Eagles 'Taking Away Staleness': 5 Takeaways From Season-Ending Press Conference

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni talked for about 30 minutes on Wednesday nine days after their season ended. Here are five quick takeaways.

PHILADELPHIA – Here are my five takeaways from the season-ending news conference with general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni on Wednesday…

All business. There were no inside jokes that usually take place when the GM and head coach sat on the auditorium stage at the NovaCare Complex. No giggling, no whispering between the two, no smiles. There were only emphatic answers.

“Just want to walk through why we’re here a little later than normal,” said Roseman. “… looking around the locker room at our players, at our staff (after loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers), it felt like there was a kind of sadness about the way the season ended, there was kind of a shell-shocked feeling that was going on.”

For his part, Sirianni looked sterner than he ever has. He dodged a bullet and was able to keep his job and he knows it.

Asked to explain how his exit interview went, Sirianni said it was business as usual, but...

General Manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni held their end-of-season press conference nine days after the season ended in a playoff loss :: Ed Kracz/SI Eagles Today

“You better believe that I’m thinking after that 1-6 finish after starting the way we started and doing the things we’ve done in the past, I’m thinking I’m going to prove them right again,” said the coach. “We have to re-prove ourselves. We have to prove it again. That’s how I feel right now.

“That’s how I’m attacking this offseason. Just hungry to be able to prove myself to (owner) Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie and the faith he’s had in me and Howie and the faith he’s had in me and the team and the city.”

Vic Fangio. During the 30-minute gathering, news broke that Vic Fangio was being released as the defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins because he wanted to be closer to his family in Pennsylvania. ESPN’s Adam Schefter went so far as to report that he will be the Eagle’s next DC.

Because it broke during the news conference, Sirianni was asked if Fangio would be the next DC. Of course, he wasn’t going to say, 'Yes, he is the guy.'

This is what Sirianni said: “We have a lot of good targets that we’re working through and they’re a lot of guys who have done well in their interview process and look forward to continue with that process. We’ll see what happens.”

My take: Fangio will be the next defensive coordinator.

“Taking away the staleness.” This is no longer just Sirianni’s offense, something he said it was when defending now-fired OC Brian Johnson last month. It is now, in Sirianni’s words, “The Philadelphia Eagles offense.”

That means some latitude for whoever the new OC will be.

“Some of the things we want to do as a team is grow in a lot of different areas,” said Sirianni. “It’s about coming up with fresh ideas and doing some things different. …some different thoughts. Sometimes when you’re with a group of guys, we’ve been together for three years, so I wanted to bring in some fresh ideas.”

Sirianni said he is willing to change some of the structure of his offense.

“Whoever the new coordinator is, there’s going to be things they bring that are going to be fresh ideas for us to help our players grow and there are things we’ve done really well on offense in the past that you’ll mesh some of that together as well.

“To me, we got a little bit stale on offense by the end of the year and these ideas and this new person coming in is meant to take away the staleness and add the value of what they’re adding to the offense.”

More staff firings incoming. Sirianni said there are still some jobs up in the air on his staff.

“We have to get a coordinator in before we make a decision on maybe some of the quality controls or some of the position coaches,” he said. “There has to be an ability for some of the coordinators to bring in one or two of their guys or more. That’s still an evaluation process.

“It’s something that may not get sorted out until the new coordinator gets hired, gets to meet with some of the guys to make sure they can work together, so that’s a process we’re still going through.”

BREAKING: Eagles ‘Expected’ to Hire Vic Fangio After Dolphins Departure

Neutered. Asked what his role will be now, Sirianni said to be the head football coach. That’s what he has always said, but this will be different, and probably mandated by Lurie to evolve.

Sirianni surprisingly admitted that he didn’t attend many defensive meetings. That will probably change.

“My job is to the be head coach, not the head coach for the offense, not the head coach for the defense, not the head coach of the special teams, but the head coach of the football team. …That’s building the culture and having a relationship with the guys on the football field.

“I know when I have that connection with the guys on the football team, that’s when the culture is working.”

We should see less stubbornness and perhaps more maturity from the head coach this season.