Harsh Sirianni | Sports Daily Newsletter
The Eagles head coach put his players in check on the sideline.
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Are the Eagles still having fun when they win?
During Monday’s 33-25 victory over the New York Giants, there were flashes caught on camera of Nick Sirianni yelling at his players on the sideline. It was evident there were miscues and corrections to be made. However, the third-year head coach said that he was “too tense” at times.
Columnist Marcus Hayes begs to differ. As his players whined and chimed in during a last-minute near-collapse, Sirianni finally ditched all that touchy-feely sensitivity stuff and acted like a head NFL football coach.
— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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Eagles fans chanted “run the ball” and ultimately got what they wanted as there was an uptick in carries for D’Andre Swift.
But running the ball doesn’t solve all, as the mistake-prone Eagles still have much work to do. They’re sloppy enough to where at some point, the errors are no longer uncharacteristic, but rather reflect who they are.
There’s still time for the offense to figure out how to limit turnovers and evolve as a unit. After all, Jalen Hurts was at times his franchise QB self against the Giants and made many winning plays.
Next: The Eagles face the Cardinals on Sunday, marking former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s return to Philly.
Joel Embiid will miss a second straight Sixers game as he is slated to sit out against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday with a sprained ankle. That could provide another opportunity for Mo Bamba, who is excited to return to O-Town to face off against the team that drafted him.
Bamba played well when Embiid sat on Christmas Day, producing 18 points and six rebounds. He could do the same against some familiar faces. “That’s family over there,” Bamba said of his former Orlando teammates.
Next: The Sixers play against the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m. Wednesday on the road at the Kia Center.
Johan Rojas has the ability to impact a game defensively, but that alone won’t keep him on the active roster. In order to stay at center field, he’ll have to produce on offense, as president Dave Dombrowski has made clear.
This is no surprise for Rojas, who has decided to be proactive and get back to work. He’s been in touch with hitting coach Kevin Long and working with Manny Amador, the Phillies’ DR Coordinator, in the Dominican Republic to keep the ball in his court.
Fran O’Hanlon retired from a life in basketball after leading Lafayette College for 27 years.
He had checked all the boxes. He grew up in West Philadelphia, won a Catholic League title at now-closed St. Thomas More, played at and graduated from Villanova, played professionally overseas, coached overseas, coached at Monsignor Bonner (where he won another PCL title), coached on Fran Dunphy’s bench at Penn, and then took over a 2-25 program at Lafayette in 1995 and got the Leopards to the NCAA Tournament four years later.
Now at 75, the recent Big 5 Hall of Famer is back coaching Cardinal O’Hara.
Worth a look
Flying high: The La Salle men were picked dead last in this year’s A-10 preseason poll. Tell that to their 9-3 record.
Clean it up: As conference play approaches, Temple women’s basketball has made strides defensively, but still has room for improvement.
Ignoring the noise: Former Villanova star Jalen Brunson’s Christmas Day performance against the Bucks might help silence his doubters.
Down to box: Costello’s Gym is the only boxing facility in the city to partner with Down to Box, a program created for people with Down syndrome to work on their coordination and mental focus.
Misery: Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane provides an insider’s look into the Eagles’ spiraling season. After their third consecutive loss, McLane takes us behind the scenes, breaking down the four major issues impacting the team. As we gear up for the final three games of the regular season, tune in to uncover whether the Eagles can turn things around or if they were destined to disappoint from the start. Listen here.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Olivia Reiner, Josh Tolentino, Alex Coffey, Keith Pompey, Jeff Neiburg, Kerith Gabriel, Gabriela Carroll, and Max Dinenberg.
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