Nobody likes a nagging boss who is micromanaging them every step of the way. Still, it appears the working relationship between Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and head coach Nick Sirianni is productive.
Before the Eagles' devastating 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14, it was reported that Sirianni was becoming more involved in offensive game planning with Patullo. Even though the offense technically gained more yards and scored more points, it was more of the same, with a new wrinkle in it, with five turnovers by quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Patullo faced reporters in Philly when asked about Sirianni getting more involved in the offensive meetings. The offensive coordinator wasn't really bothered about it, as it was business as usual for him.
"I've been here obviously for five years, so it's funny because it's really no different than any other year as far as Nick being involved. When you go back to Shane, Kellen, myself, Brian, whoever, he's always been involved. He always knows what we're doing, and he's an awesome resource for all of us as coordinators. That’s the coolest part about him is he'll do anything. So, if I say, ‘Hey, I need you to help me on this,’ he'll do it, or whatever it may be. That I think is the best part of his leadership style and him being a head coach. He’s able to do that, remove himself from it, see the big picture and help out where needed. Each week, he does what he needs to.
"He'll ask me things, and we'll go back and forth, and ultimately when he feels like, ‘Hey, I can help,’ it's been great. You go back to our first couple of years. I mean, he was extremely hands-on and that's the way he's always been. So, it's super beneficial, his expertise in stuff. Him and I have worked together obviously every year in so many different ways, whether it was head coaching stuff, offensive stuff. We work really, really well together. It's fun and a good process to have him throughout the week to bounce things off him and get it going."
The numbers are showing Sirianni should be involved more often
Here's the bad news about the Eagles' offense: they are still in the bottom 10 in total offense, ranked 24th at 309.4 yards per game. The good news is that they are no longer in the bottom 10 in passing and rushing yards. They are now 22nd in passing offense (198.9 yards per game) and rushing offense (110.5 yards per game). Philly is 19th in scoring offense with 22.2 points per game, which has taken quite the dip over the last month.
Right now, the offense is struggling mainly because Hurts is not as accurate with the football and has turned over the ball eight times in the last five games. The penalties and mental mistakes have been bad as well with wide receiver A.J. Brown has been a bad offender with penalties and had three bad drops in the Chargers game.
If there is a silver lining to the offense, it's that the running game is slowly starting to look better. Running back Saquon Barkley had 122 yards and a 52-yard score against the Chargers.
Patullo seemed to have a good game plan for the Chargers match and called better plays. That doesn't mean he was always consistent, as he traded away the halfback surrender draws with bubble screens on third-and-long.
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It remains to be seen whether Patullo will still have a job after the season, but there have been minor improvements since Sirianni has gotten more involved, so Eagles fans should want that to continue for the rest of the season.