The Eagles are currently 1-3 and the season is in full swing. Naturally there some fans who are patient and others who are not. I think what the majority of people should be able to agree on though is that regardless of what happens between now and the newly implemented week 17, Nick Sirianni should not be fired by season’s end.
Well…almost everyone.
Bleeding Green Nation writer, Shamus Clancy, wrote a piece to accompany a podcast episode where he states that Nick Sirianni could be a one-and-done head coach. The reasoning behind the take is questionable, with the writer stating that a lack of rushing offense and a tough remaining schedule factor into the equation.
Nick Sirianni is a rookie head coach. He’s part of a ridiculously young coaching staff and is leading a team that’s not only rebuilding, but doing so around an influx of young talent. A trio of first round picks in next year’s NFL Draft will only act as a catalyst for the youth infusion, as Howie Roseman looks to weave his way out of a salary cap slalom and create the next championship window.
The Philadelphia Eagles would not have hired Sirianni or a coaching staff that young if there wasn’t a sense of patience in mind. They wouldn’t have rolled out Jalen Hurts in week one if they weren’t ready to take a few gut punches if it meant surviving all nine rounds. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it could probably be destroyed in a week and firing a Head Coach after one season would absolutely embody that.
I understand the frustration. Nobody really likes screaming ‘run the ball’ from the bottom of their guts every Sunday. I can also see why fans would be near-sighted. Howie Roseman spent three seasons trying desperately to keep the Super Bowl party rolling instead of recovering from an expected hangover and moving on. This ended, as expected, in disaster. But after seeing the team somehow make the playoffs in 2018 and 2019, with a gut-wrenching loss to the Saints in the year following the Super Bowl, it’s almost as if ‘losing’ and failing to contend for anything has become alien.
In hiring Nick Sirianni, the Eagles committed themselves to a longer-term plan. That involves teething problems, growing pains, glass ceilings, and stumbles. All that matters is that there is visible progress seen on a weekly basis.
The Eagles showed that against the Chiefs. The TE’s were running rampant over the middle of the field and combined for over 100-yards for the first time in the Nick Sirianni era. DeVonta Smith had his first 100-yard game. Jalen Hurts has had one of the most productive 8-game career starts of any quarterback in recent memory and showed tremendous poise and confidence on Sunday.
Yes, not running the ball is concerning. No, the sky isn’t falling. No, Nick Sirianni should not be fired after one season and to even suggest it after a measly four games is asinine.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
