The Philadelphia Eagles are now just a matter of days away from officially ushering in a new era of Football. While much of the focus will understandably be on Jalen Hurts and rookie WR DeVonta Smith, it’s almost easy to forget that the team’s Head Coach will be entering his very first game leading an NFL team.
Maybe it’s because of how composed Nick Sirianni has been this offseason throughout what ultimately could’ve been a turbulent time. His energy, optimism, and passion for the game helped turned a potentially tricky transition into one filled with excitement. Make no mistake though, he feels exactly the same way as the fans.
With his family watching on, Sirianni will lead the Eagles into battle against the Atlanta Falcons in week one. This past Saturday, he spent three hours listening to his brother coach Washington & Jefferson College to a Division III victory. He’ll surely repay the favor this weekend.
I know that’s special for my entire family, so I’m really excited about that. Excited for my parents to watch it on TV. I’m excited for my brothers to watch it on TV. One of my brothers will be getting ready for his next week’s game while in the office as he watches it or updates on his phone or whatever it’s going to be.
– Nick Sirianni
“Of course I’m excited and I’m really excited again for my family, excited to be in this role. But I just have to make sure I tempo my emotions, because I always feel like as the leader of the football team people are looking at you. If I’m too up, they’re going to be too up. If I’m too down, they’re going to be down.”
– Nick Sirianni
That says all you need to know about Nick Sirianni. He’s aware of how his actions will be received by his players. How they’ll feed off of his body language in key moments, and react to the way he carries himself on game day when the stakes are at their highest. It’s this level of self-awareness that has helped him complete a successful first offseason in which his players have done nothing but sing his praises.
With some controlled excitement, Sirianni will head into week one without too much pressure on his shoulders, but that doesn’t mean he’s not holding himself or his team accountable. The Eagles have worked hard this offseason to instill a new culture in Philadelphia and we’ll have our first chance to see how that carries over onto the football field this Sunday.
Photo by MSA/Icon Sportswire
