Nick Sirianni Defends DC Jonathan Gannon: 'This Guy's a Stud'

The Eagles head coach went on a rant over the criticism Jonathan Gannon receives

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles' defense was stifling Saturday night in a 38-7 beatdown of the New York Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs.

When you allow 227 total yards and seven points, you're supposed to win every game in the modern NFL. When you have Philadelphia's offense, which produced 416 yards - 268 of them rushing - and 38 points complementing it, you do.

In the court of public opinion, however, it's the Eagles' third-ranked offense that is the star of the show while the No. 2 defense is often picked apart like it kicked the city's dog, at least by some.

And Nick Sirianni isn't happy about it.

For whatever reason, the head coach, an offensive-minded mentor, decided to address that narrative after a statement performance by his team.

Sirianni noted that others around the league are perplexed by the fact Gannon takes so much (bleep) in Philadelphia.

"Man, what did they score? seven points," Sirianni said when discussing the defense. "Yeah, big time. Jonathan Gannon puts these guys in great positions."

The style of defense is at the crux of the debate. Weaned on aggressive defense since the days of Buddy Ryan, a generation of Philadelphia fans haven't come to grips with the changes in the game.

Contextually when measured against his peers, Gannon's defense outperforms just about anyone with a philosophy that emphasizes eliminating as many explosives plays as possible.

In fact, the two "winning statistics" in the Eagles' DNA are winning the turnover battle and the explosive battle, something Gannon's unit accomplished most weeks, helping to explain the team's 15-3 record  (15-1 with a healthy Jalen Hurts).

"Sometimes I have to hear some things about Jonathan Gannon, and I don't know if it's you guys. Might be more other people. I won't say names – (SportsRadio 94WIP Morning Show Host) Angelo (Cataldi) - right?

"But this guy is an unbelievable coordinator. The fact that he doesn't get respect from our [flagship] radio station blows my mind. It blows my mind. ... This guy is an incredible coordinator. People love to play for this guy."

One of those people is All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry, who victimized his former team with an interception on Saturday night.

"I think he closely watches the film. He does a good job of putting together a scheme to go against the opponent and I think he did a good job of game-planning [the Giants]," Bradberry said. "He knew how to prepare us and what they were going to do and that's how he called the game.

"And he put us in a good position to make plays out there."

Gannon himself doesn't particularly like when his boss jumps on this sword and brings attention to uneducated criticism but the DC certainly appreciates the sentiment behind Sirianni's passionate defense.

As for the future, Sirianni seemed to be issuing a warning to those who think the grass is greener on the other side.

"This guy is incredible," Sirianni said. "He's going to be a head football coach in the National Football League because of what he does. This guy is a stud. He's a stud."

-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