Go Birds!
Eagles fans everywhere, the best time of the year is upon us. The Birds are back! The Eagles have high expectations this upcoming season and I am here to break it down for you all.
The Off-Season
Howie Roseman and the front office had a tremendous off-season acquiring talent such as players A.J. Brown, Haason Reddick, Kyzir White, James Bradberry, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and Zach Pascal.
The Birds had an outstanding draft selecting Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens and arguably the pick of the draft, Nakobe Dean in the third round.
Jalen Hurts and High Expectations
Many would say the Eagles have a championship caliber roster this season. But there is one huge question mark. That question mark is the starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
Hurts was a second-round pick in 2020 and is entering his second year as the starting QB for the Birds. Hurts had a solid 2021 campaign leading the Eagles to a 9-8 year but ultimately getting obliterated in the wild card round of the playoffs to Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15.
Basically, what I am saying, this season will rely on Jalen Hurts’ performance. Jalen Hurts has been criticized for his passing abilities above all. But as all football fans know, Jalen is one of the most hard-working players in the sport and his leadership is impeccable. We know he has put in the work and will give us everything and more to make this team a true contender this season and many more after that.
If Hurts can prove all the critics wrong and be a top 10 quarterback in this league, the Eagles could put up a battle versus any team in the NFL.
Nick Sirianni
Nick Sirianni is heading into his second season as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Many weren’t sold on Sirianni last year when the Birds got off a sluggish start going 2-5.
Nick Sirianni heard the criticism and made the proper adjustments. In those first games, the Eagles barely ran the ball and the offense struggled to score points. After a horrid loss in Las Vegas to the Raiders, the Eagles season took a full 180 turn.
After that loss, the Eagles became the best rushing offense in the NFL and broke the franchise record for rushing yards and Sirianni ultimately won the hard-nosed Philly fans over. Nick has truly embraced the city of Philadelphia and its people. You will normally catch him wearing a T-shirt with one of his players on it or even some gear from one of our other beloved Philly sports teams.
Jonathan Gannon
Just like head coach Nick Sirianni, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is heading into his second year with the team. Gannon got heavily criticized last season for allowing above-average quarterbacks to throw for such high completion percentages on his defense.
Gannon’s scheme was basically allowing teams to throw short to medium passes all over them and not allow the big plays down field. In Gannon’s defense, a lot of that can be blamed on the lack of talent he was given. But this year isn’t like the last. The Eagles completely revamped their defense and now have no excuses to not be an elite defense this year.
The Eagles are loaded with new weapons all over their defense and that’s not even including the return of Brandon Graham. Graham tore his achilles in week 2 last season and had to watch his teammates from the sidelines for the remainder of the season.
This off-season, Jonathan Gannon interviewed with the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and the Minnesota Vikings for a head coaching spot. The reality is, if Gannon can prove himself this season, he will be a head coach elsewhere next year. If not, the Eagles will surely fire him.
Message to Eagles Fans
Eagles fans, get ready. This season could possibly be one to remember. I know all of you cannot wait for this season to kick off. The Eagles front office has done an excellent job building this team into what is today. It all comes down to the players and coaches executing now.
As a city and fanbase, we need to rally behind this team like we always do. Eagles fans are known as some of the most passionate and loyal fans in the world. Let’s keep it that way. Cheer when they are performing and hustling, and boo when they are not. Who cares what any other cities or fans say about us. A famous quote in Philly sports is “No one likes us, we don’t care” and that attitude should stick and I know it will.
Philly, never change.
GO BIRDS!
