September 04, 2024
Are power rankings completely dumb and meaningless? Yes. Yes, they are. However, personally speaking, whenever I see them, I click. And now that I've sucked you in with promises of many power rankings, you'll read it and like it.
Here's where people around the country have the Eagles ranked before the start of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
So much has been put on the shoulders of Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts -- the Eagles' fire-and-ice HC-QB duo -- that this season almost feels like a referendum on both of them. That is a somewhat-unhealthy dynamic in my mind, but it's not like winning can't at least temporarily cure what ails them. Hurts reportedly has looked much sharper and more dialed in this preseason, and Sirianni's coordinator hires of Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio have earned praise to this point. What worries me is that the Philadelphia brass appears to be setting the bar about as high as it can be set for this season. Sirianni has won two-thirds of his regular-season games, but Philly completely collapsed in the final two months of last season -- and then it took the Eagles more than a week to announce they were bringing the head coach back after the final insult on Wild Card Weekend. There's a volatility here that's unsettling; this thing could wholly go off the rails. But for now, I'm buying into the top-tier talent -- fueled by sincere urgency -- carrying this team through.
#JimmySays: When talking about coaching leadership under duress, Sirianni once used an analogy of a flight attendant appearing calm during turbulence. Passengers can look at the flight attendant, see that they are they are not rattled by the bumps, and thus gain some reassurance that everything will be OK. Similarly, players take their cues from the coaches, who cannot show panic when things get bumpy.
The mid-season switch from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia was the flight attendant equivalent of this:
It'll be interesting to see what lessons the staff and front office learned from weathering the bad times, because they'll be back at some point. Ideally they won't come early in the season, because I do agree there is at least some potential for the season to go "off the rails," as they put it.
Who's on the hot seat: Coach Nick Sirianni
Sirianni has a 34-17 regular-season record and has taken Philadelphia to the playoffs each of the past three seasons. But he was at the helm for last year's 1-6 collapse that resulted in both his offensive and defensive coordinators being fired, effectively taking the safety netting out from under him. Sirianni was unable to get on the same page with quarterback Jalen Hurts last season and has since handed off many of the offensive responsibilities to Kellen Moore. Given the talent on this roster and the soaring expectations in the city, it will take a deep playoff run to steady the ground under Sirianni.
#JimmySays: I might quibble a bit with the assertion that Sirianni needs a deep playoff run to keep his job. There are scenarios where the Eagles lose early in the playoffs that won't be worthy of his firing. That said, he is certainly on the hot seat, and no parts of this season can look anything remotely like it did during the collapse last season.
And the rich get richer – EVP/GM Howie Roseman tantamount to a talent hedge fund manager after buying low on new WR3 Jahan Dotson. He might have been a first-round disappointment in Washington, but few teams will have a more dangerous player in his role than Dotson, who's likely to be routinely covered by the opponent's No. 4 corner.
#JimmySays: That's the first I've seen that trade referred to as "buying low." Also, I'm not sure why Dotson would be routinely covered by the opponent's 4th corner. I'd be curious to hear that unpacked.
The retirement of Jason Kelce has been brought up often this offseason, especially as it relates to the Eagles' ”Brotherly Shove” success. Fletcher Cox retiring is huge too. Cox was a six-time Pro Bowler, an all-decade pick for the 2010s and had 70 career sacks. The Eagles had big losses on both lines this offseason.
#JimmySays: Cox's retirement is a loss for sure and he had a great career, but "last 2-3 years Fletch" was not "All-Decade 2010's Fletch."
They fell apart late last season and that has put coach Nick Sirianni in the crosshairs. The defense was bad last season, so that has to be the unit that turns this team around.
#JimmySays: CBS with the fire🔥analysis as always.
Will two new coordinators save the head coach?
#JimmySays: PFT is coming for your fire 🔥🔥🔥 analysis crown, CBS.
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