The Eagles aren’t tuned in to their coordinators, the veteran captains, and certainly not their critics. The proof is a gruesome 1-4 December to remember highlighted by a last-minute 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, who arrived here Sunday with a lot of questions and a 3-12 record.

Leadership is needed, and there is at least one Eagles player who can supply it. In fact, he tried in Seattle and a few days later put himself back in his place. The Eagles have been regretting that.

Obviously, the guy we’re talking about is quarterback Jalen Hurts, wise and respectful beyond his years, yet when he steps up to the podium, duller than a waiting-room conversation about the weather.

Hurts surprised himself when in the wake of a pathetic loss to the Seahawks, the team’s third straight setback, he remarked that the Eagles weren’t “committed enough.”

Faster than you could say, “seriously?,” the debates began. While Hurts was 100 percent correct, he walked the phrase back days later. Too many players weren’t doing everything they could, and they deserved to be put on notice that more was required if they wanted to be here.

Since the “committed” quote, the Eagles have had two more opportunities to show they were all in. The first was a one-possession victory over the lowly New York Giants in which we had to await the resolution of a Hail Mary from Tyrod Taylor, who came out of the bullpen at halftime.

The other was Sunday’s four-point loss to the Cardinals, who marched up and down Lincoln Financial Field the way the Eagles did when they were committed.

Last year, the Eagles leaned on Hurts and the offense to control the football and keep the defense fresh to rush the passer. This year, the symbiotic relationship between those units has been a train wreck.

Changing defensive coordinators hasn’t helped, though don’t blame newbie Matt Patricia. The lack of experienced healthy players in the back end of the defense is ridiculous. Receivers have been open all season. If Mac Jones could throw, the New England Patriots would have prevailed in the opener.

The Eagles at least are trying to get better long-term by breaking in rookie defensive backs Sydney Brown, Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks. They can run, though the tackling leaves much to be desired. The bottom line is there are only so many productive snaps you can get out of DB old heads like Bradley Roby (scratched last week) and Kevin Byard (should be scratched).

But back to Hurts. The quarterback noticed something about his team when he was fighting an illness leading up to the Seattle trip. When Hurts said something about the lack of commitment, his apologists defended him by spinning his remarks as a team thing.

What’s wrong with transparency in a three-game skid? Hurts should have named names, positions and coaches in Seattle. Maybe then the people around him would have done something before it was too late.

While it is basically too late to get back to the Super Bowl this season, it’s not too early to set a committed tone for 2024.

Let’s be honest, this is Hurts’ team. He’s not going anywhere. It’s not too late for Hurts to assert himself. He doesn’t have to rip teammates or coaches, but he needs to be heard instead of silenced. Communication is key. The face of the franchise should not under any circumstances have to spend time explaining what he really meant to say.

In a football city like Philly, there is no way to walk back what you say without regretting it. So, don’t. Football fans here are a lot more sophisticated than what some players would like to believe. They can smell a coverup from the cheap seats.

Sirianni, for all his energy and focus, has been lost this season without last year’s coordinators, now Cardinals head coach Jonanthan Gannon and Colts head coach Shane Steichen. Gannon out-strategized Sirianni Sunday by turning that onside kick with the ultra-low success rate into a chance to get the ball back and go for the win. Steichen is fighting for a division pennant with Gardner Minshew as his quarterback, and he found a way to get the most out of Hurts, who looked like he was ready to take a next-level step at training camp.

Hurts’ numbers are a lot like last season. The Eagles again boast two 1,000-yard receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and a 1,000-yard rusher in D’Andre Swift. But going from 10-1 to 11-5 once the schedule got tough? Struggling down the homestretch against pitiful teams with little to play for?

Belichick would make a difference if say, Jeffrey Lurie wanted to go that way. Bill loves Hurts.

But Hurts was right, the Eagles aren’t committed enough. And right now it’s up to him to make the non-commits accountable.

To contact Bob Grotz, email rgrotz@delcotimes.com.

That is according to the probability tables of the always accurate Playoffstatus.com website. The Eagles have an 83 percent probability of finishing fifth, the Buccaneers a 75 percent chance of settling in with the No. 4 seed.

The Buccaneers (8-8) must defeat the Carolina Panthers (2-14) to win the NFC South division and the fourth sport, and the road-awful Dallas Cowboys (11-5) must prevail at Washington (4-12) to lock up the NFC East pennant.

The dilemma for the Eagles (11-5) is how to approach the regular season finale at the New York Giants (5-11).

