The Big Lead

Despite some of his antics, Nick Sirianni is beloved by Eagles players

Sirianni has the highest winning percentage among active NFL head coaches.

By Matt Reed

Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and chief security officer Dom DiSandro after win against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and chief security officer Dom DiSandro after win against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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Nick Sirianni is a few games away from doing something no other Philadelphia Eagles head coach has done in franchise history; reach the Super Bowl on two separate occasions. In a lot of ways, this seemed unlikely at the beginning of the season, especially when local media and fans were ready to run Sirianni out of Philadelphia.

For many Eagles fans, it's an easy jump to panic mode considering how many times their team has gotten close to winning, but in the Sirianni era Philadelphia has had its best chances to carve out a winning path in multiple seasons.

The Eagles finished the regular season as the no. 2 seed in the NFC and captured another NFC East title, all while securing a 14-win season. That's something the Eagles have only done once more in their franchise's history back in 2022.

The common theme with both of those teams? Nick Sirianni.

The 43 year old is also 48-20 as Eagles head coach, which makes him the winningest active coach in the National Football League. But it would've been tough to imagine these types of feats would've been possible after Week 4 when the Eagles were 2-2 and heading into their bye week.

The theme around Philadelphia was either about Sirianni being on the hot seat or angry fans calling for his job entirely and telling the team to pursue Bill Belichick or another head coaching option.

In a lot of ways, that's why Sirianni has proven he's the best head coaching option for the Eagles though. He's unfazed by what's thrown at him in the media or by the fans, but at the same time he respects both with the way he approaches them.

Most importantly though, there's the players and how they respond to Sirianni during adverse situations. Even before the season started, there were questions about Sirianni's relationship with star quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Not only did Hurts shut those rumors down quickly, but he's played some of his best football of his professional career in 2024. Back in October it would've been easy for Hurts and Eagles players to turn on their coach after their slow start, but instead he backed Sirianni and it's paid massive dividends.

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"We are the two leaders of the team," Hurts said as the Eagles went on their 10-game winning streak. "Iā€™m happy and fortunate that we were able to come together in harmony and have the same goal in mind and try to get this thing right. I got a ton of confidence in him."

The ultimate test for Sirianni and the Eagles will be running through the NFC playoff gauntlet, but if they can make it through to the Super Bowl there's not a lot else that can be said other than the fact that Sirianni is undaunted by pressure and his team will follow him no matter what.

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