Defending Nick Sirianni: Why the Eagles are right to stick with their head coach

This isn’t my usual type of article. I’ll get back to covering the Eagles’ draft picks soon, but I wanted to take a moment to write about Nick Sirianni. I recently recorded a podcast with the brilliant Tommy Lawlor, and we had a great discussion about Sirianni. It made me want to put my thoughts down in writing. So, here goes!

The Noise Around Sirianni
Some of what I’ve seen online this week has really annoyed me, though, I know I shouldn’t let it. BGN’s Alexis Chassen wrote a good piece recently pointing out that Sirianni has the fifth-highest win rate in NFL history among head coaches. Let’s just pause there. That’s pretty crazy. It’s also the highest among current NFL head coaches.

Since becoming the Eagles’ head coach, Sirianni has gone 48-20 in the regular season, taking the team to the Super Bowl twice. That’s an extraordinary record in just three seasons. And yet, somehow, he keeps getting disrespected by numerous voices in the media,

I feel the same way about Nick Sirianni as I feel about Jalen Hurts. Is Jalen Hurts the most talented quarterback in the league? No. But would I trade him for anyone else? I genuinely don’t think I would. He’s the best quarterback for this team right now. Nick Sirianni is the perfect head coach for this Eagles team. All Hurts and Sirianni do is win.

Sirianni and Hurts embody what this team stands for. Their leadership, mentality, and resilience are tailor-made for this organization. And when I see people ranking guys like Dan Quinn ahead of Sirianni, I don’t get it.

If you prefer his coaching style, fair enough, that’s your own opinion. Dan Quinn doesn’t have a top-five all-time win percentage, though (it’s 55-47).

“What Does Sirianni Even Do?”
This is the line that really gets me: “I still don’t know what Nick Sirianni does.”

It’s as if Sirianni is just some random guy who stumbled into the job and lucked into a winning record. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sirianni sets the tone for the culture, just like a great CEO sets the tone for an organization. You can’t just ignore what he does because you can’t physically see it on the field.

People used to laugh at Dan Campbell, too. Now he’s universally praised for what he’s done with the Lions. Sirianni is no different. He’s built an extremely strong culture, kept the locker room united, and produced consistent success. This is not an easy thing. It’s not easy to ask one of the NFL’s best wide receivers to block down the field 30 times a game, but AJ Brown does it. It’s not easy to keep DeVonta Smith happy when he only gets a few targets a game. But Sirianni manages to do it. This is good leadership.

Many of Sirianni’s critics are what I’d call “scheme guys.” They want to see exciting play designs on 3rd and 12. They admire coaches like Mike McDaniel for their X&Os wizardry. I get it. These guys are fun! But being a great leader isn’t just about designing the best play. It’s about winning!

The Eagles win differently. They dominate with talent, physicality, and execution. They don’t need to reinvent football brand new plays every Sunday. They throw deep to A.J. Brown against single-high coverage. They run counter with Saquon Barkley and he runs for a long touchdown. It’s not flashy, but it’s effective. And that should count for something.

“Told You So” Crowd
Sirianni will probably get fired after a bad year in a few years. And those who don’t rate him will rush to shout online and on TV, “See? I told you he wasn’t that good!” But that’s not how sports work. Every coach gets fired eventually. Success in the NFL is nearly impossible to maintain. But, here’s the crucial bit, it doesn’t erase what came before. Nick Sirianni has already succeeded. He’s taken the Eagles to a Super Bowl and built a team that consistently wins.

I think a lot of the criticism stems from Sirianni’s awkward first press conference. People made their minds up about him right then and there and haven’t changed them since. That’s the unfortunate part of sports media. People don’t want to admit they were wrong. Admitting you’re wrong is harder than just doubling down. So, people will keep saying that Sirianni is overrated and the Eagles’ success is down to everyone else.

Jeffrey Lurie said it best in his statement: the Eagles want to build a championship culture, and Sirianni embodies that vision. He empowers the people around him to do their jobs, and that’s exactly what a great leader does.

Nick Sirianni has proven himself. He fits this team. He fits this organization. He has built something that works. Will he be here for a decade? I highly doubt it. But based on what he’s done so far, there’s no question in my mind that keeping Sirianni is the right call.

And the fact that people are even questioning it? I find it laughable.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.