Eagles Sign Kellen Moore: The Significance of the Cowboys’ Former Coach’s Presence
Kellen Moore, an outside line coach that happens to specialize in something Nick Sirianni does not, was hired by the Eagles.
PHILADELPHIA: The Philadelphia Eagles’ “new ideas” produced Kellen Moore.
When he returns to the NovaCare Complex going forward, the 35-year-old former backup quarterback in Detroit and Dallas will be starting his sixth season as an NFL offensive coordinator. Before being blamed for the Cowboys’ postseason collapses, Moore served as the offensive coordinator for four seasons. He then spent one season in Los Angeles as Justin Herbert’s tutor.
The first impression of Moore against Nick Sirianni as offensive coordinators is that the former utilizes motion and places the quarterback under center significantly more than the latter, but those straightforward facts overlook the context of Dak Prescott and Herbert’s abilities versus Jalen Hurts’ skill set.
In actuality, Moore made the proper decisions for the QBs he had, and Sirianni showed himself to be sufficiently flexible to design an attack around Hurts.
After Sirianni was effectively ordered to bring in new ideas and faces for an offense that was getting old and stagnant, it remains to be seen whether or not those clashes in Philadelphia will make for the most intriguing plot of the Eagles’ upcoming 2024 season.
Moore has been a target of the Eagles organization since at least 2021, when they interviewed him for the position of head coach. It’s important to remember that Sirianni was employed by Jeffrey Lurie, thus it would be false to claim that his offensive ideas were occasionally eclipsed by Moore’s attention.
Even at his early age, Moore has expertise creating game plans, inventing passing concepts, and calling plays. This is significant because Brian Johnson was inexperienced in these areas when he was a professional.
From a statistical perspective, Moore’s offenses have also been quite effective. He has piloted two No. 1 units using an enhanced DVOA measure in addition to a traditional perspective.
It has, however, typically been fairly pass-heavy, and Moore’s inability to employ the dampener to end games led to his dismissal in Dallas, with McCarthy declaring he preferred a more complimentary style to offensive football.
Moore’s first season there saw the Chargers suffer mightily with running the football, so the Eagles will need Jeff Stoutland to stay on as the run-game coordinator
It’s a worry that Hurts being used more under center and motion are simply overreactions to Philadelphia’s alleged troubles in the latter part of the season. While Sirianni frequently contradicted himself by stating that he would never want to be in the bottom five in any NFL competition, he was regularly in the bottom five when it came to eye candy before the draft.
Using pre-snap motion, Moore was ranked eighth in the NFL with the Chargers and Herbert in the previous campaign.
An further critique directed towards Sirianni’s offensive scheme was its insufficient use of blitz-beaters, a position Hurts and Moore’s offenses are known for excelling at. Prescott and Herbert had a historic game last season against Brian Flores’ extremely blitz-heavy scheme, and Dallas was No. 1 against the blitz in 2022.
Hurts will have no more justifications if he is unable to properly manage the blitz in 2023.
Moore will also be working under a head coach who is viewed as a lame duck in some quarters for the second straight season. The Chargers did dismiss Brandon Staley, and Sirianni might wind up unemployed after yet another disappointing campaign. Since Moore will essentially be working in four different cities in four years, the Eagles want to elevate him in this situation at the very least.
Philadelphia will probably have a limited lifespan, even with prosperity. Should the Eagles rise to the top of the league in 2024, Moore will likely be in high demand as a coach somewhere else and Sirianni will likely find his footing again. However, given that there had never been an NFL offensive coordinator before to 2022, instability is a natural element of the current environment.
The word “uncomfortable” has been used frequently to characterize Jeffery Lurie’s plan to shake things up at the NovaCare Complex following the poor conclusion of the 2023 season.
To give the franchise fresh vitality, the owner has now pushed Siri Anniversary and Hurts beyond of their comfort zones.Although it’s a risk, Lurie thought it was necessary.
