A Deep Dive Into The Brian Johnson Criticism

It’s no secret that the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles haven’t looked as smooth as the 2022 NFC Champions. What’s changed? For one, Brian Johnson replaced Shane Steichen as the Eagles offensive coordinator.

The former quarterbacks coach has shouldered intense criticism from the fan base. Does he deserve it?

Two Eagles media members pushed back on the 97.5 The Fanatic airwaves. Tim McManus of ESPN spoke on The Fanatic Birds Postgame Show about a point he passionately wants to hammer home.

Andrew DiCecco of Inside the Birds echoed the same sentiment on The John Kincade Show about Johnson's approach against the Buffalo Bills in Week 12. 

The Eagles limped through a brutal first half for the second consecutive game. A seven-point performance isn’t good enough. However, they’ve recovered with halftime adjustments for consecutive incredible comebacks.

A breakout season from Jalen Hurts in 2022 set an incredibly high bar on offense. The Eagles have regressed back toward the NFL mean in 2023. The offense has room for improvement, especially in avoiding turnovers, but they’re performing like a top NFL unit.

The Eagles rank third in the league with 28.2 points per game (PPG). They finished in a nearly identical position in 2022, third in the NFL with 28.1 PPG. They also ranked third in total yards in 2022, but they’ve slipped to ninth in 2023.

The advanced stats also show minimal regression. Both Expected Points Added (EPA) and Quarterback Rating (QBR) measure performance by determining a league average gain for each play. The stats decide failure or success based on that average and assign a positive or negative value. 

The 2022 Eagles averaged 10.33 EPA per game on offense, and they have regressed to 8.52 this season, per Pro Football Reference. Hurts has gone from the fourth-ranked NFL quarterback in total QBR in 2022 to the sixth-ranked quarterback with a 68.3 rating in 2023, per ESPN.

The offensive performance in the most critical moments has helped the Eagles come away with wins in close games. While the Eagles began the season with a sluggish performance in the red zone, they have improved to fifth in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage. They also rank third with a 47.30% conversion rate on third downs. They ranked third in both categories in 2022.

The franchise quarterback has also orchestrated four consecutive second-half comeback victories, three against teams who entered the season in the conversation as top Super Bowl contenders.

Brian Johnson has room for improvement after 11 games as Eagles offensive coordinator. The offense has relied on the bubble screen too heavily at times. While certain other play calls look like head-scratchers, it’s important to remember that play designs rely on execution. The Eagles have consistently played sloppy football on offense.

DiCecco pointed to Johnson’s ability to coach his way out of the growing pains. The rookie coordinator has successfully made halftime adjustments to enable comeback performances, especially against the Chiefs and Bills.

One element of criticism concerns Johnson's insistence on feeding Kenny Gainwell instead of relying on D’Andre Swift, but the numbers don’t support it. Gainwell carried the ball 49 times in the first seven games and only eight times in the last four. The snap distribution also indicates an acknowledgment that Swift is the better option.

The coaches have increased the percentage of snap counts for the former Georgia star. Swift played under 60% of offensive snaps in three of the first six games in 2023. He's now played at least 64% in five consecutive games. Gainwell logged his two highest snap counts in 2023 in the first two games, but his usage has dwindled.

Critics pointing to the lack of creativity in play calls have ignored a major element of the conversation. Brian Johnson has expanded the use of Eagles running backs as receivers out of the backfield. Hurts has targeted Swift 39 times in 11 games while Miles Sanders only had 33 targets in 2022 under Shane Steichen. Gainwell has 22 targets this season, and he’s likely to surpass his total of 29 from last season.

One creative call even kickstarted the comeback in Kansas City. Johnson dialed up a jet sweep to Swift for a 35-yard gain. Flawless execution from the players provided the result after the design gave a previously dormant offense the potential for a spark.

The Eagles also faked the jet sweep to Swift in the second quarter against the Bills to draw the defense and open up space for Boston Scott to gain 10 yards on a dive.

The most passionate fan base in professional sports will inevitably react with incredible intensity to any Eagles game. The bar couldn’t be higher for a team coming off a Super Bowl loss. The demand for another championship characterizes the Philadelphia fans in 2023.

That passion can sometimes direct criticism in unwarranted directions. After the Eagles failed to meet the standard of the “new norm” after winning Super Bowl LII, some fans began to believe revisionist history. They reassigned credit for the incredible offensive performance of the 2017 Eagles to Frank Reich and blamed Doug Pederson for regression in the following three seasons.

The track record of the two former coaches speaks for itself. Pederson has done an excellent job turning around the Jacksonville Jaguars while Reich recently lost his second head coaching job in two seasons.

The reaction to changes often sparks revisionist history. People tend to think of the 2022 Eagles idealistically, remembering only impressive blowouts without considering ugly victories against inferior teams like the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11, or the Chicago Bears in Week 15.

Shane Steichen did an excellent job in two seasons in Philadelphia to earn the job as head coach of the Colts. However, he didn’t receive the same level of praise during his tenure as offensive coordinator as he’s now receiving with the benefit of hindsight.

The passionate assignment of credit and blame from Philadelphia fans is sometimes just a case of overreaction to the beloved hometown team. Scrutinize the Eagles with an expectation for another Super Bowl parade. However, make sure Brian Johnson gets his fair share of credit along with the criticism as Eagles offensive coordinator.

The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off an incredible overtime win in Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season. They own the best record in the NFL at 10-1 after the thriller against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

They have suffered a few recent injuries to key players, especially along the offensive and defensive lines. Will Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams, and Zach Cunningham return for the Eagles as Week 13 starters?

The Bills took a 10-point lead into halftime, and the Eagles were fortunate that the deficit wasn't worse. It looked eerily similar to the Super Bowl LVII rematch on Monday Night Football six days before. However, the result was the same. The Eagles pulled off yet another double-digit comeback.

Jalen Hurts played poorly in the first half. He shook off the struggles and led four touchdown drives after halftime, the last coming in overtime. The Philadelphia defense held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs scoreless on six second half possessions.

Nick Sirianni has improved to 33-12 as a head coach in NFL regular-season games. The Eagles are 24-2 in games started by Jalen Hurts since the beginning of the 2022 season.

The San Francisco 49ers loom for an NFC Championship Game rematch at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13.

The Eagles have leaned on strength in the trenches in the most recent era of franchise history. Two of their foundational pieces didn't finish the game against the Bills. Lane Johnson missed the game with groin soreness, and Fletcher Cox also left the game with a groin injury.

Dallas Goedert and Nakobe Dean will likely remain out with injuries in Week 13. Jack Stoll started at tight end in Weeks 11 and 12, and he'll likely fill in against the 49ers once again. Cunningham has been the best linebacker on the team in 2023. He left the game with a hamstring injury and didn't return.

Nicholas Morrow has played an elevated role, and Christian Elliss also stepped into the regular rotation as a linebacker. The Eagles will get an update on Milton Williams, who missed the game against Buffalo with a concussion.

With arguably the toughest opponent on the schedule ahead, Nick Sirianni needs good news about some of his best players heading into Week 13. 

Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020

Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)

Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)

Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021

Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

Tight End, #89
University of Nebraska
3rd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2021)

Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018

Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021

Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011

Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022

Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013

Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018

Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022

Defensive Tackle, #98
University of Georgia
1st NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (9th overall) in 2023

Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)

Linebacker, #41
Greensville University
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)

Linebacker, #53
University of Idaho
3rd NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (September 2021)

Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)

Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)

Cornerback, #33
Ohio State University
10th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)

Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)

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