The response after two losses with a road trip to London on the agenda for the Philadelphia Eagles and for Head Coach Nick Sirianni is the same as the ones that have come in previous seasons when the team has faced adversity and many, many questions: Double down on what you know to be true.
It is what Sirianni did way back in 2021 when the Eagles struggled in his first season. And what he's done in subsequent seasons, including 2024 after the Eagles began the season 2-2 and then, well, you know how that season played out.
So, it is no different now.
The team is well aware of the challenges it faces. This is the way of life in the NFL, when there is nary a team that doesn't face hurdles through the course of a season.
"I think a lot of teams are still looking for what that is this early in the season, after a quarter through the season," Sirianni said on Monday to reporters. "We've had different seasons where we felt really good about where we were at that particular time, and we've had seasons where we haven't, and we're able to figure it out along the way. It's constantly a process, and just because you say your identity is one thing at this particular time, that may stay the same all the way through, but that could change too.
"There's a lot of things that go into that, and you're always trying to do exactly the things that your players do best while also running the schemes that you want to do. That's fluid throughout the year. I would just say it hasn't been consistent enough, so you do search. When you haven't been consistent enough in both coaching and playing, then you are searching for the things that you're supposed to do well."
The Eagles are back at it as they prepare for Jacksonville in London on Sunday, and they are beginning the week not totally knowing who will be available for the game. Injuries are a factor in this, and the roster picture is fluid.
That's where perspective comes into play. The Eagles aren't the only team going through the machinations of roster juggling and it isn't a new thing to them. You have to trust the entire roster.
"I think everybody's going through the same thing. Sometimes you can look at things that you're going through and be like, 'Man, I'm the only one going through this.' That's in life and that's in football," Sirianni said. "But this is the NFL. Everybody's going through something like that. We'll never use that as an excuse because that's life in the NFL. You're going to constantly have different pieces working in and out, and we're having that right now. We feel really good about the guys who come in and take the reps and are always happy for those guys that they get an opportunity and that they're well-prepared. We've gotten enough reps there with those guys who have been in that we don't think of it that way."
So, it is a wait and see to see who will be on the practice field later in the week and then make the trip to London. The team leaves on Friday to play the Sunday afternoon game (2:30 PM kickoff in London, 9:30 AM in Philadelphia) against Jacksonville.
And, remember, there is a game the following Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field against Carolina at 1 PM.
"We felt like leaving Friday was best for our team and this team and with the schedule that we have with the weeks coming up," Sirianni said. "A lot of research obviously went into it. You guys know when I've discussed these things with you about short weeks, long weeks, rain weeks, hot weeks, whatever it may be, international weeks, of how to go about it.
"Obviously, this one's a little different than our last international trip because it was on the first game of the season (2024 in Brazil), and we're trying to get a full week's worth of practice in before we go up there. We felt like this was through the studies that we did and through all the things that we looked at, we decided on this. At the end of the day, I've got to make those decisions, and this is the decision I chose with the help of great people, no doubt, but at the end of the day, I have to make this decision. This is the one I chose to help this team get ready for this game this week."
