Story by
Former Eagles OC Patullo Reportedly 'Froze' in big Moment
- Story by
- Former Eagles OC Patullo Reportedly 'Froze' in big Moment
It wasn't hard to tell that former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was in over his head as a play caller last year. This new report from a veteran Eagles reporter all but confirms that sentiment.
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Patullo 'froze' while looking at his play sheet before Philadelphia's fourth-and-11 play in the final seconds of the 23-19 home wild-card playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 11.
Advertisement
Quarterback Jalen Hurts suggested the play because nobody else said anything. From there, head coach Nick Sirianni signed off on Hurts' suggestion. The fourth-down conversion attempt was unsuccessful and Philadelphia's bid for a repeat championship ended in unceremonious fashion.
There is video evidence to support this claim as TV cameras caught Sirianni, Hurts and Patullo huddled up before the play was called. In the huddle, Patullo appears to blindly stare at his play sheet. It only begs the question, how often did this happen throughout the course of the season? I was thoroughly unimpressed with the play selection of Patullo's offense all year long. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the reason why.
In 2025, Patullo essentially ran the most basic, vanilla offense that you could ever expect to see at the professional level. Philadelphia's outs, curls and slant routes were something you would see from an average high school team on Friday nights. It's no wonder Hurts produced mediocre numbers working in that system. Patullo's offense was not designed to highlight the quarterback, it was designed to hide the quarterback.
Advertisement
A fresh start under Sean Mannion
This year, Philadelphia has hired Sean Mannion as the new offensive coordinator. It will be Hurts' sixth offensive coordinator in seven years with the Eagles. Mannion, 34, has no prior experience calling plays at the NFL level. However, he was a successful quarterback at Oregon State, became a third-round draft pick in 2015 and lasted nine years as a backup at the professional level. Mannion was also mentored by Rams head coach Sean McVay, one of the brightest young minds in football.
I expect there to be some growing pains as Hurts settles in with yet another play caller. It will take time for Mannion and Hurts to develop a working rhythm together. Mannion will have to learn what plays Hurts likes, and what plays he doesn't like. As long as Mannion doesn't spam five-yard curl routes on third-and-long situations, he will be a significant upgrade over Patullo.
Advertisement
Philadelphia Eagles Essentials
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
