Despite a winning record, Nick Sirianni can't win with fans in Philadelphia: Analysis

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Nick Sirianni has the best winning percentage of any coach in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles and he might have a Super Bowl ring if Jalen Hurts didn’t lose a fumble for a touchdown.

Yet his sideline antics have overshadowed his success in Philadelphia.

After fans chanted for his firing during Sunday’s 20-16 victory over Cleveland, Sirianni responded by taunting them toward the end of the game. He held his hand to his ear to let the boobirds know he heard them earlier as if to ask if they had anything more to say.

They said plenty despite a win that pushed the Eagles record to 3-2. The national and local media joined the assault. Sirianni was called a “clown” and told to “grow up.”

No matter what he does, Sirianni can’t win.

From his first day on the job, he’s been attacked. Folks in Philly blasted Sirianni after his introductory news conference in 2021 because he was nervous and rambling.

After the Eagles started that season 2-5, Sirianni used a flower analogy to illustrate to the team that the foundation is being built and that the roots are growing. That drew more criticism and people called for his firing.

A couple of weeks later, a fan threw a bouquet of flowers at Sirianni following a loss that dropped the team’s record to 3-6. The Eagles went 6-2 the rest of the way and made the playoffs.

They went 14-3 in 2022 and won the NFC championship before losing 38-35 to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Hurts was outstanding in the game, running for three touchdowns and throwing for one. But he also lost a fumble that was returned for a score.

A 10-1 start last season was erased by a nightmarish finish. The Eagles dropped six of their final seven games, including a lopsided loss to the Buccaneers in the playoffs. The debacle put Sirianni on notice.

He relinquished the offense to new coordinator Kellen Moore and hired Vic Fangio to be the third defensive coordinator in three years.

In his CEO role, Sirianni guided the team to a 2-2 start before a bye. Players told him to be himself during a self-scouting evaluation period.

So, he went back to his chest-bumping, sideline-prancing, in-your-face attitude that won the city over during the team’s Super Bowl run.

“I told him to be him. I need him to be 2022 Nick,” veteran defensive end Brandon Graham said. “We want people to be themselves. Coach has been taking a bunch of heat, and I understand he got a lot of stuff on him. We got his back because Philly can be hard — I know all about it. How I do it every day, I say, ‘They’re going to eat the words that they say.’ And Nick’s probably saying it, too. And every chance that you get, you let them know. That’s what I would do.”

Even Hurts, who hasn’t had the best relationship with his coach, supported Sirianni.

“I encouraged him to be himself, and so that’s who he is,” Hurts said.

“I know I spoke to him. It’s just a reassurance of we trust who you are, we trust where you are as a coach and we know we can build with you. So it’s about doing it together.”

Sirianni apologized for his sideline behavior after he was excoriated on Monday.

“I’m sorry and disappointed at how my energy was directed at the end of the game,” he said. “My energy should be all in on coaching, motivating and celebrating with our guys. I have to have better wisdom and discernment of when to use that energy and that wasn’t the time.”

Sirianni has led the Eagles to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons and his .661 winning percentage (37-19) is 15th best in NFL history and third-highest among active coaches behind Jim Harbaugh (.688) and Matt LaFleur (.674). The team has been inconsistent so far this season but has 12 games remaining and an easier upcoming schedule, plus the NFC East is wide open.

“He’s passionate,” former Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce said of his former coach during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast. “He loves his guys, he loves his team ... Obviously he knows that was not the right way to handle that situation, and everybody knows it, that was inappropriate. But this is a guy that knows that his energy is going to feed the football team.”

The real deal

Just six weeks into the season, it’s clear that Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are going to be the franchise quarterbacks their teams expected when they were drafted Nos. 1-2 in April.

Williams has improved each week, helping the Chicago Bears (4-2) win three in a row. He’s posted a passer rating of at least 106.6 in three straight games. Williams is the first rookie QB selected No. 1 overall to win four of his first six career starts in the common draft era.

Daniels led the Washington Commanders (4-2) to four straight victories before they lost a tough one at Baltimore. He has a 107.1 rating and has completed 75.3% of his passes.

Streaky season

Twelve teams already have put together winning streaks of at least three games over the first six weeks. The undefeated Chiefs and Vikings have won five straight. The Ravens have won four in a row after starting 0-2 and the Commanders just had their four-game winning streak snapped.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press