The Indianapolis Colts’ offseason got off to a miserable start, as they were hit with a pair of noteworthy retirements while their coaching staff was absolutely pillaged.
The most notable departure of the staff came when Nick Sirianni was appointed as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The former Colts offensive coordinator was a hot commodity on this year’s carousel, but there was speculation regarding whether he was ready for such a promotion.
After all, former head coach Doug Pederson was unceremoniously fired despite leading Philly to a championship just three years ago. While he thoroughly embarrassed himself (and the franchise) by actively tanking the team’s Week 17 matchup against Washington, it ultimately became clear he was answering to the front office and ownership.
Taking that into account, it’s worth speculating if Sirianni was hired to replace Pederson as a puppet for the organization’s higher-ups?
We hate to even bring that up given all the great work he did for Indy, but a report from The Athletic, which went into great detail about the Eagles’ dysfunction, really makes you wonder if that’s the case.
"Sometimes I look at our Super Bowl rings, and I’m like, ‘Holy cow, I don’t know how we did it.'"
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) April 13, 2021
Ask some inside Philadelphia and they'll tell you:
The Eagles' drop-off wasn’t dramatic. It was the championship season that was the outlier.https://t.co/rFefYMrYYs
Did Nick Sirianni make a mistake taking the Eagles head coaching job?
The report basically confirmed that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman love having a say in the team’s week-to-week itinerary, which allegedly included Pederson having to validate his play calls in meetings after games, even after victories!
That’s the epitome of dysfunction and awful time management. If the Eagles’ braintrust wasn’t sold on Pederson’s play-calling ability, why did they hire him in the first place? Unfortunately for Sirianni, however, the shocking revelations didn’t end there.
The report noted that Lurie called a meeting with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz shortly before the 2017 season, which famously ended with Philly winning the Super Bowl, that was widely transcribed within the organization as “laying the ground work” for Pederson’s dismissal if the Eagles got off to a bad start.
To put the cherry on top of this unpleasant cake, Pederson also had to fight tooth and nail for the Eagles to retain offensive coordinator Frank Reich in 2017. That’s right, folks. If not for Pederson, quarterback Carson Wentz’s MVP-caliber campaign might’ve never come to fruition.
Nick Sirianni and his #Eagles coaching staff are among the youngest and most inexperienced in the NFL.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) April 8, 2021
But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
My column: https://t.co/TnAUyliBPg
We’re certainly not writing off Sirianni as a head coach before his first game, but this damning report doesn’t bode well for his ability to act autonomously. He’s a first-year head coach, which seems like the perfect candidate for the Eagles’ dysfunctional brass to take advantage of.
Pederson clearly grew fed up with being the fall guy for what were ultimately Lurie and Roseman’s decisions, and it’s difficult to picture the same not happening to Sirianni. We hope we’re wrong, but as long as Lurie is in power, life will likely be difficult in Philly for whomever’s leading the charge on the field.
Colts: Nick Sirianni is getting roasted after his introductory press conference with Eagles
Social media is absolutely roasting former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni for his introductory presser with the Philadelphia Eagles.