Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has never been afraid to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Sirianni received criticism for crying during the national anthem ahead of Super Bowl 57.
Yet Sirianni’s personality and passion could be exactly why he remained head coach of the Eagles following a disastrous end to last season.
Sirianni was asked about his emotions as the Eagles prepare for a season-opening matchup against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni Embracing Opportunity To Play Under the Friday Night Lights in Brazil
During Thursday’s press conference, Sirianni was asked about the impact of starting the regular season in a country where the NFL has never hosted a game.
“I think it’s so awesome. This game is awesome,” Sirianni said. “So, the fact that we can spread this game to the rest of the world, I take a lot of pride in that.”
“But when the lights come on — like one thing about American football is this. When we all grew up playing football, we all grew up playing on Friday nights under the ‘Friday night lights,’ and we get to do that on Friday night.”
It’s clear that Sirianni is fired up about the opportunity to play under the Friday night lights once again. While many have questioned Sirianni’s future as a head coach in Philadelphia, his ability to let his emotions show in moments like this and be relatable is crucial.
While an NFL team’s trip to Brazil is uncharted territory, Sirianni has prepared his team by comparing it to a moment that the entire locker room can relate to. Nearly every high school football player has played under the Friday night lights.
Therefore, Sirianni is treating the team’s trip to São Paulo as just another game. But Philadelphia’s head coach will still get goosebumps on Friday night, just like he did in high school.
“We might not be in Jamestown, New York, or Houston, Texas, or Cleveland, Ohio, but we’re in Brazil and it’s still going to be Friday night, just like we all grew up playing this game,” Sirianni said.
“I’ve got goosebumps really thinking about tomorrow night with the lights coming on.”
Nick Sirianni Could Thrive in New Role as HC in 2024
The Eagles and Sirianni could make a huge statement against the Packers on Friday night. If Philadelphia can defeat Green Bay in Week 1, it could help everyone forget the team’s embarrassing end to last season.
Many have questioned Sirianni’s new role moving forward as a “CEO” head coach in Philadelphia. After giving up full control of the team’s offense to Kellen Moore, it’s fair to question what exactly Sirianni will be doing.
While Sirianni’s involvement in play-calling will be limited, there is no denying that his personality is appreciated in the locker room. Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown praised Sirianni in the offseason during an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“We wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for him,” Brown said.
“He’s a great teacher, great coach, great person. Me, I don’t have any doubt. I don’t think the team has any doubt. I think it was just Philly media, fans, or whatever; they just have the question because it didn’t end the way we all would like.”
The business of professional sports is often results-based, and rightfully so. Yet many lose sight of the human emotion aspect of sports, especially football. Brown mentioned Sirianni as a great teacher and a great person.
While the professional sports world continues to trend in a heavily analytics-based direction, the numbers can’t replace people and relationships. Which is exactly what Sirianni discussed during his press conference on Thursday.
“To me, it’s the best team sport there is. You learn so much about life,” Sirianni said when asked about the opportunity to represent American football in Brazil.
“You have so many great relationships because of it. Hopefully they get to see a great game tomorrow and they fall in love with the sport the way a lot of us have, probably all of us that are covering it or playing in it or coaching in it have fallen in love with the sport.”
Sirianni’s love for football is evident nearly every time that he gets the opportunity to speak. Yet his love for the team could be what keeps him around as head coach in Philadelphia and will allow the Eagles to succeed in 2024 and beyond.