Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Eagles have finally found a head coach to lead the team in 2021 and beyond: Indianapolis Colts’ offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni.
The news isn’t unexpected. Early, it was reported that the position was coming down between Sirianni and Josh McDaniels.
Sirianni’s name was thrown into the coaching hunt quite late, as he interviewed with the team just yesterday.
The 39-year-old Sirianni has been the OC of the Colts since 2018, when Frank Reich was hired away from the Eagles. In 2020, Indy ranked ninth in the NFL with 28.2 points per game and 10th with 6,049 total yards.
Sirianni Comes With Quarterback Experience
A large component of the Eagles’ head coaching search was how the new hire would deal with the quarterback dilemma in Philadelphia. Sirianni has the background necessary to deal with the challenge.
In addition to his time as a coordinator, Sirianni worked as an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010 and as a quarterbacks coach with the then-San Diego Chargers from 2014-15.
Sirianni managed a long-time great QB in Phillip Rivers, who he was reunited with in Indianapolis last season.
The new honcho also has experience with coaching wide receivers, another position the Eagles have sorely struggled with in past years.
Familiarity Could Have Played A Part In The Hire
The fact that Sirianni has been working under Reich for the past three years was likely a huge factor in the hiring decision.
After all, Carson Wentz and the Eagles’ offense had their greatest success back in 2017 when Reich was still offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.
My understanding of Nick Sirianni is that he has a huge backer in Indy HC Frank Reich. Yes, Reich calls the plays but Siranni was instrumental in game planning/play design and was obviously a part of the game day operation. Said to be an even-keeled dude. #Eagles @nflnetwork
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 21, 2021
The parallels to the Reich situation back in 2017 and now are quite apparent. While Reich didn’t call plays for the Eagles in 2017, he still played a large part in the game planning and design.
Going back to what worked before isn’t new for the Eagles, considering that Doug Pederson was an Andy Reid protege. That ended up resulting in a Super Bowl victory.
Despite The Hiring, There Are Still Questions To Be Answered
Even with Sirianni in the fold, questions abound. How much control will Sirianni have? I would speculate it will vary.
One of the sticking points when it came to Pederson was that he didn’t have many connections around the league, which is why he had trouble maintaining a solid staff.
Sirianni has worked around the league a bit more, and if he’s able to bring in qualified guys to fill roles, there’s no reason why Lurie and Roseman would interfere.
When it comes to the QB situation, Sirianni will likely have to roll with Wentz, whether he likes it or not. After all, there were reports that the Eagles told potential candidates they wanted him back next season.
That clearly shows they feel he’s fixable, and certainly wouldn’t have hired a coach who would turn to Jalon Hurts at the first sign of struggles.
Of course, another problem was that Wentz was babied. If a new head coach continues to allow that to happen, what was the point in firing Pederson?
Sirianni certainly has the potential to make an impact for the team, but Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie will affect how far he can go.
If Roseman can’t give Sirianni the talent needed for the team to have a quick turnaround, Siranni’s tenure might be short-lived.
