Nick Sirianni defends Tush Push, knows Eagles need more big plays: ‘It’s hard to inch your way down’

Nick Sirianni saw the clips that circulated on social media Sunday and Monday and reignited the Great Tush Push Debate. They caused ESPN’s Adam Schefter — who works for a company that the NFL has a stake in — to say the Eagles had beaten the Chiefs not on Sunday, but back in March, and later May, when the Tush Push survived a coordinated effort for it to meet its demise.

The clips show movement along the Eagles’ offensive line, particularly guards Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen, before the ball is snapped, but Sirianni contended that slo-mo versions of any video could be misleading.

“I’m not sure you could see that to the naked eye,” Sirianni said Monday.

There are things the defense does, too, that could be missed to the naked eye in real speed and seen on a slowed-down video clip, Sirianni said. A day earlier, after the Eagles used the Tush Push on seven of their 60 snaps, Sirianni countered the criticism by saying the Chiefs were lining up in the neutral zone.

So here we are again, months after the Tush Push dominated NFL conversations during the offseason, with the play back in the forefront thanks to its high visibility in a Super Bowl rematch in which the Eagles won the game in part because of their short-yardage success.

“I think it’s an exciting play,” Sirianni said. “Obviously there’s been a lot of discussion about it. I think when you bring more discussion about a play it brings more attention to football. I think it’s a cool thing how much people debate it, how much people discuss it.

“I’d be confident, too, in some of our other plays to run in that area on those situations. But this play has been working well for us, so you keep going back to it.”

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts, Kevin Patullo and the Tush Push: Eagles winning ugly is still winning football

The play sometimes gets panned for its ugliness, but Sirianni said there’s a “beauty” to it — especially because the opponent knows it’s coming.

“Isn’t that football?” Sirianni said. “They know exactly what’s coming, and they either can stop it or can’t stop it and it’s about the guys out there, the physicality of the play and the toughness of the play.”

While the Tush Push is about trying to gain a few inches, the Eagles know their offense needs to get better at picking up larger chunks.

Those plays have been few and far between. There are the overarching positives: The Eagles are 2-0, and they haven’t turned the ball over while producing two takeaways of their own. But the Eagles also have too much talent between Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith for the offense to look as impotent as it has through two games.

The Eagles had 216 net yards on Sunday and still won. Through two games, they are averaging 5 yards per passing play, according to Next Gen Stats. Only four teams that have played two games rank lower. One of them is the New Orleans Saints, widely expected to be among the worst teams in the league. Another is a Tennessee Titans team with a rookie quarterback (Cam Ward). The other two are the Bryce Young-led Carolina Panthers, and then a Washington team that had to deal with Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.

It’s early, and the Eagles are winning, but they will need to show this part of their offense sooner rather than later. It will be an emphasis in practice this week as the Eagles prepare for their Week 3 game vs. the visiting Los Angeles Rams.

“We’ve got to do our jobs as coaches to help put them in positions for that and then execute when we have that opportunity,” Sirianni said.

He pointed out the Eagles’ efficiency, but also said, “It’s hard to inch your way down the field, so you want to hit explosives.”

» READ MORE: ‘He’s just getting started’: Rookie Drew Mukuba changed the Eagles’ win with his first NFL interception

In elevating Kevin Patullo to the offensive coordinator job after Kellen Moore left to become the head coach in New Orleans, Sirianni pointed to Patullo’s readiness for the role and the continuity putting him in that spot would provide.

It’s an element the Eagles will probably lean on as they try to get more out of the offense.

“Just the knowledge of the players, the ability to have conversations, and the connection he has with those guys,” Sirianni said. “Communication is so key because you’re constantly trying to work to get better.

“A big key to that is knowing your guys and knowing what they do and what we need in certain situations.”

Sirianni acknowledged the obvious: “At times it hasn’t looked pretty altogether, but we’ve found a way to win,” he said.

And also the other obvious, because there were plenty of concerns about the offense last season before those concerns were either fixed or rendered meaningless by the time the Super Bowl parade started.

“By no means are we a finished product,” Sirianni said.