After a season plagued by offensive struggles that ultimately led to an early playoff exit, the Philadelphia Eagles have officially removed offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo from his duties, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday.
Alongside the announcement came a quote from Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni about the decision.
"I have decided to make a change at offensive coordinator," Siranni said in a quote provided by the team. "I met with Kevin today to discuss the difficult decision, as he is a great coach who has my utmost respect. He has been integral to this team's success over the last five years, not only to the on-field product but behind the scenes as a valued leader for our players and organization. I have no doubt he will continue to have a successful coaching career.
"Ultimately, when we fall short of our goals, that responsibility lies on my shoulders."
The inclusion of this quote from Sirianni indicates that the Eagles' head coach will remain in his position moving forward, while the verbiage suggests that while Patullo's time as OC is done, his stint in Philadelphia may not be, as NFL Network's Mike Garafolo pointed out.
Patullo’s removal from his position comes with little surprise. Fans have called for a change since the early weeks of the season, and many, both locally and nationally, predicted the decision.
On Monday, Schefter joined ESPN’s Get Up to discuss the Eagles’ postseason failures and the expectations for drastic changes to come.
“When you speak to people around the league, they expect there to be mass changes there to jump-start the offense," Schefter said. “So, you're looking at a new offensive coordinator next year, that's the expectation there across the league."
The next day, the first domino of the Eagles’ offseason fell.
There are multiple reasons for Philadelphia’s offensive woes, but many can be grouped under the umbrella of play calling. An ultra-conservative approach undermined the offense's chances of developing a rhythm.
Additionally, the team’s playcalling became quickly predictable — one example, as ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky pointed out, was Philadelphia's second-half performance, in which they lined up under center seven times, running the ball each time.
Over the course of the season, Philadelphia ranked 24th in the league in plays per drive, 25th in yards per drive, and 21st in points per drive — a shockingly low number considering Philadelphia also led the league in redzone efficiency, with a 70.45% TD rate.
At every turn, the Eagles were undermined by their own inefficiencies. It’s fair to place some blame on the scheme for the overall lack of creativity, and there is some onus on the players, both for failing to execute and for a plague of health issues that impacted the offensive line’s performance throughout the season, but the self-inflicted wounds caused by the playcalling were indisputable.
What is next for Patullo is not yet known. A spot as an offensive consultant? Or maybe a fresh start elsewhere? Regardless, the Philadelphia Eagles now begin the search for their fifth offensive coordinator in as many years.
