In defense of Nick Sirianni; Jerry Jones’ unhappy birthday; A.J. Brown chasing Eagles history: NFL Week 6

So now Nick Sirianni’s too much? After three years and five games, you’ve had your bellyful? Now, he can’t taunt the fans? Now, he can’t bring his kids into the interview room?

Sirianni’s been showing himself since the moment he was introduced — yammering at fans, deflecting questions, and using his young children as body armor. Why the outrage, then, Sunday? Here’s why: It’s not because the Eagles didn’t win, but rather because they didn’t win by enough, or with enough flair.

Hilarious.

Nobody in the country has been more critical of Nick the Quick than I have, from the first time he lied to us all on Zoom about having not watched tape of any Eagles players, especially not Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts, and about how Jeffrey Lurie had hired him despite his ignorance of the roster.

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni is the Eagles’ newest puppet, a cross between Barney Fife and Pinocchio | Marcus Hayes

He was Barney Fife then, and he got worse. He mocked fans in Indianapolis, mocked fans in Kansas City, and, on Sunday, he mocked fans in Philadelphia who’d booed his team (again) and had chanted “Fire Nick!” (again).

That was the bridge too far?

Seriously?

Hilarious.

Some people — not going to mention any names here — excused that abomination of an introductory press conference, and they have generally been silent concerning Sirianni’s antics over the last three seasons. Ignoring Sirianni’s boorish behavior created the monster before you.

Others of us — not so much. We even asked sources around the NFL their opinion of Sirianni’s antics and how he manages the team, and they called it a “clown show.”

» READ MORE: ‘Clown show’: NFL types chime in on Eagles’ bizarre dysfunction and decline under Nick Sirianni

This was amid the Eagles’ collapse last season, when they lost five of their last six games, then got blown out in the wild-card game at Tampa. Still, he retained his job. Lurie clearly has no problem with how Nick acts, or what he says, or whom he insults, challenges, or berates. He doesn’t care that he continually trots his kids onto the postgame podium, where they don’t belong; after all, I don’t bring my kids to his press conferences, and mine would answer questions a hell of a lot better than Ramblin’ Nick.

Lurie doesn’t care if Sirianni’s immature or unprofessional. In fact, his players seem to like it. Maybe not all of them, but Brandon Graham, the longest-tenured Eagle and the most respected person on the current team, loves it. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the emotional leader on the defense, adores it. Even Hurts, the model of decorum (perhaps to a fault), said, “I encourage him to be himself.”

So why, all of a sudden, is Nick’s so-called passion in a veritable Passion City such an offense?

Sure, he’s kind of a mook, but that’s him — that’s unadulterated, authentic Nick Sirianni. His players respond to it. Somehow. And so did you. And not for the first time. Buddy Ryan, and Pete Rose, the entire 1993 Philadelphia Phillies — all mooks. If there’s anything Philly loves, it’s a good mook.

» READ MORE: Mike Sielski: Nick Sirianni tried to deflect criticism after the Eagles’ ugly win. It was nothing but a cynical ploy.

Sirianni is the same guy who took the Eagles to the playoffs three years in a row, took them to a Super Bowl, and won 11 games in a down year last season. He’s 3-2 right now, and while the team isn’t playing particularly smoothly, it is better defensively than most of us anticipated. When whole — when A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley are healthy together — it is a respectable offense, if not formidable.

Sirianni believes he’s his best self when he’s an Excitable Boy. So do many of his players.

So did you.

Until, for some reason, Sunday afternoon.

Dallas fell to 0-3 at the Jerry Dome, which left Jerry Jones bereft.

“This was very concerning and it was very humbling,” he said after losing, 47-9, to the Lions. It was the worst home loss since he bought the team in 1989.

Asked if he was finally considering firing abysmal coach Mike McCarthy during the bye week, he replied, “Just so you’re clear. I’m not considering that.”

Maybe he will be soon, considering the Cowboys exit the bye with five games against teams all .500 or better. Their next home game is Nov. 10 — against the Eagles.

Jones turned 82 on Sunday. He looked, and sounded, much, much older.

» READ MORE: A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith prop up Eagles’ stodgy offense

Eagles receiver A.J. Brown caught six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown and leads the NFL in receiving yards per game. It’s Brown’s 10th 100-yard game in the 36 games since he joined the Eagles in 2022. That’s third-best in the NFL, behind Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill. It ranks fifth all-time among Eagles receivers, but the other four Eagles played far more as Eagles than has Brown: DeSean Jackson, (12 times in 95 games), Tommy McDonald (14 times in 88 games), Pete Retzlaff (14 times in 132 games), and Mike Quick (14 times in 101 games).

Now that the Packers are 4-2, the Eagles’ season-opening win looks a little better. In that same vein, the Eagles’ losses to Atlanta and Tampa Bay don’t look quite so bad; they’re both 4-2, too.

» READ MORE: Jeff McLane: ‘Constipated offense’: Kellen Moore’s Eagles scheme — or is it Nick Sirianni’s — still looks listless

After torching the Cowboys for 315 yards and a 153.8 passer rating, Jared Goff now has 27 300-yard games with a passer rating of at least 100, which ties him with Kirk Cousins for second all-time in a player’s first nine seasons (Patrick Mahomes has 28 in eight seasons). Goff and Cousins also are tied for Super Bowl wins, with zero. … After a rough 1-2 start, No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Bears are 4-2, and Williams’ passer rating was over 100 the last three games, all wins. … Ravens free agent Derrick Henry continued to carry the club with 132 rushing yards and two TDs, the 20th 100-yard, two-TD game in his career, fourth behind Emmitt Smith, who had 21, and Jim Brown and LaDanian Tomlinson, who had 25 each.