A closer look at the 2023 Eagles’ historic collapse

Jeffrey Lurie walked up the tunnel ramp of Lincoln Monetary Area fuming. The squinting eyes of the refined Eagles’ proprietor spit swords. His gnarled, sneering veneer screamed “I wish to punch somebody within the face,” after the Eagles’ 35-31 loss to the three-win Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 31.

It marked the fourth time in 5 video games Lurie noticed his workforce lose—and he clearly was not happy. Related by the ghostly wire of common supervisor Howie Roseman and workforce president Don Smolenski, it could have been the angriest anybody could have ever seen Lurie after an Eagles’ loss.

The 2023 Eagles had been an epic disappointment. Lurie has been deflated. He has been depressed. He could have by no means been as offended as his face expressed that night time.

The inescapable truth is Lurie and Roseman failed. Head coach Nick Sirianni failed. The teaching employees failed. The gamers definitely failed. The media, in a way, didn’t see that the 2023 Eagles, projected to be Tremendous Bowl contenders, can be significantly marred by coordinator and participant defections, particularly on the defensive facet.

And a few followers, who purchased in early and suffered late, didn’t see it because it steadily unfolded earlier than their eyes—with the continual, collective chorus “however we nonetheless gained,” regardless of portends of bother.

It is a look again on the debacle that was the 2023 Eagles.

Fixing the quarterback

Sources inside and across the workforce say Jalen Hurts “modified” since signing the large $255 million contract extension. His accessibility to media, followers, teammates had been restricted. He grew to become much less accessible this season, in response to quite a few sources. In equity to Hurts, who could be very guarded to start with, his defensive partitions went up even increased with the various open fingers coming at him pulling him in numerous instructions final offseason—hanging on his reputation when his model was scorching.

Hurts was coming off a Tremendous Bowl the place he arguably outplayed the Tremendous Bowl and NFL MVP, Patrick Mahomes. Hurts’ illustration (LeBron James’ Klutch Sports activities Group) put him on the market. He was on journal covers. He was doing commercials. His face was in lots of locations it was not earlier than. Hurts is a creature of routine. His schedule was altered. In line with those that know Hurts, he would have relatively been wiping sweat from his face throwing passes in Texas warmth than doing commercials and “model constructing.”

However he did “change.”

He can come throughout as aloof to start with.

There are two variations of Jalen Hurts. The one the general public sees, and the one behind closed doorways on the NovaCare Advanced that the Eagles shield—as they tried to do with Carson Wentz. The general public, nicely, among the fanbase, sees a frontrunner. His teammates could not. Sources near and across the workforce say Hurts ought to have been a greater chief—and is able to being a greater chief. He shuts himself off from others and he defers to A.J. Brown, who has a terrific repute amongst his teammates as a “household man” and can maintain himself and his teammates “accountable.”

One supply on the workforce described Hurts as a “good dude” who generally doesn’t understand the instances he’s appearing like a prima-donna “expletive” (we’ll use the phrase “jerk”). A number of sources near and contained in the Eagles confirmed this. Teammates wished to incorporate him in capabilities. Hurts would wave them off. He’s been described as “indifferent,” “stoic,” “remoted,” “unapproachable.”

It was emphatically said, in response to quite a few sources, that Hurts is NOT “like the opposite man (Carson Wentz).”

“He’s not precisely ‘Mr. Persona,’ however he’s somebody who will rise up when he’s knocked down, rise up stronger and he’ll do it on his personal,” one supply stated about Hurts. “He gained’t ask for assist. I don’t know if that’s an excellent factor or a foul factor. From what I do know of the opposite man, he wouldn’t rise up in any respect, or blame another person why he acquired knocked down.”

This could possibly be telling: When Giants’ linebacker Bobby Okereke got here leaping over the road on a “Brotherly Shove” play on third-and-one on the Eagles’ 23, he was known as for encroachment—and smacked Hurts. Not one teammate got here working to Hurts’ protection within the season finale with :58 left within the first quarter of the Eagles’ ugly 27-10 loss on January 7.

One other obtrusive instance got here within the playoff loss to Tampa Bay. With the Eagles trailing 16-9 with 3:41 left within the third quarter, and the Eagles with the ball on their 10-yard line, Hurts handed off to Kenneth Gainwell going left to proper. Because the Tampa Bay protection converged on Gainwell, he reversed area. As he did, Hurts, you’ll discover on the replay, makes a token gesture to dam Bucs’ linebacker Lavonte David, who drags down Gainwell for a six-yard loss.

