In Roob's 10 Observations, Sirianni's most underrated skill
In Roob's 10 Observations, Sirianni's most underrated skill originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
An underrated strength of Nick Sirianni, a Brian Dawkins record that’s about to be broken by more than one person and the greatest Eagles opening-day performances ever.
We finally made it to Week 1, so this is the first of at least 18 in-season editions (and possibly several more) of Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Observations.
1. Who knows what sort of adversity the Eagles will face this year. Could be injuries to key players. Maybe an upset loss at home. Could even be a horrible call that costs them a win or a losing streak during that murderous Chiefs-Bills-49ers-Cowboys-Seahawks stretch. But it will happen, and that’s when Nick Sirianni is at his best. Really, I think coping with adversity is one of Sirianni’s biggest strengths. When things go wrong, every player on the roster looks to the coach for guidance and optimism and leadership, and Sirianni is so naturally positive and forward thinking and consistent in his message that he effortlessly gives his players a sense of confidence and belief when doubt or uncertainty creeps in. We’ve seen it a few times in Sirianni’s two years here but never more dramatic than when that 2021 team was 2-5, had won just one of its last six games and only four NFL teams had a worse record going into Week 8. People mocked him for his “roots growing underground” speech, but the Eagles are 21-5 in meaningful games since then and 19-3 with Jalen Hurts at quarterback. Outsiders might not take Nick’s approach seriously, but the 53 guys in the locker room sure do. There will be challenges for this team over the next four months, but I don’t believe there’s a head coach better equipped to guide his team through whatever adversity arises. And for all the things a head coach does, I’m not sure anything is more important.
2. The Eagles are 2-0 on opening day under Sirianni, they were 4-1 in openers under Doug Pederson, 2-1 under Chip Kelly and 7-7 under Andy Reid. Rich Kotite was 3-1 on opening day, so the only head coach since Buddy Ryan with a losing record on opening day is Ray Rhodes, who was 1-3 from 1995 through 1998.
3. Jalen Hurts already has the 9th-most rushing touchdowns in Eagles history with 26, and he could catch Donovan McNabb (28), Timmy Brown (29), Ricky Watters (31) and Randall Cunningham (32) by the bye week. That would leave him behind only Steve Van Buren (69), Wilbert Montgomery (45), LeSean McCoy (44) and Brian Westbrook (37) on the all-time Eagles rushing TD list halfway through his third year as a starter. At his career pace of 0.76 rushing TDs per start, Hurts will catch everybody other than Van Buren by Week 8 of next year (if he stays healthy). If he keeps scoring at his current rate, he’ll catch Van Buren in Week 6 of the 2026 season. He’ll be 28.
4. Since 1984, when the Eagles have won on opening day, they’ve reached the postseason 15 of 21 times. When they’ve lost on opening day, they’ve reached the postseason six of 18 times.
5. This will be fun to keep track of over the next few months: Brian Dawkins played a franchise-record 183 games in an Eagles uniform from 1996 through 2008. But in a couple months, he could be fourth on the Eagles’ all-time games played list. Brandon Graham has played in 178 games, Jason Kelce 176 and Fletcher Cox in 173. If they all stay healthy, B.G. will pass Dawk on Oct. 15 against the Jets, Kelce two weeks later in Washington and Fletch Nov. 26 at the Linc vs. the Bills. And this is crazy, but there are only two other active position players in the entire NFL who have played in 175 or more games, all for the same team and their current team: Veteran edge rusher Cameron Jordan has played in 192 games for the Saints and Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Hayward has played in 183. Active non-position players who can claim 175 games for the same team are Panthers long snapper J.J. Jansen (226), Patriots special teamer Matthew Slater (223), Texans long snapper Jon Weeks (210) and Ravens kicker Jason Tucker (178).
6. This is only the third time in franchise history the Eagles have had two starting cornerbacks in their 30s. In 2003, Bobby Taylor was 30 and Troy Vincent 33, and in 2011, Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel were both 30. But Vincent and Taylor only started five games together in 2003, so in terms of year-long starters, Slay and Bradberry – assuming they start all year – will become the oldest CB tandem in Eagles history. Corners can lose it in a hurry. The difference between a Pro Bowler and a liability is just one step. Slay didn’t have a great second half last year, but Bradberry and Slay both had very good training camps. Level of concern is low, but definitely something to keep an eye on.
