Brian Johnson Was Made Into a Scapegoat, And the Eagles Staff Is Not Happy
Every time a season goes poorly for a team, there is going to be a scapegoat. Sometimes it is a Coordinator, sometimes it is a head coach. By keeping Nick Sirianni, and firing both Sean Desai and Brian Johnson, the Eagles have decided to try and sell us that the Coordinators were the problem this year. They are the reason the Eagles went from 10-1 to 11-6 and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
But they may have a hard time selling that. Not necessarily to the fans. They are mostly happy both coaches are gone. But the people inside the building are not buying that excuse.
Jeremy Fowler joined The John Kincade Show this morning and had something interesting to say about how the move is being received inside the Eagles building:
And of course they are. Because they more than anyone else know that Brian Johnson is not the reason why the Eagles offense fell apart. It is not his offense. As much as Eagles fans want to believe he is the guy who came in and messed up a good thing, it is not the case. There is quality reporting to the contrary.
Tim McManus came onto The Best Show Ever and said as much:
“All Lurie has to do is pick up the phone and call people who know Brian Johnson. The response from those people will be that is not Brian Johnson’s offense. You can see the confliction play out on the field because you can tell it is not what he would be calling in that situation. That is not Brian Johnson’s offense.”
Nick has told you it is his offense. Tim McManus is telling you the same. What is more likely? That Nick is lying and Tim has bad sources? Or that Nick Sirianni was the one dictating what type of offense they run? Tim McManus is as trusted as it gets in the Eagles media. If he is saying something, it is probably true.
Brian Johnson was just calling plays from a flawed playbook. And when that flawed playbook got exposed, he got thrown under the bus by Nick Sirianni. Because that was the only way Nick would keep his job.
But people in the building seemingly are not buying it. So the Eagles may have a problem on their hand? What Offensive Coordinator will want to come here, have little say in how the offense is run, and then be liable to be thrown under the bus if it fails again? Would you take that job after seeing how Brian Johnson was thrown to the wolves for something that is barely his fault? And will it lead to more people on the staff wanting out?
Jeremy Fowler suggested that could be the case:
There is no good reason to keep Sirianni but fire Brian Johnson. Based on all the available information, that will not fix the issues on offense. Because the issue was Sirianni’s playbook. And unless Sirianni is willing to drastically change it, or is willing to let someone else come in and actually run the offense, why should we believe anything will be different next year? And if the people inside the building are not buying into Nick and Howie’s excuses, why should we?
People who want to pretend otherwise are just selling themselves a narrative that is easier to digest. If just firing Brian Johnson was the fix, it would obviously be a better situation than it actually is. But the reality is they have a head coach who is massively overmatched, and whose offense was exposed after just one successful season. And he sold Brian Johnson down the river to protect himself.
At least Doug Pederson was willing to go to bat for his guys when he was here. Nick apparently is more than willing to turn his assistants into scapegoats.
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'The Best Show Ever?' NFL Mock Draft 2.0
1) Chicago Bears (Via The Panthers)- QB – Caleb Williams- USC
Justin Fields made things very difficult for them. He played well enough at the end of the year to make a case to keep him. He did the same thing in 2022. And maybe they do trade out of this pick. But I’m not doing trades in this mock draft, and if they stay, it will be to take a QB. In this case, Caleb Williams.
2) Washington Commanders – QB- Drake Maye- UNC
The Commanders are taking a QB. This is their best chance at getting a franchise QB in a long time. New owner, new coach, it’s time for a new QB too. Drake Maye might end up being the best in the draft. As Eagles fans, we have been lucky not to have to worry about Washington most years outside of one year with RG3. That may not be the case for much longer.
3) New England Patriots- QB- Jayden Daniels- LSU
Like the Commanders, the Patriots definitely need to go QB. The good thing is there are lots of great options. Even with two QBs already off the board, they get the Heisman-winning QB. They give new head coach Jared Mayo a chance to grab his franchise QB.
4) Arizona Cardinals- WR- Marvin Harrison- Ohio State
Beating the Eagles cost the Cardinals their chance to grab one of the top QBs. That would have been a tough choice anyway with Kyler Murray under contract. But what is not a hard choice is taking Marvin Harrison JR. You could argue he is the best player in the draft.
5) Los Angeles Chargers- TE- Brock Bowers- Georgia
The Chargers need lots of help. On both sides of the ball. They could go O-line, they could go WR, they could take the best defender available. But I have them taking who might be the best player overall still on the board in Brock Bowers.
6) New York Giants- QB- Michael Pennix- Washington
The Giants are a team to watch for a potential trade-up if the Bears do want to move down. They need to be looking at QB, because Daniel Jones is not it. But even if they are stuck at 6, Michael Pennix JR is not a bad consolation prize.