Two performs later, Hurts was tackled ultimately zone for a security. The NFL locker room is a tradition of machismo—a tradition of danger. Discover groups go off when a quarterback makes a key block down area?

These moments could communicate volumes as to what the workforce thought of Hurts and what Hurts could also be keen to danger.

There could also be an underlying concern about belief. Will Hurts throw that block for a teammate sooner or later? Will teammates defend him when he’s bodily provoked after a play? In that respect, Hurts’ 2023 season was paying homage to Wentz’s final years with the Eagles.

It is going to be an space Hurts may have to deal with earlier than the 2024 season.

“There have been issues that had been as soon as stated (about him) to make me nice, to make me a particular particular person, a particular chief, an impacting and uplifting man that one could discover is a matter now,” Hurts stated throughout locker room clean-out day. “However I’ve stated this entire time it’s all primarily based off of outcomes. You all know the outcomes that I would like, so it’s about that course of and navigating that course of to get these issues.

“Profitable takes a workforce. It takes everybody. No particular person, no man is an island, it’s essential to draw power from others. That’s one thing that’s so true. Because the chief and the quarterback of this workforce and franchise, this is a chance to develop. This is a chance to take that subsequent step to what we need and what we wish to be, and it’s going to take everybody. It’s going to take everybody, and I imagine in everybody right here.

“We plan on fixing all the pieces we have now completed and rising collectively.”

Hurts didn’t precisely get a lot assist in 2023. For one, he was enjoying on a foul wheel. Don’t be stunned if it comes out that Hurts has to endure exploratory offseason surgical procedure to scrub out his left knee. It was bothering him after the Week 7 win over Miami, opting to put on a sleeve over the knee within the second half. He reportedly re-injured the knee within the Week 9 victory over Dallas and performed by means of it.

In Tim McManus’ revealing ESPN piece on Jan. 15, 2024, he famous some fascinating stats involving Hurts:

“He believed they had been overly reliant on vertical routes and never using short-to-intermediate throws, notably over the center of the sphere, the place Brown has thrived in his profession. In brief, the assumption was there was an excessive amount of flash over substance — a sentiment others on the offensive facet of the ball shared. Some examples: 5.2% of Hurts’ cross makes an attempt had been between the hashes throughout the common season, the bottom price of the 30 QBR-qualified quarterbacks, in response to ESPN Stats & Info; 27.2% of the Eagles’ routes had been verticals, the Tenth-highest price within the NFL; Philly threw downfield 20-plus yards on 11.4% of its passing makes an attempt, the Eleventh-highest price within the league; Hurts had 77 makes an attempt to receivers working vertical routes. He accomplished 30 of them (39%) with 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions and 10.8 yards per try.”

Hurts circa 2022, when the MVP candidate threw 22 touchdowns and was intercepted simply six instances, throwing for 3,701 yards over 15 video games, might not be who Hurts is transferring ahead. In 2023, Hurts tossed 23 TDs over 17 begins towards a career-high 15 interceptions, which is what he threw mixed over the earlier two years, and a career-best 3,858 yards. Extra telling was he averaged a career-low 11 yards per completion in 2023, and a career-tying low of seven.2 adjusted yards gained per cross try.

The largest gripe about Hurts internally, in response to a mess of sources, is that he didn’t get the ball out quick sufficient this season. Possibly it was an absence of defensive recognition, perhaps it was his lack of belief in his choices—apart from A.J. Brown.

He held the ball longer in 2023 than he did in 2022. He ended the 2023 season ranked forty second out of 45 quarterbacks (minimal 20% of the snaps) in common time to throw (3.11 seconds). Sports activities Illustrated’s John McMullen made the purpose by means of 12 video games that Hurts went from getting the ball out at “3.39 seconds as a rookie over a small pattern measurement and three.19 in his first season because the starter. Final season when he took off, Hurts was right down to 2.86 seconds which was center of the highway because the 14th slowest quarterback. The regression in 2023 is again to three.23, worse than 2021 and the second slowest time within the NFL.”

Groups knew the best way to assault Hurts. He was blitzed 185 instances, the third-highest complete amongst energetic NFL starters, solely behind Inexperienced Bay’s Jordan Love (215) and Detroit’s Jared Goff (212). He was hurried the third highest quantity (59), behind Seattle’s Geno Smith (63) and Kansas Metropolis’s Patrick Mahomes (60).

