For the last four months, the Philadelphia Eagles have waited. And waited to know and see what the identity of the offense is after all season long, the unit struggling to stay consistent at anything.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked during the week about the identity of the offense, and he didn't give a specific answer; instead circled around it. For the second straight day, reporters asked him about the identity of the offense, but this time asked him to be specific.
In typical Sirainni style, Eagles media would be left disappointed in the response.
"Yeah, I won't get into that with scheme stuff, or anything like that," Sirianni said via Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton. "But identity of things and themes that you want to be able to do and you want to do them well. You're still working on that, you're still trying to play your best game by the end of the year, and you're still trying to grow every day."
Can Eagles fans really blame Sirianni for that kind of answer at this point?
To be fair to Sirianni, he can't be completely open about the answer, as he has to make sure no schematic responses don't get out there. Getting too deep into it might give the San Francisco 49ers an advantage going into the Wild Card game.
With that being said, though, he could have given a little bit more than what was there. It's a fair question to ask after offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has failed to make this offense really good at anything. Except for being a really good red zone offense.
Again, we turn our attention to the awful stats of the offense this season, that shows that there really isn't an identity to the unit:
- 24th in total offense (311.2 yards per game)
- 23rd in passing (194.3 yards per game)
- 18th in rushing (116.9 yards per game)
- 19th in scoring (22.3 points per game)
Sure, it shows we are getting more efficient in the running game, but even that has taken a massive dive in the rankings after being the second-best rushing unit in the NFL last year.
The truth is, and it will continue to be true, that there really isn't an identity. They are out there just to be out there and try to outscore the team as best as they can.
Everything falls on the defense to try to carry them in games. That unit usually gives a good indication of whether the offense needs to do more or just do the bare minimum to get the job done.
Read more: Eagles' final Wild Card injury report reveals Lane Johnson's status
Eagles fans can only hope to find the offense's identity against the 49ers, but after 18 weeks of football, that is most likely not happening the rest of the season.