February 23, 2024
Kate Frese/For PhillyVoice
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni during the Monday night game against the Minnesota Vikings on September 19, 2022.
In what is typically an extremely slow part of the NFL calendar, with most of the chatter about the upcoming NFL Draft and free agency periods, the Eagles have been having a pretty rough week of press.
In case you missed some of it, here are a few of the highlights, including criticism of the coaching staff, the players, and the front office — basically everyone involved with the team.
We'll start with the newest piece of fodder first, as Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski pulled no punches in criticizing returning Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Earlier this week, Eagles insider Derrick Gunn reported that the absence of head of Eagles Security Dom DiSandro during the end of the regular season left the Eagles' head coach unable to control his emotions on the sideline, often fighting with unnamed players.
In a column appearing on the front page of the sports section, Sielski laid it on pretty thick:
The problem here isn’t that Sirianni cares. It’s that he cares too much, that he struggles with the pressures and demands of his job. Late in the season, he’d show up to his media availabilities looking like he hadn’t slept in days — gaunt and dragging, stubble on his chin, eyes rimmed red. But working longer and harder doesn’t necessarily mean working better and smarter, and it looks more and more like Sirianni isn’t mature enough yet to know the difference.
He had better learn, and fast, for his own sake. If he doesn’t, if he’s not careful, it’s going to cost him his job. Time to grow up, Nick. Time to grow up. [Inquirer.com]
A little positive feedback now, from another big name in Philly media as Roob laid out 10 things he thinks the Eagles front office — led by Howie Roseman — needs to do this offseason to return to contending again. Among the items on the to do list were bolstering the wide receivers (and extending DeVonta Smith), cutting ties with key veterans, and making sure the edge rushers remain a strength. Here's what he said about Haason Reddick's desire to make some more money:
Roseman needs to determine how much of Reddick’s decline this past season was due to coaching staff issues and the way he was used and overall team malaise and how much was Reddick just being a year older? And how much do you want to pay a guy who hits 30 in September? The Eagles sure need to generate more pass pressure and I’m not sure how that happens without Reddick. Another complication is that Josh Sweat is also up after 2023, and while his production hasn’t matched Reddick’s, he’s three years younger and you’re always going to feel better handing over a ton of money to a guy who’s about to turn 27 than a guy who’s about to turn 30. But then we just watched Sweat go eight straight games without a sack. Is that really a guy the Eagles want to re-sign? It’s possible the Eagles will only be able to keep one of the two edge rushers. Sweat will be cheaper. Reddick is better. A lot to figure out here. But Reddick is still a top edge and needs to be paid like it. [NBC Sports Philly]
In a recent appearance on a podcast in Phoenix, CBS football personality and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms threw some shade at Jalen Hurts, the Eagles franchise quarterback who is coming off of a downturn 2023 season.
"I respect a lot about Jalen Hurts, but I think Jalen Hurts is also like the most overrated player in football, Simms said on the That’s me. That’s me, I know I’m wrong, I take a lot of crap about that comment.
"He plays quarterback for a team that’s an All-Star team. They have the best O-line in football. It’s not even close, right? They got maybe the best duos at wide receiver in all of football, right. I just think if you put some other quarterbacks in Philly, you put Kyler Murray there, you go, ‘Damn, Kyler’s amazing. Is he the MVP of football?" [transcription via FOX]
It's impossible to make these kinds of comparisons. Would the Eagles have been better with Patrick Mahomes as their QB? Probably. Worse with Daniel Jones? Also probably.
Chris Simms says he has a ton of respect for Jalen Hurts — but also calls him the “most overrated player in football”
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) February 17, 2024
Says Hurts plays with an All-Star team around him (and that Kyler Murray is better)
#👀 #Eagles pic.twitter.com/ZblU28LbA4
Also, while we're at it, how is Hurts unfairly rated? The wisdom around the NFL is that he's somewhere in the top 10, but not quite as good as Mahomes, Josh Allen, and MVP Lamar Jackson. He's in the Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott tier. Does Simms really think he's worse than third tier QBs Brock Purdy or Jared Goff?
The Eagles need to avoid being an old team next year, and it's possible some really special veterans like Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Jason Kelce will not return in 2024 for one reason or another. According to Bob Brookover, there are some younger players who need to step up big time to make this team fresh and competitive. Among them is Rookie of the Year runner up Jalen Carter, who has some high expectations surrounding him heading to Year 2:
Jalen Carter: An argument could be made that his play slipped some after a scorching start, but the far better argument is that the ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft is going to be a superstar. Carter wasn’t quite as good as Aaron Donald as a rookie, but he at least belonged in the conversation as one of the best rookie interior linemen in league history. Donald received a 90.2 Pro Football Focus grade as a rookie and had nine sacks and 44 pressures. Carter had an 89.0 grade with six sacks and 49 pressures. In his second season, Donald’s sack total rose to nine and he recorded 79 pressures as his ascent to being arguably the best interior lineman in history began. Can Carter do the same? He’s got the size, speed and power to make you think so. [NJ.com]
And finally, in response to all the recent discourse — and criticism of the Eagles superstar wide receiver's own play down the stretch last season — Brown (or whoever runs his X account) thinks it's time for the media to take their share of the blame:
Philly media is so lame. It’s literally something everyday. Then the fans be believe the bs. They really should start raising the prices of microphones and cameras because you people will say anything for views. I see why nobody likes us because we don’t even like us. #RealityTV
— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) February 22, 2024
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