Compounding that, the Eagles confronted extra zone protection, particularly on early downs in 2023. After final season, a common template was created in going through Hurts. In opposition to zone protection in 2023, Hurts was extra hesitant. He took extra time getting the ball out towards the zone (2.9 seconds vs. 2.7 in 2022), going shorter (5.8 air yards vs. 8.6 air yards in 2022).

The opposite difficulty was opposing groups scheming out Brown, clearly the Eagles’ finest participant. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and Sirianni couldn’t precisely discover a solution to scheme him again open.

Brown provides a dynamic dimension to this workforce, and when absent, just like the playoff loss to Tampa Bay, the offense is flat. The Eagles’ offense revolves round Brown, not Hurts, although there could also be some contained in the NovaCare Advanced that will push towards that notion.

Within the journey to profitable the 2022 NFC championship, Hurts could have obtained extra credit score than he deserved. He was vaulted among the many high quarterbacks within the league, with Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

What must be understood was that the 2022 Eagles had been an anomaly. The bubble was certain to burst. That they had a team-record 70 sacks. Hurts benefited from working with Shane Steichen’s play-calling for the second-straight yr (his first time with the identical play-caller for consecutive seasons since enjoying for his father in highschool), coupled with an exceptionally deep, proficient protection. Like him or not, Jonathan Gannon did a top quality job in 2022, although he had significantly extra expertise to work with than the 2023 Eagles.

In line with quite a few NFL scouts, Hurts shouldn’t be a pure thrower. It is part of his recreation that wants fixed consideration. And he is aware of it. He wins with the mixture of his legs and his arm. Hurts is able to profitable. His 36-20 file as a starter reveals that.

He could, nonetheless, not be that go-to man he was projected to be, not the dominant Jordan-esque expertise who can overcome surrounding deficiencies. Throwing down the center of the sphere could not match Hurts’ ability set. It could possibly be the explanation why a scant 5.2% of his cross makes an attempt went to that space of the sphere.

Johnson and Sirianni know Hurts has a cannon for an arm. They know the throws he could make. They met prior to each recreation to discus with Hurts what the teaching employees likes, and had Hurts select what he likes to create a collaborative recreation plan—so the heavy reliance on the vertical recreation could have been a part of Hurts’ doing, and in doing so, he could have restricted himself by negating a portion of the sphere the place Brown thrives.

The teaching employees, assigned to defending their quarterback, didn’t assist Hurts.

For instance, within the Eagles’ playoff farce towards Tampa Bay, Hurts spent many of the night time working from blitzes. Sirianni and Johnson made no changes to the Tampa Bay stress. The Eagles knew Tampa Bay would blitz and had no solutions. There have been no built-in scorching reads nor built-in sight changes.

That was not the fault of Hurts nor the receivers. It was a part of the explanation why Hurts was left holding the ball and ready for somebody to get open. Hurts was typically left scrambling on a bum leg with no time to lookup.

Hurts could be very salvageable, and the least of the Eagles’ troubles. Although if his limitations should not addressed quickly, they might fester to some extent of being irreparable.

Hurts is fixable. Is he keen to be fastened? He’ll work more durable this offseason than he did final offseason, as a result of he’ll allot his time higher.

As was the case 5 years in the past with Wentz, everybody spoken to for this story envision and need optimistic outcomes for Hurts, who doesn’t have the outsized sway the Eagles’ group mistakenly gave Wentz when he first arrived. One factor is definite: Hurts is on the clock. Time is ticking to piece collectively a Tremendous Bowl-contending workforce with a shrinking price range—and Hurts now bears the franchise face. The Eagles went all-in on Hurts. In 2024, his cap hit doubles to $13.5 million from the place it was in 2023 ($6.1). It grows exponentially from there to $21.7 million in 2025, to $31.7 million in 2026, to $45.8 million in 2027.

The Eagles want to determine who and what Jalen Hurts is—and quick.

Teaching

It’s very apparent the affect Gannon and Steichen had on the 2022 NFC champion Eagles.

In line with two present NFL coaches and two former NFL coaches, NFL groups run related issues. That’s no nice revelation. It’s a matter of how groups disguise their performs, offensively and defensively, with motion, movement and formations.

