The Philadelphia Eagles have a new coach and his name is Nick Sirianni.
There is a good chance that you have never heard of it before this week. And even if you did, you probably didn’t know all that a lot about him.
So, let’s fix this with some tips from those who know Sirianni better. I reached out to Chris Blystone of Stampede Blue and he was courteous enough to answer my questions about the former offensive coordinator for Indianapolis Colts.
1) Do you think the Eagles are making a good decision when signing Sirianni?
This is a difficult question to answer for any coordinator who needs to move to a position as principal technician, but in general, I believe Sirianni has the constitution of a good principal technician. The Colts’ offensive technical team is very collaborative, character oriented and emphasizes analysis in their plays. I hope to see Sirianni take this to the Eagles and implement a similar style as a head coach.
Sirianni is an option to walk high as a head coach. He is a leader, a respected person and a creative mind. He spent a lot of time working together with Frank Reich on an offensive team that has been as adaptable as you might expect, while delivering solid offensive performances.
2) What role did Sirianni really play in the Colts’ attack when Frank Reich called? What are some things that stood out schematically during your time in Indy?
Although he may not have made calls for game day, Sirianni was certainly heavily involved in the game’s planning. In many ways, he has been Frank Reich for Reich’s Pederson. He acted as a sounding board for Reich and the guy who was closest to Reich in his time at Indy.
In addition, Reich, Sirianni and former QB coach Marcus Brady, who is now the offensive coordinator for Colts, attended weekly protection meetings and were deeply involved in planning pass protection for the week. This included the defenders, the running backs and the offensive line, all meeting, and this process will likely continue, and it is a big part of why the Colts have been so good at protecting passes for the past 3 seasons.
The notable areas of excellence in the Colts’ attack during the time Sirianni was there were in terms of winning clashes with good route and layout combinations, rather than relying on skilled players. The Colts did not have a large reception room at the time when Reich was the head coach, and they had to win through games as much as with their individual players.
The tight sides and running backs played an important role in the Colts’ pass attack, and will likely do so for any attack Sirianni is executing.
3) There is a lot of talk about how the Eagles are hiring Sirianni in part to help fix Carson Wentz. Based on the performance of Colts’ defenders, what level of confidence do you have for Siranni to get the most out of Wentz?
As I mentioned before, Sirianni will likely be a great asset in protecting passes. Having a cohesive vision to keep Wentz upright and clear while trying to execute the attack is the first step in unlocking your previous years MVP level potential. If that player is still there, that part of Sirianni’s methods will probably help.
I think Eagles fans should expect fights, but I also think Sirianni proved to be a capable coach, who had to adapt to a ridiculously chaotic quarterback position in his time as an offensive coordinator. He went from Andrew Luck at his peak, to a surprising change to a reserve as a starter at Jacoby Brissett, for aging Philip Rivers. All of these players have totally different skills and strengths, but the Colts managed to get a good output from them.
If Carson Wentz of 2017 is still there, I think Sirianni will convince him.
4) Are there any Colts assistant technicians on the rise that you can see him trying to bring to Philadelphia? I know there are rumors of Jonathan Gannon.
The Colts coaching staff has been the source of many rumors and speculations in this off-season, as they appear to be coveted by the championship. I think Gannon is perhaps the most likely match if he brings any coaching staff with him.
Frank Reich allowed the defense under Matt Eberflus to operate without a ton of his input and interference. I hope Sirianni wants to hire a defensive coach with similar talent and a cohesive philosophy about the players. Jonathan Gannon brings a unique experience to the squad because he spent time as a scout, as well as his defensive past. He proved to be a capable developer for young talent in cornerback and security, where the Colts basically connected their newbies immediately and asked them to play important roles in defense.
5) What can you tell us about Sirianni off the field? To what extent does he bring leadership to the table?
Like Frank Reich, Sirianni is a man of faith and high character. He is well liked and respected in the organization, and although he brings a little more enthusiasm to the field of practice than Reich, he is done in the same way.
He was part of a Colts organization that held very exciting players’ meetings to discuss how the team was feeling after George Floyd’s assassination and subsequent protests. This team made the focus more than just football and, although there are always business decisions in this game, they did their best to create a family atmosphere. I think you will see these things taken to the Eagles and, although they undoubtedly have some of Sirianni’s talent, it would surprise me if this were dramatically different from what the Colts have had in Frank Reich over the past 3 seasons.