Nick Sirianni's Coaching Tree Begins to Sprout

For the first time since 1994, a team that lost in the Super Bowl will lose both its coordinators to head coaching jobs

Planted just two seasons ago, the Nick Sirianni coaching tree has already begun to bloom.

Branch one popped on Tuesday morning when Shane Steichen signed a contract to become the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Branch two sprouted just hours later when Jonathan Gannon became the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

That water and fertilizing Sirianni talked about when his team was sitting at 2-5 last year must have some kind of kick to it.

Both coordinators had been in Philly for two seasons.

The last time two coordinators departed to be head coaches after losing a Super Bowl was in 1994 when the 49ers lost Ray Rhodes, who was hired by Jeffrey Lurie to be the Eagles’ head coach, and Mike Shanahan.

The Bengals in 2013 didn’t make the Super Bowl but lost their coordinators to head coaching jobs – Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer.

It’s not only the limbs on Sirianni’s tree that have begun to sprout, but the Eagles just competed in another Super Bowl in just the head coach’s second season.

There’s not a lot of love for Sirianni nationally it seems. He’s too brash on the sideline, too fiery, too in-your-face.

Heck, the TV cameras caught him waving for the Chiefs' offense, or maybe it was the defense, to come back onto the field while a play was being challenged during Super Bowl LVII. Jalen Hurts was standing beside him motioning to him to stop and put his arm down.

There’s no denying Sirianni, at 41, is an emotional person and football is an emotional sport and Italians are known as emotional people. If you can't see that, you can fuhgeddtaboudit.

He was reduced to tears listening to Chris Stapleton’s rendition of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl.

“I’ve dreamed about this since I’ve been two years old,” he said after the 38-35 loss when asked about the emotion he displayed during the anthem. 

“...You know, growing up in a family with a dad that’s a football coach, older brothers that play football, this is what you dream of being in this moment. It’s just emotional because there’s a lot of work, not just by myself, but a lot of people.”

Whatever his emotions are, there’s no denying he can coach.

He is all about connecting and accountability. His players talk about the connection they made, about being like a family all season.

And accountability has been on display all season then showed up again when he was asked about the penalty on James Bradberry.

After the biggest loss of his life, and in excruciating fashion, it would have been fair for the emotional Sirianni to take a swipe at the refs. Instead, he did what he did since he got here, and that is to explain how difficult a ref’s job is to make decisions in split-second moments.

That's not just accountability, really, but class, too, in a gut-wrenching moment.

Of course, the success starts at the top with owner Jeffrey Lurie, who has a knack for hiring head coaches. 

All five that he has hired since taking ownership of the Eagles have made the playoffs, and three have gone to the Super Bowl: Andy Reid, Doug Pederson, and Sirianni.

“That’s the thing about Nick and Mr. Lurie, (they) give us a lot of input and vision and the communication is excellent but (they) let us do our jobs,” said Gannon last week at the team’s hotel in Phoenix.

"(Sirianni) does not micromanage things. I think that’s huge for a head coach because you have to trust the people you have working for you.”

If Sirianni doesn’t like something he sees, he lets you know, though.

“He’ll come and talk to the people he needs to talk to about it in a very positive way of, ‘Hey we have to make this a little better,’” said Gannon. “...he comes over and says, ‘I don’t know man,’ and you say ‘I see what you’re saying, we’ll change it.’

“That’s the reason this is my favorite place I’ve been. Not because we’re good but everyone understands their role, they’re on the same page, you have the support you need from your bosses to do your job.”

It’s something that Sirianni's two branches will try to implement in their turn as head coaches and grow their own trees.

READ MORE

Jonathan Gannon Expected to be Next Cardinals Head Coach

Shane Steichen Exits Eagles, Enters Indianapolis to be Colts' Head Coach

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.