Nick Sirianni Trumpets Process over Experience in Playoffs

LT Jordan Mailata, for one, was happy to have it last year in Tampa, but the Eagles' coach values his process more

PHILADELPHIA - Nick Sirianni’s first experience as a head coach in the playoffs was not a positive one.

The surprising 2021 Eagles were summarily bounced by Tom Brady and Tampa Bay, 31-15, in the wild-card round last January.

A lot can happen in a year and this time around Philadelphia arrives as the No. 1 seed and a powerhouse in the NFC, a heavy favorite against the New York Giants in the divisional round set for Saturday night in Philadelphia.

Sirianni, though, downplayed any lessons learned from the setback against the Bucs. The process doesn’t change but this time the personnel is better for the Eagles.

“You're trying to perfect your process and tweak it, so there's obviously little different things that you've done, that you've added over the year, like hey, we'll add this or we'll take this out,” he said on Tuesday. “There are little things like that, that are changed.”

Sirianni noted that’s an ever-evolving thing and not because the postseason is starting for the Eagles.

“What's the difference between this preparation now today and the one against Detroit (in Week 1)? Nothing,” he said. “The moment of the game and who we're playing and where we're playing, that doesn't change. 

"That's been our consistent message all year and what our players know and what our players do as you get ready for each game, and you treat each game exactly the same because every game is big in this league.”

Sirianni doubled down on his process argument as it relates to last year's January Tampa experience.

The Eagles believe in their core values with the idea that if that remains consistent, the results will never be perfect but the good will far outweigh the bad.

“Maybe that was my first environment as a head coach, but really it keeps coming back to the same thing,” Sirianni said. “Just because you're in this moment doesn't mean you change anything about how you go about your business.

"You don't put more emphasis on ball security or taking the ball away because if you do it now, it wasn't important leading up to it. Really it just keeps coming back to that.”

The playoff experience is real for the players, though.

“Playoff time, it’s always a little more,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “Everything is a little extra. The intensity, the discipline, the football IQ. It all has to be raised to a different bar because of that playoff time is sudden elimination. So everyone is playing with that urgency.”

And Mailata values the experience he got against the Bucs.

“I’m glad that we were able to get in last year for all of us young guys, including myself, get that experience,” he said. “It was like, where were we in this situation on the field? What happened there? 

"Carry it over to this year and make sure that we don’t repeat the same mistakes like we did last year. I think it’s great in terms of experience for a young team because most of the team carried over.”

Sirianni also ultimately stipulated to that point even if the process is more important.

“We got good experience of being in the playoffs last year,” the coach said. “Obviously it didn't end the way we wanted it to end, but it was my experience with everything last year really is like don't look too far ahead, stay in the moment.

"I know that makes for a boring press conference at times, but it truly is be in the moment, be where you are, and to me, that's what good teams do. That's what good players do, and I think that's what good coaches do.”

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen