Hollis Thomas. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Former player offers wild solution for Eagles' offensive woes

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 1/9/24

On a recent episode of "The Farzy Show" podcast, former defensive lineman Hollis Thomas had an interesting take on how to fix the Eagles suddenly anemic offense: Let the offensive line coach call plays.

After describing his confusion with some of Philadelphia’s recent play calls, Thomas was asked how he would fix the team’s offense. “I think the offensive coordinator should sit his (expletive) down,” Thomas said. “Just let (Jeff) Stoutland call the plays.”

In 13 years with Philadelphia, Thomas was well known for larger-than-life personality and his often hilarious takes on a variety of subjects. His antics led to a stint with Philadelphia’s 94 WIP Sports Radio where his opinions became even more offbeat.

But he can’t seriously see Stoutland as the team’s next play-caller, could he?

LEGENDARY: Before offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland joined the #Eagles staff, they only had 20 Pro Bowls made by o-linemen in 50 years.

Since Stoutland arrived in Philly they've had 22 Pro Bowls by lineman in only 10 years

O-LINE UNIVERSITY.

(Via @RoobNBCS) pic.twitter.com/hOJFckou8y
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 4, 2024

After all, Stoutland has worked almost exclusively with offensive lines for most of his professional career. Before joining the Eagles in 2013, he helped the Crimson Tide win a pair of national championships as offensive line coach from 2011-12.

Prior to that, he held the same position with Cornell, Miami, Michigan State and Syracuse. He served as Miami’s interim coach for the Sun Bowl in 2010 and spent five years as offensive coordinator for Southern Connecticut with a 20-29 record from 1988-92.

Obviously, it’s been awhile since the coach has called plays and his record wasn’t very good, but could he really do worse than the team’s current offensive coordinator, Brian Johnson?

To be fair, Philadelphia scored just 2.6 fewer points per game than their Super Bowl team of 2022, but aside from the team’s infamous “tush-push,” the team’s offense has been inconsistent all season.

Of course, Stoutland has also served as the Eagles’ run game coordinator since 2018 and with four top-10 finishes including a league-best 200.2 yards per game in 2021, it’s hard to argue with his results.

Thomas may have a point. But Eagles fans will tell you Stoutland is just where he is. The best O-line coach in football has already survived two head coaches (Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson) and he’ll outlast current head coach Nick Sirianni whether he calls plays or not.

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