Nick Sirianni responded to questions about Rocky, Santa Claus, and even which Eagles player he’d want his 5-year-old daughter to date in the future.
Welcome to Super Bowl opening night, where football discussion turns into a spectacle.
Returning for the first time since 2020, this kickoff to the NFL’s biggest week brought back its lively atmosphere. COVID-19 had pushed media interactions to virtual formats for the last two years.
Sirianni and the Eagles were the first to take the stage at Footprint Center, the home court of the Phoenix Suns. “Fly, Eagles, Fly” chants welcomed players and coaches before they spent an hour fielding diverse questions from over 2,000 media members.
Sirianni is a devoted fan of the Rocky films. He finds a connection with Sylvester Stallone’s character, as integral to Philadelphia’s identity as the cheesesteak.
“I live and coach in the greatest sports town in America,” Sirianni remarked. “It means so much to everybody there. That’s what you want. When you’re a little kid playing in a peewee football game, you want everybody to see you. You want your fans to love it. You want them to be there. You want them wearing green on Friday.
You want them to be throwing snowballs at Santa Claus. You want to put talent on display in front of the greatest sports town in America. I love the fact that my kids are growing up in a sports town where football means so much because football means so much to me.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, a finalist for the AP NFL MVP award, drew the largest crowd. Reporters began gathering around his spot an hour before the event started. Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, now an NFL Network analyst, posed the first question.
“I feel like it’s not a time to reflect,” Hurts said about his journey to stardom. “We came here to finish the job.”
This opening night was tamer compared to previous years.
In Arizona in 2008, a female reporter in a wedding dress proposed to Tom Brady, who was leading the New England Patriots toward a potential 19-0 season. Another radio host walked around shirtless, wearing a barrel. This year’s event leaned more towards odd questions than outrageous antics.