Imagine this: it’s fourth and short yardage with mere seconds left in the second half in a 3-0 game. The team is in field goal range, but the coach decides to attempt to get the first down. Instead of using the play that they have had a 90% success rate within the past, they opt for an alternative play and miss the opportunity to score any points.
For Eagles fans, this is not a hypothetical scenario. Head coach Nick Sirianni continues to make questionable decisions and makes his seat hotter and hotter every game.
This isn’t the first time Sirianni has been questioned for his choices. Sirianni has been the main criminal in not taking the field goal in key situations. Even just two weeks ago, during the Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sirianni opted to try and go for it on 4th down in the first half instead of kicking the field goal.
Sirianni’s refusal to take points has sparked concern even from former Eagles player Chris Long during a podcast appearance.
“My point is we are all of a sudden above taking three points in games that are going to be defensive battles,” Long said.
Long later added that he thinks Sirianni has done a decent job as the Eagles head coach, however, he questions his feelings for how the game is going.
“I like Nick. I think Nick has done a good job. No, really I do. Right now, he’s kinda under a microscope because of the decisions he’s making. He’s not even calling the game. So that’s my thing. You got to own the feeling of the flow of the game,” Long stated.
However, Sirianni has owned up to his old decisions and acknowledges that he needs to get better.
“At that 4th-and-1 at the end of the half, I called that. Not Kellen (Moore),” Sirianni said on Sunday afternoon. “I called that play at the end of the half, not Kellen. Kellen did not. I called it. That’s what I thought was best for the football team at that particular case. That was my decision, I did it, it didn’t work and we’ll get better. I’ll get better from it.”
Along with Sirianni’s questionable playcalls, his leadership ability has additionally been called into question.
After their week 2 loss against the Atlanta Falcons, Sirianni reportedly did not address the team. Sirianni instead opted to let Quarterback Jalen Hurts speak to the team post game.
“Like I said, when your leaders are preaching the same message that I am and that I believe in, and we’re all on the same page, that’s huge.” Sirianni stated.
Allowing Hurts to speak may be a good move if he is preaching the same message,; however, as the coach Sirianni is the main leader and director of his players Sirianni should be speaking to his players to get them on the same page. Not all coaches are elite at play calling and game managing. However, those coaches substitute this with great leadership.
This past week, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles delivered their worst performance of the season in a 16-30 loss. The Eagles were without their two star receivers AJ Brown and Devante Smith. The pass first gameplan that Sirianni set forth completely overshot the ability of the Eagles’ remaining healthy receivers.
Along with the offense, the Eagles’ defense looked completely unprepared for the Bucs offensive attack. The Eagles gave up 21 points in the first half practically sealing the game before it was even halfway over.
This brings up the question, if Sirianni is not a bona fide leader, fails to make viable game plans and has struggles with play calling, what does he do?
It appears that Sirriani’s coaching staff is what creates his success. The success of the team has greatly varied based on the defensive and offensive coordinators. The question remains if Sirianni will be retained through the season or not. However, the Eagles may never win a Super Bowl while Sirianni is still at the helm of the Philadelphia Eagles.