The Eagles and Cowboys games Sunday both start at 4:25 p.m., so as not to allow either team an easy choice on resting regulars. Nonetheless, with nothing to gain if the Cowboys roll as expected, the Eagles haven’t ruled out resting players.

“We’re going to do whatever we need to do to win this game,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. “But still, that’s a consideration. We understand we are at the mercy of another team to win the division, all those different things. So, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to win this game. We’ve also got to get out of the rut that we’re in, and so I’m not saying to you yes, I’m not saying to you no. I’m saying to you that everything is discussed but there are some unknowns about the game, Dallas and Washington. And we’ve got to … play and coach good football, too. So, everything is on the table.”

The Eagles are 6.5-point favorites over the Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Cowboys, just 3-5 on the road, are 13.5-point favorites over the Commanders.

• • •

Don’t expect wide receiver DeVonta Smith to play against the Giants due to a sprained ankle.

While Sirianni wouldn’t rule Smith out, the coach said his guy was on crutches Monday with a boot on the ankle.

“He’s tough as anybody we have on this team,” Sirianni said. “This guy, he’s a warrior. He’ll do everything he possibly can to get himself back on that field as fast as he possibly can. And what he means to this football team is not only the play-making ability that he has to change the game with the ball in his hands, but also just his toughness is contagious. I think his toughness is super contagious.”

Elsewhere in the injury department, cornerback Darius Slay still is working his way back from arthroscopic knee surgery. Nickel back Avonte Maddox may have re-injured a pectoral muscle that cost him 13 games this year.

• • •

If you’re keeping count, Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown again blew off reporters seeking comment Sunday, explaining that it wasn’t personal.

The previous week, following a win over the Giants, he declined comment saying he didn’t have anything nice to say, so he wouldn’t say anything.

Clearly Brown is frustrated over his role. Late in the 35-31 loss to the Cardinals, the Eagles took their foot off the accelerator to angle for the go-ahead field goal. Kyler Murray promptly marched the Cardinals 70 yards for the triumphant touchdown.

Rest assured, Brown wanted the Eagles to be aggressive and go for the end zone rather than play it safe and take three points.

“I don’t want to speak for him,” Sirianni said. “But you know, obviously when you have a dynamic playmaker like A.J., he’s going to want to change the game at all times and he’s capable of doing that at all times. We’re all frustrated right now, especially coming off that loss yesterday.

“I know this, and I said this to you guys on the record, off the record, everything. There’s nobody that is as good of a teammate. There is nobody that’s as good of a person as A.J. and shoot, he’s one of our very best players and one of our best players since I’ve been here in the past three years. I can’t say enough good things about him. We’re all frustrated, I think.”

• • •

Speaking of frustrated, Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick is in a sacks drought that began when Matt Patricia began calling the defensive plays.

Reddick has lately dropped into coverage more, which is not his forte. Reddick had 2.0 sacks against Dallas, giving him 11.0 on the season, when Sean Desai last called the defensive signals. In the last three games, he has zero sacks, one tackle for loss and four quarterback hits.

“We know he gets paid to rush the passer, and he’s really good at it,” Sirianni said. “But again, it’s the predictability. The quarterback is going to get it out even quicker if he knows exactly what’s happening. So, again, there’s some games, he’s going to drop a little more than other games. But make no mistake about it. You know what, I think he dropped six times maybe.”

The game was tied, and the Eagles wanted the Chiefs to score to give Jalen Hurts and the offense a shot at winning it. Instead, the Chiefs ran down the clock and kicked the field goal for a 38-35 win. Guess what? The Eagles were victimized by the same strategy in a stunning 35-31 loss to the Cardinals Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

First-year Cardinals head coach and former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who presided over the Philly D in the Super Bowl ordered an onside kick immediately after his squad tied the game at 28 with 5:26 remaining. Heavily criticized by many for being too bold of a move, the strategy turned out to be a stroke of brilliance.

The Eagles recovered but could get only a 43-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to take a 31-28 lead with 2:33 remaining.

Kyler Murray then marched the Cardinals 70 yards for the winning points, James Conner capping a 128-yard rushing effort with a two-yard run with 32 ticks left. The Eagles then couldn’t get past their 49-yard line, the game ending when Joey Blount intercepted Hurts in the end zone.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, a close friend of Gannon’s, echoed to boos. Gannon was left to describe why he rolled with the onside kick.

