Here we go again. At this point, every mention of what Nick Sirianni does or doesn't do well seems like we're kicking a man when he's down. And, even that seems like strange fruit when you nibble on it. The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-1 for Heaven's sake! Why are we never pleased? Coach Sirianni has the highest winning percentage of any active NFL head coach, yet here we are debating who might replace him this offseason.
He's led the Birds to a 36-18 record during his tenure at the helm in Philly. That's a .667 winning percentage. That didn't stop our buddies over at Musket Fire, FanSided's site for all things Patriots, from mentioning Philly as a possible landing spot for Bill Belichick if he determines he wants to return to coaching next season.
Might Bill Belichick land with one of two long-time NFC East rivals?
As mentioned, it's a bit early to think about firing Nick Sirianni. His Eagles won thanks to some gritty play in the regular-season opener, and they had to fly ten hours from home to do so.
Week 2's loss in the true home-opener was disappointing as was Philly's performance during the first three quarters of Week 3's rally in New Orleans. That ended a long, long jinx.
Sirianni's decision-making was questionable, and that isn't anything new. Our friend Sara Marshall, Musket Fire's editor, calls Philly a possible landing spot if the Birds move on from Nick at season's end. Here's what she's thinking on that front.
"Another NFC East team looks to be on the radar as the Eagles continue to struggle despite their push for another Super Bowl run. Head coach Nick Sirriani is under fire after the first three weeks of the year, with the Eagles struggling to attain their current 2-1 record.
Questionable decision-making has the young head coach as a leading candidate to be looking for a new job next year, with Eagles fans already demanding his firing early on in the season."
She also mentions the Dallas Cowboys as an option.
"One of Belichick's more intriguing possible landing spots has been the Cowboys, mainly because of his connection to owner Jerry Jones. Earlier this year, Jones alluded to the former Patriots coach as a contender to replace Mike McCarthy next year when his contract is up, and based on how the Cowboys have played so far this season, it's looking increasingly likely there will be a vacancy in Dallas."
Yep. We're going to have much to discuss if Sirianni's struggles continue.
Worth mentioning: Nick Sirianni called offensive plays in 2021, his first season as head coach. That didn't go well. They handed the reigns to Shane Steichen a tad over a month into the season, and things were immediately better. Shane remained the play-caller in 2022.
Jalen almost won MVP and the Eagles almost won Super Bowl LVII. Shane got a head coaching job. In 2023, the Eagles gave the play-calling duties to Brian Johnson, but he has to run Nick's offense. There was zero motion and no creativity.
Screen passes were called when there was no blitz, which is pointless. Philly even used DeVonta Smith as a lead blocker and almost got him killed. There's also a rumor that has been floating around for a while. Jalen Hurts (who's super serious) may not like Nick's temperament. Long story short, the collapse came, and we've been upset ever since.
In the end, the vibe is the Eagles thought it would be a bad look to fire Nick just one year after he got Philly to the Super Bowl. This is even though he was never really officially on the hot seat, but that hs changed now. There's a theory he's holding this team back.
Nick is on a thin leash. Philly figured they'd hire great coordinators, and that would mask NIck's deficiencies as a head coach. That hasn't worked.
He's supposed to oversee everything, but he's been awful on game days. Eschewing easy field goals to go for it on 4th down (and fail) hasn't been forgiven despite the fact that Philly earned a win.
There's a ton of NIck Sirianni fatigue, and the truth is he can improve. But, the clock is ticking, and wins don't seem to help his case much.
