Is Brian Johnson An Issue?

 So, let's talk about Brian Johnson. I know there are plenty of fans that have a lot to say about the Eagles offensive coordinator. And the reality is, I'm one of them. I want to share my thoughts about him and his play calling. As well as his possible future with the team. But also, who I think can replace him, if still available.

Brian Johnson's lack of running game or lack of consistency in such:

So first I want to start by talking about the running game. The Eagles rank 5th in rushing play percentage with 47.42%. Now I know that number looks good, but is it really? Well let's look at another number here. The Eagles are ranked 16th in yards per rushed; with only 4.2. What does that mean you may ask. Well, it means yes, the Eagles are running the ball. But in reality, it's not at a great average per rushing attempt. The truth here is that though the tush push works great. It is a big part of our total percentage of rushing plays. If you've been watching any of the games, you can see that the Eagles fail to run the ball with D'Andre Swift consistently. 

The main rushing attempts I've seen is from QB sneaks, and QB runs in general. The sad thing of it all is that when Swift gets his hands on the ball, he continues to show why he deserves more touches. But that isn't the case with the Eagles. Who does this all fall on? Well, clearly Brian Johnson is the one creating the gameplan and calling the plays. The calls that he's been sending out to execute have been terrible as of recent. Too many WR bubble screens and play action passes without a genuine running game in place. To have those kinds of plays actually workout, there has to be a real running game. The reason being, is that you have to set those screens and play action passes up.

The defense has to be fooled and feel as though the run is coming to them. If not, they are well expecting those plays to end up in passes. Which let's be honest here. Us as fans, casual and diehards. Can see the pass coming off the play action and WR screens from a mile away. Brian Johnson has to do a better job of implementing a genuine running game to set up those other plays he wants to incorporate. 

Is Brian Johnson in jeopardy of losing his job? And should he?

I think at this point we're all either wondering this or asking this question. I'll be very honest here. Personally, I don't think his job is in jeopardy. Because at the end of the day the Eagles are winning games. Not the way that we the fan would like them to. But they are winning games. As well as the fact that when they are on, they are on! I thin k that Nick Siriani is going to give Brian Johnson a break here being that it's only his first year as a OC. But then again how much of a leash can you give him if the Eagles decide to give him another year? The truth is that there's so much talent on the offense that his play calling mistakes don't look as bad as they really are. Since the Eagles keep winning and the defense continues to save and help the offense get more chances to score. 

Now, if you ask me. I think he should be in the hot seat. First year or not, the truth is the game planning has been utter garbage. The fact that the Eagles have talent in the backfield and don't use that talent properly is poor execution from the play caller. There is no doubt about that. Also, the fact that it took so long for him to get DeVonta Smith involved this season is another issue. Listen, I get it, there's a lot of talent on this team and a lot of mouths to feed. But as an OC your job is to make the most of the talent on the team. That has been honestly far from the truth in regard to Johnson's play calling. All in all, my personal opinion is. This should be for sure his last year as an OC for the Eagles. 

Frank Reich back as OC?

Now I know this is a longshot, and I'm pretty sure they're some fans that wouldn't care much to have Reich back as an OC. But let's be honest here, would he be an upgrade to Johnson? My simple answer is yes! Look the truth is Frank Reich hasn't had the best of luck as the head honcho of a team. Then again, he had issues with building them. Or in Indy's case actually finding a solid quarterback after Luck left. Outside of all of that we should all be real here. He is a really good OC, and personally I think he could take advantage of the talent on this team. 

Outside of the failures of his play calling with the Panthers. He is actually really good and had done a great job with the Eagles in the pass. And keep in mind that was with Carson Wentz. Imagine what he could do with Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and D'Andre Swift. That image excites me because I could see the Eagles easily being the number one offense in the league. Yes, you can say I'm exaggerating this. But let's be honest Reich would be an upgrade to Johnson. Outside of that I'm just looking to see what the Eagles are going to do with the offense and the OC in the offseason if anything changes at all.

Let's Go Birds! E-A-G-L-E-S! EAGLES!!!