The calls for the Eagles to relive offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo of his duties reached a fever pitch following Philadelphia’s Week 12 collapse against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles jumped out to a 21-point lead over the Cowboys in the first half of the contest, but then couldn’t muster a single point in the entire second half and ended up losing the game, 24-21. It was the second-largest blown lead in franchise history, and Philly’s biggest blown lead since 1999.
Offensive execution and playcalling has been an issue for the Eagles all season, and it’s led to legitimate concerns about their ability to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
There is no offensive coordinator change coming in Philadelphia
Philadelphia ranks in the bottom half of the league in basically every major offensive category. They went from having the fifth-highest scoring offense in the league last season under Kellen Moore to 17th this season under Patullo. They also went from having the second-most potent rushing attack last year to the 21st-best this year.
Despite their struggles, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has no plans of making a coordinator change. In fact, he hasn’t even considered it.
“No, I haven’t,” Sirianni replied when asked if he’s thought about making a change. “We are always looking for answers. As coaches, we are always looking for answers and we’re never into assigning blame. It’s just looking for answers. I think what sometimes can happen is, ‘It’s just this!’ Well, it’s not just that. It’s every piece of the puzzle. Coaching, playing, execution, scheme, everything. We’ve got to be better in all of those aspects.
“So yesterday, I thought Kevin did a good job of calling it. Obviously, he’s going to want plays back just like every player and myself. We all want plays back. And when you’re going through it like that, that’s what you’re always looking at. It’s never in football just one thing, even though you’re always trying to find answers. No, I haven’t considered that.”
This isn’t what a lot of fans in Philly probably wanted to hear, but it’s difficult to make a coordinator change at this late stage in the season. At this point the hope must be that the offense can figure things out to a degree. Eliminating careless penalties and taking better care of the ball than they did against Dallas would be a start.
If the offense can’t get on track and it ends up holding the team back from the ultimate goal, Patullo will almost assuredly be a one-and-done coordinator just like Brian Johnson a couple of years ago.
Sirianni deserves the benefit of the doubt after delivering a Super Bowl trophy to Philadelphia last season, but Patullo’s struggles as a first-time coordinator are on him, and if it doesn’t work out, he’s going to have to own it.