Tag: Kellen Moore

Kellen Moore could go away from using scripted plays to help counter Eagles slow starts

Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore could go away from using scripted plays to help counter Eagles slow starts

The Eagles are 10-2 and roaring toward another deep playoff run.

Still, Philadelphia and head coach Nick Sirianni’s biggest concern is the Birds’ offense’s penchant for stagnation and inefficiency during the first quarter of games.

The Eagles rank last in first-quarter points with 17. Overall, Philadelphia’s offense has been one of the NFL’s best, finishing No. 3 in total offense through 13 weeks while averaging 377.7 yards per game.

During his weekly press conference, Kellen Moore addressed some of the struggles.

 We’ve navigated this in different ways. We’ll talk about it again this week to find us the best way to execute. L.A., felt like we had a good drive going. Ended up short in the red zone. This past week, one first down, got stalled out.

It’s a frustrating aspect of our thing. We’ll keep working.

Jeff McLane of The Inquirer asked Moore about potentially abandoning scripting his first 15-20 plays and letting the offense flow.

 It’s definitely something we’ve had a lot of discussions about. Different ways that we can attack the defense play to our strengths, focus on us, make the adjustments as the game goes that we need to make. Obviously it’s something that we’ve started slow unfortunately for too many games. Something we’ve got to do a better job of.

In the Eagles’ 24-19 win over the Ravens last Sunday, the offense went three-and-out on all three first-quarter drives.

Thanks to weapons like quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and running back Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia has the ability to work through any slow start and promptly adjust at the half.

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Kellen Moore echoes Nick Sirianni’s belief that Jalen Hurts has played like an MVP

Kellen Moore echoes Nick Sirianni’s belief that Jalen Hurts has played like an MVP

During the Eagles’ eight-game winning streak, Jalen Hurts’ passer rating is 114.1. While Saquon Barkley is getting all the MVP love, Philadelphia’s star quarterback has been efficient, and even more importantly, he has cut down on turnover-worthy plays.

After the Eagles linemen suggested becoming a run-first team, Hurts has averaged only 21.5 attempts and 195.5 yards per game, but he’s produced just two turnovers and 20 total touchdowns, ten rushing and ten passing.

His head coach called him an MVP candidate, and his offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, echoed that sentiment.

 Jalen’s [Hurts] did an excellent job of operating at a really high level, making big-time plays when needed.

In some situations, the tendency has been to run the ball slightly down the stretch. Jalen is also part of that. He is running the football, as well, just alongside [RB] Saquon [Barkley].

He’s done an incredible job protecting the football, which is a huge aspect of this game. He puts us in really good situations throughout the game. He does a lot of stuff that not everyone sees; people take casually what he does at a really high level.

Hurts’ 2,494 passing yards are 20th in the NFL, his 14 touchdowns are tied for 16th in the NFL, and his 64.2 QBR is 10th in the league.

Hurts is on pace for his lowest passing totals since taking over for Carson Wentz in 2020, but all he does is win, and he’s started 10-2 for the third straight season.

Eagles OC Kellen Moore weighs in on potential replacement if Dallas Goedert misses time

Eagles OC Kellen Moore weighs in on potential replacement if Dallas Goedert misses time

Philadelphia moved to 10-2 on the season with a 24-19 win over Baltimore on Sunday and received even better news on the injury front afterward.

Dallas Goedert was forced to exit with a knee injury late in the Week 13 win, and Jeff McLane of The Inquirer reported that Eagles brass believed their star tight end avoided severe injury.

Now, after a Monday MRI, Goedert will be week to week, and while he could be a candidate for IR, he’ll be around for the playoffs.

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was asked about potential replacements for his star tight end.

“We’ll see how this week progresses. It’s December football; a lot of guys are banged up. That’s how these weeks now naturally progress.”

“We feel fortunate that we have a number of guys with [TE] Grant [Calcaterra] obviously playing an excellent role when he hopped up when Dallas was down earlier. [TE] E.J. [Jenkins] and [TE] C.J. [Uzomah], have both played a few games this year. They’re ready to go. We feel fortunate to have the depth that we have. We’ll see how it progresses.”

Goedert had three catches for 35 yards (11.7 avg) and one touchdown on the afternoon, moving his season totals to 38 receptions for 441 yards (11.6 avg) and two touchdowns. Philadelphia will start preparation for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and Goedert could be held out ahead of a huge matchup against the Steelers in Week 15.

If Goedert does miss time, Calcaterra is a capable backup, and C.J. Uzomah was signed to the active roster from the practice squad.

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Kellen Moore on the problems Panthers defense could pose for Eagles explosive offense

Kellen Moore says Panthers defense could pose problems for Eagles explosive offense

The Eagles (10-2) return to Lincoln Financial Field for an intriguing matchup against the improving Carolina Panthers (3-9).

