the media what he wants, and that kind of decision is something he’ll want to hold onto for as long as possible.
“Every second that goes by in a situation like that, that you can hold onto information as long as you possibly can, is a little less time for the opponent to get ready for the game. I know there’s a lot of interest in everything that you all want to hear, the fans want to hear. My job is to win football games, do everything we can do to help win football games, protect the guys here on this football team, and handle everything that I can inside.”
Not that it would be a competitive advantage, but Sirianni also hedged to confirm that McKee will relegate to the backup position, saying they’ll see how it goes — the other QB on the roster is rookie Cole Payton, so it seems silly to suggest McKee won’t be QB2.