“It worked,” Gannon said. “That’s what we talked about. That’s what I’m talking about. The reason for that is you don’t want to get bled out. That team is too good. I trust the defense to get a stop right there and make them kick a field goal, which is what they did, but with five minutes left, what they’ve shown is they are not going to give you the ball back. And I wanted to make sure at all costs (that) Kyler had the ball in his hand at the end of the game. So, it’s just funny how it came up, but no, I thought the defense did excellent.”

The defeat damaged the Eagles (11-5), who thus ceded the top seed in the NFC to the San Francisco 49ers, and have their fingers crossed that they beat the Giants next Sunday at the Meadowlands and the Cowboys lose next week in Landover, Md. to the Commanders. That would make the Eagles NFC East champions and guarantee a home game. Otherwise, the Birds start the playoffs on the road.

The Giants, you may recall, pushed the Eagles to the last play of the game before succumbing last week. Something has to change in a hurry for the Eagles to get through the lull in which they finished 1-4 in December, which is supposed to be their money month. Switching the defensive playcalling from coordinator-in-name-only Sean Desai to de facto coordinator Matt Patricia hasn’t seemed to matter.

“We just didn’t play well defensively,” veteran cornerback James Bradberry said. “I feel like we had the game. I think it was 21-6. And we didn’t make stops when we needed to as a defense. I would say it’s frustrating. We knew at the end of the day before they made a (coordinator) change, it was on us as players. We’ve got to go out there and make a difference. And it’s still on us as players. We’ve got to figure this out.”

For much of the game so did the Eagles, who like last season got the lead and made the Arizona Cardinals play catch-up. Then, in the time it takes to say Jets, Seattle and we’re not committed enough, the Eagles came tumbling back to earth in a 35-31 loss to the Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. The game ended when a Jalen Hurts Hail Mary pass was intercepted in the end zone.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who wanted to stick it to Jonathan Gannon, the defensive coordinator who ditched him to become head coach of the Cardinals, was left shaking his head as he and his players exited the field to a chorus of boos. The locker room was like a morgue.

“When we’ve got a chance to bury people, we’ve got to bury them,” Eagles veteran Brandon Graham said. “I know it’s going to happen. I know it’s going to start clicking. We’ve got to go finish the season off right. It’s going to be a week to week thing. We’ve got to put everything we’ve got into it.”

With the loss and the San Francisco 49ers’ victory over the Washington Commanders, the Eagles (11-5) are eliminated from a shot at the top seed and the bye in the NFC. Worse, if the Dallas Cowboys (11-5) defeat the Commanders next week they win the NFC East based on a better record against common opponents.

Just like that the Eagles are on the verge of opening the playoffs on the road. Barring major good fortune they could end up playing in Tampa or New Orleans.

“It is what it is,” cornerback James Bradberry said. “We put ourselves in this position. We’ve got to look forward, we can’t look backwards.”

Considering the ineptitude of the Cardinals (4-11), who have difficulty getting out of their own way and are vying for the top pick in the NFL draft, the decision had the odor of a soon-to-be swan song, as oppposed to Swan Lake.

Particularly alarming was the manner in which the Eagles blew several leads, including a 21-6 edge at the intermission, how they were stopped by their old coordinator on a Tush Push and how they had to endure booing for their poor tackling and even for being indecisive and taking a timeout before a third and nine at the 14-yard line of the Cardinals in the fourth quarter. They didn’t convert.

“It’s the NFL. You give them a little inch, and people start running miles,” Graham said. “We should have buried them that first drive coming out. Wedidn’t get it done. They scored again. Those are the moments on defense we’re supposed to live for.”

The Cardinals rushed for 221 yards, outgained the Eagles in total yardage (449-275), in plays (72-47) and first downs (32-17). The momentum turned when running back James Conner, who rushed for 128 yards and a TD, made a one-handed grab of a Kyler Murray throw with 2:01 left in the third quarter. Murray threw a two-point pass to knot the score at 21.

Gannon appeared to be a bit too aggressive as he tried an onside kick that the Eagles recovered with 5:26 left. Then again, the Cardinals hadn’t been able to stop the Eagles and the coach would later say he did it purposely to be sure his smooth operating offense would have time to tie the game, or go ahead.

“You don’t want to get bled out,” Gannon said. “That team’s too good.”

In the first half the Eagles played bend-but-don’t-break defense and finally got a big play, rookie Sydney Jones going 99 yards for a pick-six to produce a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.

What was troubling was the Eagles’ abject failure to get off the field against an inferior offense except in the red zone. The Cardinals receivers generally were open and veteran running back Conner was a load in the first half as he rushed for 72 yards on 14 carries, including an 11-yard run on second-and-11. The Eagles’ tackling was hit or miss.

