What happened when Nick Sirianni listened to his own advice to his players

Nick Sirianni talks all the time about the importance of everybody on the roster understanding their role.

That’s so important for him.

Sirianni makes it a point before every season to spend time with everyone on the 53-man roster and practice squad to go over what’s expected of them, where they fit in, how they’ll be used, what their strengths and weaknesses are.

And then he tells them how to take that role – whether they're a starter, backup or barely-used special teamer – and be great at it.

It’s smart. If a team is going to have success, it’s going to take more than 22 guys. It’s going to take everyone on the roster, and if Sirianni’s message gets through, then the last guy on the practice squad is going to be just as prepared as Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown or Brandon Graham. 

Maybe not as talented, but just as ready.

And we’ve seen a bunch of backups come in over the last few weeks and help keep the thing rolling. Tyler Steen. Fred Johnson. Isaiah Rodgers. Grant Calcaterra. The Eagles wouldn’t be 5-2 with a three-game winning streak without them.

The irony of all this is that Sirianni is at his best when he follows his own advice about understanding your role and staying in that box.  

One of the most important things Sirianni did in his four years as head coach here was hand over play calling duties to Shane Steichen a couple months into the 2021 season. That catapulted a 2-5 team into a 7-2 stretch and to the playoffs and then the Super Bowl a year later.

Sirianni is not a very good play caller, but he realized that and redefined his own role. 

He made another significant decision about his role before this season. We all knew how important it was for the Eagles to put last year’s epic collapse behind them. Howie Roseman took care of that with the defense, getting rid of more than half the team’s defensive starters and replacing them with young guys with speed, energy and skill.

And Sirianni did it on offense, allowing new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to bring in his own scheme and teach it and run it how he wanted. Total autonomy (in theory).

Sirianni is smart enough to see what we all saw. The offense was a train wreck as last season ended, and Jalen Hurts – one of the MVP favorites halfway through the season – looked lost, frustrated and defeated as the season sputtered to a hapless ending.

So Sirianni redefined his own role from offensive head coach to CEO head coach. 

Love him or hate him, Sirianni has some very real strengths. He’s a very effective communicator. He’s a very good motivator. He always gets his teams to play hard. He’s honest and open with his players, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s got a ton of energy. All those things get guys to buy in.

And they do buy in.

There’s a reason the Eagles have the 3^rd-best record in the NFL since 2021, behind only the Chiefs and Bills out of the AFC. 

Where Sirianni has gotten in trouble is when he strays outside his lane. When he doesn’t follow the advice that he gives his players.

Like when he stepped on Moore’s toes and made the play call on that 3^rd-and-1 just before halftime in the Browns game, that turned into a sack and ultimately a blocked field goal return for a touchdown. Could have cost the Eagles a game.

Or when he – in his own words – “made a call on defense” that failed and said he’ll do that “from time to time.”

Going into Sunday’s game against the Jaguars at the Linc, Sirianni had a 39-19 record in 3 ½ seasons with the Eagles, and out of 227 coaches who’ve coached at least four years, that’s 13^th-highest. Higher than 27 of the 35 head coaches in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Eagles are 5-2 after a sluggish start and they’re shooting for their fourth straight win.

So he’s clearly doing something right.

And when he sticks to the things he does well, the Eagles win a lot of games.

There’s a misconception that a CEO coach really isn’t doing much at all. Not true. He’s the one making sure everybody on the roster is ready if they have to play. He’s the one helping struggling players deal with a slump. He’s the one setting the tone for the week with his Monday speeches. He’s the one making sure there aren’t any personality conflicts in the locker room. Most importantly, he’s the one establishing a culture that brings out the best in everybody in the NovaCare Complex.

When he focuses on that and leaves all the other stuff to his staff, the Eagles win.

Turns out that, as important as it is for every player on the team to understand his role, it’s just as important when the coach does.

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