Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is used to hearing heckles from New York Giants fans, especially after how last season ended for Philadelphia.
Well aware that his squad underperformed after beginning the season at a histroic 10-1 pace, going 1-5 over their final seven games and losing in the wild-card round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sirianni is not shying away from any of the pressure on him this season.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t throw jabs at some division rival fans. Sirianni revealed his clever response to Giants supporters who have heckled him when they have seen him in public this offseason.
“Sometimes you see Giants fans around here, being so close,” Sirianni told reporters. “They give me a good ‘Hey, go Giants.’ And typically I’d let it go, but if the guy gets me good enough, I’ll usually say, ‘You know, we got your best player.'”
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Sirianni is of course referring to the Eagles’ new star running back Saquon Barkley, who signed a three-year contract worth nearly $38 million with the squad at the beginning of free agency.
Barkley looks to upgrade Philadelphia’s ground game after a solid season from last year’s Eagles starting running back, D’Andre Swift.
Swift rushed for 1,049 yards and five touchdowns on 229 carries last season. He also hauled in 49 receptions for an extra 214 yards.
But Barkley is considered one of the best running back talents in the NFL, and though he has been plagued by injury in recent years, his combination of big-play speed and power is a stark upgrade from Swift. He rushed for 962 yards on 247 carries in 14 games last year while dealing with an early-season ankle injury.
Barkley will have a chance to validate his new coach’s trash talk when the Eagles and Giants face off on Oct. 20.
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