In the two-minute offense late in the half the Eagles got tricky when Kenneth Gainwell completed a 17-yard pass to DeVonta Smith, and Hurts, scrambling out of the pocket, threw a 22-yard scoring pass to Jones. It was the second TD of the afternoon for the 34-year-old Jones, who maintained focus despite the ball getting tipped.

That gave the Eagles a 21-6 lead at the intermission. At that point the Eagles were dominating on the scoreboard but not any of the offensive categories. It was an ominous sign of a second-half to come.

“Offensively we didn’t play good enough,” Eagles center Jason Kelce said. “Defensively we didn’t play good enough. A really, really frustrating loss. I think that we’ve got a lot of things to clean up.”

So when the Eagles’ coach flagged himself last week for exhibiting too much sideline tension during a victory over the New York Giants, he didn’t turn to a chill pill. The way he had it figured, a mirror would be just as therapeutic.

“You just evaluate that each and every week,” Sirianni was saying Friday, before a NovaCare Complex practice. “And I think that’s just your process each and every week: What could I have done better here? And that’s what I felt last week and that’s what I shared.”

Sirianni is in his third season as an NFL head coach, already has been to a Super Bowl, and has a team heavily favored to improve to 12-4 Sunday afternoon when the Arizona Cardinals visit the Linc.

So why was he he been so anxious late in what has been a satisfying season? Just because he cried at the Super Bowl, he knows he need not get himself as worked up as Dick Vermeil.

“Yeah, that’s why I said what I said last week,” he said, of his too-tense confession. “Every time in a game or after a game, I’m really thinking about, ‘Were the guys ready to play physically? Did I do the right things throughout the week to help them be ready to play physically — I mean, just physically be ready to play? Did I take enough time off practice? Did I do enough on practice?’ All those different things.

“You also think about, ‘Did I manage the game well?’ What are the mistakes I made there? Or what are the good things I did there.’”

Sirianni has done plenty to keep the Eagles in control of the NFC East, and they could wind up with the No. 1 overall conference postseason seeding. Still, he was less than thrilled with his own demeanor in that victory over New York, a game that was closer than many felt necessary.

“Last week, I felt like in the midst of that game it wasn’t so much the messaging but it was more so in that tense moment that I did that,” Sirianni said. “Just like everything else, you evaluate. And I didn’t like that I didn’t call a timeout after Kenny (Gainwell) got tacked in bounds. “Then you also think about my role with the offense. Were the designs the way they needed to be on offense? What could we have done better here? And then you think about the messaging to the team as well. That’s my last thing there as the head coach: The messaging.

“So each and every week, you go through what you think.”

Sirianni thinks the Eagles are a good team and has the metrics to support it. But he knows they have lost three of their last four, that the Cardinals have some speed, and that their coach — his former defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon — has committed their playbook to memory.

So, he … worries?

“You’re just always trying to get better each week,” he offered, breaking new ground for sports analysis. “And that’s what we’re trying to do: Get better each week. And sometimes there are going to be spurts of good football and there are going to be spurts of football that’s not so good. And you’re just trying to minimize that, and appreciate the win.

“But also, you are striving to get better. And in striving to get better, there is a fine line. There is, ‘Man, we won, but gosh, this could have been better.’ I think that’s what makes a lot of good players great – that striving to get better. And I said the same thing with the coaches.

“So you never have that feeling of satisfied, but you’ve got to enjoy it, too.”

If nothing else, that’s what Sirianni reminded himself after a week of nervous tension.

“You’ve got to,” he said, “enjoy the wins as well.”

• • •

The Eagles will enter Week 17 ranked fifth from the bottom in turnover differential at minus-7.

Either they are about to enjoy a two-week takeaway bonanza or one Sirianni theory will have been shattered.

“I do believe those even themselves out,” he said. “But I firmly believe still that we’ve got to continue to harp on it and even do a better job of what we’re doing as far as the way we’re coaching it. And then also we’ve got to execute it better.”

The Ravens, Steelers and Buccaneers — all at plus-10 — lead the NFL. Some of the Eagles’ troubles, senses Sirianni, are due to unfortunate bounces.

“You can’t get wrapped up in the ones that might not be bouncing your way, because I do believe in this game and in a 17-game season, that all that stuff evens itself out,” he said. “So we’ll wait for some of those to bounce our way in that, but it always starts with what we can control.

“And that’s the way we coach it, the way we execute it, and the detail within that.”

• • •

A.J. Brown, who has not spoken to the media since the Giants game, remained in character Friday, leaving the locker room soon after the press availability and not returning.

