Getty Coach Nick Sirianni looks frustrated on the sidelines.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke with a much more somber tone at the team’s January 1 press conference than he did back at the bye week.
Instead of leaning on his usual mantras of “execution” and “it’s just another game,” this time, the third-year head coach came out right from the start, acknowledging the “rut” the team had been in.
With the second question of the day, a reporter comes from a seemingly genuine place, asking how the last month has been difficult for Sirianni personally, and instead of brushing it off, the coach gives a lengthy answer.
“Obviously, when you’re in a rut, or you’re in a hole like we’re in right now, or just not playing or coaching the way you want to do things. That’s always tough. You know? Because you put everything you got into this. The family’s there for Christmas, and you’re sitting there grinding through everything because you’re trying like crazy to get everything right. That’s players and coaches. You asked me about myself, so you think about that.”
It’s hard not to contrast the word picture Sirianni is painting here of missing out on Christmas with his kids with the recent memories of the same coach at press conferences with his kids, smiling and goofing off as wins came easy. As Sirianni continued, he nodded to the frustrations being felt behind the scenes.
“You sacrifice everything. You put everything into it. So, you’re upset, but, I mean, you can only be upset for so long. You’ve got to get back up and decide what the answers are to the issues that are going on.”
Eagles Frustrations Haven’t Been Isolated to 1 Side of the Ball
Fans are understandably upset with where the team is going into the last week of the season. This latest loss to the 4-12 Cardinals was even at the hands of Sirianni’s ex-defensive coordinator, Jonahan Gannon. The Eagles were 10-1 at the BYE week. They’re now 11-5 and no longer control their own destiny as far as playoff seeding.
Injuries have decimated the defense. No linebacker playing meaningful snaps started the season in an Eagles uniform. The star of the secondary, Darius Slay, exited due to a late-season knee procedure. This came around the same time as a late-season coaching change on the same side of the football.
The problems don’t end there either. The offense has been a puzzle for Sirianni as well. On social media, many are pointing out Pro Bowl WR A.J. Brown’s fall from prominence as well.
Jeff Kerr from CBS Sports was the first to point out that the wide receiver, who was once in the NFL MVP conversation this season, has now been on a five-game touchdown slump—the longest of his career.
A.J. Brown has just 1 catch of 25+ air yards over the last 8 games. He’s only been targeted on such throws 8 times.
DeVonta Smith only has 8 targets of 25+ air yards too in that same stretch.
Proof may be in pudding.
Since Kerr’s initial tweet, news of the stretch has been making the rounds through Philly Sports Trips, Play Pennsylvania Betting, and numerous others.
Is AJ Brown right to be upset at this point?
In the last five games, the #Eagles have not got Brown the ball in the endzone. This is the longest streak of his career. #FlyEaglesFly
For the first time in AJ Brown’s career, he has gone five straight games without a touchdown.
#Philly is having a hard time getting him the ball.
This week, many also critiqued and even sounded the alarm on Sirianni’s handling of a press conference question directly after the game on Sunday. One post featuring Sirianni’s remarks came from Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP received almost 300 thousand views.
When asked about the final drive where the Eagles ran two straight QB Draws with long yardage and then a screen pass, Sirianni enigmatically claims that he “didn’t feel it was conservative” play calling. Fans and analysts came down especially hard on this one due to speculation that Eagles star wide receiver Devonta Smith might have been injured while blocking on the final screen pass of the drive.
Nick Sirianni explains the final offensive sequence that was draw/draw/short pass
Says he didn’t feel it was conservative play calling
Some Are Still Coming to Nick Sirianni’s Defense
Despite all the noise from the critics, there are still some coming to Sirianni’s defense. John McMullen of JAKIB Sports made the case for Sirianni on their morning stream today, saying, “Nick Sirianni went 14-1 with Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback last season and 10-1 this season before the hiccup here.
“This organization has never done that before; they’ve been around since 1933. They never had a stretch of that level of success. Put any context you want on it. Never, zero, never happened before. It’s like it never existed. You’ve got to give him a little bit of rope.”
“Nick Sirianni went 14-1 with Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback last season and 10-1 this season before the hiccup here. This organization has never done that before; they’ve been around since 1933. They never had a stretch of that level of success. Put any context you want…
It’s never fun to watch your team have an implosion like the one the Philadelphia Eagles are experiencing right now. Fans have to be losing hope, even with a sure playoff seed.
The expectations for this team were so much higher than squeaking into the playoffs, but now fans have to hope that Sirianni and his mess of a coaching staff can galvanize this locker room and get everyone marching in the same direction fast.