A few of his players told Nick Sirianni to just be himself.
Unfortunately, he was listening.
Sirianni was caught on the Eagles-Browns FOX TV broadcast having an animated shouting match with fans at the Linc in the final seconds of the Eagles’ win Sunday.
Video shows Sirianni holding his hand up to his ear in a sarcastic way of indicating, “I can’t hear you.”
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Earlier in the game, fans were booing and chanting for Sirianni to be fired when the Eagles went scoreless in the first quarter for the seventh straight game, something they hadn’t done in 30 years.
They won 20-16 over the 1-5 Browns, improving to 3-2 but only 4-7 in their last 11 games going back to last year's collapse.
Sirianni refused to go into any detail on what precipitated his post-game antics, but it’s not the first time he’s appeared unhinged in the final moments of a game. Usually, it happens on the road.
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“I was having fun,” Sirianni said after the game, surrounded by his three kids at a bizarre press conference. “I was having fun and I kind of got some feedback from the guys (during the bye week) of the sense of, ‘We need you back, Nick. We need your energy. We need your focus.’ I got that from a couple players.
“When I'm operating, having fun, I think that that breeds to the rest of the football team. If I want the guys to celebrate and be themselves after big plays, then I should probably do that myself, right?
“There are times for that and times that are not for that. I have to have wisdom and discernment of when to do that and when not to do that.”
He may have been having fun, but this sort of behavior is unusual for NFL head coaches and it’s not a good look for a guy who’s always preaching even keel to his players.
Can you imagine John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, DeMeco Ryans, Andy Reid or Todd Bowles making faces at fans and screaming and yelling into the stands after a game?
There are certain professional standards NFL coaches are expected to adhere to, and it’s just hard to imagine Jeff Lurie enjoying this sort of behavior thing from his head coach.
Sirianni could also be seen yapping with Browns corners Greg Newsom and Denzel Ward when they were near the Eagles’ sideline, but that appeared to be good-natured.
Sirianni said during the offseason he wanted to be more restrained on the sideline during games, especially in his interactions with officials. And he has been for the most part.
Not Sunday.
After his 200th game in an Eagles uniform, Brandon Graham said he’s one of the players who told Sirianni to be himself, and he was near Sirianni as the final seconds clicked down and he was yelling into the stands.
“I just told him to be him,” B.G. said. “I need him to be 2022 Nick, so we can get there. Because we just want people to be themselves. At the end of the day, coach has been taking a bunch of heat, and I understand he’s got a lot of stuff on him. We got his back, because Philly can be hard, I know all about it.
“I always said (his critics) are going to eat the words that they say. And so I know that's what Nick is probably saying too, and every chance that he gets. … I don't know what he said but I know it had something to do with that.”
Jalen Hurts said he spoke with Sirianni during the bye week about being true to himself and not trying to be something he’s not.
It’s a fine line between showing emotion and being yourself and going overboard and behaving unprofessionally.
“It’s just a reassurance of, ‘We trust who you are,’” Hurts said. “We trust where you are as a coach, and we know we can build with you. So it's about doing it together. And I think for him, I think any leader, it's about a vision and trusting in that vision.
“He’s done a really good job of being able to have conversations and honestly try and map things out and some things take time. But it's a group effort from everybody, and everybody has to dominate their box. Everybody has to respect their role, accept their role, and give their best.
“I'm excited for him and his growth and continue to see where he's going, and I think it'll continue to help our football team.”
Sirianni must be doing something right because the Eagles have reached the playoffs in all three of his seasons as a head coach, got to a Super Bowl two years ago, and their 37-19 record since 2021 is 5th-best in the NFL. His .661 career winning percentage is 15th-highest in NFL history. And they’re currently in a stretch where they face seven teams with a combined 14-27 record.
But at some point everybody gets booed and lashing out at fans isn’t necessarily the best way to deal with it.
There’s no easier way to lose fans than by lashing out at them after barely beating one of the worst teams in the NFL.
“We thrive off the crowd when they cheer for us, that's all I'll say,” Sirianni said. “When our crowd cheers for us, we thrive off of them. You know, we hear them when they boo. We don't necessarily like it. I don't think that's productive for anybody.”
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