“I was taught if I had nothing good to say, to not say anything,” he had said Monday. “I’ll take the fine if I have to.”

That acknowledged as a side-entrance variety of compliment, the last 12 months did include a Super Bowl, an MVP, an NLCS, plentiful star-level players and ownership willing to inside-out pockets to acquire talent.

Could have been worse. At least no one was willing to postpone winning in order to draft Jahlil Okafor.

So before it fades into the mist as another parade-free waste of parking-lot fees, here is the top 10 list of sports figures who made 2023 captivating on or around Pattison Ave. For the record, the individual who decided Craig Kimbrel deserved his own cockamamie light show finished dead last.

1. Jalen Hurts: While there is no printed rule for choosing the essential Philadelphia Sports Figure of the Year, having an MVP candidacy and leading a team to within a possession of a Super Bowl championship works. And while the Eagles’ quarterback finished the year performing as something less than the highest-paid footballer ever, as he was for a moment earlier this year, he still has the Eagles likely to finish 13-4 and contend in more games that end in Roman numerals.

2. Joel Embiid: Don’t remember who first declared in print six years ago that the center was the most talented player, skill for skill, ever to play for the Sixers — wait a minute, it was right here — but by 2023 there was no disputing Embiid was the best player in the NBA. Finishing as the leading scorer for a second consecutive season, Embiid was named the 2022-23 MVP, then went on a statistical rampage of historic proportion to help the 2023-2024 Sixers win 21 of their first 30 games.

3. Howie Roseman: After stitching together the Eagles’ second Super Bowl team in six years, the most effective personnel director in the NFL chased the achievement with a Draft Night for the ages, winding up with the player said to be the best in the draft in Jalen Carter and a linebacker he wanted in Nolan Smith, while rolling some capital to Detroit for D’Andre Swift to upgrade the running game.

4. Bryce Harper: It is one thing for a player to blabber about how hard he wants to play in order for a city to enjoy a championship. It’s another to insist on coming back from complicated elbow surgery in such record time that hair-combing still brings pain, then learn another position, then bang clutch, late-inning hit after clutch, late-inning hit to push a team into the postseason.

5: Tyrese Maxey: In addition to his continued rise to All-Star-level backcourt play, the 21st overall pick in the 2020 draft came to embody the reality that it takes scouting instincts — not lost games — to add franchise-changing talent. Nightly displaying breathless joy for his job, he’s made himself into a reliable three-point shooter and is maturing into a winning point guard.

6: Nick Sirianni: Only four coaches have led the Eagles to a Super Bowl, and he did so by winning 14 games in just his second season largely by committing to and benefiting from the development of Hurts as an MVP candidate. And even if he did take it one Sixers throwback jersey too far, he did exhibit an appreciation for the city and its sports history.

7: Dan Hilferty: After too many years of lost leadership and cheap, rarely to be delivered promises, Comcast-Spectacor finally turned to a proven business leader with a life-long grip on what works in Philadelphia to restore relevance to the Flyers. That, he did by trusting the institutional knowledge of Keith Jones and Daniel Briere while promising to rebuild without tanking. By December, the Flyers already had their image cleansed. To boot, the Saint Joseph’s grad breathed life into the wheezing Big 5 with a one-day, Wells Fargo Center tournament successful beyond expectation.

8. Jaron Ennis: At 26, he scored impressive victories over Karen Chukhadzhian and Roiman Villa — who were a combined 47-2 — to finish the year as the IBF welterweight champion. At 31-0-0, the North Philadelphia product was named Philadelphia’s Most Outstanding Pro Athlete by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.

9: Jim Curtin: As he has through his nine-plus seasons in charge, he did more with less and managed the Union into its sixth consecutive postseason, reached the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League and finished third in Leagues Cup play.

10: Zack Wheeler: He struck out 212 batters in 32 games, earned a Gold Glove and allowed six earned runs over three postseason starts, reinforcing his status as one of baseball’s more reliable and dominating starting pitchers.

Next up, 2024. Nick Nurse and John Tortorella already have their hats in the ring. Hats are never the problem, though. Rings are.

Contact Jack McCaffery at jmccaffery@delcotimes.com.

Gannon, the defensive coordinator, was on the verge of becoming the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, who just happened to play at State Farm Stadium, site of the Super Bowl. The deal was all but finalized as the Kanas City Chiefs defeated the Eagles, 38-35.

If you watched replays of the second half, one in which the Philly defense was so easily and systematically dismantled by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, you had to wonder what the heck Gannon was thinking beyond visualizing where he and his family would reside in Arizona.

