Five Storylines for Eagles Preseason Opener

Nick Sirianni wants to see an efficient, less sloppy offense against the Steelers, while the defense should be challenged by what was a balanced Pittsburgh attack last week

PHILADELPHIA – There’s always a certain level of excitement mixed with healthy doses of curiosity and criticism when it comes to the start of a new coaching regime, like the one about to begin Thursday night when the Eagles host the Pittsburgh Steelers (7:30 p.m., NBC10).

Nick Sirianni and his youthful band of assistants will be viewed in game mode for the very first time.

The Steelers already had their preseason opener, beating the Dallas Cowboys, 16-3, in last week’s Hall of Fame Game. Pittsburgh ran the ball 30 times, for just 76 yards, and passed the ball, without Ben Roethlisberger taking a snap, 28 times.

Duplicate that kind of balance, and every aspect of the Eagles’ defense will get a good night’s work.

As for Philly’s offense, well, Sirianni said he wants to see it be “efficient.”

The coach said that he also wants to eliminate some of the sloppiness that has turned up throughout training camp.

He said on Tuesday that the 50-yard TD catch by Quez Watkins from Jalen Hurts during Sunday night’s open practice at Lincoln Financial Field would have come back because the offense wasn’t lined up correctly.

“Just be consistent with moving the football and be consistent,” said the coach. “We always talk about eliminating the mistakes that require no talent, right? So, the not lining up right or false start or something like that. That requires no talent to lineup right and to not jump offsides. Let's let our talent take over and eliminate those things.”

While we await kickoff, here are five storylines for the exhibition opener:

Nick Sirianni / John McMullen

Sirianni’s first game. This is an important opener for the rookie head coach. It’s his first chance to get a lay of the land, so to speak. He will call plays, but he will tell them to offensive coordinator Shane Steichen who will relay his boss’s calls to the quarterback.

“That's just so I can talk to other people too and make some notes here,” he said.

That might prove cumbersome, but that’s just an example of what Thursday is all about.

Game management is another.

“We're really prepared, really, really prepared, but there will be things that pop up, and I look forward to the trial run on Thursday,” he said.

Zach Ertz’s playing time. The tight end has seen plenty of reps in camp and has given an honest effort on each of them, even as he continues to wear his team-issued shorts inside out. If the Eagles want to keep him healthy and continue shopping him – the Patriots’ lost TE Hunter Henry for a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury recently – he won’t play more than a handful of snaps. If they’re all in, Ertz could go a quarter or more.

The hybrid role. Jonathan Gannon has a plan in mind, and it will likely involve a linebacker/defensive end role - a hybrid. Ryan Kerrigan probably has first dibs, but he’s recovering from hand surgery. He should be good to go Week 1 but keep an eye on some candidates who could move from SAM to DE, such as Genard Avery who is atop the depth chart at SAM, with Joe Ostman second team and rookie Patrick Johnson third team.

Expect all three to see significant time Thursday.

The running backs. The Eagles have seven good ones. None of them are named Henry Josey, the standout from years ago, but five could possibly play their way into jobs. Keep an eye on their playing time.

Miles Sanders’ hands. His job is secure, obviously, RB1. But those hands need to improve. They have betrayed him more than once in camp. He needs to tighten them up, as former RB coach Duce Staley said about his way-too-many drop last year.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.