Eagles players defend OC Kevin Patullo after loss to 49ers - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata turned the tables and posited a question to reporters in the locker room following Sunday's 23-19 home playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

«If there are multiple players saying that, why don't you believe us?»

What the players were saying, from Mailata to wide receiver DeVonta Smith to running back Saquon Barkley and on down the line, was that execution was the primary culprit for the team's offensive inefficiencies this season. That it was the players, not the plays, that were largely responsible for the defending champ's downfall.

Externally, the finger-pointing has begun in earnest, and much of it is in the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. His elevation to the post after Kellen Moore left to become head coach of the New Orleans Saints was the only major change for a Pro Bowl-rich unit that finished second in rushing last season and clicked into high gear in the playoffs, with the Eagles posting 95 points over their final two games to capture the Lombardi Trophy in runaway fashion.

Scoring dropped from 27.2 (ranked 7th) to 22.3 (19th) points per game this season, offensive efficiency dipped from fourth best in the league to 19th, and the rushing attack plummeted from averaging 179 yards per game to 116.9 (18th).

Removing Patullo from the equation, the thinking goes, will get the operation back on track. But really, Mailata said, that's just an argument of convenience.

«I'll say it like this: It's easier to blame somebody who gets paid less than your starting people,» he said. «Everybody knows that. Everyone in this f---ing locker room, even you guys know that. But the story makes better sense if you're pointing at somebody else and not