Philadelphia Eagles CB Bradley Roby: 'Devil is in the Details' With Coach Nick Sirianni

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni doesn't get enough credit nationally, but newcomers Kevin Byard and Bradley Roby have no issue with their new head coach

PHILADELPHIA – Bradley Roby and Kevin Byard have 18 years of NFL experience between them combined, but never have the two defensive backs experienced anything like Nick Sirianni’s day-before-game team meetings.

The Philadelphia Eagles head coach plays music before the players settle in for the motivational speech.

“The first 2-3 minutes, they just play music and we go around the room and just ‘dap’ each other up,” said Roby, who is in his 10th NFL season. “Just greet everyone in the room walk around, dap the O-linemen, the receivers, wish them all a good game, and do our thing.

“To me, that’s something that’s small, but that’s a big thing to me. I had never seen that. I feel that’s why we play so well as a team because it’s something small, but the devil is in the details. I think that’s why we play together so well.”

Byard, in his eighth season, said he had never seen anything like that, either.

“My experience with him the past few weeks is, he has a lot of confidence,” said Byard, who arrived in a trade with the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 23, three weeks after the Eagles added Roby.

“I played for Vrabel, and they’re very similar in that they both exude confidence. He has a lot of trust in his players as well, which is always good. We have a veteran group and he’s a coach who kind of lets his players be themselves, but also to let them the players run the team and hold each other accountable.”

Sirianni isn’t even being mentioned in the conversation for NFL Coach of the Year. The recent odds don’t even list him among the top five favorites.

The honor isn’t the be-all, end-all, of course.

Even Andy Reid, for all his greatness, for all his 275 wins, only won it once, and that was all the way back in 2002, his fourth year as a head coach with the Eagles.

Sirianni gets a lot of criticism, both locally and especially nationally, for his sideline antics, which were back in the spotlight again for his yelling at Chiefs fans and then screaming, ‘Bye,’ as he exited the field following Monday night’s 21-17 win in Kansas City.

He is an emotional head coach who wears his heart on his sleeve and the Italian flag stitched to his game-day visor, and that rubs a lot of people outside of Philly the wrong way.

/nfl/eagles/news/philadelphia-eagles-kansas-city-chiefs-10-thoughts-jalen-carter-dandre-swift / USA Today

“Every coach is different, but I think that’s the ultimate trust and belief he has in the players,” said Byard. 

“Any coach, man, depending on whatever the personality, every coach is emotionally involved in their team, in their players, and I think it’s more he’s just always super happy for the success of the players and when you win games, he’s just as happy as a player because there’s a lot of time invest in it, and it’s fun when you win, so we’re going to try to keep winning.”

It’s sort of like the way Pete Rose rubbed everybody the wrong way outside of Cincinnati with his headfirst slides, watching the ball all the way into a catcher’s mitt, and his general arrogance, but when he left the Reds and signed with the Phillies decades ago, he was beloved by the same people in Philly who probably despised him.

Bottom line: If Sirianni was coaching any other team he’d be beloved like Rose was by Philly fans when he came to the Phillies.

Sirianni is just the sixth NFL head coach since 1970 to lead his team to a 9-1 start or better in back-to-back seasons. His 32-12 record is the highest winning percentage (.727) by a head coach in team history and the second-best by an NFL coach since 2021 behind Andy Reid (33-11, .750).

Yet Brian Daboll, who may yet prove to be nothing more than a flash in the pan as a head coach with the New York Giants, won coach of the year last year despite being 0-3 against Sirianni. The reasoning was that Sirianni had a better roster, and general manager Howie Roseman did earn executive of the year.

Still, good rosters don’t always win and many of them aren’t motivated to raise their level of intensity week after week the way the Eagles seem to do.

“I don’t think so,” said Roby when asked if he believes Sirianni gets enough credit nationally. “I love his love for the game, though. That’s something I’ve noticed even before I got here. I was like, ‘I want to play for him.’ He gets hyped.

“When we make plays, it’s almost like he’s out there with us. He gets hyped. He shows emotion. He’s honest. I think he’s a great leader, and I think he does deserve more attention.”

Jalen Hurts Continues to Find Ways to Win Ugly