Lane Johnson explains how push from players helped change Eagles’ offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles’ offense has found some more stable footing in the three games since an early bye week.
And some veteran players are at least partially responsible.
Right tackle Lane Johnson on Friday afternoon explained that during and just after the bye week, he and other veteran members of the Eagles’ offensive line spoke up in offensive meetings to push for more runs and play action passes.
“It was really an offensive-led movement,” Johnson said. “We knew we had to make some adjustments. Some of the guys, some of the leaders, veterans, on the O-line, we had our fair share of talks and help in it. We just want the offense to be the best version of itself and win some games and hopefully score some points in the f—ing first quarter.”
Johnson, along with Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson, were vocal in offensive meetings to find a new formula to get the offense rolling at a better clip.
Johnson on Friday compared it to the shift in offensive philosophy the team went through during the 2021 season beginning with the Lions game in Week 8 that year. Before that game, the Eagles were 2-5 but turned things around to finish with a 9-8 record and a playoff berth. They did it by leaning more on the run game.
Offensive linemen are always going to want to run the football, but Johnson and his teammates have seen how well Saquon Barkley has played through seven games. Barkley already has 766 rushing yards and is on pace to break the franchise single-season mark. Earlier this week, A.J. Brown called Barkley “super human.”
After averaging 21.5 points per game in the first three weeks of the season, the Eagles have averaged 28.3 during this three-game winning streak.
“I think we have a really good running back in the backfield,” Johnson said. “We’d like to give him touches. But I think we had some discussions there during the bye week and coming back — what was our identity? And we hadn’t established that.”
Since Johnson is in his 12th NFL season with the Eagles, he feels like he has an advantage when it comes to speaking up. But he praised head coach Nick Sirianni for being “responsive” when suggestions are brought his way.
Johnson said Sirianni is a good listener and suggestions are “not in one ear and out the other.”
“Yeah, we talk about everything together,” Sirianni said on Friday morning. “We go through our processes together. Same thing, I won’t say this percentage or that percentage or anything like that, but you try to evaluate as a coach what your players do well. You do that based on practice. You do that based on games, and what you’re being successful at, and what you’re not being successful at.
“You do that also by talking to the players. ‘How do you feel about this? How do you feel about that?’ It’s a both/and, and we’re all in this together. We win games together; we lose games together. We get to the best answers together. Again, it’s just why it’s one of the greatest team sports there is.”
Johnson said under Sirianni, players have always felt encouraged to speak up.
After the win over the Bengals on Sunday, quarterback Jalen Hurts talked about the importance of the Eagles being the “imposers” on offense. He said they can do the from the shotgun, under center, running the ball, play action game. He just wants the Eagles to be in control and be able to dictate more than react.
In recent weeks, we have seen an offense that has been more in control.
“It’s about production. It’s about having a great offense,” Johnson said. “We’re all in this together. Everybody has a win when we win, everybody has a loss when we lose. For us, it’s about getting the offense rolling and putting our best foot forward. That’s what it’s really about.”
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