Eagles notebook: Did Birds unlock a key component to their offense?
The Eagles’ passing offense came alive in that Week 7 win over the Vikings and they might have unlocked a key component.
Their scramble drills finally worked.
Jalen Hurts connected with A.J. Brown on a couple — one went for a touchdown and another was a key 3rd-down conversion — after a few weeks where the Eagles were unable to deliver off schedule.
“I felt like we had some opportunities over the past few weeks,” Hurts said after the win in Minnesota. “We had some opportunities over the past few weeks to capitalize on some of those, and it was a point of emphasis.”
One of those misses that has stuck with Hurts was one to Jahan Dotson in the Denver game. If they had connected on that play, it might have gone for a 75-yard touchdown. Instead, it was an incompletion on a drive that ended with a punt in the loss.
The work to correct it began the moment the Eagles got to the sideline.
“Right after that play, he came to the sideline and he said, ‘I saw your initial angle and it was pretty much straight up the field,’” Dotson said this week. “And what my thought process was, basically where he was standing in the backfield, trying to make an easier throw toward the sideline for him. As soon as we came off the sideline, he communicated that to me, that he saw my initial angle and that’s where he threw it. I told him we’re going to hit on it next time.”
The Eagles work hard on perfecting scramble drills. It may look like backyard football when a play breaks down, but there’s a lot more to it than that. There are rules in those moments and they need to be practiced.
While you may think that the offense is generally on schedule during the week, head coach Nick Sirianni pushed back on that idea a bit.
“Naturally, [scramble drills] kind of happen,” Sirianni said. “Naturally, you’ll get them within the midst of the week. But if you don’t, let’s say you get to Friday and you haven’t yet, then you try to build some in. Whether it’s through drill work or whether it’s through team periods. They naturally happen quite a bit.
“You are more on schedule in practice, yes, but we’re trying to always challenge our guys, not just the quarterback in the pass game but in all situations. We’re trying to challenge the guys on defense, we’re trying to challenge the guys on offense with different looks and different things like that. Usually you get some but then you try to build some into practice at times if you haven’t got enough, in your mind, throughout the week.”
In addition to the work in team settings, Dotson said they work some of those scramble drills in their catch circuit every Friday and get some of that work during individual drills too.
“As much as possible,” Dotson added.
And it makes sense, especially after seeing the Vikings choose to drop eight against Hurts and the offense. With so many bodies in coverage, it’s obviously going to be hard to hit the first read. Hurts showed plenty of patience on Sunday and eventually made some plays.
“We took a step in that coming into this game,” Hurts said.
Playing the villain
A couple weeks ago, Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart earned plenty of respect from the Eagles’ with his performance at MetLife Stadium.
But now the Giants are coming to the Linc.
“It’s going to be intense for sure,” Dart said to Giants reporters. “I can’t wait to go out there and compete and kind of just feel the hostility in the air and the rivalry between the two organizations. It’s going to be really cool. And I kind of compare it to an SEC rivalry. Really excited for the atmosphere. I know it’s going to be intense. Just really excited for it.”
Dart, 22, was a first-round pick out of Ole Miss, which means his biggest rival in college was Mississippi State. Dart went 2-1 against Mississippi State in his college career. One of those wins came on the road in 2023, when Dart led his team to a 17-7 win.
Dart this week was asked if he enjoys playing the villain.
“Yeah, I think a little bit,” he said. “I think anybody finds it enjoyable when you’re able to win games on the road. That’s something that we haven’t done yet. We’re still chasing that. I’m just excited for the environment.”
Learning to kick dirty
It’s obvious that Jake Elliott has been working on his dirty kicks on kickoffs and we saw one in the first quarter against the Vikings. Elliott’s first kickoff was a knuckleball that bounced and took a right turn into the end zone.
“Yeah, we work on it a lot. It’s helped out a lot of times,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “[There is] risk you do take when he doesn’t connect it on it correctly and it hits at the 22 instead of that landing zone, we all understand that risk. Obviously you don’t want that because it puts the ball in the 40, but it does help out.
“He opened it up after the touchdown and it bounced over the returner’s head so there is some merit to it, but he works on it a ton and everything’s a week by week basis on that kick. Indoors it is a little bit controlled, where outdoors, you may have to play the wind and things like that. That’s what we’re all figuring out also with this new kind of knuckle ball, dirty kick, whatever you want to call it. But I think Jake’s done a really good job with it.”
With the new kickoff rules, a touchback that happens after the ball bounces in the landing zone is placed at the 20-yard line, as opposed to the 35-yard line for a normal touchback. That’s worth trying those kicks. Of course, a bit later in the game, Elliott’s kick didn’t reach the landing zone and was placed at the 40. So there’s some risk-reward but Elliott has proven that he can hit those kicks.
Honest communication about trades
Sunday’s game against the Giants will be the Eagles’ last game ahead of the NFL’s Nov. 4 trade deadline. While it’s not a definite that the Eagles will make a trade, Howie Roseman is never shy about picking up the phone.
Whenever a new player comes into the building, it can change the dynamic in the locker room and that player could take away a role or snaps from a player who has been on the team all year. For Nick Sirianni, this is something to navigate.
“I think it’s important that you always have constant communication with your guys on every front because it takes everybody,” Sirianni said this week. “When you draft a guy high, I think back to when we drafted Jonathan Taylor in Indy. The first call we make is obviously to Jonathan to tell him we drafted him, but then the next one’s to Marlon Mack to let him know that there’s always constant competition. Just reminding them of the core values. There’s always constant competition. Best guys will play.
“It doesn’t mean you’re any less important to this football team because it takes everybody and it’s going to take everybody. I think that constant communication with the guys is always important there. I think Howie and I do a good job of just communicating the vision for the guys and this and that and how we may use them. I think that’s always an important factor of it as well. I think when you’re dealing with players, you’re dealing with the position coaches, it always comes down to communication and still understanding that regardless of what happens, everybody’s needed.
“Everybody’s contribution is needed. We’ll need everybody to achieve the goals that we want to achieve. We’ll need everybody involved. That doesn’t mean everybody has to like it, but I think the most important thing is that you’re always open and honest and communicating.”
Eagles notebook: Did Birds unlock a key component to their offense?
