Punt returner shares controversial comments on Eagles' collapse

Philadelphia Eagles punt returner Britain Covey got brutally honest while speaking with Eagles Now of Chat Sports on Thursday about how the club went from 10-1 to 11-6 ahead of a wild-card playoff loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. 

"I definitely think we got emotionally tired from trying to figure out what the problem was," Covey explained, as shared by Jimmy Hascup of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "And we kept trying to pinpoint it at this and pinpoint this. There was some miscommunication, I think, from coaches to players. There were some pointing fingers from player to player. And there was, kind of, letting outside voices impact our love for the game and just the happiness that we had. All that combined to really just kind of make it spiral."

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni managed to hold onto his job after Philadelphia lost six of seven games (including the Tampa Bay debacle), perhaps because he parted ways with both offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and defensive coordinator Sean Desai. 

The Eagles subsequently replaced Johnson with Kellen Moore, and ESPN's Tim McManus has repeatedly mentioned that Sirianni will now move into "more of a CEO head-coaching role" this offseason. 

"You want to pinpoint a spot that goes wrong, right? Brian Johnson. It wasn’t Brian Johnson," Covey said. "I definitely think we needed some changes, and so we have a new coordinator. I think it’s going to be good for us. ...You need change. You need fresh eyes. We still got the pieces."

More change could come to the organization in January 2025 if the Eagles flop under Sirianni for a second straight season. Multiple in-the-know individuals have suggested that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was at least somewhat interested in former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick last month and could pursue Belichick assuming the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach remains available through next winter. 

"But honestly, I think you’re going to see a team this year that is going to be like, 'I’m not letting the same thing happen,'" Covey insisted. "I think you’re gonna see a lot more resilient people, players, because of it." 

Meanwhile, one wonders if Covey will take any heat for his comments: