Instead of being a chilled presence to a fan base desperately needing one, Sirianni dealt with his first information convention like a nervous highschool pupil within the early levels of a public-speaking class. He checked out his notes usually however struggled to observe them, closing his eyes at factors and repeating phrases. Days later, The Philadelphia Inquirer printed a column titled: “Nick Sirianni Is the Eagles’ Newest Puppet, a Cross Between Barney Fife and Pinocchio.”
“I’ve been covering Eagles coaches’ news conferences for half a century, so I’ve seen them all. I’ve never seen one get off to a worse start than Nick Sirianni’s,” Ray Didinger, a sportswriter who lined the Eagles for many years, mentioned on a podcast. “You can look back on it and laugh, but nobody was laughing then.”
As the 2021 season started, Sirianni didn’t do a lot to assist himself. The Eagles began the season 2-5, their worst begin since 1999. During a information convention within the days after the poor begin, Sirianni instructed reporters that he confirmed the workforce an image of a flower that was able to bloom and described how, regardless of the workforce’s poor file, its figurative roots had been rising. Fans and pundits criticized Sirianni for evaluating the soccer workforce to a fragile flower, and weeks later, after a house loss to the Chargers in Week 9, somebody threw a bouquet at him.
Then there are the T-shirts. So many T-shirts. In what gave the impression to be an try to pander to the fan base, Sirianni wore specifically designed T-shirts displaying Eagles gamers’ faces or native lingo. There was one with quarterback Jalen Hurts, one other with receiver DeVonta Smith and one other with the favored “no one likes us, and we don’t care” phrase that the Eagles used throughout their Super Bowl run within the 2017 season. The one which brought about the largest stir, nonetheless, was Sirianni’s “Beat Dallas” shirt, which he wore the week main as much as the primary Eagles-Cowboys recreation in Week 3. The Eagles had been blown out, 41-21.
Sirianni apologized to his workforce this season earlier than enjoying Dallas in Week 6. The Eagles gained, 26-17. “This was stupid on my part last year,” Sirianni said while holding up the T-shirt and throwing it to the side in a team meeting.
Beyond banishing the shirt, a lot has modified this 12 months for Sirianni. No one is throwing flowers at him, and he’s liked by Eagles followers and hated by others for his sideline antics.
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