Appreciating Nick

Posted: December 6th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

People love immediate results. They always have, they always will. Being patient is no fun, especially in sports. We want to know what’s what right away. In the age of the Internet and social media, things are even crazier.

Think back to early October. Justin Fields was the QB for the Steelers. They were 3-2 and didn’t look like much of a contender. Buffalo fell to 3-2 after losses to the Ravens and Texans. People had questions about the Bills. Dallas was also 3-2. Their season still had plenty of hope. Washington was 4-1 and looked like one of the best teams in the league.

The Eagles were 3-2 after a less than impressive win over the Browns. There were all kinds of questions about the Eagles. There were just as many questions about Nick Sirianni. Thankfully the season doesn’t end in early October.

Philly is on an 8-game winning streak and now looks like a legit Super Bowl threat. Saquon Barkley has a real chance to be the NFL MVP. The Eagles have the best defense in the league. And Sirianni is finally starting to get credit for some of the Eagles success.

NFL coaches who run an offense or defense are easier to evaluate. Mike Shanahan is going to get credit when the Niners are scoring a bunch of points. Todd Bowles is going to get credit when Tampa is shutting people down. Coaches who run the whole team get judged on wins and losses. That’s fair to a certain extent, but there is also a need to evaluate the whole picture.

The Eagles were 2-5 back in 2021 when Sirianni gave his flower speech to the media. The Eagles then went 7-3 and made the playoffs. They have been winning ever since. Sirianni explained back then that he was building something. We just couldn’t see the results. Sirianni’s speech proved to be completely right. It just needed time to come true.

After last season’s collapse, Sirianni had to fight to keep his job. He also had to make some changes. Sirianni didn’t fight the changes, he embraced them. He is more competitive than prideful so he was willing to do anything that he felt would lead to more winning.

Sirianni gave up control of the offense and hired an outsider to come in and run that side of the ball. He hired a veteran coach to run the defense. He decided to tone down his behavior on the sidelines, wanting to be more under control. How could he preach to his players to stay under control if he wasn’t doing it himself? He decided to be less verbal with the officials. Sirianni constantly tells his players to focus on what they can control. Him screaming at the officials sent a different message so that had to change. Sirianni seemed genuinely interested in making real changes. I guess being part of a historic collapse can do that to you.

Changes can take time to work. After the win over the Browns it was fair to question whether the changes were working. Sirianni never panicked. He gave his team time to improve and show that progress. If you truly believe in something, you stick with it.

Sirianni listened to his players when they told him he had become too bland on the sidelines. They wanted him to show some emotion, especially when it came time to celebrating with them. He opened up a bit and that has worked well. The team has been winning. The obvious credit goes to Saquon Barkley, Jalen Carter, Vic Fangio, etc., but Sirianni deserves some as well.

This isn’t the NBA where one great player can carry a team. The NFL is a team sport. The coach has to build the right culture for his team. That is a daily challenge. When you have a 53-man roster, a practice squad, players on injured reserve and a large coaching staff, that is a lot of strong personalities. It isn’t easy to motivate a group like that and keep them together. Say what you want, but Sirianni does connect with his players. His messaging works.

I listened to ESPN Radio the other day. They compared Sirianni to Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell and Matt LaFleur. The crew put Sirianni 4th in that group. You can make that argument, but you can also say he’s the best of the group. They didn’t even entertain that thought.

  • 2-0 vs Campbell
  • 2-0 vs LaFleur
  • 2-0 vs O’Connell

Sirianni is the only one of the group to make it to the Super Bowl. His teams have gotten off to a 10-2 start each of the past three seasons. Sirianni is off to a great start as a head coach.

Some will argue he’s winning due to talent. Cincinnati has a talented roster. They’re 4-8. The Jets roster looked impressive in August, but that team has been a disaster. Winning games in the NFL isn’t easy. Too often we obsess on coaches who get a team to overachieve and don’t credit the coaches who deliver big results with good teams. If it was easy, anyone could win big. It ain’t easy.

One of the guys on ESPN Radio said Sirianni could get fired if the Eagles are one and done in the playoffs. He talked about Howie Roseman having Super Bowl expectations for this roster. Howie might have those expectations, but I don’t think Sirianni is in any danger unless things go horribly wrong. I don’t think one and done fits that category. The NFL playoffs are hard. We’ve seen plenty of good teams get upset.

This Eagles team feels different than last year. This group is playing together. They seem very connected. They are winning and having fun. The Eagles have a lot of young talent. The last thing you want to do is bring in a different coach. See what Sirianni can do with this bunch of players.

I get that Sirianni isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. His press conferences can be weird. He can be odd on the sidelines. But I do think he’s changed from last year, and even the beginning of this year. He now seems more relaxed when talking with the media. His team is winning. Sirianni seems to have figured out what he needs to do to help this team. Whatever it is, it’s working.

Give the man some credit. And let’s see if he can get the Eagles back to the Super Bowl.

*****

We found out the injury report for Sunday.

The Eagles are down two safeties. That means Tristin McCollum will start. Avante Maddox might be the top backup there.

No DG means Grant Calcaterra will have a chance to make plays. CJ Uzomah will get plenty of snaps, especially if the Eagles run a lot. He is a solid blocker.

Cooper DeJean will have to go back to being the PR for a week. If the game ever gets to be a blowout, maybe we see Ainias Smith as the PR.

The Eagles do get back DeVonta Smith so they will be able to attack the Panthers through the air or on the ground.

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One Comment on “Appreciating Nick”

  1. 1 The Linc - “The real beauty of this [Eagles] defense is the whole” - SportSourcio said at 12:02 PM on December 7th, 2024:

    […] Appreciating Nick – Iggles Blitz […]