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Not much is known about Nick Sirianni outside of that awkward introductory press conference at the NovaCare Complex. First impressions have painted a picture of a man obsessed with football, prone to drawing up plays during Zoom calls and “bragging on” his brother’s coaching credentials.
The Philadelphia Eagles may have found a diamond in the rough after jettisoning the only Super Bowl-winning coach in franchise history (Doug Pederson). Sirianni brings a youthful energy — literally, at age 39 — and unmatched passion for the game. The new Eagles head coach was called “exhaustingly competitive” and “obsessed with being the best” by friends and family, according to ESPN’s Tim McManus.
The in-depth article reveals Sirianni’s unlikely journey and what makes him tick, including an insane story about how the former college receiver almost lost his leg. He suffered ligament damage in his right ankle following an ill-fated cut on a route in 2001, then spent one week in the hospital before eventually developing a staph infection. He almost died.
“That was the one that I almost lost my leg on,” Sirianni said. “And if it went any further, lost my leg or life.”
He got sick and returned home to Jamestown. He was admitted to the hospital, where he stayed for a week and a half, receiving eight IVs a day. Sirianni was able to pull through. Fran and Amy credit the local medical staff, and prayer, for saving their son’s life. But the doctors said he probably wouldn’t play football again, and might not even be able to run again.
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Sirianni Big on Teaching Fundamentals
The Eagles have been criticized in recent years for not developing their young talent. Maybe it was a lack of on-field instruction from their coaching staff or perhaps it was simply poor drafting. Either way, Sirianni sounds like the type of coach who is going to teach his players and stress fundamentals.
“To me, that’s how you really get a player to reach his potential and max out his potential by teaching him what to do, which is what we just talked about, and how to do it,” Sirianni told reporters. “The how to do it now comes to your fundamentals so you can be the best version of yourself through those two things that I just said. So it’s getting your feet right, it’s getting your target line set to the target that you’re throwing, it’s finishing with your upper body finish.”
Sirianni brings a tall-tale reputation as a wide receiver whisperer, but his previous experience as an offensive coordinator in Indianapolis should translate to every position on the roster. Especially at quarterback where he hopes to cultivate a competitive room with Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco.
“My experience with franchise quarterbacks is they make everybody around them better, right? They make everyone around them better,” Sirianni said. “But what makes them better, right? The best way to surround a quarterback and to make him the most successful is coach our tails off in the meeting room, and then get him the reps on the field that he needs to get that experience to continue to get better.”
Greg Ward Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Greg Ward Jr. signed his exclusive-rights tender on Monday guaranteeing that the slot receiver will be back in 2021. It was a mere formality as Ward had two options: either sign it or sit out the season. Exclusive-rights free agents are only permitted to negotiate with the teams they last played for. He’ll make the veteran minimum salary of $850,000.
Ward has developed into a reliable slot option for the Eagles over the past two seasons. He first established an incredible rapport with Carson Wentz, then parlayed that into success with Hurts after Wentz was benched. He has 81 receptions for 673 yards and seven touchdowns since 2019. The 25-year-old led the team in touchdown catches (6), receptions (53), and targets (79) last year. Ward will be a restricted free agent in 2022.
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