Nick Sirianni makes quick friends with Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are beginning a new era. First-year head coach Nick Sirianni is off to an intriguing start.
Nick Sirianni may have endured a tough opening press conference, and made Rock Paper Scissors into a talking point prior to the NFL Draft, but he’s rallied in recent days.
On Thursday, the first-time head coach and former offensive coordinator coming over from the Indianapolis Colts made a couple of smart moves. For starters, he wore a t-shirt made by defensive end Brandon Graham’s brand, and the spoke to the media about how the offseason would go for the Eagles.
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Sirianni, sensing an opportunity to gain favor from the more experienced players in the locker room, canceled team drills during OTAs (offseason training activities) before completely scrubbing minicamp from the schedule. Essentially, the Eagles are now enjoying glorified walkthroughs in these practices until training camp in late July.
Sirianni explained his process to make this decision, per ESPN:
“We had some really good conversations with our players, some of our team leaders, about the offseason program. I’ve always believed it’s important to have that open communication with your team, and it was really helpful for us as a staff as we put together the offseason program. I feel good that our schedule will allow us to get some really good work in before we hit training camp. I really appreciated those conversations.”
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For the Eagles’ players, this is going to be well-received. That locker room that has gone through plenty over the past year.
Philadelphia finished in last place of the league’s worst division (maybe ever) in 2020. As well as that, former franchise quarterback Carson Wentz was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts. Wentz ended up being traded. Meanwhile head coach Doug Pederson was fired following a bizarre Week 17 loss to the New York Giants. The team appeared to be openly tanking on national television.
Now, Sirianni steps into the breech, hoping to find magic with. Hurts while garnering support from all corners of the team’s roster. It’s a smart gamble, with the minimal downside of missing a few extra practices of low-intensity work in June.
The Philadelphia Eagles need plenty of luck if they’re going to make the playoffs after a last-place finish. However, Sirianni is off to an intriguing start.
