The Wide World of Dirt

That was awful, simply awful.

What the hell happened to this team?

They look nowhere close to a team that hopes to make a deep run in January. They look like a team that already has their eyes set for April’s draft. What an absolutely terrible game for the Eagles and pretty damning for the coaching staff including head “coach” Nick Sirianni.

The only “positive” aspect from that game was vindicating every negative remark anyone has made regarding Sirianni’s role as a coach and how poorly he has managed those duties.

Do you want to know when I knew the game was over?

After watching the Eagles defense get cooked while allowing the Bucs to go down the field and score on a 10-play, 79-yard drive, I thought to myself that if the Eagles offense goes three-and-out, it’s over.

And what do you know? The Eagles proceeded to go three-and-out before the Buccaneers proceeded to go 80 yards in 5 plays.

Bucs 14, Birds nothing. Ball game.

It couldn’t get worse, right? Well, after the first quarter ended, the Eagles amassed a total of ZERO yards of offense. ZERO with an offensive head coach you can’t get ONE DAMN YARD??

The Eagles were down 24-0 at a point in this game. Less than eight months removed from getting blown out in that very stadium in the wild-card round, the Birds decided to have an even worse performance.

This coaching staff reeks. Vic Fangio coaches one good game, gets my hopes up for the potential of this defense, and one week later, they decide to be the worst unit in football.

Saqoun carried the ball 10 times, with 4 catches added. Your best player only touched the ball 14 times. What is the thinking there?

This isn’t Kellen Moore’s offense. This looks like Siranni’s offense last year with a couple of pre-snap motions speckled in courtesy of Kellen Moore. It seems we were lied to all offseason about how this is “Kellen’s offense” that he has “complete control” over.

I have already talked ad nauseum about how much of a shill Nick Sirianni is; this just adds to it. If he can’t call good plays, can’t get the team prepared, can’t manage the clock, can’t figure out when to be aggressive or take the points, and now this, then why is he still the coach??

If they were 1-3, is he packing his bags? I’m going to be thinking about that a lot over these next two weeks. 

Baker Mayfield played one of the best games of his entire career on Sunday, going 30/47 for 347 passing yards, 2 touchdowns with 4 carries for 10 yards and a TD.

How did Jalen Hurts do? 18/30 for 158 yards, a TD alongside 8 carries for 20 yards and a TD.

He also fumbled and is up to sevem turnovers on the year. Only Will Levis has more with eight. I voiced my concerns with the coach in past reports, and I’m starting to have serious doubts about the quarterback.

I am such a Hurts fan, but he has regressed.

The team hasn’t won the turnover battle since midway through last season. His pocket awareness is abysmal, holding onto the ball way too long. He doesn’t look as fast running anymore. It’s at the point where I am not sure if he can overcome the failings of Sirianni. I’m losing faith in Hurts.

He doesn’t have a great coach to help him. The coach doesn’t have the ingenuity to help Hurts. It’s a lose-lose situation. You can’t pin the struggles solely on Jalen. That said, he simply hasn’t done enough as a franchise-level quarterback to mask the issues and make the team better.

I want to believe in Jalen. I want him to put these doubts aside, though it’s becoming increasingly more worrisome.

I miss 2022 so much. Can that Jalen come back? Please?

I am going to have so much fun this week NOT watching the Eagles.

In fact, the Phillies’ run to the World Series begins this weekend. I pull for a team that actually has a chance to do something to take my mind off of the football team residing in Philadelphia.

On a real note, this bye week really couldn’t come at a better time. The Eagles get a chance to get healthy and rest after a bunch of traveling the first four weeks.

They will either use this time to carve forth a new identity and get serious, or they simply will continue to keep the identity of their head coach — unserious.

It’s up to the team to decide. Even then, they don’t have a ton of time to figure it all out.

Anyway, it’s time for Red October, baby!! Surely I won’t be let down again. Right? Go Phils! (Go B***s is suspended until further notice.)

(Top Photo Credit: Chris O’Meara/AP Photo)