The Philadelphia Eagles could be on the verge of making it to their third Super Bowl in 3 seasons when they begin the NFC playoffs in a few weeks. Few NFL rosters can hold a candle to what the Eagles have in terms of talent and experience.
That doesn’t mean the Eagles don’t still have plenty of hurdles ahead of them. That includes one unnecessary distraction, according to ESPN’s Elle Duncan and Ryan Clark, who called out head coach Nick Sirianni’s recent behavior on December 27.
Sirianni had his second postgame controversy of the season in Week 16 after a confrontation with Washington Commanders tight end and former Eagles star Zach Ertz following a 36-33 loss that snapped the Eagles’ 10-game winning streak.
“Nick Sirianni is the biggest question mark (for the Eagles),” Duncan said. “The dude majors in self destruction … I just don’t trust Nick Sirianni to get out of his own way … with Nick it always comes down to his self destructive behavior.”
Week 6 Incident With Fans Drew Criticism
It was the second time this season Sirianni has made headlines for a postgame, on-field incident. Following a Week 6 home win Cleveland Browns, Sirianni appeared to seek out a group of Eagles fans behind the team’s bench to talk trash … to people who wanted his team to win.
“A few of his players told Nick Sirianni to just be himself,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Reuben Frank wrote after the win over the Browns. “Unfortunately, he was listening. Sirianni was caught on the Eagles-Browns FOX TV broadcast having an animated shouting match with fans at the Linc in the final seconds of the Eagles’ win Sunday … Video shows Sirianni holding his hand up to his ear in a sarcastic way of indicating, ‘I can’t hear you.’ ”
The Eagles are 12-3 with 2 games left in the regular season and have already clinched a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season under Sirianni, who was hired in January 2021.
“How often do you see the opposing head coach have an issue or altercation with someone on the other team?” said Clark, a former Pro Bowl and Super Bowl champion safety who played 13 seasons in the NFL. “Nick Sirianni doesn’t treat the head coaching position like it should be treated. We don’t expect those kinds of things from Andy Reid, Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin … so how do we find a way for Nick Sirianni, the man who is supposed to limit distractions, to not be a distraction himself.”
Tracking Sirianni’s Ascension to NFL Head Coach
The son of a high school football coach, Sirianni won 3 NCAA Division III national championships as a wide receiver at Mount Union before spending 5 seasons as a college assistant coach before breaking into the NFL as an offensive quality control coach with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009.
Sirianni worked his way up to wide receivers coach in 4 seasons with the Chiefs, then spent 4 seasons as an offensive assistant coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. Sirianni spent 3 seasons as the offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts, where he helped the team make the playoffs twice before he was hired by the Eagles.
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Eagles HC Nick Sirianni Called Out for ‘Self Destructive Behavior’