Nick Sirianni’s sideline behavior, the slow starts on offense, and more answers to Reddit’s biggest Eagles questions
What is going on with Nick Sirianni? Why do the Eagles consistently struggle early on offense? Reddit wants to know.
After each Eagles game this season, Inquirer columnist David Murphy will answer questions posed by Eagles fans on Reddit about what they saw on the field — and what it means moving forward — in a weekly mailbag of sorts.
The Eagles improved to 3-2 on Sunday after defeating the Cleveland Browns, 20-16. However, the win didn’t come without its share of concerns from Eagles fans. Here are some of the best questions we received from r/Eagles this week …
Q: Different week, same question. Why is Nick Sirianni still employed?
Murphy: It’s the same answer — you don’t fire your coach after a win, and the Eagles win more often than not under Sirianni. They are 3-2 this year, they were 11-7 last year, 14-3 the year before.
Find me one team that fired a coach who was 28-11 in his last 39 regular-season games. You don’t even have to find me one that went to the playoffs in each of his three seasons as head coach and went to one Super Bowl. Don’t get me wrong — I totally understand the frustration with Sirianni and the Eagles in general. But the wins count for something.
» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni vows to have ‘better wisdom’ after chirping to Eagles fans in their win vs. Browns
Q: It seems like Nick is taking the heat and making himself the lightning rod for any criticisms for the players this year; at what point do players just need to execute and be held accountable?
Murphy: I would guess there’s a part of Sirianni that thinks exactly what you said in the first part of your question. Like, hey, the more time they spend ripping me, the less time they have to rip the players and assistants. For the most part, though, I don’t think he’s thinking at all. I think everything you see from him is genuine — he’s an emotional guy who likes to have fun and what you saw on the sidelines at the end of the game is fun for him.
Go back and watch the tape of the back-and-forth with the crowd and watch the reaction of the players around Sirianni. They are all laughing and getting a kick out of it. The one thing about Sirianni is that there is always a good-natured vibe to his outbursts. It’s why I can kind of grin and bear it even though I think it’s A.) A bad look and B.) Not a sustainable leadership strategy in today’s NFL.
The last part has always been my big criticism: an NFL coach needs to be the adult in the room. He needs to be taken seriously, first and foremost. By refs, by players, by assistant coaches, etc. The vast majority of teams who have sustained greatness all have a certain degree of professionalism about them, which starts with the head coach. Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh, Bill Belichick, etc. I think it brings a lot of value at the margins. Chaotic leaders tend to breed chaos.
» READ MORE: ‘Not a good look at all’: Former Eagle and NFL players react to Nick Sirianni’s postgame chirps
Q: Why do we struggle so much to do anything on offense at the beginning of the game? We can’t we seem to find any early rhythm in games. Also, why don’t the receivers ever seem to bail Jalen Hurts out on scramble drills?
Murphy: I have no answer for the first part. I’ll share my best guess at a theory.
First, the scramble drill: I actually think the receivers do a decent job of bailing Hurts out when he gives them an opportunity. DeVonta Smith in general has always struck me as one of the better receivers in the league in “scramble” situations. But scramble situations come down to the quarterback keeping his eyes downfield while scrambling. Hurts tends to scramble until he finds safety and then looks downfield.
Anyway, my best attempt at a theory for the early struggles: What the Eagles do is relatively straightforward. They rely on their talent, which is overwhelming at wide receiver, running back, and, when healthy, the offensive line. Teams know what the Eagles are going to do, they prepare all week for it, they figure out the best way to stop them, and it works for a drive or two. But talent ultimately wins out.
» READ MORE: Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata will be out ‘a couple weeks’ with a hamstring injury, Nick Sirianni says
Q: It seems we have had consistent issues playing a full game of “complete” football going back to the middle of last season. Is the coaching staff doing anything to address this? It seems we haven’t played a complete game on both sides of the ball since Buffalo last year. I’d love to know if this inconsistency is being addressed.
Murphy: I can guarantee it is being addressed. The big question is whether it will yield any solutions. That will be the ultimate judgment. The slow starts are a problem. Not every team will have a nonfunctional quarterback like the Browns.
» READ MORE: Eagles stats: Pass rush improves, Saquon Barkley is bottled up, and another razor-thin margin of victory
Q: What decisions are Nick’s? I think Howie Roseman picks the game roster. The coordinators run the offense and the defense. Then Jeffrey Lurie tell him to be aggressive so sometimes he is stupid aggressive.
Murphy: I’ve written about this before — I don’t think the Eagles operate much differently from most NFL coaching staffs. Most organizations, really.
Everything the Eagles do starts with Sirianni — he’s the boss. He sets the agenda. He leads the meetings. He and Kellen Moore sit down at the beginning of the week. He says, “What do you think?” He says, “Here’s what I think.” They go back and forth and formulate a game plan. Ideally, they are mostly on the same page, and, when they aren’t, they debate it until a conclusion is reached.
Every head coach has veto power, and every head coach defers to their assistants based on the trust they have in them. If, during the game, Sirianni is adamant they should run a specific play in a specific situation, they are going to run that play. There’s a valid question about how much autonomy Sirianni is choosing to grant his coordinators.
But that’s his choice. If it isn’t, then there’s a problem. Like, I can’t imagine a scenario where Roseman and Lurie have told Kellen Moore, “Don’t listen to Nick,” or where Moore puts Sirianni on mute in the headset or something. A team can’t operate like that.
Q: If Eagles players get too involved with the crowd while on the sideline, they could get reprimanded or fined. Where is the accountability for Nick for repeatedly doing the same things?
Murphy: I don’t think anything Sirianni has done has risen to the level where a player in the same situation would be punished. The big issue is optics. A head coach should carry himself a certain way, or else people stop taking him seriously. If I was Lurie or Roseman, I would definitely sit him down and say, look, Nick, I get it, I like you, I know you’re just having fun, but it’s making you look bad. Just take it down a notch.