Nick Foles says ‘culture things’ are hurting the Eagles; Nick Sirianni wants his team to ignore ‘that crap’
Foles, who led the Eagles to a Super Bowl title, said on his podcast that he "knew something bad was going to happen," starting when the Eagles and Jeff Stoutland parted ways after last season.
Many fans had high expectations for the Eagles entering this season, but Nick Foles knew better.
On Tuesday’s episode of The SZN with Nick Foles & Evan Moore and NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Super Bowl LII champion said he “knew something bad was going to happen” starting when the Eagles and Jeff Stoutland parted ways after last season.
“There is dysfunction in Philly,” Foles said. “It was little things for me. It wasn’t the execution that got me. It was culture things. … In Philadelphia, for the better part of the past couple decades, they have had really good culture. Something is changing.”
The culture, Foles said, exists in the little things he’s seen this season that were especially on display in Monday night’s 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Foles’ biggest thorn was with the offensive line for not picking up their own teammates when they got knocked down. He said they forgot that the only way the offense runs is through them, and it’s their job to keep picking their teammates back up.
Foles said it’s also visible in the players’ and coach Nick Sirianni’s eyes that they know something isn’t quite right with this team right now.
“[This is] the second season in a row where, as a team this is just not with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Nick Sirianni is feeling it,” Foles said. “You can see it. I looked at him on the sidelines, and I looked at his eyes.”
» READ MORE: Grading the Eagles' loss to the Dallas Cowboys
On Wednesday morning, Sirianni joined 94 WIP for his weekly interview, and co-host Joe DeCamara waisted little time asking the Eagles coach for his reaction to Foles’ assessment.
“I think when you drop five in a row, everyone is looking for answers,” Sirianni said. “Nick Foles isn’t in the building with us. I can only go off of what my relationships are in here — you know, there’s always going to be a report of this or that. Our job is to not get wrapped up in any of that crap. Our job is to stay locked in within our organization and go through it that way.”
Sirianni also admitted that his team has not been playing up to its standard, but said that his players still deeply care, despite some like Foles questioning what he’s seeing on the field.
“We got a lot to fix, but I think we’ve got guys that care. I think we’ve got guys that deeply care about how to lead, with our captains, guys that know how to follow, and guys that truly want to get better,” Sirianni continued. “And we all want to get better and win football games. That’s all that matters.”
While Foles acknowledged that seasons like this aren’t unheard of for the Eagles when they’re banged up, he said it didn’t happen in 2017 because they had great veteran coaches on both sides of the ball. The Eagles don’t have that this year with first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
Instead, he said the mood resembles Andy Reid’s last year with the Eagles, with veteran leaders trying to hold things together, and an exhausted defense.
And after five straight losses, Foles isn’t sure what they should do.
“This is the first time, first night where, I don’t know, I think there’s too many things going on, and I don’t necessarily see the right way through fixing this because I don’t know if the pieces are there right now to fix it,” Foles said.
When debating what the Eagles should do come the approaching trade deadline, Moore said the Eagles and Howie Roseman have to be careful that they “don’t confuse desperation with opportunity.”
With consecutive divisional games against the Washington Commanders (8:20 p.m. Sunday, NBC10) and the New York Giants (1 p.m., Nov. 8, Fox29), Moore said that while he believes both games before the bye week are winnable, they have to ask themselves if the NFC East is still there for the taking. The second question is if the Eagles need just a few key pieces to get their season back on track, or if there is more work to be done.
For Foles, the answer is simple.
“You’re in no position to succeed this year, right now,” Foles said.
» READ MORE: How the Eagles should approach the NFL trade deadline | Best of unCovering the Birds
But that’s still subject to change. And one of the keys, Foles said, lies in the backup quarterback.
While Foles thinks Tanner McKee is getting comfortable and playing better, there is more that needs to be done to get them there, including the pieces around him. So once again, the answer comes down to not just the trade deadline, but what Mannion can do with what’s left of this season.
“He’s playing within the system, but he is going to have to do something special to bring it out,” Foles said. “That being said, he doesn’t have the pieces really around him healthy and everything going on to make this happen. It’s got to be more than Tanner. You said if they were one or two pieces away, you go for it. Well, there are a lot of pieces [away]. I think they are an offensive scheme away.”
How were we so wrong? Heading into the season, the Eagles’ defense was supposed to be their strength. After Monday’s throttling by the Cowboys, the group reached a new low, especially on the defensive line, where major offseason investments and commitments were made. Why has a unit that showed promise in training camp failed to live up to expectations? And how will the Eagles’ five-game losing streak influence the organization’s approach to the NFL’s impending trade deadline? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy tackle these topics and more the day after the Eagles’ 38-21 defeat to Dallas. Listen here.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
