Eagles ought to lengthen Nick Sirianni ASAP. He is eared it.

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PHILADELPHIA — This time final 12 months the Eagles have been reeling. They’d completed the common season 1-5, they’d been demolished in Tampa Bay for the second time in three playoff runs, the quarterback had regressed and the protection stunk. Third-year coach Nick Sirianni and his employees held on the sting of a cliff.

Sirianni survived however solely after he agreed to fireside the assistants he’d handpicked; most notably, Sean Desai, the defensive coordinator, and Matt Patricia, a defensive assistant. He’d employed them to run the protection over former defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, whom he inexplicably fired after reaching Tremendous Bowl LVII within the 2022 season. Proprietor Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman employed Vic Fangio to run the protection this season, employed Kellen Moore to run the offense, stripped Sirianni of a lot of his affect over the offense and let him keep.

Issues didn’t enhance a lot by way of the spring and summer time. The Birds had a rocky begin to 2024, together with one more loss at Tampa Bay, adopted by a humiliating incident in Recreation 5 when, after a deflating residence win in opposition to the putrid Cleveland Browns, Sirianni brazenly taunted Eagles followers … which, once more, referred to as into query his health to teach the workforce.

Even final week, getting into the playoffs because the No. 2 seed, Sirianni’s future got here into query. Regardless of his traditionally productive first 4 seasons and a Tremendous Bowl look, and with solely a lame-duck 12 months left on his contract, would a 3rd first-round playoff exit make Lurie ponder changing Sirianni? Was Sunday’s wild-card recreation, when it comes to Sirianni’s future, a very powerful of his profession?

Sirianni answered all of these questions with unimpeachable outcomes. He’s gained 13 of 14 video games. That features a franchise-record 10-game successful streak. It additionally consists of the wild-card playoff win vs. the visiting Inexperienced Bay Packers final weekend. The Eagles will host the L.A. Rams on Sunday for the best to play within the NFC championship recreation.

Pity the Rams if Sirianni delivers a workforce just like the one which dealt with the Packers. It was an expert win from a stunningly well-coached workforce.

No turnovers. No dumb penalties. No amateurish trick performs. No time-management points. They leaned on working again Saquon Barkley, their finest participant. They acquired huge performs from their finest unit, the protection. Particular groups value them one level however delivered them seven.

It was sound soccer.

Mature soccer.

The form of soccer that leads to house owners giving coaches contract extensions.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, coming back from a concussion, didn’t make huge performs or publish huge numbers however he didn’t make any errors both in successful the wild-card recreation vs. Inexperienced Bay final week. (Matt Slocum/AP)

Lame duck

Sirianni is within the fourth season of a five-year deal. He can’t enter 12 months 5 with out Years 6 by way of 8 assured.

It’s exhausting to command a locker room as a lame-duck coach; simply have a look at what occurred with Mike McCarthy in Dallas this season. If Lurie considers Sirianni the coach of the longer term, then Lurie ought to assure that future.

Clearly, he likes Sirianni. As with Andy Reid in 1999, then a quarterbacks coach in Inexperienced Bay, and once more in 2016 with Doug Pederson, who was Reid’s offensive coordinator in Kansas Metropolis, solely Lurie thought-about Sirianni a head teaching candidate in 2021. Sirianni was the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive coordinator, however no different groups supplied him an interview.

It was a chance for Lurie. Throughout Sirianni’s clumsy first season, Sirianni’s hiring was even mocked. However Lurie considers himself one thing of a savant on the subject of hiring head coaches with out pedigree, and he hates to confess he was mistaken. In fact, he seldom is.

In March, Lurie defended his resolution to retain Sirianni:

“He’s exhibited a whole lot of progress as a younger coach. I believe he’ll exhibit much more as a result of he’s so self-critical, and I stay up for seeing that improvement.”

What’s left to see?

Developed

Franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts returned after lacking 2 3/4 video games with the primary concussion of his soccer life and executed a stripped-down recreation plan. Hurts threw some wonky passes and missed just a few open receivers, however he threw no interceptions. He took two sacks, however for less than 10 yards, and he protected the ball when he acquired sacked. He threw the ball away 3 times to keep away from sacks. He wasn’t flashy, however he performed good soccer. Profitable soccer.

Hurts additionally recorded a career-best 103.7 passer score this season, which was fifth within the NFL, a career-best 68.7 completion fee, which ranked eighth, and eight yards per try, which ranked fourth. Hurts additionally threw simply 5 interceptions, third-fewest amongst quarterbacks with at the least 13 begins. These are indicators of a quarterback who performs good soccer and makes huge performs. In a phrase, these are indicators of a well-coached quarterback, even when Hurts did throw greater than 150 fewer instances for nearly 1,000 fewer yards this season.

“Any time you could have gained 14 or 15 [games], your quarterback’s been taking part in nicely,” Sirianni stated Wednesday.

It goes far past Hurts.

Backup tight finish Grant Calcaterra, a third-year sixth-round choose, crammed in splendidly for twice-injured Dallas Goedert. Calcaterra had 9 profession catches getting into this season. He caught 24 passes for 15 first downs and a landing in 2024. Three offensive linemen missed time with harm and the Eagles nonetheless had the most effective line in soccer. Third-year lineman Cam Jurgens, in his first season taking part in middle, made the Professional Bowl.

Defensive finish Brandon Graham was misplaced for the season in Recreation 11, and the protection acquired higher. Reserve linebacker Oren Burks changed starter Nakobe Dean final weekend and recorded 4 solo tackles and an help. He was prepared, and he produced. Sirianni doesn’t coach protection, however relaxation assured, if Burks had changed Dean and performed badly, or if the protection collapsed in Graham’s absence, then Sirianni would have borne the blame.

Maybe probably the most exceptional facet of final week’s efficiency was what didn’t occur.

Below management

Volcanic receiver A.J. Brown, who has a historical past of in-game histrionics and locker-room lawyering when he feels underused, caught simply 1 move for 10 yards. However Brown didn’t throw a tantrum. In reality, Brown famously learn highlighted passages from a self-help e book to maintain himself calm and centered.

Flamable security C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was ejected from Recreation 15 for twice taunting the Washington Commanders, didn’t taunt anyone.

Pugnacious defensive deal with Jalen Carter, whose three unnecessary-roughness penalties tied for the league lead, didn’t get into one single combat, scuffle, argument or confrontation.

Sirianni isn’t a babysitter, but when Brown, Carter or Gardner-Johnson had value the workforce yardage with dangerous penalties or had upset the sideline vitality, Sirianni would have been blamed for not controlling his gamers.

However Sirianni did management his gamers. And he did management himself. And he did management the sport, and he gained, and that’s value one thing.

In fact, successful once more Sunday can be value much more.

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