Nick Sirianni’s attitude has drawn plenty of outside criticism during his time with the team, but inside the Philadelphia Eagles’ locker room, the love from players continues to be something that seems real.
As the Eagles deal with expectations, pressure, and the tough media and fan environment that comes with playing in Philadelphia, two defensive stars recently gave their thoughts on how Sirianni keeps the team grounded amid the noise.
Defensive back Cooper DeJean brought up the media and fan noise that Philadelphiahas to deal with it, but spoke about what Sirianni helps them do in order to dismiss it.
“We play in a city that gets great media coverage. Some good, some bad. More bad than good, probably. Gotta find something good to write about,” DeJean said, per Fox News Digital. “Just block out the outside noise and go to work.”
Safety Reed Blankenship had similar comments about his appreciation for him, adding that Sirianni is someone the guys love in the locker room.
“He's one of the boys,” Blankenship said. “He listens to us, he hangs out with us, a really fun person to be around. I don't think people realize that, but he's really chill.”
Being loved in the locker room isn’t the end all be all, but when we start factoring in that Sirianni wins as well, it’s easy to see why most of his players would like him. Philadelphia’s locker room has faced its share of adversity, especially with the comments players have made, but it doesn’t feel like any of that is because of Sirianni.
At the same time, Sirianni has his flaws and will need to improve, as it was reported that he might have been part of the reason why Jeff Stoutland isn’t with the team any longer.
“With the offense stagnant, head coach Nick Sirianni took on a more active role over the latter part of the season,” ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote. “He and then-offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo began incorporating different run designs in an effort to kick start the operation. “Stoutland was not consulted about the changes to what he felt was an appropriate degree, a league source said, to the point where he no longer desired the title of run game coordinator because he felt it no longer fit his job description.”