Eagles Epiphany: Nick Sirianni in Reprove Mode for Elephant in Room

Entering his fourth season, Nick Sirianni will likely be coaching for his job in 2024.

PHILADELPHIA - The giggles were gone at the NovaCare Complex Wednesday, a clear indication that the honeymoon period between Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and his boss, owner Jeffrey Lurie, is over.

Before Wednesday's annual end-of-season press conference, any time GM Howie Roseman and Sirianni shared a dais, it came with plenty of smiles, and a few sophomoric jokes that rarely landed. 

This year's session, pushed back by the reality of a Monday night playoff loss, exit interviews, a snowstorm, and an added 30-minute kicker, Roseman started with an apology before the spin started with the idea of putting lipstick on the pig that is purgatory for the head coach.

A reserved Nick Sirianni talks to reporters :: John McMullen/Eagles Today

Sirianni was not his typically ebullient self as he paid penance for his team’s late-season collapse with what will be a gutted coaching staff and a new offensive setup that belies everything that Sirianni has said since taking over in Philadelphia, best summed up in a conversation in the summer of 2022 with beat reporters.

"No matter if [passing game coordinator] Kevin Patullo is calling it, Shane Steichen’s calling it, Brian Johnson is calling it, Jeff Stoutland’s calling it, Jason Michael is calling it, Jonathan Gannon comes over and calls it, Howie (Roseman) calls it from up there, (Jeffrey) Lurie, (security chief) Dom (DiSandro), Julian (Lurie) [this is my offense,] Sirianni chucked. "... I’m very particular and I know what I believe in, in the passing and the running game and offensive football.”

Fast forward to a gloomy winter day around the Delaware Valley and Sirianni was singing a different tune after confirming the firing of Johnson, his one-and-done offensive coordinator who went from shooting star in the organization to scapegoat for the offensive inefficiencies, both perceived and otherwise.

“I can't say enough good things about Brian. He's a great football coach, and he's going to have another opportunity to lead an offense, and I will miss him,” Sirianni said.  

Johnson was sacrificed to the Lurie standard of "fresh ideas."

"We've had a lot of success here in the past three years, and Brian has contributed a lot to that," Sirianni said. "But like I said, it's now about bringing in fresh ideas, some different thoughts than what a lot of the guys -- sometimes when you're with a group of guys, like we've been together for three years, that group of guys, but in addition to that, it was a couple of the other guys that I've been with for multiple years, as well. Just wanted to bring in some fresh ideas, and that's where we are with that.”

Ironically, the freshest idea would be to shelve that kind of vapid default setting that was also front and center in derailing Doug Pederson’s stint with the Eagles.

With a new defensive coordinator coming in – likely Vic Fangio, who officially divorced Miami during the actual presser – and a new OC, Sirianni was asked bluntly what his actual role will be moving forward.

“The head coach of the football team,” he responded.

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The elephant in the room remains Lurie.

"In my mind, you better believe I'm thinking, 'How do I reprove myself?'" Sirianni said. "I was a young coach that Mr. Lurie and Howie and this organization trusted to give the job to. I had to prove myself that this guy can lead the organization like they asked me to, and I had to prove myself from then. Did I have to sell my vision [to Lurie]? No, because it was business as usual, but you better believe I'm thinking after that 1-6 finish ... that I'm going to prove them right again."

SI.com’s Eagles Today asked Sirianni if his offensive epiphany was a natural evolution or one that came with “encouragement.”

The ensuing filibuster did not bite on that low-hanging fruit.

“This will be our offense,” Sirianni emphasized again. “This will be the Philadelphia Eagles' offense, not whoever, name the coordinator's offense or my name on it or whoever, This will be our offense.”

Sirianni changed only one word – my to our – but it spoke volumes.