Gannon and Steichen knew the best way to masks schemes. Apparently, Johnson and defensive coordinator Sean Desai weren’t nearly as good on the facade recreation.

In a obtrusive case of hubris earlier than the season opener, Sirianni stated this in regards to the offense:

“So, one factor we wished to do with our workforce offensively, let’s say, is … attempt to actually— it’s not all the time about developing with new performs and new wrinkles and new issues like that. Typically it’s simply getting higher, and numerous instances it’s simply getting higher at your base stuff. And the way do you coach it higher. And the way do you do it higher. And, off of that, what are some wrinkles off of that? Not essentially new issues. However issues which might be wrinkles. I assume I’d say, the place I’m going with that, is that’s the identical means I thought of 12 months 3. I don’t assume it’s something new, it’s about how will we get higher at what we’re already doing?”

The 2023 Eagles had been poorly coached. There is no such thing as a revelation right here, both. The 2023 Eagles arrived with nearly the identical blueprint as they gained the NFC championship with.

It’s no marvel it fell to items.

When Gannon left, Roseman wished somebody related in place as defensive coordinator. Sean Desai was his selection. He got here from the Vic Fangio mentality, as did Gannon.

Even earlier than the season, omens had been springing early one thing was unsuitable. Sirianni was way more vocal in coaching camp than he was the earlier yr, doing extra correcting than teaching, and spending time teaching the coaches, plugging up myriad errors as to the correct personnel on the sphere and what Hurts needs to be recognizing.

That sloppiness spilled over into the season opener towards Invoice Belichick and the New England Patriots. As a refresher, Desai allowed New England’s mediocre quarterback Mac Jones to throw for 316 yards and three touchdowns, whereas Johnson oversaw an offense that produced one landing—off a turnover—and that someway forgot tailback D’Andre Swift, who had two touches (to Gainwell’s 18), and tight finish Dallas Goedert, who was focused simply as soon as.

The Eagles blew a timeout due to miscommunication with 8:52 left within the third quarter, previous to a Jake Elliott 56-yard area aim. As Elliott arrange, he raised in arms in frustration as a result of the correct personnel weren’t on the sphere, inflicting Sirianni to burn the timeout.

Sound acquainted?

It was a microcosm of the 2023 season.

Within the 2022 Tremendous Bowl season, the Eagles owned the second quarter. The 2023 season opener produced four-straight three-and-outs within the second quarter, which occurred solely as soon as in 2022. The Eagles scored an NFL-high 207 factors within the second quarter in 2022. This season, they produced 97 factors—110 factors much less—and had been twenty first within the NFL in scoring in that quarter.

That is fascinating: Ten of the 11 top-scoring groups within the second quarter in 2023 had been playoff groups. That will come from offensive coordinators getting an excellent take a look at what a protection presents, then adjusts. Steichen’s Colts had been No. 17, producing 108 second-quarter factors—with rifle-armed Gardner Minshew.

Did the Eagles alter to something in 2023?

Panic units in

Advancing Matt Patricia to de facto defensive coordinator rather than Desai on Dec. 17 had the looks of a panic transfer. The Eagles went 1-4 underneath Patricia, giving up 27.8 factors a recreation, to the 24.6 factors a recreation the protection yielded underneath Desai (towards stronger offenses). On the time of the transfer, the Eagles had simply given up a mixed 75 factors and 850 yards of complete offense in lopsided losses to San Francisco and Dallas.

When Desai was downgraded, the Eagles had been 10-3 and holding some faint grasp of going deep into the NFC playoffs. Below Patricia, pressured to piece collectively a protection that had no dependable linebackers, no dependable safeties, a sagging defensive entrance and two aged cornerbacks, the Eagles had been arguably the worst workforce within the NFL by the tip of the season.

In line with those that have labored with Sirianni, and two former NFL personnel individuals who know him, Sirianni’s “histrionic pandering” are unbecoming for an NFL head coach. However every one additionally said emphatically, nearly verbatim, Sirianni is a “coach’s coach,” who lives by a coach’s credo. He holds deep respect for the occupation.

They doubt Sirianni would have made the late-season transfer to demote Desai rather than Patricia with out being advised from above to do it, no matter what Sirianni has stated publicly. One supply who is aware of Sirianni nicely stated, “It’s not in his nature to do this to a different coach” on his personal.

One former Eagles personnel govt stated the group tends to have non-football individuals make soccer selections; that they stepped over Sirianni and compelled his hand.

