March 15, 2024
Turn up the heat!
With another burst of signings in free agency, Howie Roseman has exponentially cranked up the seat of Nick Sirianni. This is the make or break year for the Philadelphia Eagles head coach, and if it’s a break – they can’t let this thing linger.
If the Eagles come out slow, following the quitting on last year and the huge signings this offseason, they must fire Nick Sirianni before season’s end. They cannot wait until after the year and waste another season down the drain. This has to be a top priority if things aren’t working and no more learning curves.
You cant have it both ways, I’m sorry.
You can’t race to your favorite social media site and post memes of Howie Roseman “winning” the offseason, or call up the front office thanking them for signing a running back, or attacking people from other fan bases because the Birds signed a former All-Pro linebacker and have any issues with this column.
You are directly part of the pressure mounting on the shoulders of Sirianni, and while I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt, I’m not sure there’s any doubt left. The team has no shot with him if they can’t get this thing going. Roseman put together a squad with a bunch of new players and coaches, coming off a season that ended in embarrassing fashion. By removing certain responsibilities from Sirianni’s hands, the Eagles ideally made life easier for him. If they start slow or sluggish or just bad, what’s left to do?
Now, the team could easily come out on fire, with a chip on their shoulder and looking like a gelled unit. It’s as possible as them looking flat and out of place. It’s going to be a a battle of extremes and suddenly winning free agency won’t matter anymore. It rarely does.
I’d look at the one side of extreme. The real chance they need time to get this thing off the ground, as an opportunity to clean house and set a new tone. Simply getting a fresh — either coordinator since they are brand new here — voice can change a lot. We saw it last year with the Las Vegas Raiders. Removing a fake coach and replacing him with an actual coach.
My favorite retort is that Nick Sirianni got to a Super Bowl!
Ok, but what good is that if you never make it back? Clearly this Eagles team has a ton of talent just to make it to the playoffs amid last year’s tailspin. The difference is bringing this team over the hump. Trying to fight back from that is much harder than just adding Saquon Barkley to the offense and expecting it to be lights out.
Be it Barkley or Devin White, the Eagles took advantage of players in bad situations, whether it was team or player behind the reason. We saw reports of how Eagles players dismissed coaching on defense last year. Part of me can't blame them when looking at who they were dismissing.
The team has two brand new coordinators implementing new systems with new players. They spent a ton on a running back, a good one, so there’s a signed agreement with intent to run the ball. I wont believe it until I see it. The team has a propensity to quickly abandon the run game for Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Juggling this offense alone is a balancing act.
How long do you think it will take for tens of thousands of fans to scream, “Run the ball!” across Lincoln Financial Field? The over/under is eight weeks and I’m going under.
You don’t have to know who Bryce Huff is to know how this city and team work. Roseman went out and did his job. He got players for this team to throw out on the field. Now it’s on the coaching staff to make it work. Turnover on a roster is part of the game and is never an excuse. It’s going to be extra difficult for Sirianni to make this thing work, especially with all the extra pressure social media inadvertently added.
The harsh reality of your tweets in March adding to this is inescapable. We build this team up every March and April thanks to Roseman. He certainly has a knack for restoring hope with the team’s money. Getting this high on a squad before training camp sets an incredibly high bar. But we’ve seen it be done before. Doug Pederson met it, as did Andy Reid before him.
The team simply cannot waste another year. I’d give it six weeks into the season to determine if they still have anything at the head coach position and if they are struggling, it’s time to move on. If Sirianni wants to be mentioned in a small group of all-time great coaches, he better start off fast, otherwise he will be in the other group, a much larger group of failures.
Eytan Shander is a long time radio and TV personality in Philadelphia. In addition to his weekly column, you can currently listen and watch him on Fox29’s Good Day and other sports shows. He’s giving betting advice on OddsShopper. A lifetime Eagles fan, Eytan lives just outside the city with his wife.
Follow Eytan on Twitter: @shandershow
