The initial press conference was far from promising, and when the Eagles faltered early in Nick Sirianni’s debut season, many began to question the choice. After all, the previous head coach, who had been replaced after a successful stint, had delivered a championship and even earned a statue.
Yet, the season turned around, and Sirianni has led the Eagles back to the Super Bowl, five years after Doug Pederson’s team, underdog champions, had claimed the Lombardi Trophy from the New England Patriots. This time, the Eagles are slight favorites to win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
For Eagles fans who have grown to appreciate Sirianni and believe that general manager Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie made the right choice, a nod of thanks might be due to former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich.
Roseman, in a recent podcast with NBC’s Peter King, revealed that Reich was instrumental in Sirianni’s interview process. Following the decision to part ways with Pederson, the Eagles missed out on several top coaching candidates.
“I told our team, ‘If we look a year ahead, who would we want to hire? We’d have first pick of next year’s top coaches,’” Roseman explained. “I remembered Reich’s recommendation of Sirianni as the best coach he’d ever worked with. That stuck with me.”
Thus, Roseman and Lurie decided to interview Sirianni, who showed up casually in a white minivan and informal attire. Despite the unconventional appearance, Sirianni’s deep knowledge, enthusiasm, and alignment with the team’s values impressed them.
Roseman recalled that despite a shaky start to the season, Sirianni’s confidence and resilience were key indicators of his potential.