PHILADELPHIA — The NovaCare Complex auditorium was packed. Philadelphia Eagles coaches, support staffers and even general manager Howie Roseman gathered alongside players, who were together for spring workouts.
With all eyes fixed on Nick Sirianni, who stood in front of the team, the beleaguered head coach decided to get — as one team source in attendance said — “super honest.”
Sirianni’s message was clear: Last year was on me, on my shoulders. I didn’t get it done.
“He took full responsibility, that he felt he let the team down and didn’t do a good enough job of empowering the players,” the team source said. “It was passionate and from the heart.”
For a coach seen as boisterous, emotional and, at times, brash, this was Sirianni at his vulnerable best. His goal was to show accountability, according to a team source, and stress the need for others to do the same if the Eagles were to correct what went wrong and move forward.
“It was a breath of fresh air,” a second team source said of the moment. “It showed leadership.”
The aftermath of last season’s collapse all but required a response from Sirianni.
After the Eagles followed up a Super Bowl berth with a 10-1 start, the wheels quickly came off. They lost five of their last six regular-season games. Defenses reined in quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was in the first year of a landmark $255 million contract. Grumbling and sideline spats intensified, and the defending NFC champions were eliminated in the wild-card round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Even when we were 10-1, everyone was walking around like their dog died,” a team source said. “All year, instead of having fun playing, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we lost the Super Bowl.'”
Things were off, including between the head coach and quarterback. ESPN spoke with several sources who detailed a prolonged strain between Hurts and Sirianni during the 2023 campaign, with one source with direct knowledge of the dynamic describing the relationship as “fractured” and unhealthy last season. At the root of the divide: a disconnect in offensive visions, with what a team source described as a lack of full respect for Sirianni’s X’s and O’s chops.
“He took full responsibility, that he felt he let the team down and didn’t do a good enough job of empowering the players,” the team source said. “It was passionate and from the heart.”
For a coach seen as boisterous, emotional and, at times, brash, this was Sirianni at his vulnerable best. His goal was to show accountability, according to a team source, and stress the need for others to do the same if the Eagles were to correct what went wrong and move forward.
“It was a breath of fresh air,” a second team source said of the moment. “It showed leadership.”
The aftermath of last season’s collapse all but required a response from Sirianni.
After the Eagles followed up a Super Bowl berth with a 10-1 start, the wheels quickly came off. They lost five of their last six regular-season games. Defenses reined in quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was in the first year of a landmark $255 million contract. Grumbling and sideline spats intensified, and the defending NFC champions were eliminated in the wild-card round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Even when we were 10-1, everyone was walking around like their dog died,” a team source said. “All year, instead of having fun playing, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we lost the Super Bowl.'”
Things were off, including between the head coach and quarterback. ESPN spoke with several sources who detailed a prolonged strain between Hurts and Sirianni during the 2023 campaign, with one source with direct knowledge of the dynamic describing the relationship as “fractured” and unhealthy last season. At the root of the divide: a disconnect in offensive visions, with what a team source described as a lack of full respect for Sirianni’s X’s and O’s chops.
With the 2024 season on the horizon, there is hope new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore can “bridge the gap between the two” as one source close to Hurts put it. Both Hurts and Sirianni made efforts to take accountability and mend fences this offseason, but their next stress test will have Sirianni coaching for his job and Hurts fighting to reclaim MVP form on a team desperate to return to the Super Bowl.
Johnson was the playcaller, but Sirianni would make his presence felt, sometimes overruling Johnson in real time, as he did on a critical third-and-long play against the Washington Commanders in Week 4, when Johnson wanted to pass and Sirianni dialed up a run, which didn’t pan out. The line was blurred enough that some offensive players didn’t know for sure who was calling the plays, a team source told ESPN in January.
The Eagles’ run-pass option attack was a staple under trusted offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. And the Eagles had good enough personnel to overcome schematic challenges, at least for a while. But as multiple rival coaches pointed out, the Eagles essentially “rolled the ball out” and expected to win when it came to their scheme, to which defenses adjusted. As offenses leaguewide rely increasingly on motions and shifts before the snap to misdirect opponents, the 2023 Eagles posted a 10.9% pre-snap motion rate, last in the league and 11% lower than the league average. Despite the 10-1 start, the Eagles’ 42-19 loss to San Francisco on Dec. 3 was the beginning of a trend. Philadelphia scored fewer than 20 points in five of their last seven games, including playoffs.
Eagles coaches tried to find common ground. During the season, Sirianni and Johnson held a meeting with Hurts and urged him to open up more to teammates, according to a team source. “I just think they sensed the vibe was off overall,” the source said. The source noted that Hurts did make efforts to speak up, either with teammates or requests for tweaks within the offense. “It’s not his personality to make demands,” the source said. The Eagles kept winning, albeit in shaky fashion.
Johnson got stuck in what team sources describe as an awkward spot trying to please a multitude of people in the building with conflicting viewpoints, most notably Hurts and Sirianni. The result was a watered-down version of Johnson, who was regarded around the league as a head coach in waiting. “He lost his identity,” a close observer said.
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