The record may not indicate as such, but Dave Canales’s team has shown continued improvement week to week. Philadelphia’s biggest concern could come from a Panthers defense that can get after the passer.

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore broke down some of those concerns and what the Panthers do well.

“I think they’re playing really good ball the last four weeks. The numbers all show it. They’re playing really good. I think having the edge rushers back, secondary, really good corners, they’re really physical, aggressive guys.”

“I think you can tell they’re playing well connected naturally because they’re getting guys that are playing together now for a number of weeks together, which contributes to guys being on the same page, communicating, playing at a high level. They’ve played really well.”

The Panthers have lost their last two games by a combined six points, also losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 (30-27).

The Carolina defense is strong on the edges, with defensive end A’Shawn Robinson ranking seventh in solo tackles among defensive linemen since 2016. In last week’s loss, Robinson also added six total tackles and one tackle for loss, his fifth game in a row with at least five tackles.

Robinson leads all defensive linemen in total tackles this season (59).

Robinson’s running mate, Jadeveon Clowney, has had five quarterback hits in the last two games and six tackles for loss in the previous six.

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Cowboys Coordinator Bowl I goes to Eagles as Commanders fall apart in Q4

Two former Dallas lieutenants met as Cowboys’ rivals on opposite sidelines on Thursday night in a battle for division supremacy.

The Dallas Cowboys have enjoyed a ton of regular season success over the last several years, which makes their 2024 performance extremely disappointing. Sitting at 3-6, their playoff hopes are on life support as Week 11 starts to unfold. Mike McCarthy and his current staff are all on notice they’ll likely be looking elsewhere for employment in 2024.

Their two most recent high-profile coordinators though are enjoying a ton of success this season. Kellen Moore, former OC under both Jason Garrett and McCarthy, is now in charge of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator from the last three 12-5 Cowboys seasons, is now the head coach in Washington. They former co-workers met up on opposite sidelines Thursday night with Quinn’s Commanders getting the 26-18 victory.

The two teams entered their TNF matchup with a combined 14-5 record, but despite some questionable calls in their favor throughout, Washington fell apart late.

Quinn’s troops entered the fourth quarter with a 10-6 lead, but a dumb fourth-down decision by Quinn gave Moore’s offense the opening it needed to score three rushing touchdowns; his new signature. Washington scored a no-urgency TD with just 28 seconds left to close the gap, but the onside kick attempt failed.

What’s interesting for Cowboys’ fans though is how far each’s former units have plummeted in performance and ranking since each left.

Moore joined Garrett’s staff in his lame-duck 2019 season and moved the Cowboys’ offense from 17th to 6th in scoring. With a 2020 mulligan for Prescott’s broken leg, he also had them ranked 1st and 4th in his other seasons. However playoff disappointment and McCarthy wanting to take over play-calling (to save his job, likely) led to Moore moving on to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023.

Initially McCarthy did find success, as the Cowboys returned to the No. 1 scoring offense in 2023. But there was a catch. Quinn’s defense’s were monsters at creating extra opportunities for the offense by being at or near the top of forced turnovers the last three seasons.

Without Quinn in tow, the turnovers have stopped and even before the Cowboys lost Prescott for the season again, their offense was in the bottom third of the NFL in 2024.

Quinn’s defense finished seventh, fifth and fifth in points allowed during his three seasons in Dallas. Jerry Jones was able to convince Quinn to stay in Dallas the last several seasons despite head coaching interviews all over the league, but Quinn finally bolted to land with the division rival Commanders.

Moore was let go along with head coach Brandon Staley and his entire staff in LA and landed in Philadelphia. Both have been cooking in their first seasons elsewhere in the NFC East.

Eagles OC Kellen Moore breaks down what QB Cooper Rush brings to Cowboys offense

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore breaks down what Cooper Rush brings to the Dallas Cowboys offense

The Eagles know what it’s like to face the Cowboys without quarterback Jalen Hurts, and Dallas will now face Philadelphia again without Dak Prescott.

Prescott missed the October 2022 game against the Eagles with an ankle fracture, and Cooper Rush was 18-38 passing for 474 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.

With Prescott out four games with a hamstring injury, Rush will again lead Dallas against Philadelphia in an intense NFC East rivalry that could put the Cowboys on the brink of playoff elimination.

As the Eagles prepare to take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10, Vic Fangio’s defensive coaching staff can ask Kellen Moore for insight on likely starter Cooper Rush.

Moore spent four seasons with Rush in Dallas—one year as QB coach and three as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator—giving the Eagles’ staff intimate knowledge of the signal-caller.

Moore had nothing but praise for Rush, who’ll be confident facing the Eagles pass rush.