Allowing two walk-in touchdowns is an unofficial Super Bowl record. Getting gashed on the ground by a Big Red offense is unfathomable. Those are a few of the favorite things we’ll remember about J.G.

“I definitely didn’t think he packed it in,” Bradberry said of Gannon, who brings the Cardinals to Lincoln Financial Field Sunday. “I just feel like he was trying to handle two situations and kill two birds with one stone. Of course, it was already out there. But I never saw any slack from him game planning or coaching. At the end of the day, it’s about the players.”

Bradberry would know: He committed a costly penalty enabling the Chiefs to seal the win and shouldered much of the blame personally. All the Eagles needed was a stop on third-and-8 at their 15-yard line to force a Chiefs field goal with 1:48 left.

While giving the Chiefs a three-point lead, it also would have preserved clock for a comeback by Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.

Instead, Bradberry held wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster not once, but twice (the second was moderate), the Chiefs maintained possession and then shifted into Church Mode with kneel-downs where they burned the clock before kicking the winning field goal.

Gannon, good guy that he is, surely must have consoled Bradberry for that awful holding mistake after the game. After all, it was a team loss.

“I don’t remember talking to him at the end,” Bradberry said. “Of course, I was one of the main media focuses. I had a lot of questions. I don’t think he really had time to get up and get to me. And I was trying to get out of there.”

Bradberry stood tall and honestly answered questions. Yes, he held. And he did so despite not knowing if he’d be back with the Eagles. Bradberry was an unrestricted free agent on a team that had to squirrel away money to extend Hurts’ contract. Cornerback Darius Slay felt the pinch, as well. He figured he might be working for the Baltimore Ravens this season. The Eagles low-balled safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, the best player on the back end of the defense, and he signed with Detroit.

But back to Gannon and his refusal to adjust when the Chiefs pounded the ball on an Eagles defense that dared them to do just that.

“I think what really kind of stole some of the momentum from us was when they came out in the second half, they pretty much ran the ball down our throats,” Bradberry said. “They were really successful running the ball and I feel like that kind of took away our momentum and definitely got us started on a bad special half. And we had a couple of plays in the red zone that hurt us. Now, if we had played like we did in the first half we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Definitely wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Gannon is saying all the right things before the trip back to Philly. He loves Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, his close friend. He made no mention of how he told then rookie head coach Sirianni to give up the play calling after a 2-5 start in 2021, per reports. The Eagles have since gone 33-12, including the playoffs.

Gannon said that he and Arizona defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, also on the Eagles’ staff in that Super Bowl, haven’t had a second to think about the homecoming because of the challenge of getting the 3-12 Cardinals ready for the 11-4 Eagles.

“I mean, you guys know how I am,” Gannon told media covering the Cardinals. “I put everything into what I’m doing that day. There is a time for reflection, which is not now.”

We’ll have to take J.G.’s word for it.

At the end of the day, Gannon wasn’t nearly the coordinator we cracked him up to be. The Super Bowl formula was to get early leads, control the football and make the opposition abandon its game plan playing catch up. That enabled the Eagles to produce a club-record 70 sacks and run the ball to kill the clock down the homestretch.

Gannon played a role in helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. But let’s be honest. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, was the brains behind the Eagles’ success. He got the most out of Hurts, who has become a turnover machine this season. Steichen is now in charge of a team leading its division with Gardner Minshew at quarterback.

Gannon left the Eagles hanging so long that Sirianni wound up with Sean Desai as his defensive coordinator. Overwhelmed by the job, Desai stepped aside so veteran Matt Patricia would call the defensive plays.

Thanks for everything, J.G. Happy Sunday.

To contact Bob Grotz, email rgrotz@delcotimes.com

Two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season is a first in the history of the Eagles, who have had their share of stellar receivers, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Harold Carmichael and Tommy McDonald.

But that’s not what Smith likes to talk about these days. After catching four passes for 79 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown, in a 33-25 victory over the Giants, Smith had just about had enough with the sloppiness exhibited by the Birds in a 1-3 December.

“The game was close because of us,” Smith said. “We basically gave them 14 points by turning the ball over. We’re not going to always get by doing the things that we’re doing. Yeah, we’re 11-4. But we’ve been barely getting by. That doesn’t last forever.”

Few Eagles players were exempt from the mistakes, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, who with no timeouts left was tackled at the Giants’ three-yard line instead of getting out of bounds to stop the clock. Luckily the Giants were flagged for delay of game, and the Eagles got a field goal out of the possession.

