Getty Bill Belichick, Patriots coach
As the Philadelphia Eagles look ahead to an NFC Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that just might determine head coach Nick Sirianni’s future, one prominent media personality believes owner Jeffrey Lurie could make a big change.
“[Philadelphia] is the place that nobody is discussing with Belichick,” Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd said, on January 12. “Because it’s not open, but I think it’s a real possibility.”
After limping across the finish line, losing five of the final six games of the regular season while tumbling from the No. 1 seed to finishing fifth in the NFC over the final month of the season, there is a belief that Sirianni’s job is on the line based on how the Eagles perform in the NFL Playoffs.
Meanwhile, Belichick and the Patriots parted ways Thursday, Jan. 11, instantly becoming the most intriguing coaching candidate available.
“Strong ownership, excellent personnel guy, what they need is somebody to shore up their linebackers and secondary,” Cowherd said of the Eagles. “That’s literally Bill Belichick’s forte.
“Nick Sirianni, between his sort of juvenile sideline antics and theatrics, his anxiety at the podium, and the complete erosion of the Eagles’ offense — and he’s an offensive-minded guy — it appears that Nick Sirianni’s a bit over his skis.”
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Sirianni enters the Eagles’ NFC Wild Card matchup against the Buccaneers with a 34-17 record in his three seasons at the helm in Philadelphia, with three consecutive playoff appearances and one Super Bowl berth.
However, given the Eagles’ collapse and apparent locker room strife down the stretch, it is entirely possible that Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman go in a different direction if Philadelphia flames out early in the postseason.
Would Bill Belichick Be a Fit in Philadelphia?
Belichick is going to be one of the highest-paid head coaches this hiring cycle, but it might take a very specific situation to ultimately be his next stop after winning six Super Bowl rings in New England.
The other concern for both Belichick and any team that hires him, is whether the 71-year-old would require complete personnel control.
In Philadelphia, Roseman is viewed as one of the brightest and most aggressive executives in the entire league. Roseman managed to build a roster that led the Eagles to two Super Bowl berths in six seasons with two different head coaches and two different quarterbacks.
It would seem unlikely that Lurie would wrangle personnel control away from Roseman, and hand it to Belichick. But, if Belichick simply wants to be the head coach without final say or control over building the roster he would become a fascinating option for the Eagles if they move off Sirianni.
Nick Sirianni Defends Decision to Play Starters vs. Giants
The Eagles will be without A.J. Brown in the NFC Wild Card game against the Buccaneers, after the star wide receiver suffered a knee injury in Week 18 against the New York Giants.
Sirianni chose to play the Eagles’ starters in rainy conditions on the MetLife Stadium turf in Week 18, despite the fact that Philadelphia had only an outside chance of overtaking the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC East crown and No. 2 seed in the conference.
Even after losing Brown in what turned out to be an essentially meaningless game to Philadelphia’s playoff positioning, Sirianni defended the decision not to rest his stars in the season finale.
“No, no,” Sirianni told reporters, when asked if he second-guessed how he approached playing time against New York. “We went through it, like you guys asked me before, ‘why do it.’ Not knowing what the game was, you know, wanting to put a good output on there. I know that those things didn’t – neither of those things happened. But no. Obviously, you can’t look back on anything.”
The Eagles lost to the Giants 27-10, and wound up losing Brown in a game that saw quarterback Jalen Hurts also suffer an injured finger on his throwing hand.
“At that time,” Sirianni explained .”I did what I thought was best for the team, and I’ll stick by that. And so, I don’t regret — am I upset that A.J. [Brown] is not playing because he got dinged in that game? Of course, I am. But, no, I don’t second guess that decision.”