7. I’m not sure what this means – if anything – but teams that lose a Super Bowl are 10-15 the next year on opening day over the past 25 years and teams that lose a Super Bowl and open the next season on the road are 4-15. Maybe a statistical quirk, but I do think there is a big challenge of bouncing back mentally from something as crushing as a Super Bowl defeat and starting back over from scratch at 0-0 and going through all the mental and physical work to try to make another run and just knowing how much has to go right to get back to where you were seven months ago. I do think this Eagles team is as mentally and physically equipped to make that run as any.
8. The best opening-day performances in Eagles history? Passing: In his first game with Terrell Owens, Donovan McNabb was 26-for-36 for 330 yards with four TD passes – three to T.O. and one to L.J. Smith – and no interceptions in the 2004 opener, a 31-17 win over the Giants at the Linc. Rushing: Duce Staley’s 201-yard explosion in the 2000 opener vs. the Cowboys, the Pickle Juice Game at Texas Stadium, a 41-14 Eagles win at Texas Stadium. Receiving: Tommy McDonald caught seven passes for 179 yards and two TDs from Sonny Jurgensen in the 1963 opener, a 21-21 tie with the Steelers at Franklin Field. Sacks: Reggie White opened the 1991 season with three sacks of Don Majkowski in the Eagles’ 20-3 win over the Packers at Lambeau, the game Bryce Paup ended Randall Cunningham’s season with a cheap shot to Randall’s left knee. Interceptions: Six Eagles have had two interceptions on opening day, but in 2012 in Cleveland, two Eagles picked off Browns QB Brandon Weeden twice in a 17-16 win: Kurt Coleman and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Others with two INTs on opening day are Hal Prescott vs. Washington in 1947, Joe Sutton vs. the Browns in 1950, Terry Hoage in Tampa in 1988 and Sheldon Brown in Carolina in 2009. (Cool note about Duce’s 201-yard game: The only other player with a 200-yard rushing game against the Cowboys in Dallas in the last 50 years is Staley’s one-time Eagles teammate, Charlie Garner.)
9. Based on the way he was kicking in the preseason – effortlessly crushing a 56-yarder vs. Browns and then 52- and 59-yarders vs. the Colts - I feel like Jake Elliott is going to have a historic season. Elliott already has the 11th-most field goals of 56 yards or more in NFL history with four and if anything his leg seems stronger now. Elliott holds franchise records for 50-yard field goals in a season (five in 2017) and a career (19), but depending on how aggressive Nick Sirianni and Brian Johnson are on fourth down, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Elliott make seven or eight 50-yarders this year, including a few from 55 and out. He’s that good.
10. The Chiefs lost their opener to the Lions Thursday without all-pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who’s in a contract holdout. Disgruntled Jonathan Taylor is on the Colts’ PUP list after trade talks went nowhere. Panthers linebacker Brian Burns boycotted two practices earlier this week as he tries to get his contract re-worked. Happens every year all over the NFL. Unhappy players, believing the contracts they signed in good faith a year or two earlier are obsolete, create distractions with threats, holdouts, dubious injuries and trade demands. Most of them wind up returning to their team or signing a new deal, but the damage is done. As anybody who watched Terrell Owens single-handedly dismantle the 2005 Eagles knows, one unhappy player can really derail a season. Which brings us to the Eagles and Howie Roseman. Ask yourself when was the last time an Eagles player held out for more money. Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis sort-of threatened to in 2015 but ultimately attended mandatory OTAs before getting released anyway. Of course, Roseman wasn’t GM in 2015, Chip Kelly was. When was the last ugly contract dispute under Howie’s watch? Malcolm Jenkins was vocal about wanting a new contract in 2019 but never made a big deal about it and certainly never left the team. Same with Zach Ertz in 2020. But the last time an Eagles player under contract actually sat out practices was in the summer of 2011, when DeSean Jackson – coming off a Pro Bowl 2010 season – skipped the first 11 days of training camp at Lehigh. That was 12 years ago. And we talk so much about Roseman’s ability to craft championship-caliber rosters year after year, to replace outstanding scouts who leave for promotions, to mine the waiver wire and late rounds of the draft for talent like Jordan Mailata, Reed Blankenship and Kenny Gainwell and to manage the salary cap year after year. But a truly underrated aspect of Roseman’s success as a general manager is his ability to keep players and agents happy, re-work contracts that deserve to be re-worked before they become an issue and keep the key veterans on the roster happy. It doesn’t mean all 53 guys on the roster are thrilled with their contract. Haason Reddick has good reason to feel he’s under-paid. But he’s handling it the right way. The word “holdout” has become obsolete around the NovaCare Complex, and the absence of the distractions unhappy stars can cause is a big part of this team’s success.
