Believe it or not, two things that sound like they contradict one another can both be true when considered. It's also okay to change one's opinion when learning new evidence. Trust us. We know what you are thinking.
We thought we were about to read a story about Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and some butchered NFL coaches ranking...
Don't fret. You're in the right space, but we can't tell one story without telling the other. There's a point here if you'll bear with us. To understand our disapproval with this recent power ranking, you must also understand our evolving love affair with Philly's Super Bowl-winning head coach.
So, here's where the contradiction started. We've always seen Nick as a leader of men. We see how his players go to war with him and how hard they play for him. Unfortunately, we also saw the collapse that ended the 2023-24 season. We saw the mess the Birds had on their hands. We watched Nick's offensive strategy flounder and fail and asked a question.
Is it possible he's a great guy and motivator, but not necessarily an Xs and Os guy?
See? Two conflicting theories or statements can both be true when we take a step back and ponder them.
But, there's also that idea we mentioned about opinions. We bring this up because some of you believe once someone's point of view is expressed publicly, it can't be altered, revisited, or changed.
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Nick Sirianni's evolution as Eagles head coach has been a joy to watch.
We'll be the first to tell you that much of our staff was wrong about Nick Sirianni (including the guy writing this story). Sometimes, we thought the Philadelphia Eagles had a mess on their hands with him steering the ship. We thought his voice had grown stale. Sure, we still thought he was a good head coach. We also thought the Birds were heading in the wrong direction, and there was no way to steady the ship again.
Boy, were we wrong! We can't take all of the blame here. Come on! Admit it! You didn't believe the 'CEO' head coach thing would work either.
Part of growing up is knowing when to admit you were wrong. We were right about Nick being a good head coach, but wrong about his effectiveness. Sometimes, our criticism was warranted. Sometimes, when it wasn't.
We've written several retractions. Consider this another. We're no longer seeking the escape hatch. We're permanent passengers on the Nick Sirianni train.
Destination be damned. We're riding this until the wheels fall off, and if that causes you issue, you can get the smoke too.
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How is it possible that so many football pundits still don't see Nick Sirianni as a great head coach?
We've said all that to say this. Recently, we stumbled across an NFL head coaches ranking. Nick Sirianni is ranked ninth. How in the heck is he not in the top five? That was our initial reaction.
Here's the top ten. You tell us if all of these guys should be ranked ahead of him:
- Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
- Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
- John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
- Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
- Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
- Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
- Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders
- Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
- Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
Here's what Mike Fanelli, the writer of this one, stated as his reasoning behind Nick being where he is.
"Last year, Sirianni led the Eagles to their second Super Bowl appearance in three years. Philadelphia brought home its first Lombardi Trophy under Sirianni, finishing the season with an 18-3 record during the regular season and postseason."
Are you thinking some of what we're thinking? If you stated Nick Sirianni beat Reid, McVay, John Harbaugh, and Tomlin, give yourself a gold star.
Why, yes... He did beat McVay twice. Then, there are the other guys. Stop us once we begin fibbing. Pete Carroll, like Nick, got to two Super Bowls, winning once, but Pete's appearances were long ago.
Mike Tomlin is also experiencing a Super Bowl drought. Sure, he's as steady as they come and has never had a losing season, but parts of his resume look like Nick and John's: two Super Bowl appearances and one win.
Sean Payton hasn't looked as brilliant without Drew Brees as he was when Drew was still playing. Kyle Shanahan, despite leading his team to the doorstep of glory twice, hasn't kicked the door in to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
So, how are we feeling? Is the ninth-overall spot a fair enough ranking for Coach Sirianni, or is someone else occupying his territory?
Does tenure play a role. Is Nick where he is because other guys just have fuller resumes? That makes sense if that's the theory, but the NFL has long been a league where the vibe is 'What have you done for me lately?'.
It's for that reason that we'd place in the top five somewhere between Sean McVay and Jim Harbaugh. Most NFL head coaches would trade their resumes for Nick's in a second if we grade them based on what Coach has done over four seasons.
If you're curious, NFC East division rivals Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders), Brian Daboll (New York Giants), and Brian Schottenheimer (Dallas Cowboys) finished ranked 12th, 22nd, and 32nd, respectively.
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