Patricia Takes Charge: Eagles’ Defensive Shift Underway
How much does Matt change Patricia Eaglesand#039; protection? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia For 58 minutes Monday night, the story was supposed to be how the Eagles’ new de facto defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, held the Seahawks to 13 points as the team held on for a big conference win on the road.
It didn’t really happen. Instead, the Seahawks had a 92-yard punt return at Lumen Field, handing the Eagles their third straight loss. “Yeah, I mean, of course, I’ll take it all back,” Patricia said Thursday in her first news conference since her promotion last week.
“That drive starts with me and I have to do a better job of putting them in position to get us off the field and obviously win. I think our guys played really, really hard. I was really proud of the way they went. out and I gave them credit for the job he did.
Tried to play aggressive. Tried to play physical up front. Really well covered. Apparently, a two-minute drive wasn’t enough. That and I am. “I’ve got to put some things in there, make some calls there, whatever it is, to help them out a little bit more so they can come out — and obviously give them credit. They played a great game, too. .
They are a good football team. But I just have to do a better job.” The Eagles quietly made a defensive coordinator change last week, demoting Sean Desai after 13 games (and 10-3) and handing the reins to Patricia, 49, a former NFL defensive coordinator and head coach. Patricia doesn’t have the DC title, but she has the power. Although he doesn’t want to talk about it.
“I think it’s always a collaboration,” Patricia said Thursday. “We meet and talk and have different ideas and thoughts. Sure, like I said, it was a great opportunity for me to learn the defense that Sean built, but really, it’s the Eaglesand#039; defense. This is the 2023 Eagles.
This is what we are trying to develop. “I believe in football things change a little bit every year and plans change according to people and personnel.
I definitely think that’s what we’ve been trying to do throughout the year.” Thursday was the first time Patricia spoke to a group of reporters since the Eagles quietly hired him at the end of the 2023 season. The soft-spoken longtime NFL assistant walked into the Eagles auditorium at the NovaCare complex and introduced himself to everyone in the room before stepping behind the microphone. Patricia mentioned the collaborative process a few times Thursday. And of course it is a collaborative process.
But if the Eagles wanted the status quo on that side of the ball, they wouldn’t have made a drastic trade. We saw some differences in the Eagles’ defense Monday night in Seattle, although Patricia pointed out that matchups often dictate the scheme in a single game.
But we’ve seen a deeper and more versatile rotation on the defensive line, increased use of sub-packages with more defensive backs, some zone coverage and other signs that Patricia is now leading the Eagles’ defense. Naturally, Patricia took over in December with only four matches remaining.
Time is running out to completely turn the plan around, and head coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged as much this week. “At this point in the year, you’re not necessarily going to see complete wholesale changes,” he said, “but you’re going to see different things here and there and offenses here and there. .
“Obviously because of the competitive advantages, I’m not going to go into all the different things and almost none of the different things that you see, but there are differences.
But again, we stick to some of the core things that we’ve done and we’ve done #039 ; well in the first 14 weeks of the season. “Like I said, it’s a team effort by our defensive staff. Matt is the one making the main decision right now.
Sean still has a voice there and our assistant coaches still have a voice. Weand just trying to refine what we do well and continue to do what we do well and eliminate some of the mistakes we made. During the first 13 weeks of the season, Patricia played a supporting role.
His title with the Eagles was senior defensive assistant, but he said he helped on defense, on offense with old friend Jeff Stoutland and even on special teams.
He also worked for Sirianni, who appreciates the contribution of the only former NFL head coach to his staff. But for at least the rest of the season, Patricia’s role with the Eagles is de facto defensive coordinator. And one of his most important duties is calling defensive plays on the green dot on game days. During his NFL years, Patricia said he “transformed” into a playmaker.
“I think sometimes you get a playful part of the different experiences that you and you had in those situations,” Patricia said. “Sometimes different instincts kick in at the moment, as I and I feel it. A lot of it happens within the game, probably because of something that experience has taught you usually negatively in previous years. “You try to use them as much as I can.
To prepare for the game, you must do your best to put the players in the right situations so that they can play fast and aggressively. I think when you don’t do that as a coach, you feel the worst. Then you feel really terrible that I didn’t give that person a chance to succeed in the play.” 58 minutes of his debut as
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