Sean Mannion Impressing Early: ‘Blown Away by That Evil Genius’
The Philadelphia Eagles knew that they had to make a drastic change on offense following last season. Despite fielding one of the most talented offenses in the NFL, Philadelphia went three-and-out and punted at a higher rate than any other team in 2025. Something had to change and the Eagles decided to go all-in on first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
It was a bold choice that many criticized due to Mannion’s inexperience as a play-caller. How could the Eagles hand the keys to someone that has never called plays at any level of football following last season’s disaster led by Kevin Patullo? While it was fair to criticize the decision, Mannion has already impressed through the first two days of training camp in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia’s offense looks drastically different as the Eagles are finally embracing life under center. It was a scheme change that many questioned if Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was capable of doing. Yet Hurts looks comfortable while operating from under center, according to reporters in attendance at training camp.
The first-year offensive coordinator is implementing the Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan influenced scheme that he once mastered as a player. Now Mannion is passing on his knowledge to the players in Philadelphia — and they seem to be loving it.
Eagles All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson has already praised the scheme change and is enjoying not being tasked with blocking on an island anymore. Eagles All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata echoed a similar message regarding the new-look offense following practice on Thursday.
“It is fun seeing now, understanding the concept of stressing the defense,” Mailata said about the scheme changes in Philadelphia. “You kinda ask yourself ‘offensive linemen have done this in the league for years?’ This is fun!”
Under previous play-callers and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, Philadelphia’s offensive tackles had a tall task. They were often asked to win one-on-one matchups against the NFL’s best edge rushers with hardly any help. That is no longer the case under Mannion’s watch.
The offensive tackles receive help from the interior offensive linemen, while the marriage between the run and the pass helps to lighten the load on everyone’s collective plate. Mailata elaborated on how Mannion’s approach — both on and off the field — has helped the players embrace the new scheme.
“When we’re being taught the scheme, just the explanation of how the defense is going to see it and what the plan is,” Mailata said. “In those meetings you just see ‘oh wow, that’s actually pretty smart, why didn’t I think about that?’ You don’t think about it because you’re an offensive lineman.”
“When you get to come out here (points at practice field), you run the plays and you may not understand it at the time,” Mailata continued. “Then when you go through the meetings and he breaks down everything, there’s a purpose to everything in the play and then you see it unfold. You see the defense like kinda confused like ‘who’s covering who now on this motion?’”
It was important to hear Mailata mention the word purpose. That was something that last year’s unit seemed to lack under former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who literally said “there were a couple of plays where we were just running it to run it.” That clearly won’t be the case under Mannion as everything is already being thoroughly explained, including the purpose behind every player’s job.
“There’s a lot more to it than you know, I guess, I thought an offensive coordinator could bring to the table,” Mailata said regarding Mannion and what he’s learned from the 34-year-old. “I’ve just been blown away by that evil genius.”
The Eagles took a major risk when they handed the reins of a highly talented offense over to a former backup quarterback that has never called plays before. But Thursday afternoon wasn’t the first time that Mailata has already referred to Mannion as an “evil genius.” If the first-year offensive coordinator continues his hot start, he won’t be the only one that’ll look like an evil genius in Philadelphia.