Eagles' Star O-Linemen Lobbied For Offensive Changes

Lane Johnson and Co. advocated to lean on the ground game more post-bye week.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) blocks against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles’ offense has found more success since an early bye week and veteran right tackle Lane Johnson pointed to an increased emphasis on the running game as well as play-action passes as the impetus for the spike.

Johnson, Jordan Mailata, and Landon Dickerson, the Eagles' three most accomplished offensive linemen, lobbied head coach Nick Sirianni for the changes, pointing back to the Eagles' success against Detroit in 2021.

"I think we have a real good running back in the backfield and would like to give him touches but I just think we had some discussions there during the bye week and coming back to what was our identity. We had to establish that," Johnson said. "So if I had to compare it to anything I would compare it to maybe 2021 when we played Detroit and we had a similar kind of offensive tactic. ... We played Detroit and ran lots of run plays, lots of play-actions and it worked really well for us.

"So it's like more of the same formula and when you're able to do that you're able to lessen the pass rush. You're able to put 'backers into a position where they have to play the run or the pass and so instead of being kind of one-dimensional."

Johnson had called the Eagles offense "constipated" in the weeks when they were struggling.

“It was really an offensive-led movement,” Johnson said of the advocacy. “We knew we had to make some adjustments. Some of the guys, some of the leaders, veterans, on the O-line, we had our fair share of talks and help in it. We just want the offense to be the best version of itself and win some games and hopefully score some points in the f@#$ing first quarter.”

Entering the Lions game in 2021, the Eagles were 2-5 before making a playoff run by leaning on the running game with a run of 200-yard efforts on the ground before being solved by Tampa Bay in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Scaling back to that now could be seen as a regression in the evolution of the offense especially when it relates to quarterback Jalen Hurts in the passing game so the coaching staff has not been quite as definitive as Johnson, who, like all O-Linemen comes from the default setting of wanting to run the football.

"Identity gets overblown. I really believe that, like, what's the identity? What's the identity?" Sirianni said. "And I tell you, I've told you guys this a bunch, like, our identity is playing with great detail. Our identity is to play physical with toughness and our identity is to play together, and everything else changes week to week."

The passing game. The running game. Balance. Play-action. Motion. Whatever a fan's favorite flavor, it's all tied together by execution on any given day in a parity-driven league where the margin of error is small and any transitive property does not carry over.

"I think the identity of this football team is physical and that's what we're going to try to play by each week is physical," the coach said.

Hurts described it as wanting to be the "imposer" no matter what that may look like against a given opponent.

“I think when you’re able to be the imposer, that says a lot about what you are offensively,” Hurts said. “There are multiple ways to impose, right? You can do that from the gun. You can do that in the pass game. You can do that in the run game, the action game, whatever it is, as long as you’re in full control.

“And so, I think that’s more so the mentality that we’re trying to develop and I’m trying to push, to be honest, it’s about what we do not about what anyone else does.”

Johnson said Sirianni is an attentive listener and suggestions are not ignored.

“We talk about everything together,” Sirianni said before Friday's practice. “We go through our processes together. Same thing, I won't say this percentage or that percentage or anything like that, but you try to evaluate as a coach what your players do well. You do that based on practice. You do that based on games, and what you're being successful at, and what you're not being successful at.

“You do that also by talking to the players. ‘How do you feel about this? How do you feel about that?’ It's a both/and, and we're all in this together. We win games together; we lose games together. We get to the best answers together. Again, it's just why it's one of the greatest team sports there is.”

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is in charge of the game-planning and the play-calling on game days so he is ultimately steering the offensive direction.

"By game plan and by situation, there’s certainly some really good value to it. The run game and the potential of action game as we go," Moore said. "So there has been some good stuff in the run game that has allowed us to get downhill the last couple weeks.

"We'll see where it takes us."

And Johnson understands things can change in the blink of an eye.

"We have to be prepared to adapt. If the teams want to load the box and make us go another route we will," the All-Pro said. "... For us, it’s about getting the offense rolling and putting our best foot forward."

Sirianni has been even more succinct.

"Success takes what it takes,” the coach said.

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