Why do the Eagles look different this season?
Fighting off boredom can be the hardest thing for any NFL playcaller—offensively or defensively. Having to repeat play calls and not use their entire sheet to highlight their bright minds can cause frustration and the urge to try something new. It takes great discipline and selfless behavior to repeat good calls. Instinctively, there becomes an internal sense as a coach you’re not doing something to help.
I know that might sound strange to fans. Yet coaches don’t have the Cheesecake Factory-sized menu in front of them as their call sheet because they only want to run a few plays. They love variety; they tend to bore easily. When I first met Bill Belichick, I once asked him why, when he was with the Giants, I had never seen him with a call sheet. He said, “I have Lawrence Taylor. Why do I need one? Just call Flip Cover 2.” And he was right. However, not everyone has the patience of Belichick, nor do they adhere to an NFL old adage: Make them stop you, don’t you stop you.
Last night, we witnessed the Eagles implement the rule perfectly defeating the Vikings 34-28. Yet Eagle fans and most of the NFL know, the Birds don’t have the same explosive rhythm as in 2022.
All off-season, the defensive coaches around the NFL have spent time studying the Eagles' “six back” offense with quarterback Jalen Hurts being the focal point of their attack. With an off-season to prepare, the coaches have devised a plan to stop the Birds from dominating the game and never punting. In two weeks, even though the Eagles are still undefeated, they don’t look the same offensively. In Week 1 against the Patriots, they were held to their lowest offensive output in 27 games. Last night, the Birds moved the ball—once they decided the Vikings were a gap short defending the run, willing to allow short runs over long passes. The Vikings' plan was to take away the explosive pass play, rally to the run and get the game to third down, then unleash their deceptive scheme. And for the first half, it was working, until the Birds didn’t get bored and started to feed D’Andre Swift the ball. Swift had 28 attempts and 175 yards, his best as a pro. He was the difference in the game.