Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has drawn criticism in recent years for how the franchise has structured the offseason program and training camp practices.
While some of praised Sirriani for an innovative approach when it comes to shortening the amount of practice time that players are on the field during the spring and summer months, others have questioned whether the Eagles had devolved into a ‘country club’ atmosphere for players.
But, after the Eagles’ disastrous second half of the season that saw Philadelphia tumble from a 10-1 start and perch atop the NFC to losing six-of-seven to close out the 2023 campaign, including a road playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sirianni is changing course this season.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Big Changes in 2024
In a lot of ways, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman’s aggressive offseason can be viewed as a reaction to Philadelphia’s collapse.
Roseman, of course, signed veteran running back Saquon Barkley, top emerging pass-rusher Bryce Huff, and bolstered the linebacking corps by adding veteran presences Devin White and Zack Baun, both in hopes of bolstering the culture Sirianni has crafted and as upgrades on the field.
But, it appears Sirianni is making a big change in terms of how the Eagles approach practices during the offseason and training camp.
“We’re probably on the low-end extreme of time out [on the field],” coach Nick Sirianni told reporters, via ESPN. “There are teams on the high-end extreme. And I think that we need to come up [some].”
Sirianni’s course change may have been sparked by veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s arrival and input on the Eagles’ previous practice routine.
“You’ve got to make do with what you got,” Fangio told reporters during his introductory press conference as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, “but I keep pushing for more.”
Similar to changing the amount of time players are on the field this summer, according to CBS Sports, Sirianni may make bigger tweaks to the Eagles’ practice schedule during the season.
“Maybe the changes come a little bit more in practice as far as in the season — a little bit differently,” Sirianni told CBS. “There have been more discussions on that. But one thing that we get when we practice the way we practice is, we get high, high intensity. We get more game-like reps because of that.
“When we have full pads on, the difference between not being live and being live is people getting tackled to the ground. Offensive line is live up front. So when the pads are on, those are full-go practices. Except that we’re not tackling, and so guys aren’t going to the ground and trying to alleviate some injuries that way.”
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