7) Tennessee Titans- OT- Joe Alt- Notre Dame
If they go OT here, they will have their pick of Olu Fashanu and Joe Alt. Both would be great options and look like cornerstone tackles for years to come. O-Line is their biggest need, and they should get the best available, whoever they think that is.
8) Atlanta Falcons- EDGE- Laiatu Latu- UCLA
Falcons would likely want to be in on the QB hunt. But with the top 4 options already gone, they instead break the seal and take the first defender of the draft by grabbing perhaps the best edge rusher in the draft.
9) Chicago Bears – WR- Rome Odunze - Washington
They got a franchise QB, so give him another weapon too. DJ Moore already developed into a great WR, Odunze would give them a second. He brings an elite combination of size and speed to the NFL.
10) New York Jets- OT- Olu Fashanu- Penn State
The Jets need to protect Rodgers. The two best options are Alt and Fashanu. With Alt already off the board, they get another potentially elite LT in Fashanu instead. They could also go WR.
11) Minnesota Vikings – EDGE- Dallas Turner- Alabama
Another team who could be looking to trade up for a QB. But if they can’t, their next biggest need may be a pass rusher. Danielle Hunter had a breakout season, but they need someone to rush off the other side. And Turner would be a brilliant fit.
12) Denver Broncos- QB- Bo Nix- Oregon
We know someone will reach for a QB. It happens every year. The top 4 guys are all worthy first-round picks. But once you get into Bo Nix and JJ McCarthy, it gets iffy. But the Broncos will need a QB after pushing Wilson out, so they reach here for Nix.
13) Las Vegas Raiders- CB- Nate Wiggins- Clemson
Looking at other mock drafts, the consensus seems to be they go defense at 13. No CB has gone off the board yet, so they get their pick, and end up with Nate Wiggins out of Clemson. He could step in and be CB1 for them right out of college.
14) New Orleans Saints- OT- JC Latham- Alabama
The Saints need to invest in O-Line. There is a chance Ryan Ramczyk’s career could be over with a knee injury. Latham makes a ton of sense for them. Especially considering their current O-Line coach coached Latham at Bama in 2021.
15) Indianapolis Colts- CB- Cooper DeJean -Iowa
The Colts offense actually played well despite being stuck with Gardner Minshew. Anthony Richardson will be back next year. The consensus seems to be the Colts need to go defense. And Cooper would give them potentially the best corner in the draft.
16) Seattle Seahawks- EDGE- Chop Robinson – Penn State
Chop is one of the most exciting players in the draft. He has a chance to be a star. He needs to be more consistent, but he could end up a steal at pick 16 if his explosiveness translates to the NFL.
17) Jacksonville Jaguars- WR- Malik Nabers- LSU
If the draft turned out like this, the Jaguars should sprint to the stage to draft Nabers. He has a chance to be a superstar. And could quickly fix a lot of the issues the Jaguars had on offense this season.
18) Cincinnati Bengals- DT- Jer'zhan Newton- Illinois
The Bengals defense was a mess this year. Getting a healthy Burrow could fix most of their issues on offense. But they need an infusion of talent on defense, and Newton is the best Interior Lineman in the draft.
19) Los Angeles Rams- CB- Kool-Aid McKinstry- Alabama
Eagles fans won’t love the top 3 corners going off the board before pick 22. But the pick makes too much sense for the Rams here. Kool-Aid doesn’t just have the best name in the draft, but he also has the look of a guy who can step in and play at a high level right away.
20) Pittsburgh Steelers- OT- Taliese Fuaga- Oregon State
A lot of the talk around the Steelers is they will go O-Line in the draft. If so, Fuaga is the best left on the board. Many think he is the best run blocker in the draft, and he does feel like a perfect type of player for the Steelers.
21) Miami Dolphins- EDGE- Bralen Trice- Washington
The Dolphins have the pieces on offense. They were way too inconsistent, but the talent is there. That may be on the QB. But they aren’t going to move on from Tua yet because we have seen when he is good, he is very good. What they do need is more help on defense. And Trice is a good start in doing that.
22) Philadelphia Eagles- CB- Terrion Arnold- Alabama
Last time we had them taking Kamari Lassiter. And CB is certainly a major need, maybe more so than when we put out Mock Draft 1.0. But let’s take this time to talk about a different option. Terrion Arnold out of Alabama. The Eagles need a playmaker in the secondary, and Arnold certainly fits that bill with 5 picks this year. He also is not shy to come up and make a tackle against the run. The Eagles desperately need an infusion of speed and youth at Corner, and Arnold would fit that need perfectly.