“Coop is a really smart player,” Moore said Tuesday, via the team’s official transcript. “He has a great feel for the game. Anticipation. Vision. Feel for what the defense is doing. I think he puts himself in a really good position. He can handle volume from an offensive game plan perspective. When Coop has gone in there, he’s had success. It’ll still be a challenge for us.”

Dallas will likely put Dak Prescott on injured reserve, knocking him out for at least four weeks. The team has Trey Lance as an option under center.

Rush won’t have the benefit of a dominant defense that, in 2022, allowed 15.8 PPG in Rush’s five starts (28.1 PPG allowed in 2024), while Moore’s offense averaged 128.4 rush (82.0 rush YPG in 2024).

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WATCH: Eagles OC Kellen Moore breaks down why Jalen Hurts isn’t under center more

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore breaks down why Jalen Hurts isn’t under center more

The Eagles have made offensive adjustments since switching coordinators and losing six of their final seven games in 2023. Philadelphia added some motion to the offense and a star running back in Saquon Barkley.

The one approach to the offense that hasn’t altered since Jalen Hurts became the starter is his penchant for running their offense from the shotgun or pistol formation. On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore provided some insight into why Hurts is rarely under center.

According to Crossing Broad via SportsRadar Data, through Week 14 of last year, Philadelphia ran 7.2% of their plays last season from under center, which, at the time, was dead last in the league.

The only other team with their quarterback under center a little more was Shane Steichen’s Indianapolis Colts. If you count the Brotherly Shoves on third or fourth down, the penchant for running plays from under center lessens even more.

Running out of the shotgun seems to give Hurts more opportunity to create explosive plays with his legs and elite athletic ability. Thanks to RPOs and motion, Philadelphia can run play-action passes from any formation.

Eagles make franchise history with fifth straight game of a scoreless first-quarter

This is the first time in Eagles history they haven’t scored any points in the first quarter through their first 5 games.

The Eagles have one of the NFL’s most explosive offensive units, but unlike the 2022 squad that reached the Super Bowl, this team struggles to generate any offense or points in the first quarter.

Sunday against Cleveland marked the fifth-straight game in which the Birds went scoreless in the first quarter, a new franchise record.

The Eagles eventually scored, getting on the board first with a Jake Elliott field goal that completed a 14-play, 58-yard drive.

Analyzing the Eagles’ floor and ceiling for the 2024 season

Analyzing the Eagles’ floor and ceiling for the 2024 season

The Eagles have a loaded roster, and although they are potential Super Bowl favorites, could this team, filled with 12 stars making $10+ million a season or more, have a collapse worse than what we experienced in 2024?

ESPN looked at the ceilings and floors for all 32 NFL teams. While Tim McManus believes the club could win 13 games as they did in 2022, McManus wouldn’t be shocked if the Birds went 8-9 with the wheels falling off.

Ceiling: 13-4

Biggest X factor: Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore

Floor: 8-9

The Eagles’ high-powered attack fell into a funk late last season, aiding in the team’s 1-6 collapse and early playoff exit. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson was fired and head coach Nick Sirianni handed much of the creative control over to Johnson’s replacement, Moore. The former Cowboys and Chargers OC has been hard at work addressing problem areas from last season, including lack of pre-snap motion (the Eagles were last in that category in 2023) and effectiveness against the blitz (Jalen Hurts threw a league-high eight interceptions when facing those pressures). A disconnect in visions between Hurts and Sirianni helped fuel the downturn. It’s imperative Moore and Hurts sync up. — Tim McManus

The offense is loaded, and as long as Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson can avoid injury, things will be fine. On defense, Vic Fangio’s presence alone should count for two wins, and improved play at the linebacker position could push this unit into the top ten.

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Darius Slay on Eagles OC Kellen Moore: He’s giving Jalen Hurts the freedom to be elite

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay says Kellen Moore is going to make Jalen Hurts an elite QB

Kellen Moore has had a positive impact on Jalen Hurts through three weeks of training camp, and it has nothing to do with the Eagles star quarterback not throwing an interception in training camp.

Moore is allowing Hurts to adjust at the line of scrimmage while tailoring Philadelphia’s new offense around Hurts’ dynamic skill set.

During a recent episode of his Big Play Slay podcast, the Eagles Pro Bowl cornerback praised Kellen Moore while explaining how he’ll give Hurts the “freedom” to be elite.

Hurts has stated that 95% of the offense is new. Kellen Moore’s system and the Eagles’ offense will be noticeably different, with more bunch sets and pre-snap motion, allowing the quarterback to have more straightforward and detailed reads at the line of scrimmage.

Hurts is entering year No. 5 in the NFL, and he’s familiar with learning an offense, seeing as he’s had 10+ offensive coordinators since his time at Alabama. With a massive $255 million contract, Hurts has entered that phase of his career where he wants to take complete ownership of the offense he’s been in charge of commanding to a Super Bowl.

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