Yahoo Sports Super Bowl 2023: Giants S Julian Love says Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is 'in for a free ride'
New York Giants safety Julian Love doesn't want to give Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni too much credit for the team's Super Bowl run.
Love told NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" Thursday that Sirianni is "really doing a great job 'cause he's not getting in the way of his team" but added the Eagles coach is "in for a free ride right now" because of how well Philadephia's roster is built.
Julian Love says what the league already thinks of Nick Sirianni:
"He's in for a free ride right now"
"You guys can coach this team"
I'm resigning Love just for this 20 seconds of quotes alone! #BeltGuy #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/u5uEPfClSH— Belt Guy (@ThisIsNotZain) February 2, 2023
Soon after the clip went viral on social media, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham responded to Love's comments and defended his coach. Graham and the Eagles beat Love and Giants, 38-7, in the NFC divisional round on Jan. 21.
"People always got something to say when they're at home," Graham said. "I just know that Coach Sirianni — it don't matter — what he did last year, with a team that nobody thought was gonna do much, he ended up getting us to the playoffs. Then for his second year, that's what you're supposed to do — you're supposed to get better, bring players in to do exactly what you need them to do and we did that."
Brandon Graham responds to Julian Love’s comments on Nick Sirianni
“People always got something to say when they’re at home” #Eagles pic.twitter.com/8qa3rRnX5N— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) February 2, 2023
Love doubled down on his comments soon after Graham spoke.
"Philly fans sure don’t like this one lol… but I’m not wrong," he tweeted. "This is a players league, and Philly has dogs on the roster top to bottom. It’s no mystery why they’re in this position."
It's no secret the Eagles have one of the most talented teams in the NFL. That's why they're headed to the Super Bowl to face the Kansas City Chiefs. The team went 14-3 and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC with the third-best scoring offense and the eighth-best defense. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is an MVP finalist, the offense features two studs at wide receiver in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and the defense is littered with playmakers.
So sure, Sirianni might have an easier time than other coaches with one of the best rosters in the league. But the same could be said about the Chiefs' roster, and no one is questioning Andy Reid's legitimacy.
And there are plenty of impressive rosters whose coaches failed to live up to expectations. Eagles fans will surely remember the self-anointed Philadelphia "dream team" from 2011 with – who else – Reid as its head coach. That team spiraled and Reid was fired two years later before the Chiefs hired him in 2013.
Coaches don't win by accident. Not in the NFL. Sirianni might have a leg up on other teams because of his personnel. But that's a credit to his staff and general manager Howie Roseman more than anything else.
