4 stats that may sway you on Philadelphia Eagles OC Mike Groh

Doing a little research reveals things aren’t always as they seem on the surface. Here are four stats that may change your opinion on Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh.

Throughout the 2019 NFL regular season, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh has taken shots. Words like ‘firestorm’ are too tame and don’t quite describe things accurately enough. If somebody was to come up with a more accurate description of the heat that he’s taken, it almost forces that person to begin making up words.

There just aren’t any housed in the English language that captures the anger, frustration and, at times, the disdain that Eagles fans have for this man. The debate has been heated. The ridicule has been constant, but Groh just keeps showing up for work every day.

He may be an easy target at times, but if you rely on more than just the eyeball test and dig a little deeper, it becomes apparent that, statistically, Groh’s done a slightly better job than some realize. Here are four stats that may change your mind on how well he’s been doing as Philly’s OC.

1. The team averaged a little over 28 points per game for December.

Yep! Five Sundays came in the final month of the regular season, and over those five games, the Eagles averaged a tad over 28 points per contest. Not only that, despite some sad outings including ten points in Arlington, ten points at home versus the New England Patriots, and nine points versus the Seattle Seahawks, they’ve averaged 26 points through their first 15 games.

2. The Eagles are dominating the time of possession.

Throughout 15 games, Philly’s averaging over 33 minutes in time of possession. That’s good enough to make them second in the entire NFL. It hasn’t always guaranteed wins, but it helps the cause. It’s hard to beat a team if you don’t have the ball.

3. They convert third downs into first downs at a very high clip.

Philly’s converted 45 percent of their third-down attempts (104 out of 229), and that makes them second best in the entire NFL in that category.

4. When they get into the red zone, they’re coming away with points.

Philly’s converted 66.67 percent of their red zone opportunities into touchdowns. That makes them third in the NFL in that category. They trail only the Baltimore Ravens (67.19 percent, good for second place) and the Tennessee Titans. They’re tops in the NFL at 75.56 percent.

Keep in mind the Eagles have done all of this without Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Jordan Howard, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Miles Sanders, and Darren Sproles, whether that be for the entire season or at very critical parts of the season.

No, Mike Groh isn’t a very good option if teams are looking for a head coach, as two NFL experts stated last week, but maybe, just maybe, he’s doing a better job than he’s been given credit for doing.