Getty Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni knows the expectations are always extremely high in Philadelphia.
It’s hard not to be rooting for Doug Pederson as he returns to Lincoln Financial Field this weekend. He got one of the rawest deals in Philadelphia Eagles’ franchise history after a dismal end to the 2020 campaign, only his second losing season in five years there.
Never mind that Pederson had authored three straight postseason appearances, plus an unbelievable Super Bowl run. They were ready for a change after the one-time Eagles quarterback made the difficult decision to bench Carson Wentz in favor of Jalen Hurts. Eagles ownership didn’t trust Pederson enough to let him groom Hurts.
So, they fired the championship-winning coach and hired Nick Sirianni. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie called it a tough day and uttered only kind words about Pederson.
“I’m certainly there for any owner that wants to talk about hiring Doug, because I will be a major fan,” Lurie said at the time. “That being said, sometimes you have to make the tough decisions on prognosticating the future and that’s what this was about.”
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie tells Doug Pederson at the Super Bowl ring ceremony, “first of many for you.”
Fast forward to 2022. The Eagles have captured lightning in a bottle with Hurts, a leading candidate for NFL MVP. Their next opponent? The Jacksonville Jaguars, coached by Pederson. And while Sirianni doesn’t know Pederson personally, there are plenty of people still roaming the halls of NovaCare Complex that have filled him in.
“I’ve heard nothing but phenomenal things. I think he’s a great football coach,” Sirianni told reporters. “Obviously, he brought this city a world championship. So much respect for him. I know that I’m pretty far into my Jacksonville preparation right now. You can just tell that they’re well-coached. It doesn’t surprise me at all because I know how good of a coach Coach Pederson is.”
Frank Reich Picking Sides: ‘We Got Good Mojo’
The one common denominator between Sirianni and Pederson is Frank Reich. The Colts head coach served as offensive coordinator under Pederson in Philadelphia; vice versa, Sirianni was Reich’s offensive coordinator in Indianapolis. So it stands to reason that Reich’s phone will be blowing up in the coming days.
Frank Reich a few years ago said he knew he wanted Nick Sirianni to be his OC when he got the job with the Colts and says they think alike with the passing game
“He’s extremely intelligent. He’s very energetic. Very passionate about ball”
Sirianni and Pederson will both be looking for inside intel. Question is, will Reich answer the call or text back?
“Frank better answer my text message first since they’re in the division together,” Sirianni said. “I can’t tell Frank who to root for or who he needs to like better out of Doug and I. I think he’s got a good relationship with both of us. I know Frank is the ultimate competitor. I imagine he’ll be rooting for the AFC South team to lose. We got good mojo on that.”
Sirianni is right. The Jaguars (2-1) are leading the AFC South, with the Colts (1-1-1) in second place. Reich will undoubtedly be rooting for an Eagles win to move up the standings. Meanwhile, Philadelphia (3-0) sits atop the NFC East with the New York Giants (2-0) and Dallas Cowboys (1-1) set to battle on Monday Night Football.
Eagles-Commanders Snap Counts Released
Snap counts from the Eagles-Commanders game in Week 3 were released on Monday. Not too many surprises, other than Jordan Davis continuing to see a light workload.
#Eagles snap counts: Jordan Davis still in the 30-35% range. Nakobe Dean no snaps for 2nd straight game. Landon Dickerson missed some time w/injury
The rookie defensive tackle started the game for Philly but wound up only seeing 24 snaps on the day. Davis made the most out of them: he generated 4 QB pressures on 14 pass-rushing snaps (via Pro Football Focus) while earning an 80.3 grade. He also swatted a Carson Wentz pass to start the game. Don’t get bogged down in the low snap counts. It’s hard to see him not seeing the field more as the season goes on.