Getty Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni knows the expectations are always extremely high in Philadelphia.
Head coach Nick Sirianni is just as fiery in practice as he is on game day. He can often be heard yelling at his players when a mistake is made, sometimes it’s loud enough for reporters to hear on the sideline.
Kenny Gainwell incurred his wrath last Friday when he dropped a pass, then made a “two mental errors.” How did Gainwell respond?
The second-year running back gained 46 yards on 11 carries against Cleveland, including a 2-yard touchdown run. He ran hard. He made decisive cuts. He held his blocking assignments. Sirianni’s hard coaching worked, and it was appreciated.
“I had a couple mistakes in practice, but that’s a way to bounce back, to get in the end zone,” Gainwell told reporters. “For me, it’s just bounce back and do what I came here to do. Go into the game and execute.”
Sirianni was never mad at Gainwell. He just saw a teachable moment.
“I yelled at him on Friday,” Sirianni said, “and really, I said after he scored his touchdown, and he came out, I just said to him: ‘I love you, man.’ And he said the same thing back.”
Gainwell had a flurry of big runs on Sunday, highlighted by a crafty 13-yard gainer into the heart of the defense. He also plowed into Browns linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk at the goal line before getting into the end zone on a physical second effort.
“He’s just a tough-nosed kid,” Sirianni said. “He’s a guy who is going to be really physical with the ball in his hands and go get the yards and we trusted him in that scenario. Sometimes it’s what the defense plays and you feel good about it, and he did a good job.”
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Boston Scott Turning Into Workhorse Back
Boston Scott was another standout from Sunday’s 21-20 victory over the Browns. He saw 11 touches on the first series, an exhaustive 14-play drive that went 76 yards and ate up 7 minutes, 26 seconds.
Scott rushed 10 times for 33 yards before punching in a 1-yard score. He also caught one ball for 11 yards. He was gassed at the end, barely able to finish his touchdown dance.
“I thought Boston had a great first series. It was a 14-play drive, got him outta there after that,” Sirianni said. “And then Kenny [Gainwell] had — what was Kenny’s series? A 12-play series? — and I thought that was a great series and got him out after that. Good week for those guys.”
That second drive actually was a 17-play drive that covered 75 yards in 7 minutes, 35 seconds. The Eagles’ second-team offensive line was dominant.
Brandon Graham Still Bringing That Energy
Brandon Graham wasn’t in uniform for the second preseason game. He stood on the sideline with the rest of the benched starters. Of course, Graham was still bringing his trademark energy by encouraging and dabbing up teammates. The 34-year-old has no off switch.
“There’s never a day when he doesn’t have energy coming in and guys feed off that,” Sirianni said. “He’s the type of leader he is because 1, his play, and 1b, his energy and his love of football. I don’t tell him enough, I need to tell him every day how happy I am he’s back.”
“BG, man, is running around like he’s in Year 5. I don’t know what in the hell he’s doing but he ain’t never had a bad day.”
— Lane Johnson on Brandon Graham