Winning Ain’t Easy

Posted: November 18th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 3 Comments »

The Eagles have the best record in the league at 8-1. Last year the Eagles went 14-3 in the regular season and made it all the way to the Super Bowl. That’s an impressive two-year stretch for Nick Sirianni and his Eagles.

You can really go back to the 2021 season. The team started 2-5. There were a lot of questions and doubts. Why did the Eagles pass on Josh McDaniels for Sirianni? Could Jalen Hurts do more than run?

Since that point, the Eagles are 29-7. That is a lot of winning and I don’t think that is an accident. Here is Sirianni talking to the media just days before the hot streak began.

That’s a coach who builds, who plans. He focuses on the day at hand, but also has an eye on the big picture. The last time the Eagles had a coach who was really like that was Andy Reid. I remember Reid talking about wanting to build a football program. That was the first time I heard a pro coach use that phrase. Reid wanted something that was sustainable. He didn’t want to get one group of players and ride with them. He wanted the ability to have players come and go and still be able to keep winning.

Sirianni and his staff put a big emphasis on culture. That’s something that isn’t based on having star players. Good culture helps all players to succeed. The coaching staff focuses more on teaching than emotions. Sirianni believes the difference in most games is a handful of plays and the difference on them can be execution. Teach players the details of how to succeed on those plays and you’ve got a better chance to win.

The Eagles have had a lot of good teams over the years. Four different coaches have gotten the team to the Super Bowl. Coaches like Buddy Ryan, Ray Rhodes and Chip Kelly all made multiple trips to the postseason even though they didn’t have much success in January. Even Rich Kotite won a playoff game. The winning Sirianni is doing is on a different level.

If the Eagles are able to win 12 games this year (which seems likely), it would be the first time for that since 2003-2004. Since then the Eagles have had good years and good stretches, but piecing together outstanding seasons just hasn’t happend in the last 20 years. And think how quickly this came together. Reid didn’t have an elite team until 2002 (his fourth season). He didn’t reach the Super Bowl until 2004 (his sixth season). Sirianni did both of those things in Year 2.

Sirianni did inherit some key talent, but he also took over a dysfunctional team coming off an awful season. He fixed a lot of problems in a hurry.

Do not take for granted the success the Eagles are having right now. This is a special time. We don’t know if there will be another trip to the Super Bowl this year, but winning like this is something to be celebrated.

I was one of the Eagles fans who went through the Andy Reid era. It was frustrating to never win it all, but it was fun to have a team that won a lot of games and had success in the postseason. Make sure you enjoy the wins. It can be easy to expect them and then to just be angry when the Eagles lose. That’s the worst way to follow sports.

There will be ups and downs, this season and into the future, but this is a great time to be an Eagles fan. The team is winning big and it looks like that should continue for the next several years.

Enjoy the ride.

*****

One of the keys to the recent winning is the development of Jalen Hurts. He got benched at Alabama because he wasn’t a good enough passer. Now watch him in action.

https://twitter.com/EaglesXOs/status/1721896050397765666

That is a QB who is smart, accurate and physically gifted. He adjusted post-snap, was patient and then made a terrific throw. It had good touch, which makes it easier for the WRs to catch.

Hurts is playing the best football of his career. And he’s gotten better as this season has gone along. You feel like anytime he takes the field, the Eagles have a good chance to win.

*****

The Eagles will be playing their second Monday night game of the year. The first one came on a mini-bye (off a TNF game). This one comes off a full bye. I appreciate a chance for the team to rest and get healthy, but waiting and waiting and waiting for the games is a bit torturous. As I’m writing this we have another 48 hours to kickoff. That feels crazy.

****

Dallas Goedert won’t play in KC. He’s going to be out against Buffalo. After that? We’ll see.

The Eagles know he’s a key player and want him back ASAP. They also know he plays a tough, physical position. You have to give that arm time to heal. DG is a good blocker. He likes to mix it up in the run game. You need him healthy before he is fully effective.

_

3 Comments on “Winning Ain’t Easy”

  1. 1 The Linc - “Nick Sirianni wins too much to ever be Coach of the Year” - Iglesia en Directo said at 11:05 AM on November 19th, 2023:

    […] Winning Ain’t Easy – Iggles BlitzThat’s a coach who builds, who plans. He focuses on the day at hand, but also has an eye on the big picture. The last time the Eagles had a coach who was really like that was Andy Reid. I remember Reid talking about wanting to build a football program. That was the first time I heard a pro coach use that phrase. Reid wanted something that was sustainable. He didn’t want to get one group of players and ride with them. He wanted the ability to have players come and go and still be able to keep winning. Sirianni and his staff put a big emphasis on culture. That’s something that isn’t based on having star players. Good culture helps all players to succeed. The coaching staff focuses more on teaching than emotions. Sirianni believes the difference in most games is a handful of plays and the difference on them can be execution. Teach players the details of how to succeed on those plays and you’ve got a better chance to win. […]

  2. 2 Eagles News: “Nick Sirianni wins too much to ever be Coach of the Year” - FOOTBALL MANCHESTER said at 11:54 AM on November 19th, 2023:

    […] Winning Ain’t Easy – Iggles BlitzThat’s a coach who builds, who plans. He focuses on the day at hand, but also has an eye on the big picture. The last time the Eagles had a coach who was really like that was Andy Reid. I remember Reid talking about wanting to build a football program. That was the first time I heard a pro coach use that phrase. Reid wanted something that was sustainable. He didn’t want to get one group of players and ride with them. He wanted the ability to have players come and go and still be able to keep winning. Sirianni and his staff put a big emphasis on culture. That’s something that isn’t based on having star players. Good culture helps all players to succeed. The coaching staff focuses more on teaching than emotions. Sirianni believes the difference in most games is a handful of plays and the difference on them can be execution. Teach players the details of how to succeed on those plays and you’ve got a better chance to win. […]

  3. 3 Eagles News: “Nick Sirianni wins too much to ever be Coach of the Year” – Consolidated Financial said at 7:03 PM on November 19th, 2023:

    […] Winning Ain’t Easy – Iggles BlitzThat’s a coach who builds, who plans. He focuses on the day at hand, but also has an eye on the big picture. The last time the Eagles had a coach who was really like that was Andy Reid. I remember Reid talking about wanting to build a football program. That was the first time I heard a pro coach use that phrase. Reid wanted something that was sustainable. He didn’t want to get one group of players and ride with them. He wanted the ability to have players come and go and still be able to keep winning. Sirianni and his staff put a big emphasis on culture. That’s something that isn’t based on having star players. Good culture helps all players to succeed. The coaching staff focuses more on teaching than emotions. Sirianni believes the difference in most games is a handful of plays and the difference on them can be execution. Teach players the details of how to succeed on those plays and you’ve got a better chance to win. […]