Although, you will need to observe, Desai was a Roseman selection, not a Sirianni selection, quite a few sources in and across the workforce said. And Sirianni, it was discovered, was incrementally giving an increasing number of accountability to Patricia earlier than the defensive rattling broke in consecutive losses to San Francisco and Dallas.

It at present appears like Sirianni might be staying. It is going to be as much as him to revamp the teaching employees, beginning with the defensive facet of the ball. However studies have already surfaced that Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter could possibly be a candidate as offensive coordinator.

And don’t be stunned if Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, given his familiarity with the Eagles-Georgia connection and final yr’s DC interview, will get a take a look at defensive coordinator. One other potential sleeper candidate is Marquand Manuel, at present the New York Jets’ safeties coach, previously the Eagles’ defensive backs coach on Doug Pederson’s employees in 2020.

Although impaired at instances on the drama facet, the Eagles have a robust, commitment-to-winning group, that has a historical past of recognizing teaching expertise.

Protection

The 2023 Eagles had been constructed to win by outscoring groups and have the protection make a couple of key stops to hold on and win (See: Tremendous Bowl LII). That was blatant by the 11-6 Eagles outscoring their opponents throughout the common season by a mere 5 factors (433-428).

The Eagles had been ranked No. 30 within the NFL in fourth-quarter common factors given up (7.7).

For a workforce that landed 11-7 general, the Eagles grew to become solely the fourth double-digit profitable workforce in NFL historical past to complete with a minus-point differential, at minus-18 (442/460) general behind of the 2021 Las Vegas Raiders, who completed 10-8 with a minus-72 level differential (393/465), and the minus-34 distinction posted by the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers (321/355) that went 10-8. The Eagles completed forward of the minus-10 differential by the 13-5 Minnesota Vikings (448/458) in 2022.

For sure all 4 had been one-and-done playoff groups.

The Eagles had been No. 30 in factors given up in 2023 (428 factors/25.1 ppg), in stark distinction from ending No. 8 in 2022 (344/20.2 pts per recreation).

There’s a simple reason, when Roseman noticed the heart of the protection stroll out the door within the free agent departures of safeties Marcus Epps and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, linebackers Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards, and defensive deal with Javon Hargrave.

Within the season opener of their place stepped in Nakobe Dean, who has been damage inclined and could also be too small to be an every-down linebacker; Zach Cunningham, who confirmed sporadic glimpses of high quality play, although general can be on Dallas’ or San Francisco’s particular groups; security Justin Evans, one other stopgap measure who signed as a free agent and began the primary 4 video games earlier than being misplaced for the season with an ankle damage, and security Reed Blankenship, who has confirmed to be serviceable defensive again although probably not an every-down security.

The Eagles’ protection could possibly be summed by one play: In opposition to San Francisco, linebacker Nick Morrow actually bouncing off Deebo Samuel like a tennis ball on Samuel’s catch-and-burn 48-yard third-quarter landing. Morrow was in place to make the play. He had Samuel lined up and didn’t ship.

There have been many instances this season Desai had the protection in place to make performs (see Miami, Kansas Metropolis, Tampa Bay-regular season), and lots of instances, as within the case of Morrow on Samuel, after they merely didn’t have the personnel to complete.

At instances, it was comical, like when cornerback James Bradberry missed Trey Palmer on his 56-yard landing reception within the Tampa Bay playoff loss. Bradberry tried pulling Palmer down by the waist on the 50 and misplaced his grip, as Bradley Roby and Morrow converged from behind. Security Kevin Byard, who changed into one other commerce deadline bust, whiffed badly when Palmer reduce. In his wake, Roby fell over Byard, as Palmer bumped into the tip zone.

Regrettably, that’s how the 2023 Eagles could also be finest remembered—working into one another, together with Troy Aikman’s chopping playoff epitaph the Eagles had been … “a defeated workforce and so they had been after they got here in.”

Joseph Santoliquito is a corridor of fame, award-winning sportswriter primarily based within the Philadelphia space who has written characteristic tales for SI.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com, MLB.com, Deadspin and The Philadelphia Inquirer/Every day Information. In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for a particular challenge piece for ESPN.com known as “Love at First Beep.” He’s most famous for his award-winning ESPN.com characteristic on highschool wrestler A.J. Detwiler in February 2006, which appeared on SportsCenter. In 2015, he was elected president of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.