Then there was Brown, who had six receptions for 80 yards, including a critical 32-yard catch, yet dropped several passes.

Though Brown declined to speak with reporters Thursday, Smith took them on. Whatever is bugging Brown, who stormed out of the post-game locker room Monday proclaiming he wasn’t going to take questions because he didn’t have anything nice to say, we’ll have to wait for the sanitized answer.

Smith has spoken to Brown, who has 101 catches for 1,394 yards and seven touchdowns, but declined to reveal the source of his teammate’s unhappiness.

“You’ll have to ask him,” Smith said. “We might have two different answers. I can’t speak for him.”

Amid the drama, Smith is confident the Eagles can turn the corner. They take on the Cardinals Sunday and close the regular season against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

“It will happen,” Smith said. “Keep chipping away, come in every day, do the things we need to do. We’ve got two weeks. I have a lot of faith we can put it together by the time the playoffs come.”

• • •

Cornerback Darius Slay (knee) was the only Eagle who didn’t practice Thursday. Linebackers Zach Cunningham (knee) and Nicholas Morrow (abdomen) were partial participants, while guard Landon Dickerson (thumb) and cornerback Avonte Maddox (pectoral) practiced fully.

Barring a setback, look for Dickerson, coming off surgery for a broken thumb, and Maddox to be active when the Eagles oppose the Cardinals (3-12) at Lincoln Financial Field.

Sitting out practice for the Cardinals Thursday were wide receiver Marquise Brown (heel), defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter (knee) and quarterback Kyler Murray (illness).

• • •

Safety Reed Blankenship enjoyed having the plays radioed in by defensive coordinator Matt Patricia last week and is looking forward to another round in the future.

The radio-equipped helmet denoted by the green dot is normally worn by a linebacker, which has been Morrow for most of the season. He will again this weekend if he’s healthy.

Until then Blankenship has some work to do in coverage, as he surrendered a 69-yard touchdown reception to Darius Slayton. While Blankenship almost made a TD-saving tackle, quarterback Tyrod Taylor just outclassed him with a deep strike.

“That was totally on me, technique-wise and the mental part,” Blankenship said. “I saw that formation throughout film study, didn’t see it throughout the game then finally it comes up and I just have to be prepared for it. It’s not like something like that’s not going to happen, but you have to look at how many times it happens.

“At the end of the day, I’m the biggest critic of myself and trust me, I’ve lost some sleep over it. But you have to move on, watch it, see it again, and not let it happen again.”

Murray has a deep threat in Brown, but at they prep for this week, Brown has a heel issue and Murray is ill.

“They’re a good team,” Blankenship said. “Obviously, Kyler is quick on his feet. They have weapons, a really good tight end in (Trey) McBride. It’ll be a challenge but we’re ready for them.”

The Cardinals have targeted tight ends 43 percent of the time in the red zone this season, highest in the NFL.

Mailata was such a big hit that President Biden gave him and Eagles director of player development Connor Barwin, among others, a tour of the Oval Office. Mailata was accompanied by members of the band that backed him, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson on the Philly Special Christmas album.

“We got to speak to President Biden and Dr. Jill for probably about 45 minutes,” Mailata said Wednesday. “That was probably the surreal part of it. I thought it was going to be like ‘Oh, hi.’ We spoke for a little bit. And then he took us to the Oval Office. He’s like, randomly, you guys ever been to the Oval Office? I said, ‘Mr. President it’s my first time here. I don’t know how I even got in here.’ He escorted us with I don’t know how many Secret Service people there were, it seemed like there were 100 in there, but he escorted us to the Oval Office.”

Mailata said he spoke more football with Dr. Biden, the Eagles’ fan, than the Prez. The whole experience left him grateful, and starstruck.

“That was wild,” Mailata said. “If you had told me a couple years ago that I’d even be a starter in the NFL, I’d have probably laughed in your face. But if you told me that I was going to be singing in the White House and then have an opportunity to spend time with the President of the United States of America and the First Lady I’d probably just walk away from you. What a surreal opportunity.”

A few feet from his locker, Mailata, surprised at the interest in his story, looked into the huge pack of media, smiled and imitated a verbal refrain frequently heard during an Eagles open locker room.

“Jalen Hurts is at the podium,” Mailata said in his best media relations voice. “What are you guys doing here?”

• • •

The Eagles held a walkthrough Wednesday where the only non-participant was cornerback Darius Slay, according to the team’s “estimation.”

