Nick & Jeff Talk

Posted: March 26th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Nick & Jeff Talk

On Monday we heard from Howie Roseman at the owners meetings in Orlando. Tuesday was Nick Sirianni and Jeffrey Lurie’s time to meet with the media.

I wish I could tell you this was really interesting, engaging material. Lurie was far and away the better of the two. Sirianni was in secretive mode and spoke in coaching generalities.

Lurie expressed genuine disappointment in how the 2023 season ended. That sounds obvious, but it was important to hear him say it and not just gloss over that trainwreck of a finish. Lurie focused on positives, as anyone would. He talked about the success the Eagles have had with Sirianni and Jalen Hurts and wanting to get back to the level of the 2022 season.

He was asked about why he brought Sirianni back. Lurie talked about Nick’s honest evaluation and desire to fix things. I know a lot of people questioned whether Sirianni would make changes, but at his core, I see him as ultra-competitive. That means you do whatever it takes to win. Give up play-calling? Fine. Fire a young coach you like? Fine. Go get me the best guys out there.

Lurie talked about how Sirianni was pushing for Kellen Moore from the start of the coaching search. That’s important. You need Sirianni to fully buy into the new coach and to embrace changes to the playbook. It sounds like that is happening. Lurie said the addition of Moore can make the Eagles offense more dynamic and innovative. That would be better than what we saw the final six weeks.

I liked Lurie talking about how Howie Roseman and the front office looked for market inefficiencies to potentially exploit. It felt like that’s what happened with Saquon Barkley this year. Other teams shied away from giving big money to a RB so the Eagles weren’t in a bidding war. Lurie also made sure to praise Howie’s support staff, talking about how structuring contracts the right way can give the Eagles an advantage.

Lurie was asked about CB Isaiah Rodgers. He said he expects Rodgers to be reinstated by the league. Lurie said Rodgers is an important piece for the Eagles. We know the Eagles CBs are an odd mix right now. You have two older guys in Slay and Bradberry and then a bunch of young guys. Rodgers is 26 and has 10 career starts so he’s between those groups and could challenge for a starting role this year.

Lurie spoke about how both Hurts and Sirianni need to be themselves. He was asked their personalites (Sirianni too emotional, Hurts too reserved). Lurie said that it was important for both of them to be genuine. The worst thing Hurts could do was to change and try to fake it. I immediately thought of Russell Wilson. Lurie admitted that Sirianni has a tough balancing act with being emotional, but not too emotional.

Sirianni was much less interesting.

He refused to commit to Cam Jurgens taking over for Jason Kelce. Sirianni doesn’t want other teams to know what the Eagles will do. I get the need to keep things somewhat secret for a competitive advantage, but there are times when Nick goes too far.

Sirianni talked about the new backup receivers. He likes DeVante Parker’s ability to win outside and the fact he’s different than the other guys (insert your own joke there). Sirianni praised Parris Campbell, focusing on his speed. He also seemed to think Campbell would be a good fit personality wise.

You can watch if you like, but there really isn’t much compelling content.

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