Eagles fan resorts to protesting outside the team’s facility demanding the firing of DC Sean Desai following team’s lackluster performance on defense

Unable to bear DC Sean Desai's terrible play calling, this fan decided to take matters into his own hands by calling him out.

Eagles fan resorts to protesting outside the team’s facility demanding the firing of DC Sean Desai following team’s lackluster performance on defense

The fan called out Sean Desai for his terrible play calling lately. (via @mrstar01 on X/ NBC Sports Philadelphia)

The Philadelphia Eagles‘ recent performance against the Dallas Cowboys was atrocious. Apart from losing the game, they ended up losing their position atop the NFC East.

The 33-13 beating they took marks their second consecutive loss. To make matters worse, they lost to their biggest divisional rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers, teams which they will face in the playoffs. The bulk of the blame for the loss fell on the defense, especially the calls made by the team’s defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

A fan was sick of seeing his team give up so many points to opposing offenses and decided to take matters into his own hands. He stood in front of the team’s facility with a poster reading “Fire Sean Desai” decked up in the team’s official gear.

FS Video
YouTube video

In addition to Desai, he had two empty trash cans next to him with “No Play Slay” and “Bradberry” written on them. This is a reference to cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

Has the Eagles’ defense really been so bad that fans are now lining up to take shots at their own team? The answer is yes. The numbers paint a better picture. As per NBC Sports Philadelphia, the team ranks 28th in pass defense; it ranks 22nd in sacks per pass play, last in third-down plays, 30th in the red zone, 28th in points allowed, 28th in first downs allowed, and 31st in interceptions.

The Philadelphia Eagles defense has been the polar opposite of what it was last season

Last season, the team ranked either first or was within the top 15 ranks of the aforementioned metrics across the board. The team’s defense has given up 30+ points in their last three games. The team has allowed a mind-boggling 2,569 total yards since Week 8 this season, it also happens to be up the third most yards they have allowed in franchise history across a six-game span.

Eagles defense
The Eagles defense has had a rough couple of weeks. (via Sports Illustrated)

Let’s talk about the fan’s criticism of cornerbacks, Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Slay ranks 74th in the league with 48 solo tackles, 29th in the league with just 2 interceptions, and 4th in the league in passes defended with 15.

In all honesty, that is not trash. He has played up to the standards he is accustomed to. Bradberry, on the other hand has had 33 solo tackles, 1 interception, a passer rating of 107.8, and has been rated 57.8 overall by Pro Football Focus as opposed to Slay’s 68.4

So it is evident that Bradberry has faced some struggles this season. Consider the team’s linebackers now. They are decent on a good day. The reason for this is that they lost their best linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White in the offseason and are facing the heat now. None of the linebackers they have on their roster are top-10 in the NFL.

Shaquille Leonard, the offensive linebacker who had a great run on the Indianapolis Colts, was the Eagles latest signing. However, after his stellar rookie year, he has been unable to recreate that magic again. He played in just 3 games last season and 1 game this year for the Colts.

The best way to gain yards against the Eagles is to run them out of the game, quite literally. The team has allowed 168, 173, 146, and 138 yards respectively in their last four games. The Eagles rank 7th in the league when it comes to most rushing yards allowed as the team has given away 1,222 yards and 10 touchdowns to their opponents.

What makes this stat so surprising is the fact that just a month ago, this team had the most dominant run defense in the NFL. Where exactly did things go wrong so fast?

Sean Desai
Sean Desai (via Philadelphia Inquirer)

And how about the interceptions, the team has managed to go 19 consecutive games with just one or no interceptions at all, making it the second-longest streak in franchise history. This season, the Eagles have been racking up all the wrong records. This has to make the team reconsider the future of Sean Desai, who was appointed as the team’s defensive coordinator in the offseason.

The team lost both its offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason. Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon got opportunities to become the Head Coaches of the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals, respectively.

The Eagles have a relatively easier schedule to close out the season as they have two games against the Giants, one against the Cardinals, and Seahawks, respectively. While the team is expected to win every subsequent game, the real concern remains: what will the team’s fate be come playoff time? They lost vital games to both their divisional rivals and not just by a few points, by nearly 20+ points.

Sean Desai’s job is on the line because a team that ranked atop most defensive metrics last season has slipped to the bottom in the concluding weeks of the season. It comes as no surprise that the fan was outraged and opted to protest in the manner he did because the Eagles have been playing like garbage lately.

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