Eagles' Nick Sirianni finally addresses Lane Johnson's 'constipation' comments
The Philadelphia Eagles offense is constipated... at least according to Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson .
... huh?
Well, despite having a ton of offensive talent, more than most teams in the NFL can boast, the Eagles are underachieving versus their potential and are so out of the loop that they can't even get the ball off early in the play clock.
Asked about Johnson's comments during his Friday media session, head coach Nick Sirianni noted that while the clock issues aren't on any one person he is aware of them and has taken steps to fix them moving forward .
"You know, it takes everybody, right? It takes the call from [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore]. It takes me talking about the game management scenario in plays prior to that. It takes the personnel guys, [Tight Ends Coach] Jason Michael, [Wide Receivers Coach] Aaron Moorehead, and [Running Backs Coach] Jemal Singleton, getting the personnel in, and those personnel guys coming in and communicating so we get the right guys in the huddle. It takes [QB] Jalen [Hurts] calling the play. It takes getting up to the line of scrimmage. It takes whether it's a motion or a shift. And then, it takes into account everyone having to make the call beforehand. I guess I explained everybody's role there. And then there are times it takes a check," Sirianni told reporters.
"We're constantly working on that. We have a clock at practice that's actually below 40 seconds, it's at 35 seconds, to put the pressure on us to be able to do that. But we're always thinking about our operation, talking about our operation. Again, there are times you want the operation to be really fast. There are certain points in the game you want to snap it at 1. There are certain points you want to snap it at 5, 8, 12. All depending on the scenario. But it truly takes everybody to be on the same page and everybody working in unison for that operation to be smooth and clean."
In Week 6, the Eagles really thrived when they pushed the tempo, as it limited the Cleveland Browns' ability to make adjustments and forced Jim Schwartz into a one-dimensional attack. If the Eagles aren't going to go all-in on Kellen Moore's motion-heavy look from Los Angeles and Dallas, using the no-huddle to keep momentum rolling is a solid enough Plan B.
Lane Johnson's insight could tangibly change the Eagles' season
Speaking of Johnson's comments, they really are quite insightful, as the long-time right tackle, drafted during the Chip Kelly era, laid out a compelling case for how to fix the Eagles' offense moving forward.
"I think the constipation comes from the pressure that's been built up, all the hype, all the new additions and the talent, star power we have, and we haven't produced up to level that we think we can. I think when we go back and look at offense, we waste a lot of time before the snap. We often times snap it when the [play] clock's really late, so we'd like to get that fixed. Have a sense of urgency," Johnson told reporters via SI.
"Now, we did run some tempo against the Browns, so that's worked in our favor. But I think the fast starts where we put some points up early [are important]. Then we don't have to drag a** the rest of the game. We go back to watch the film, but it's just something that we've had in practice that we haven't done well. We've emphasized over the past few weeks to pick it up. So it has increased, but a few weeks ago, we were d**n near last in the league as far as time before the ball is snapped, so that's something we gotta improve on."
Push the tempo, get the ball out on time, and prioritize scoring early? Goodness, Johnson might just have a career in coaching in his future, as he is spot on.
