How much will Matt Patricia change the Eagles' defense? – NBC Sports Philadelphia

For 58 minutes Monday night, the story was how Matt Patricia, the Eagles' new de facto defensive coordinator, held the Seahawks to 13 points as the team held on for a big conference win on the road.

It didn't quite happen.

Instead, the Seahawks mounted a powerful, game-winning 92-yard drive at Lumen Field to hand the Eagles their third straight loss.

“Yes, I mean, obviously I'm going to get everything back,” Patricia said Thursday in his first news conference since last week's promotion. “That motivation starts with me, and I've got to do a better job of getting them in position to get us off the field and obviously help us win. I thought our guys played really hard. I was really proud of the way they came out and I give them credit for what they did. Try to play in a way Aggressive. Tried to play physical up front. Covered really well. Obviously the two-minute drive wasn't good enough. That's me.

“I've got to get some stuff out there, get in there, whatever it is, to help them a little bit more so they can get out there — and obviously give them credit as well. They made a great play, too. They're a good football team. But I've got to do a better job.” “

The Eagles quietly switched up defensive coordinator last week, demoting Sean Desai after 13 games (and a 10-3 record) and handing the reins of the defense to 49-year-old Patricia, who had been defensive coordinator and coach. Previously a head coach in the NFL.

Patricia doesn't have the DC title but he does have the power. Even if he doesn't want to talk about it.

“I think it's always collaborative,” Patricia said Thursday. “We meet and we talk and we have different thoughts and ideas. Certainly, like I said, it was a great opportunity for me to get to know the defense that Sean has been building, but really, it's the Eagles' defense. It's the 2023 Eagles. And that's what we're trying to develop.”

“I think things change a little bit every year in football and schemes change depending on the people and personnel you have. Certainly, I think that's what we've been trying to do throughout the year.”

Thursday was the first time Patricia spoke to a group of reporters since the Eagles quietly hired him late in the 2023 season. The soft-spoken longtime NFL assistant entered the Eagles' auditorium at the NovaCare Complex and introduced himself to everyone in the room before To stand behind the microphone.

Patricia mentioned the collaborative process several times Thursday. It is definitely a collaborative process. But if the Eagles want the status quo on that side of the ball, they won't make a drastic change.

We saw some differences with the Eagles' defense Monday night in Seattle, though Patricia made the point that matchups often dictate the scheme on a single play. But we saw a deeper and more diverse rotation on the defensive line, increased use of subpackages with more defensive backs, some blitzes in the zone and other signs that Patricia is now in charge of the Eagles' defense.

Naturally, Patricia took over in December, with only four games left on the schedule. There's not enough time to completely turn the scheme around, and head coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged that this week.

“You won't necessarily see complete sweeping changes at this time of year, but you will see some different things here and there, and the offenses will see some different things here and there,” he said.

“Obviously, in terms of competitive advantages, I'm not going to get into all the different things or pretty much any of the different things that you'll see, but there will be differences. But, again, we'll stick to some of the basic things that we've done, and we've done a good job over the past few weeks.” The first 14 of the season.

“Like I said, it's a team effort by our defensive staff. Matt's the main decision-maker now. Sean still has a voice there, our assistant coaches still have a voice there. We're just trying to improve on what we do well and continue to do what we're doing.” Well and eliminate some of the mistakes we made.

For the first 13 weeks of the season, Patricia played the role of utility man. His title with the Eagles was senior defensive assistant but he said he helped out on defense, on offense with his old friend Jeff Stoutland and even on special teams. He's also served as a sounding board for Sirianni, who appreciates input from the only former NFL coach on his staff.

But for at least the rest of this season, Patricia's role with the Eagles will be that of de facto defensive coordinator. One of his most important jobs will be calling defensive plays to the green dot on game days.

Throughout his years in the NFL, he “morphed” into a play-caller, Patricia said.

“I think sometimes, with the game part, you go to different experiences that you've had in those situations,” Patricia said. “Sometimes there are different instincts in the moment, like I'm feeling this. A lot of that happens within the game, maybe because of something that experience has taught you, usually in a negative way in previous years.

“You try to rely on those as much as I can. Everything we do to prepare for the game is do our best to put the players in the right positions so they can play fast and aggressive. I think when you don't do that as a coach, that's where you feel the worst. That's when you feel the worst.” Really because I didn't give that person a chance to succeed on that play.

For 58 minutes in his debut as the Eagles' play-caller, it looked like Patricia did a pretty good job of it all. It's just the final drive that cost him. But there are still three regular season games and the playoffs for Patricia to turn things around.

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