The Eagles offense took steps in the right direction on Sunday in London, but with injuries and depth issues, the group still has room to grow. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion spoke to reporters this week about their second-half struggles, what he’s seen from the passing game, and explained that late-game catch by Makai Lemon.
Here’s what else the OC had to say:
On Jalen Hurts in the run game
“I think we’re always looking for ways to integrate [Jalen Hurts] into the run game. Some of it’s dependent on the opponent and the fronts
they’re giving us, the looks you’re getting. But like I’ve said in here before, it’s a unique trait that he has that makes him dangerous. Some of them are designed, some of them are kind of the off-schedule plays. I think he’s had a good feel for that in terms of when to take off and run. He had some big plays early in the year, first few weeks, of using his legs in the pass game, kind of those off-schedule scrambles. So, there’s a place for both of them. I think he’s found a nice balance of that.
Mannion went on to say that every week present a different challenge and they’re going to adjust accordingly, and this week against the Jaguars, they planned for a more pass-oriented offense. He noted that some of that was intentional, and some was just how the game played out.
“We want to be an offense that is balanced and can attack you in the run game and the pass game. Then, within the game, within the week, the opponent that you’re facing, your personnel, there can be little tweaks along the way that lead to a different end result in terms of your run-pass balance.”
The OC also said he didn’t think that the calf injury that popped up late last week affected Hurts, and overall felt the QB was ready to play and performed well.
On the young OL players
Mannion said that early in the game, everything is heightened being their first regular season NFL action, but as the game went on, he felt like C/G Jake Majors, C/G Willie Lampkin and T Markel Bell found their footing, communicated well, and played hard.
“That’s one thing, and I say it every week, but this group really, really plays hard, especially Willie, Jake, Markel, those young guys. You can just see the ferocity they’re playing with out there. That’s what you appreciate about them. These are three young players that we have a ton of confidence in. They’re talented. They’re getting their first taste of real action. I think they’re going to keep getting better. We feel good about the depth of this group while we’re kind of weathering the storm through some of these injuries.”
On second-half struggles
The OC said that he felt like they did a better job last week against the Jaguars coming out of halftime, and they had some opportunities in the second-half, but need to be finishing drives. He pointed out that they did have some third down conversions, and were close on the deep throw to Dontayvion Wicks.
“I think there were some chances there that we just didn’t quite capitalize on. Ultimately as a staff, I’m looking every week to put ourselves in the best position possible leaving halftime to extend those drives. I think we’re closer. I know the result hasn’t been what we want or what we hold ourselves to as an offense, but I felt like we were getting closer in the second half. We really just have to finish some of those drives.”
On Makai Lemon’s late-game catch
Mannion was asked if Lemon was supposed to go out of bounds on his catch ahead of the Eagles final field goal on Sunday. He explained that their focus there was just to advance the ball.
“They were in a cover zero look. With that comes some leverage issues where you’re inside. The primary focus there was [to] advance the ball to do our best to help the kick and then get us into the best play possible to do so and avoid a negative play. So, that was the outcome we had there. Obviously, he was caught on the outbreak right by the sideline, kind of got pushed out, but our primary focus with the call and with the execution of it was to advance the ball. With the look, that’s what ended up happening. We’re in an outbreak and he ends up getting pushed out.”
Ultimately, the OC felt like it was a bang-bang play on the sidelined, and they were primarily focused on how to help the field goal distance.
He also revealed that Lemon was the first read on that play.
On the pass game
Mannion doesn’t think Jalen Hurts step back in completions this year is any one thing. He noted that across the board offensively, they want to improve, and that’s in the run and pass games.
“I think [Jalen Hurts] is a naturally very accurate guy, so I’m confident that those numbers will continue to improve. His comfort level grows each and every week. Getting these live game reps week after week after week, he’s going to grow more and more comfortable. I think the good thing is he’s been making good decisions with the ball. Obviously, we had an uptick in our pass attempts last game and I thought he made good decisions with where the ball was supposed to go. I’m confident, because he is a naturally accurate passer, that those numbers will rise.
On the run game
“I feel confident this group’s going to be able to move the ball. We had some nice runs earlier on in the run game. We just need to keep sustaining that. Then honestly, some of it’s not necessarily a negative. You feel better about some of the other calls you have on the sheet and you get to those.”
Mannion also talked about Carson Steele, noting that the RB did a phenomenal job in the preseason, and he’s wearing a lot of different hats for them on the practice field.
“He’s a versatile player who can do a lot of nice things for us. We’re looking to use all of our guys in every way possible. So, [using Steele at fullback is] certainly something we’re considering.”
Other notables
- Mannion said that working with head coach Nick Sirianni with game management decisions has been smooth, and they had a lot of opportunities during practices to work through a lot of different scenarios.
- Most of the game management scenarios are talked through during the week, and they map out decisions based on different parameters and move forward accordingly.
- The OC talked about how he loves coming to work everyday and getting a chance to collaborate with staff and players as a unit to achieve the best result possible. He noted his enthusiasm and his enjoyment of the process and the work hasn’t waned.
“It’s been a blast. There are new challenges every day, whether it be managing injuries or whether it be managing a practice plan or traveling overseas, how does that adjust our offensive meeting schedule? But that honestly is the enjoyable part. That’s why you love getting into coaching is you get to work with other great coaches, get to work with a phenomenal group of players that work their butts off, they’re coachable, they want to win, they want to get better.
It’s a new challenge every day in this role, but it’s everything I hoped it would be and it’s been a blast. I am really confident that if we keep attacking each day with the right mindset, with a high level of enthusiasm, with a will to just get better bit by bit, day by day, we are going to get the results that we’re after.”
