Sirianni out to ‘re-prove’ self after Eagles collapse

Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterJan 24, 2024, 05:17 PM ET
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PHILADELPHIA — Nick Sirianni suggested a shift is coming to the offensive coaching structure following a late-season collapse, and that he enters his fourth year as Eagles head coach with the mindset of having to “re-prove” himself.

Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman held their end of season news conference Wednesday — nine days after the Eagles’ 32-9 wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that marked their sixth loss in seven games following a 10-1 start.

Speculation about Sirianni’s job security followed, as did a meeting with CEO Jeffrey Lurie, which Sirianni described as “business as usual” despite offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s firings that followed days after.

“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.”

The search for a new defensive coordinator might already be over. Vic Fangio, who mutually parted ways with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, will now be the top target for the Eagles to hire and a deal is expected, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler.

“We got a lot of good targets that we’re working through,” Sirianni said when asked about Fangio. “And a lot of guys who have done really well in their interview process and look forward to continuing that process and we’ll see what happens.”

Sirianni, meanwhile, described the search for a new offensive coordinator as “extensive,” with a goal of bringing someone in with fresh ideas after the offense went “stale” down the stretch. While Sirianni has had his offensive coordinator call the plays for most of his time in Philly, he has long described it as his offense. But it appears the new offensive coordinator will have more creative control.

“A guy who has a vision, a guy who is going to call the plays, a guy who is going to be able to coach the quarterback in the same sense there, so it’s just about getting the right guy,” Sirianni said. “But I’m hiring him to do a job and to be in charge of the offense.” If the new coordinators are in charge of the respective sides of the ball, what will Sirianni’s responsibilities be?

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

“I guess it would be very similar to what’s going on right now,” he said. “Does that mean I’ll sit more into defensive meetings at times instead of always being in an offensive meeting? Maybe. But my job is to be the head coach of the team, not the head coach of the offense, not the head coach of the defense, not the head coach of the special teams.

“So that’s building the culture, that’s making sure the culture is working with our five core values … having a relationship with the guys on the football team because I know when I have that connection with the guys on the football team, that’s when the culture is working at a high level.”