Getty Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has shown an ability to adjust within a season and within a game.
When the Philadelphia Eagles hired Nick Sirianni to be their head coach in 2021, there was speculation as to whether Sirianni was actually their top choice. There was talk that the Eagles could not land their top candidates because the best coaching talent in the NFL did not want to work with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, which made it possible that the Eagles might not be completely sold on Sirianni.
A recent quote given to Heavy NFL insider Matt Lombardo by an Eagles team source lends some credibility to that theory.
“[Sirianni] did a really nice job today,” an Eagles team source told Lombardo, of Sirianni’s in-game performance in a 29-21 win over the Jaguars in brutal weather conditions. “I felt like he really started to turn a corner last year, but this game was a really solid job of adjusting.”
That sure makes it sound like the organization wasn’t completely confident in Sirianni prior to his turning of the corner in 2021, and understandably so. The Eagles started that campaign 2-5, attempting to run a pass-first offense that was not getting the job done.
Then Sirianni made a major course correction, turning his offense into a run-first juggernaut. The Eagles went 7-3 the rest of the regular season to make the playoffs at 9-8, before falling to the Buccaneers. This year the Eagles are off to a 4-0 start, which gives Sirianni an 11-4 record since his big turning point.
Nick Sirianni’s 2021 Turning Point By the Numbers
In the 2021 regular season, prior to the adjustment, the Eagles called passing plays 61% of the time, runs to qaurterback Jalen Hurts 16% of the time, and runs to running backs or receivers just 23% of the time. Factoring in that some of those Hurts runs were scrambles, as opposed to called runs, the Eagles were overwhelmingly a pass-first offense.
After the shift, the Eagles called pass plays 41% of the time, runs to Hurts 13% of the time, and rushes for running backs or receivers 46% of the time.
The flexibility of Sirianni was particularly impressive, given that former Eagles coaches like Andy Reid and Chip Kelly were absolutely resolute in their approaches in terms of pass-run ratios, offensive style, and tempo. Most NFL coaches are strong-minded and have a deeply held belief in their system. Ability to adapt is a special trait.
This season we’ve seen Sirianni revert back, but with tremendous success, as the development of Jalen Hurts as a passer has warranted more passing plays. Through the first three games, the Eagles had gone to the air around 50% of the time, run it with Hurts 18% of the time, and dialed up traditional runs 32% of the time. Again, this ignores the difference between designed runs for Hurts and scrambles on passing plays.
Sirianni Shows Ability to Adjust Within a Game
This week, in driving rain brought in from the remnants of Hurricane Ian, that appraoch did not lead to success. On their first two drives, the Eagles saw Hurts complete two of his five passes for 24 yards with an interception returned for a touchdown, while they ran the ball six times for just 14 yards.
But, Sirianni shifted gears and the Eagles came to life. The rest of the game they threw the ball 22 times, while running it a staggering 44 times. The Eagles dominated the game on the ground, came back from a 14-0 deficit, and won.
Sirianni dialed up the proper adjustment, and it paid off. In doing so, he proved that he’s not just capable of adapting his offense throughout the course of the season, but also within a game when conditions warrant.
Decisions like that are why the Eagles organization likely has significantly more confidence in Sirianni going forward, and that 11-3 record in his last 14 regular season games certainly helps matters.
The big question that remains is one that stands before all young head coaches. Can he get the job done in the playoffs? So far he’s 0-1, but it appears the undefeated Eagles have the talent to give him an opportunity to turn that around this year as well.