A year and a half ago, my family agreed to sell our home and purchase a new house with my father-in-law. There were reasons this was necessary, and we all knew it was going to be a major change. The neighborhood we were living in was very nice, but it was compact. We felt the homes were too close together, our yard wasn’t big enough for growing boys, and it was an older home that simply didn’t meet the needs of our growing family.
So, we sold our home, and my father-in-law sold his much more expensive
and fully paid-off home, and we purchased a larger home together. The interior is more spacious, the boys have lots of outdoor space to play, and there are some other bells and whistles that we love. I’ve used our wood-burning fireplace no less than 20 times so far this winter.
There are so many things about this move that have been amazing, beneficial and wonderful, but as with any change, it came with drawbacks. The home is more set back from the road, so while it’s private, we don’t see neighbors as much. It feels like less of a community. And with a larger yard comes more work to maintain it. A larger interior takes longer to clean, is more expensive to heat, and when things break, they are pricier to fix.
These are not complaints, by the way. I feel very fortunate to be where I am, and this change has been a net-positive, to say the least. My point is that it’s virtually impossible to have change and for there not to be both positive and negative consequences.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this as we watch the Eagles go through some changes of their own. It’s hard to believe that exactly one year ago this weekend, your Philadelphia Eagles were on top of the football world.
In the wake of their 40-22 destruction of the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, many fans talked themselves into the idea that we were on the precipice of a possible Birds dynasty. After all, Vic Fangio commanded a defense loaded with young talent, and the offense featured a quarterback that played magnificent football in two of the last three Super Bowls and won it all in spectacular fashion, the offense featured a 2,000-yard rusher, a top-five wide receiver duo in the NFL, a solid tight end and the most dominant offensive line in football.
There was no reason to believe, one year later, the Eagles would be in the position they are right now, desperate for change and reacting to the consequences those changes have wrought.
It appears A.J. Brown, miserable all season, cannot coexist with Jalen Hurts and wants out of Philadelphia. Jeff Stoutland, the team’s revered offensive line coach, lost his run game coordinator duties at some point last year and has decided to leave the team entirely. Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson may both retire.
It could have been worse. Vic Fangio considered retirement. Happily, he’s staying.
A lot is changing, more than anyone could have anticipated 12 months ago.
Much of this change is necessary. It was clear last year’s elevation of Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator was a disaster, and while Nick Sirianni tried to slap band-aids on the sucking chest wound mid-stream, none of it worked.
The offense was 16th in EPA/play, 22nd in success rate, 13th in EPA/pass and 16th in EPA/run. The Eagles were running a stale, predictable offense that failed to compete at a high enough level. Injuries along the offensive line were incredibly destructive, particularly from Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, and Johnson, who missed the final two months of the season with an injury they expected would take less than four weeks to heal.
At the beginning of the OC search, the Eagles reportedly wanted an experienced play caller to take over the reigns from Patullo. Mike McDaniels, Brian Daboll and Todd Monken were the preferred candidates. All chose other options.
Sean Mannion was not their first choice, but when the preferred candidates with experience all said “no,” the Eagles’ brass decided it would be better to go with a perceived up-and-coming young offensive mind who would bring an entirely new system to Philadelphia, rather than a veteran retread like Matt Nagy. Mannion’s offense is expected to feature schemes similar to Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, something most Eagles fans have pined for over the last couple years.
A change that significant has ripple effects. One of those ripples was Jeff Stoutland, whose run game schemes don’t seem to match the offense Mannion will likely employ. Even if last year’s “demotion” was handled poorly by Sirianni and Patullo, it seems likely Mannion’s hire and schemes would have forced Stoutland out anyway.
There’s no doubt Stoutland’s departure is disappointing, and has the potential to be a devastating loss, especially if Dickerson and Johnson both retire. There is simply no one better at developing offensive linemen in football, and you can be sure Howie Roseman will be investing a lot of draft capital over the next two years on the offensive line. But it’s important to remember that, in order to be in a position to decide what aspects of the team you control and don’t, you have to be the offensive coordinator. Stoutland never wanted to be the offensive coordinator. He wanted to be a position coach. And while he is a legendary one and has earned a lot of leeway over the years, a major change like the one we’ve all been asking for likely necessitated this particular ripple.
Even if Sirianni had handled the Stoutland situation better last year, it’s likely we would have still decided to leave.
Another potential ripple is Hurts’ future under center. Can he adapt to Mannion’s system? If he has decided he no longer wants to be a dual threat as a runner, it is necessary for the Eagles to find a new scheme for him. Does Hurts have the desire to change and, if he does, how much? Hurts’ improvement from his rookie season in 2021 to his first Super Bowl season in ‘22 was enormous. There’s no reason to believe Hurts can’t learn to be a better pocket passer in a more creative scheme, but it’s far from a guarantee.
If Hurts struggles this year, will the Eagles look to move on from him, too?
No one likes the trend lines we’re seeing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Nick Sirianni is on the hot seat yet again after seemingly bungling a potential title defense season. The 2026 season could be one that sees a lot of change.
Some of that change will undoubtedly be good. Some could be bad.
That’s the nature of change.
