Examining The Eagles Operation Problem

Kellen Moore preaches a clean operation but the Eagles have been slow in getting there.

Eagles OC Kellen Moore and WR coach Aaron Moorehead on Oct. 18, 2024 / John McMullen/Eagles On SI

PHILADELPHIA - Forget about slow starts, the Eagles have been “damn near last in the league,” according to All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, when it comes to siphoning time off the play clock, a reality that can limit motion, prevent audibles, and tip-off the defense as to when the snap count is coming.

Sharpening that part of the offense has been a point of emphasis around the NovaCare Complex since the bye week and the tempo used in last Sunday’s 20-16 win over Cleveland was partially designed to pick up the sense of urgency with the offense.

Head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about the issue on Friday before practice and illustrated how many different parts have to work in concert to keep things running smoothly.  

“You know, it takes everybody, right?” Sirianni said rhetorically. “It takes the call from [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore]. It takes me talking about the game management scenario in plays prior to that. It takes the personnel guys –, [Tight Ends Coach] Jason Michael, [Wide Receivers Coach] Aaron Moorehead, and [Running Backs Coach] Jemal Singleton – getting the personnel in, and those personnel guys coming in and communicating so we get the right guys in the huddle.

“It takes [QB] Jalen [Hurts] calling the play. It takes getting up to the line of scrimmage. It takes whether it's a motion or a shift. And then, it takes into account everyone having to make the call beforehand. I guess I explained everybody's role there. And then there are times it takes a check.”

Because this hasn’t been a major issue in the past and the only new part of that lengthy equation described by Sirianni is Moore, that almost has to be where the investigation starts.

Hurts seemed to at least hint at that when asked by Eagles On SI about the issues on Wednesday.

“I just think it’s an operational thing. Everybody has to move with urgency, and we all have to be on the same page,” said Hurts. “I think that’s part of the navigation process that I’ve talked about. Just with the new pieces that we have on the team, and knowing our coaching staff, and everybody being on the same page, and how we want to attack”

Presumably, the more time on task, the better this process should get, especially now that the deficiencies have been highlighted.

“We're constantly working on [the play clock],” Sirianni said.”We have a clock at practice that's actually below 40 seconds, it’s at 35 seconds, to put the pressure on us to be able to do that.

“But we're always thinking about our operation, talking about our operation. Again, there are times you want the operation to be really fast. There are certain points in the game you want to snap it at 1 [second]. There are certain points you want to snap it at 5, 8, 12 [seconds]. All depending on the scenario.”

The seamless nature of all of that is not there for the Eagles just yet but should improve moving forward.

“It truly takes everybody to be on the same page and everybody working in unison for that operation to be smooth and clean.”

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