New offenses need time. New terminology needs repetition, and new concepts need practice reps. Quarterbacks need chemistry with receivers, and offensive linemen need time to become comfortable with different blocking responsibilities. Penalties, however, don't need time. They need to stop.
The Philadelphia Eagles' preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens was never going to provide a perfect evaluation of Sean Mannion's offense. Most of the starters didn't play, and the playbook was intentionally limited. The players competing for backup jobs were operating alongside a collection of backups. Still,Philadelphia's 24-7 lossexposed something that has little to do with scheme.
The Eagles were flagged 10 times for 96 yards. Penalties were not entirely
foreign to the Eagles before Saturday night. There have been instances throughout training camp when the whistle has interrupted practices, whether because of false starts, holding, or other forms of undisciplined play.
That doesn't mean there is a crisis. It does mean the Eagles should pay attention.
The Eagles can't build a bad habit with sloppy play
An offense can survive a vanilla game plan. It can survive inexperienced quarterbacks. It can even survive a limited collection of its best offensive weapons. What becomes much harder to overcome is repeatedly putting itself behind the chains.
That was a major reason Philadelphia struggled to find traction against Baltimore. A holding call and a false start short-circuited the first offensive possession. That wasn't the only thing that led to a night full of bad offense, but it certainly didn't help matters.
The Eagles' first four possessions all ended in three-and-outs. There was an obvious lack of rhythm and an undeniable lack of offensive cohesion. In total, Philadelphia had only mustered six first downs and only 159 total yards by the time the night was over.
That's not all on the offense's new system, but it is certainly part of the evaluation. Mannion's offense is designed to create favorable situations through movement, timing, and complementary football. None of that matters if the Eagles repeatedly erase their own progress.
A 10-yard completion followed by a holding penalty doesn't feel like a successful play. A manageable third down becomes third-and-long because of a false start, changing everything that follows. The Eagles also can't allow "it's only preseason" to become an excuse for undisciplined habits.
There is plenty of reason to dismiss the final score. There is considerably less reason to dismiss 96 penalty yards. Philadelphia has championship aspirations, and those teams generally understand that avoiding self-inflicted damage is part of the job.
The Eagles don't need to run their entire offense in August. They don't need to win every preseason game. They do need to establish the expectation that every player, regardless of where he sits on the depth chart, executes with discipline.
The scheme will evolve. The personnel will change. The starters will eventually take the field. The standard for avoiding sloppy football shouldn't.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles can’t dismiss 10 penalties as typical preseason mistakes
