Why the Heck Are the Eagles Sticking with Matt Patricia?
I know the Philadelphia Eagles are a bit of a sore subject right now. I mean, we’re lucky to have made it into the playoffs, the way the Eagles have been playing lately. What went wrong? A lot. One notable change happened in mid-December of last year, when Matt Patricia took over the defensive play-calling ahead of the Eagles’ game against the Seattle Seahawks. I realize this was a reaction to the fact the Eagles had been struggling. But, did it work? The Eagles lost that game to Seattle, and they’ve been falling ever since. So, why the heck are the Eagles sticking with Matt Patricia?
It’s a good question. I’m not sure if anyone has a good answer. As a lifelong Detroit Lions fan, I feel your pain, Philadelphia. Really. The second I heard the Eagles were stepping Patricia up, I was like, “This is going to be bad.” That probably sounds really harsh. I’m sure Patricia doesn’t care what I think, but if he’s reading this and for some reason does, I’m sure you’re a nice guy, Matt. I also believe Patricia is a very good coach under the right circumstances and with the right team. But, his time with the Lions was dismal, and I can’t help but think he’s the wrong guy to head up Philadelphia’s defense.
Now, the Eagles are heading into a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Wild Card playoffs. The Eagles beat Tampa back in September, 25-11, and it was a great game for Philly. This time around, Sean Desai, who started the year as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. won’t be calling defensive plays. In a press conference this week, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said he will not be having Patricia step down from his play calling duties. He also said he won’t give those play calling duties back to Desai. While the Eagles had some bad performances against the 49ers and Cowboys under Desai, those are two good teams.
Now, the defense has performed worse under Patricia, and that includes losing to teams that aren’t as good as the Eagles. We talk about Patricia and the Eagles on the latest episode of my podcast, “The Squad with Anne Erickson,” which you can listen to below and wherever you listen to podcasts. Reach out to me here.