The Philadelphia Eagles rather infamously started the 2023-24 NFL campaign with a 10-1 record before finishing the regular season 11-6 and losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Earlier this week, Philadelphia’s second-year punt returner Britain Covey, who led the NFL in punt return yards during the regular season, appeared on the “Eagles Now” show with host Chase Senior.
The entire show is just over 20 minutes in length, but an 89-second clip in which Covey delved into the problems that plagued the Eagles down the stretch was shared widely on X, the site formerly called Twitter.
“I definitely think we got emotionally tired from trying to figure out what the problem was, and we kept trying to pinpoint it at this and pinpoint it at this,” Covey said.
He added, “There was some miscommunication, I think, from coaches to players, there was some pointing fingers from player to player and there was kind of letting outside voices impact our love for the game ... just the happiness that we had, and all that combined to really just kind of make us spiral.”
Covey, a Utah native who starred at the University of Utah before sticking with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent, said the way this season ended for his team will serve as motivation for next season.
“I think you’re gonna see a lot more resilient people, players because of it,” he said. “I know I will be.”
Back on the topic of trying to pinpoint the problem, Covey said “it wasn’t Brian Johnson,” Covey’s fellow Utah graduate and the Eagles former offensive coordinator who was fired after the season and is now with the Washington Commanders.
“I definitely think we needed some changes, and so we have a new coordinator. I think it’s gonna be good for us,” he said.
Covey went on to say that the primary problem also was not head coach Nick Sirianni.
“It’s a combination (of problems), but that answer is not sufficient,” Covey said. “I just think you need change, you need fresh eyes.
“We still got the pieces. We still got the pieces this year. ... We’re gonna do something, but yeah, I definitely think we overcorrected in some areas last year and undercorrected in others.”
The clip received a whole lot of attention, but perhaps the most notable came from NFL insider Todd McShay, who worked at ESPN for 17 years before getting laid off in 2023.
“Future coach,” McShay wrote on X regarding Covey.