Eagles

If Nick Sirianni is Overriding Kellen Moore, then He’s Not Really a “CEO Coach,” is He?

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Sep 24th, 2024 · 10:45 AM EDT

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Nick Sirianni told reporters on Sunday afternoon, after the New Orleans win, that it was his call to run the fake tush push on 4th down at the end of the first half instead of kicking the field goal to tie the game at three. Monday, at his day-after press conference, he was asked about overriding his offensive coordinator, and how often he does it:

How often will you decide to call a play on offense and what determines when you do? (Dave Zangaro)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I don’t say a number. But here and there, that’s going to happen. And that’s regardless of whether it was ’21, ’22, ’23 or ’24. We’re all coming up with the game plan together. We’re all putting in the work together. We’ve got good minds on the offensive side and defensive side, and so you talk through things.

Kellen (Moore) is obviously the one calling plays, but everything is collaborative as far as the way we go through our process and in-game. Just because I did it in that one doesn’t mean there is not a play that Kevin Patullo is saying in the ear of Kellen, ‘Hey, what do you think about this there?’ and Kellen going, ‘Yeah, I like that idea.’

Or Jeff Stoutland or Jason Michael on a run play particularly, or  TJ (Paganetti) on a run play saying, ‘Hey, they’re doing this in this scenario. What do you think about this?’

That happens throughout the game over and over and over again. That’s just the way every staff I’ve ever been on – whether I’m the head coach, or offensive coordinator, or quarterback coach, or I was a receiver coach – that’s how that works, and that’s how that worked. And I’m assuming that’s like that for teams I haven’t been on as well.

I also understand the scrutiny that will happen when something like that happens. I wanted you guys to know (Sunday) that in that scenario, with a questionable call there, that I made that decision. So that’s why I let you guys in on that, because Kellen didn’t need to bear that, because I did that.

That is why I brought you in on that. Not to open the door of, ‘Well, how many times you call this?’ or ‘How many times did you call that?’ It’s collaborative. In that particular case, I called that one, and it didn’t work.

When that happens, I’ll always make sure that you guys know about that.

“Kellen didn’t need to bear that.”

That’s good, but it’s also the inherent issue, isn’t it? You don’t know who to blame or who to praise. Are we criticizing Nick Sirianni for inserting himself into a particular situation, or did Kellen Moore decide to call play X, Y, or Z? In this case, the only reason we know it was Sirianni’s decision to 1) go on fourth and 2) make the play call himself is because he offered that information to us without solicitation. Otherwise, we’re left guessing.

But it begs the question – if Sirianni is able to step in and override his offensive coordinator at any moment, then is this year any different than last year? Brian Johnson was an offensive coordinator who called the plays but ceded to the head coach when the head coach said so. So are we simply running Kellen Moore’s offense under the same coordinator/head coach structure? That’s what it seems like. You see remnants of the Sirianni and Shane Steichen offense in the empty set QB draw and now-feckless RPO and zone read game, but otherwise it’s Moore’s offense, and “four verticals” has mercifully been dumped in the bagster.

We created this idea that Sirianni is a “CEO coach” this year, that he’s taking a back seat after the 2023 collapse and letting the new coordinators do their thing. He was only supposed to really focus on the macro-level ideas of game and clock management and be the situational football guru on the sidelines. Did we get it all wrong? Were we given the wrong impression? It seems like the Eagles are 2-1 in spite of the head coach.