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| Photo: Philadelphia Eagles |
In case word hasn't gotten to the Nova Care Complex that I'm now writing columns on my site, can someone please show this to Nick Sirianni. It's important. Hey Nick...I am sorry.
Odds are you should apologize too. Come on, admit it. We wanted Nick out of here. We wanted him fired after that debacle last season. Then we wanted "that buffoon" fired after the team started 2-2, and limped out of the bye week with a lackluster win over Cleveland.
Maybe you were like me. I made fun of the guy on TV after he compared the Eagles to a plant, saying at a press conference that we have to make sure we are watering and fertilizing. Honestly, back then I thought a lot of what Nick said was "fertilizer".
But I was wrong. Dead wrong. You were too. So I want to take this opportunity to tell Nick...I am sorry. You're a damn good coach, and we are lucky to have you. And I hope you stay in Philly for a long time.
All you have to do is look at the numbers. He has made the playoffs all four years he's been here and he's going to his second Super Bowl in that span. He has a winning percentage over .700...and that's combining regular season and the playoffs. Sirianni has also won the most games among NFL head coaches in their first four seasons, with 53. Of course we hope he makes it 54.
He may be a goofy guy. He may look and/or sound awkward sometimes at press conferences. He may do something or say something stupid on the sidelines. But all this dude does is win. And isn't that the bottom line?
We probably should have known Nick would be good, even after that disastrous introductory presser. Why? Because Jeff Lurie hired him. Lurie's track record has been pretty good when it comes to head coaches. His first hire was Ray Rhodes, who had a few good years and even won Coach of the Year in his first season here. Plus let's face it, anyone following Rich Kotite was a huge upgrade. From there it was Andy Reid. Say what you want about "Big Red". Yes, he didn't get the job done here in terms of a Super Bowl win. But he had a lot of success and you could argue he set the table. He created a culture of winning. The one blemish on Lurie's coaching hiring record was Chip Kelly, but that first year sure was fun. When Lurie realized Kelly was not the right guy, he didn't hesitate to fire him. That's a mark of success...knowing when you were wrong and fixing it ASAP. Lurie did, and brought in Dougie P who finally led the Birds to a title. Now it's Nick's turn.
I'll tell you what else I like about Nick. He doesn't take himself too seriously. That's important in this job and in this town. He also learns from his mistakes. Remember questioning his reasoning for going for two points instead of the extra point, or going for it on fourth down? He made some bad decisions early on this season. But the key words there are "early on". The man learned a lesson and he adjusted.
One last thing. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio is getting a ton of credit for the Birds' potent D, as he should. But Nick has long talked about the team's M.O. on defense...to always try and punch the ball out. Go for the ball. We are seeing that on display in these playoffs, as the Eagles are +10 in turnover differential. Nick has to get some credit for that too.
He also deserves credit for guiding the Eagles through last season's awful ending and this season's so-so beginning. It takes a good leader to right the ship after all that. Sirianni is the perfect captain for the S.S. Eagles. Perhaps his most important attribute...his players LOVE him. That is more than obvious, and that cannot be overlooked when talking about Nick.
This team has had some great coaches. A few were mentioned earlier. There was also Dick Vermeil, who took the Birds to Super Bowl XV, which was in New Orleans just like Super Bowl LIX will be. But there were also lots of BAD coaches...Joe Khuharich, Ed Khayat, Mike McCormick, and Marian Campbell, among others. We are damn lucky to have Nick Sirianni here now.
So Nick, please accept my apology.