The Philadelphia Eagles are in a deep slide, just racking up their fifth straight loss, and now the questions are flying about the team’s effort. It’s not just chatter, either. People are seriously wondering if the defensive line was even bothering to get into their stances during that brutal Monday night game against the Cowboys.
Coach Sirianni Addresses the Elephant in the Room
Naturally, this became the talk of the town, or at least the major theme of the week as the Eagles tried to figure things out. Reporters got their shot midweek to quiz coach Nick Sirianni about the situation. When they straight up asked if effort was an issue on Monday night, and how they even measure that, Sirianni had his prepared answer. He told everyone exactly how the coaching staff grades their guys: “We grade every play based off of what they did, we grade every play based off of their assignment alignment and we grade every play off of effort.” He even stressed that this isn’t just a game-day thing, it’s “every practice” too, because if they didn’t do that, they wouldn’t be doing their jobs.
“Other Things” Are the Problem, Not Effort?
But here’s where it gets wild: Despite all the talk, despite the five consecutive losses, Sirianni flat-out said, “I did not see an effort issue on Monday night.” He claimed it was “other things,” and seemed to imply reporters would ask about those next. He wouldn’t budge, repeating, “effort in no way, shape [or] form was an issue there.” Yeah, he threw in that “you don’t play a perfect football game” line, and that you don’t “bat 100% on effort,” but that’s a far cry from admitting a fundamental problem with how his defensive line is approaching the game when your team is in a freefall.
As the Eagles gear up for their next Sunday night matchup, those nagging questions about what really went down on Monday night, especially with the D-line’s approach, are still very much in the air.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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