However, the cat got out of the bag, if you will, during the open locker room when a credible player said linebackers Zach Cunningham (knee) and Nick Morrow (abdomen) would be back this week along with cornerback Avonte Maddox (pectoral muscle). All sat out Monday’s win over the Giants.

Less certain is the status of left guard Landon Dickerson (broken thumb), who missed his first game in three seasons last week.

Slay sounds like he’ll be back sooner, than later.

“I’ll be good,” Slay said. “We’ll see what’s going on, but I’m looking forward to whenever I get back out there.”

• • •

Quarterback Kyler Murray (illness), wide receiver Marquise Brown (heel), linebacker Zaven Collins (ankle) and defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter (knee) sat out the Cardinals’ practice Wednesday.

• • •

The Eagles (11-4) are 10.5-point favorites over the Cardinals (3-12), who are coached by former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

“It’s going to be cool to see him,” Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said. “JG was a great coach. Good dude. Looking forward to seeing him. Of course, we’re looking forward to trying to beat him, too.”

A 23-yard field goal by contingency plan kicker Cameron Dicker in the last two minutes was the difference in a 20-17 decision at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

When the Cardinals got the ball back, quarterback Kyler Murray needed 10 yards for a first down. He took a knee on second down after nine yards, and with no timeouts remaining had to burn third down with a spike to get his kicker on the field with 23 seconds left.

A first down at the 24-yard line would have given Murray at least two, and probably three shots at the end zone and a victory. Instead, Matt Ammendola missed a 43-yarder, and Hurts knelt to kill the remaining time.

Little did Murray know that his season would be over in a couple of months, the rehab for a torn ACL keeping him off the field until this November. Or that the coordinator of that Eagles defense, Jonathan Gannon, would be his head coach this season. Small world.

“I’m happy to see him back on the field,” Hurts said of Murray. “He’s a very unique player in how he plays. He’s a very special player. That’s a better way of saying it. He’s always been a special player since high school. So, it’ll be a challenge for us having to deal with him.”

Murray outplayed Hurts and a more talented Eagles team that October day, only to lose because of the premature slide. The Cardinals (3-12) have been flailing away this season in a rebuild that, considering the issues plaguing the front office and ownership, has been rougher than necessary.

At this point the Cardinals are trying to build momentum for next season with the always dangerous Murray, whose arm talent and running ability gives them a chance to win on any given Sunday.

Eagles acting defensive coordinator Matt Patricia knows a lot about Murray having been haunted by him over the years.

“He’s extremely explosive, very fast, very quick,” Patricia said Wednesday. “Unbelievable athlete. I think the thing about him is you go out there and you’re like, ‘all right, I’ve got this guy lined up, and we’re good.’ And then he’s gone. He does a great job with the angles. He manipulates the angles on the field and you can see where his other sports athleticism comes into play here. He just does a great job. He sets you up. He’ll go and he’ll get real tall and then you start to rise up and all of a sudden he’s gone. He’s just down and he moves and he’s quick.

“The biggest thing with him that’s interesting since he came in the league that I’ve noticed is, he will hit top speed right now. Like there’s no buildup to it. It’s not like he has to get going for five yards before he’s running full speed. He can just go. I think that’s what surprises everybody right away is how fast he moves and how quickly he can get to that top speed. So, you start there obviously with him.”

Hurts is every bit as explosive as Murray and much more productive, having accounted for 35 touchdowns this season, including 15 rushing. Murray has six TD passes and three scoring runs in six starts.

The Eagles (11-4) are much more talented on offense than the Cardinals and are favored by 10.5 points Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. A win over the Cardinals and a Dallas Cowboys (10-5) loss to the Detroit Lions (11-4) clinches a second straight NFC East pennant for the Eagles. The latter outcome, however, would make it more difficult for the Eagles to secure the No. 1 seed.

If the Eagles and Lions win, out the Lions would prevail by better record against common opponents. If the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers (11-4) win out, the Niners own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Eagles.

Then again, winning the last two games is anything but a given for an Eagles team that last week needed a Kelee Ringo interception on the last play of the game to defeat the 14-point underdog Giants and snap a three-game losing skid.

“There’s value in losing,” Hurts philosophized. “That does something to you. As a competitor, it drives you and pushes you forward. You don’t want to feel those feelings you felt when you came up short in situations. Every competitor is different. Every competitor handles and channels different emotions in different ways. And so, how we channel that as a team, as long as we’re doing that together, and as long as we’re on the same page, that’s all that matters.

“I just want to continue to grow through these experiences — the lessons that we’ve had the last month and channeling it in the right way for us as a team so we can be as successful and be who we’re called to be on the field.”