The Eagles Clearly Miss Shane Steichen
The Colts hired Shane Steichen this past offseason. It’s a decision that’s paying serious dividends for Indianapolis. Steichen has the Colts in the playoff race with a record of 8-6 while coaching his balls off dealing with an average roster. A roster that already lost its starting quarterback Anthony Richardson to injury.
In that same breathe, it’s pretty obvious by now that the Eagles desperately miss Steichen. The same team that made the Super Bowl a year ago doesn’t look nearly as dynamic without Steichen. The numbers don’t really lie.
The Eagles had five different games last year where they threw for over 300 yards. They only have two such games this season through 14 games. A season ago, Philadelphia ranked third in yards per game (389.1) and third in points scored (28.1). They’re down 33 yards per game and 2.5 points per contest.
The worst part is the Eagles are a worse running team this year. They’re down from 4.6 yards per carry to 4.2. That’s after adding stud D’Andre Swift to the running back room. They’re still converting third downs at a high rate but Jalen Hurts has been significantly worse without Steichen.
Without Steichen, Hurts sports a TD-to-INT ratio of 19-12. Compare that to the 22-6 mark from a season ago. The warts have really started to show with Hurts. The former Alabama and Oklahoma product has never been a natural dropback passer. However, Steichen was really good at getting Hurts involved in the play action game and making his life easier.
Hurts’ passing numbers are worse for a reason. Watch the games. He bails on every single dropback throw. The same problem he had in college have started to really rear its head now. Under Steichen’s system, that wasn’t necessarily a problem. It was one read-and-go. If not take the rushing yards. Now Hurts is being asked to carry the passing attack more and it’s not working.
Do me a favor. Find me one clip where Hurts works the pocket and climbs up the latter to find an open receiver. You won’t find one because he never does it. It’s not who he is. Steichen hid his flaws. The offense in Philly hasn’t been the same since Brian Johnson took it over.
Under Steichen’s play calling, the Eagles had an identity. Run the ball, get the lead, control the game, and play from in front. Philly averaged 18.5 first half points a year ago and ended games early. That team is gone and Steichen’s loss is a direct correlation.
The Eagles are clearly still a really good team but they’ve taken a noticeable step back without Steichen. It’s really something Philadelphia needs to look into next year. Are they sure Johnson is a capable OC? This is the same Eagles team that just took away Sean Desai’s job and gave it to Matt Patricia. Don’t be surprised if offensive coaching changes are made here too.
Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
Check out the Vendetta Shop
Click here for more NFL content
