April 6, 2026
Does anyone ever watch sports events now and develop their own opinions, devoid of all the shameless propaganda?
I pose this question today after an Insider Report by ESPN pointing the finger at Jalen Hurts for many of the problems the Eagles endured last season.
It is all nonsense.
How am I so sure? Well, the games are on television. I have eyes, a brain and the ability to use them in tandem.
In this new expose, ESPN reporters Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler said “several team sources” informed them that the Eagles offense had become “calcified” last season because Hurts has resisted diversifying the scheme, was hesitant to throw the deep ball, and used audibles “to what some feel is an excessive degree.”
I’ll pause for a second here so you can let out that derisive laugh that is building in your belly.
First of all, consider the “several team sources.” The best place to start is in the PR department, and then the coaching room and maybe a disgruntled player or two. The message appears clear throughout. Hurts was a bigger problem last season than head coach Nick Sirianni or offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Much bigger.
Really? Then maybe someone can explain that final play-call on the sideline, which everyone who watched the game could see clearly. How can anyone supporting the coaches explain away what happened in that pivotal moment?
Actually, a big chunk of the ESPN story is about that sideline meeting. The spin from the “several team sources” is that the idea for the fatal play-call was not Patullo’s or Sirianni’s. No, it was Hurts who wanted another crack at “four verts,” a basic pass pattern that sends four receivers straight down the field.
That is not what I saw on that sideline, and I have an 82-inch high-definition television. I just watched it again – for the umpteenth time – and this is precisely what happens, in real time:
Hurts speaks first as he reaches the sideline, talking directly into Patullo’s right ear. The coordinator pauses to process what he just heard, then he adjusts his microphone, looks down at his play sheet, and speaks for several seconds. In that moment, he is clearly making the final decision.
This is the moment of truth for Patullo, in a season of failure. Remember, he has the authority to try something else – if indeed Hurts wanted another crack at “four verts.”
And so does Sirianni, who was hired five years ago because of his acumen on offense.
There is no evidence of disagreement, even when Sirianni edges forward, listens to Patullo and then cocks his head like a dog waiting for a treat. (If Sirianni is preparing a resume tape after the 2026 season, he should not include this moment. Basically, he was MIA during the biggest play-call of the season.)
For the sake of argument, let’s say Hurts did prefer that ill-fated play. Were the coaches so insecure, so overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, that they were willing to defer, just to placate their supposedly stubborn quarterback? With an entire season at stake, they did nothing?
I’m not blaming the reporters for letting the sources drown out the reality of the moment, but if it sounds like BS and it smells like BS, it is BS.
Only three people know for sure what was said on the sideline. Sirianni wouldn’t tell the truth at gunpoint; his track record speaks for itself. Hurts has never used the media to plead his case; he doesn’t care what the public thinks.
On the other hand, Patullo, the beneficiary of an off-season of media turd-polishing, is the only one who can benefit from the ESPN expose deflecting blame away from him.
Could Patullo be one of the “several team sources”?
As an investigative reporter myself many years ago, I can say for sure that sources tend to speak openly mostly when it benefits themselves. The only person to profit from this new narrative is Patullo. Do the math.
Regardless, I know this for sure. Patullo was glaringly inept at play-calling, despite this bogus new ESPN spin. And I am far from alone in that conviction. Lots of Eagles fans have TVs, too.
Second, if I’m upset about anything involving Hurts, it is that he didn’t audible more during the season. How many times did Patullo send Saquon Barkley right into the middle of the line, when the open space was beyond the tackles? Was that Hurts’ idea, too?
Use your eyes, not your ears. The narrative that developed over the course of the season that Patullo had no clue how to call plays was no media creation. Eagles fans are too smart to fall for something they cannot see themselves.
If Hurts did develop a negative attitude over the course of the season, well, I know I would have. The quarterback had just won a Super Bowl, and was also the MVP of that sweet Kansas City demolition. Now he was dealing with the flip side of Kellen Moore, an OC who had no record of NFL success. Hurts knew better than anyone that he was dealing with a novice.
How do you respond when your boss is incompetent?
I can only say what I did. I tuned him out.
And speaking of Moore, the expose explored how delicate the relationship was between Hurts and his coordinator during that championship 2025 season. You may not believe this, but elite athletes have big egos that have to be managed with restraint and sensitivity.
Who knew?
Third, in his first six seasons, Hurts is the only Eagle QB to make it to two Super Bowls – despite all of his many supposed personal quirks outlined in the ESPN piece. Donovan McNabb made it once, in 11 tries. So did Carson Wentz, in five attempts – though he was hurt for the biggest games of the championship season. Randall Cunningham, zip. Michael Vick, zip. Everybody else, zip.
Apparently, “several team sources” think two Super Bowls in six years is not good enough, even though it’s better than any Eagles quarterback in the past 60 years.
And if Hurts was a bigger problem than Patullo (or Sirianni) last year, maybe one of those anonymous critics can explain why Hurts made it to Super Bowls
when he had competent coordinators (Shane Steichen and Moore) and fell far short when he didn’t (Brian Johnson and Patullo).
This is all some weird coincidence?
In this new look back by ESPN, Hurts’ sullen and standoffish nature helped to poison the locker room in 2025, despite his previous successes. In the process, the QB also managed to derail his brilliant coaches with a growing number of ego-driven quirks.
It’s poppycock, all of it.
The best roster in the NFL didn’t win last season because of an offensive coordinator who didn’t know how to do his job and because his best buddy, the head coach, allowed him to undermine the offense.
Go back and look at that final play-call on the sideline. If you believe Hurts was the culprit, either get a new screen or new glasses.
Trust your eyes. Patullo blew it, with an assist by his frat buddy Sirianni. In their moment of truth, they both choked.
I didn’t use “several team sources” to provide this perspective.
All I needed was two eyes.
Somebody needs to tell Lane Johnson that Nick Sirianni is not as big a fan of Jeff Stoutland as the head coach led everyone to believe over the past five seasons.
Johnson said recently that his beloved former offensive-line coach would still have a role on the team despite his shocking departure after the 2025 season.
“It’s unfortunate,” the veteran lineman said on a recent podcast. “The thing about him, though, I think he’ll be around in some capacity next year.”
That quote caused a mixture of confusion and hope. Johnson credits Stoutland with his development into one of the best offensive linemen in Eagles history. If Lane doesn’t have an intricate knowledge of the inner workings of the Eagles, who does?
Well, Sirianni, for one. And, unless I’m misinterpreting Nick’s latest comments at the owners’ meetings last week, Stoutland has as much of a chance of coming back, in any capacity, as Chip Kelly.
“Obviously, (I) love the guys who are no longer part of our staff, “ Sirianni said. “But right now we’re just focused on the upcoming year with this staff.”
At one point, Sirianni even said the Eagles have “moved on” from the assistants who left, somehow lumping together the worst offensive coordinator in team history, Kevin Patullo, with the all-time best position coach, Jeff Stoutland.
And let’s not forget that Sirianni had the audacity during the season to strip run-game responsibilities from Stoutland and bestow them on Patullo and himself.
This just in: Sirianni is happy Stoutland left.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave Stoutland a push out the door.