No coach in Philadelphia Eagles history has been to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. Except for Nick Sirianni, of course. So when the Eagles have a stretch like the current one they are in – losing five of their final six games to the 2023 regular season – is it fair to question his viability and future as head coach? That’s where Philadelphia fans and the media are, though. Following the team’s lackluster 27-10 loss to the New York Giants, several questioned the future of Sirianni and his effectiveness as a head coach.
This, of course, is a laughable assessment. Philadelphia’s slide to end the year is alarming. Their defense is the worst in football, the offense tries to outsmart themselves every week, and there have been little adjustments made over the last month to show that everything can be changed. At the end of the year, there will be a change to how the Eagles run their offense and wholesale changes to the defensive staff. Neither is going to be argued. That doesn’t mean sweeping changes need to be made overall.
Consider this: Philadelphia started the season 10-1 by beating some of the best teams in football. The Tampa Bay Buccanneers, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins are all playoff teams that fell to the Eagles this season. Could this veteran team have run out of gas and edge during their grueling season stretch? It’s certainly possible. It would also match the very realistic problems fans and analysts are seeing on tape. The offense doesn’t have the big play ability anymore while trying to force things downfield. The defense, due to their high amount of volume has been capped to their talents, and despite the top players in the unit, have nothing left.
That’s not the only reason for the group’s slide though. Objectively, the problems Philadelphia has had this year have more to do with coaching than with actual execution. Sure, the team’s high turnover volume is a sign that it isn’t ALL on coaching, but the team’s lack of identity has more to do with the coaching staff than a unit that reached the Super Bowl last year.
Let’s be fair though – no coaching staff was as zapped of talent as the Eagles last year. They lost their offensive play-caller, defensive play-caller, secondary, and linebacker coach. Losing that amount of coaching is always going to mean that the team’s success won’t be as easy as it was a prior year.
All that being said, these are things that can be corrected. Philadelphia’s offense can be fixed once their first-year play-caller gets more experience and has an offseason to prepare. On the defensive side, a more constructive game plan with an experienced play-caller will certainly help as well. All those changes need to be made. To be fair to Sirianni, he has kept the locker room together and has total respect for the major stars on the team. Keeping the team together is the top priority for any coach.
He has also shown a penchant for change when things just aren’t working. It’s hard to see him go back to owner Jeffrey Lurie and say this current staff will all be returning – it goes against everything he has shown in the three years he’s been at the Novacare Complex. When all that context gets added, it’s not only clear that the Eagles are going to keep Sirianni but to think they won’t ignore the success he has had over the last three years.
Eagle fans and analysts need to chill out. The end of the year isn’t how anyone planned or expected, but this could be an important learning experience for the entire organization. To think it can’t be is to be a prisoner of the moment and overreact for the sake of clicks and attention. It’s not how championship-caliber teams win.
