Graham Loss “Bigger Than A Lot Of People Understand”

After a dominant start to the season in Atlanta, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and his team took a step back in their home opener Sunday, losing 17-11 to the 49ers.

Questionable play calls put Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in tough spots all day long, said former Eagles safety Quintin Mikell and former Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant, who  shared their thoughts on those confusing calls on the latest “Q&A” on Inside The Birds.

“The Eagles had a 3rd-and-6, which we ran the ball on, which was kind of mind blowing to me,” Avant said. “And then we had a 3rd-and-3 where he [Jalen Hurts] had Dallas Goedert in the flat right away, but we rolled it left. People think, “OK, you have Dallas Goedert in the flat right away.’ But when you’re rolling a right-handed quarterback to the left, it takes more time; he doesn’t feel comfortable with that throw because his shoulders aren’t square. Therefore, why do you run a roll-out left with a right-handed quarterback? Some things just don’t make sense – and that did not make sense.”

Nick Sirianni hopes his calls vs. Dallas on Monday night fare better than they did against SF

Mikell felt the Eagles defense’ could’ve been more aggressive throughout the game, although he said lack of blitzing was the least of the Eagles’ problems against the Niners. He also touched on the widespread impact Brandon Graham’s injury will have.

“Obviously losing Brandon Graham was huge,” he said. “ I think that’s gonna be bigger than a lot of people may not know or understand. He was the heart and soul of that D-line, him and [Fletcher Cox]. He does a lot for that defensive front, so it’s gonna be tough to replace him. But I think given the situation, the defense did OK.”

Also discussed: The upcoming Monday Night Football road matchup against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Mikell and Avant explained what preparing for the Dallas games was like when they played, and the level of distaste they have for the team and its fans.

“I can’t even really put it into words,” Mikell said. “You just show up to work on Wednesday just mad and angry. From Wednesday morning at 6:30 AM, you’re just in a pissed-off mood all the way up until game day. The biggest part is that their fans are just so annoying. They just get on my last nerves and they’re everywhere. They’re just the most annoying fans on the planet Earth.”

Check out the full show on the Inside The Birds YouTube channel.

– Tyler Strasser (@tylerstrasser7) is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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