Nick Sirianni Wants 'Good Work' Against Bill Belichick, Patriots
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PHILADELPHIA - It may not be the original incarnation but the greatest band of an NFL generation still has one of its headliners and it’s on its way to the NovaCare Complex this week.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots will arrive Monday for a pair of joint practices at the NovaCare Complex in advance of a preseason game between the Pats and Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night.
The Eagles practiced 70 minutes in a heat index that reached 105 degrees on Saturday morning and canceled their scheduled Sunday practice, instead shiting to a late-afternoon walkthrough closed to the media.
By Monday, the Patriots will have arrived minus Tom Brady, who won his seventh Super Bowl ring in Tampa Bay last season while Belichick piloted new-look New England to a 7-9 record, his worst finish since a 5-11 season in 2000, Belichick’s first as the mentor of the Pats.
In the 19 years in between, Belichick and Brady combined for 18 10-win seasons, 17 playoff appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances, and six Lombardi Trophies. The Eagles, of course, beat New England, 41-33, in Super Bowl LII after the 2017 season.
“It’ll be cool to say what’s up to some of the guys because they came back the next year and won another one so there shouldn’t be no hard feelings,” defensive end Brandon Graham said.
Graham’s strip-sack of Brady helped seal the deal for the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
While the Pats don’t have the same cachet without Brady, the scheduled sessions will get a little more interesting with the return of two former Eagles to the NovaCare Complex - receiver Nelson Agholor and safety Jalen Mills.
“Knew Mills, forgot Nelson came over there, too,' said Graham. "It’ll be exciting to see them boys, talk stuff to those boys. They’re on the other team now and we’ll have a little fun with them, but of course, it’s all love.”
It’s all love from Eagles rookie head coach Nick Sirianni as well.
“Well, shoot, this is the best in the business ever, ever to coach,” Sirianni said of Belichick. “I mean, this is the best NFL coach ever. So really look forward to learning from him.
"Just like we watch tape of guys, just like we throw on the tape and say, ‘Hey, look how you watch this guy run this route, look how to read this play’ of players in the NFL. I'll do the same thing here with Coach Belichick.”
Belichick has been to the NovaCare Complex in the past for joint practices, so while things are new for Sirianni it’s not new to the organization.
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“Just like a normal conversation with how we get ready for a practice with our staff,” Sirianni explained when discussing the negotiating process for the practices. “Just because, you know, I think people would be shocked about how much detail goes into planning each and every practice.
“And you talk about each and every practice but then you have to set the stage right at the beginning of like, ‘Hey, here's how we practice.’ So, it's like you start from the beginning and you just have to talk about every detail. And so, it was just like normal talking to other guys, and we're still having ongoing conversations to get ready for practice.”
The ultimate goal is to have two winners.
“I just think, you know, you just want your team to work and get better from the scenario. And you want his team to be able to work and get better from it,” Sirianni said. “So you continue to build a relationship and work with each other. … Just work so you're both getting what you want.”
Graham and most of the others Eagles players are just happy to see another jersey in front of them as the dog days of August continue.
“It’s a breath of fresh air because going against Lane [Johnson], speaking for myself, I’m tired of seeing Lane because Lane knows my tricks,” BG smiled. “Sometimes I get him with some of the same tricks, sometimes I don’t because he knows when I get tired, I do different things. We know each other.
“It’s good to get a fresh body, somebody who doesn’t know you to see where you’re at.”
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven 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 both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.