Eagles Now Free To Hire An Offensive Coordinator Who Doesn’t Suck

The precocious Eagles child got his wish, sort of. The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday that offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has been removed from his position, though he will not be banished to a career of burger-flipping, and may even remain on head coach Nick Sirianni's staff. This was Sirianni's statement in full:

I have decided to make a change at offensive coordinator. I met with Kevin today to discuss the difficult decision, as he is a great coach who has my utmost respect. He has been integral to this team's success over the last five years, not only to the on-field product but behind the scenes as a valued leader for our players and organization. I have no doubt he will continue to have a successful coaching career.

Ultimately, when we fall short of our goals that responsibility lies on my shoulders.

You know things have gone bad for an offensive coordinator when knowledge of his poor job performance has escaped the usual confines of the most dedicated parts of the fanbase. Any conversation with a Philadelphia resident in the past four months was likely to feature Patullo's name being derisively spit out, and with good reason. The Eagles' season ended Sunday in a 23-19 wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the perfect capper to one of the most lifeless 11-6 campaigns ever produced. The team that rampaged to a Super Bowl title last season was nowhere to be found, and in its place was one that seemed structurally incapable of moving the ball down the field. Jalen Hurts threw for 168 yards in that game, and when his team's season was on the line, all Patullo's offense could muster was a limp pass over the middle to a triple-covered tight end.