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?
McManus, DiCecco Defend Brian Johnson
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.
“Any time something goes wrong with the offense, people want to point to Brian Johnson, and it’s kind of weird to me. Nick Sirianni is the head coach of this team, and he is an offensive guy whose fingerprints are all over this thing. But when the offense struggles, everyone starts talking about Brian Johnson. When it starts going well, people talk about Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts.” -Tim McManus
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.
“I think he’s largely been unfairly maligned. He was part of the issue, but you can also add in the fact that Jack Driscoll was thrown in there at right tackle, which really hampers your offensive plans. And Jalen Hurts threw for 33 yards and an interception and was only 4/11 in the first half. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to say that’s not good.” -Andrew DiCecco
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.
“You also have to give credit to Brian Johnson for being able to piece together at halftime and completely revamp the whole offensive infrastructure and get things rolling. If you give him some blame, you also have to give him some credit.” -DiCecco
Eagles Offense By The Numbers
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.
Examining the Criticism
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.
This is just a D’Andre Swift appreciation tweet. They utilize his speed to perfect on the jet sweep and allow him to showcase his vision and ability to not lose speed off his cuts. Dude is really good. #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/EhL3k1u8jC
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) November 23, 2023
Philadelphia Eagles Fans
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.
“He’s just calm in all scenarios. Whether things are going really well or whether things aren’t going so well, he just stays in the moment. I think he’s very steady.” -Nick Sirianni on Brian Johnson
Watch The John Kincade Show on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on weekday mornings from 6am-10am.
Philadelphia Eagles Projected 2023 Week 13 Starters
Jalen Hurts
Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020D'Andre Swift
Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)A.J. Brown
Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)DeVonta Smith
Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021Julio Jones
Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)Jack Stoll
Tight End, #89
University of Nebraska
3rd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2021)Jordan Mailata
Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018Landon Dickerson
Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021Jason Kelce
Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011Cam Jurgens
Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022Lane Johnson
Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013Josh Sweat
Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018Jordan Davis
Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022Jalen Carter
Defensive Tackle, #98
University of Georgia
1st NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (9th overall) in 2023Haason Reddick
Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)Nicholas Morrow
Linebacker, #41
Greensville University
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)Christian Elliss
Linebacker, #53
University of Idaho
3rd NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (September 2021)Darius Slay
Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)James Bradberry
Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)Bradley Roby
Cornerback, #33
Ohio State University
10th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)Kevin Byard
Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)Reed Blankenship
Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)
