Eagles OC Brian Johnson "very, very comfortable" with calling plays
After winning the NFC last year, the Eagles appear primed to make another run at a title in 2023.
But a factor that could affect the charge is that Philadelphia has a new offensive and defensive coordinator after Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon departed the organization to become head coaches.
On offense, Brian Johnson was promoted from quarterbacks coach to OC and he'll take over the play-calling duties.
Johnson, 36, has been an offensive coordinator in three of his previous stops at the college level. So it’s not like he’s going to be selecting plays for the first time.
“My comfort level with calling plays is very, very comfortable in terms of seeing the game and being able to set different things up,” Johnson said in his Tuesday press conference. “But again, I think it just goes to what people may not often realize is a lot of that work is done during the week, and it’s always really, really collective with most staffs that I’ve been on in terms of breaking down the film and understanding all being on the same page of what we want to call in a particular situation.
“For me, I’m excited for that challenge, excited for that opportunity.”
Johnson noted that head coach Nick Sirianni has set up periods during training camp where plays are unscheduled to make the players and coaches react.
“He’ll blurt out situations and you’ve got to be ready to go,” Johnson said. “To me, that’s not just on the practice field. That happens, same thing in the meeting room and team meetings. I think the organization is set up in a way to where it helps you and gets you ready to go.”
While he is a different play-caller and inevitably one individual isn't going to make exactly the same decisions as another, Johnson isn’t reinventing the wheel when it comes to Philadelphia’s offense. He noted that being on the Eagles' staff under Sirianni for the last two years means he knows how the head coach wants things done.
"I think the biggest thing is we’re always looking for ways to evolve,” Johnson said. “Not necessarily find a new way to do things, but find maybe a better way to do things. That’s under constant evaluation, whether it’s offseason, training camp, or even in season.
“For us as an offense, we’re always trying to find little wrinkles, little adjustments that we can have to make sure we’re getting the most out of what we have.”
