The media was wrong about Nick Sirianni — we all were.
As Rich Eisen put it, after a failed 2023 season, the only people who believed in Sirianni were the players. Rumors swirled that he’d only be fired for Bill Belichick, but an early playoff exit only fueled the fire heading into the 2024 season.
Colin Cowherd later floated that theory again two days after Christmas — because, of course, he did.
In any event, the whispers about Sirianni’s job security didn’t die down — neither did the calls for his firing.
And why would they?
Sirianni gift-wrapped a loss to the Atlanta Falcons with a baffling decision to pass instead of running out the clock — never mind Saquon Barkley’s inexplicable drop. His team got crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, barely edged out the New Orleans Saints, and then struggled to put away a Deshaun Watson-led Cleveland Browns team that couldn’t stop tripping over itself.
And after all that, he heckled his own fans.
A ‘clown‘ in all his glory.
Sirianni was rightfully criticized for using his kids as a “shield” during the backlash, though he denied it. The media didn’t buy it, and no one did.
Eagles fans didn’t need the media to tell them — just turn on 94WIP in mid-October, and everyone was calling for his job. A head coach with a Super Bowl appearance was about to be discarded like nothing. This is the same franchise that fired a coach with a statue outside Lincoln Financial Field and parted ways with Andy Reid.
Bill Simmons was ready to offer him a podcast on The Ringer. Colin Cowherd’s podcast co-host, John Middlekauff, called him a “borderline lock” to be gone in 2025. “He will not be the coach next year,” they said. And to be fair to Cowherd—who’s built a career on short-sighted takes — this wasn’t even one of his. But he still piled on, claiming Sirianni lacked self-awareness and just didn’t get it.
Fair points. But let’s not forget that four months ago, Cowherd wasn’t just predicting Sirianni’s demise — he was giving it an expiration date, saying he had “no chance” to remain the head coach of The Birds.
Dan Orlovsky admitted he was wrong about Sirianni.
“I definitely think you have to give him credit,” Orlovsky said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think he’s grown a lot throughout this season — for this team. The first six weeks of the season, there was a lot of questionable decisions, I would say. Taking points off the board; not taking points in certain situations; maybe being overly aggressive, at least in my or other people’s opinions.”
To be fair, it just wasn’t Orlovsky. But does he speak for the entire sports media?
Michael Lombardi questioned his decision-making. Dan Patrick said he doesn’t carry himself like a head coach.
And why not? The Eagles were unraveling. Sirianni looked lost. His team was getting embarrassed weekly.
The media didn’t just reflect the frustration of Eagles fans — it amplified it.
Then something changed.
Sirianni shaved his head — and the Eagles started winning.
The same analysts who spent months carving his gravestone suddenly became quieter. Some walked back, and others just moved on. The pile-on stopped—not because they had a change of heart, but because the standings left them no choice.
Sirianni didn’t argue. He didn’t plead his case. He just kept winning.
And perhaps he won’t walk away with a ring this weekend, but he’s 48-20 in four seasons.
Doubt has followed Sirianni since day one. His first press conference? A disaster, according to the media. His first season? He flipped a 2-5 start into a playoff berth. Then came 2022, when he made history — 14 wins, an NFC Championship, and a trip to the Super Bowl.
One-year wonder? Hardly.
He ran it back with another 14-win season, took down the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, and humiliated the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game in the process.
The takes have aged poorly. The narratives have collapsed. The same voices that buried him midseason are now silent. Because no matter how many times they counted him out, Sirianni keeps delivering the only response that matters — winning.
Does the media deserve all the blame here? Not entirely.
Sirianni contributed to his own demise. It’s a results-driven league, and his team flamed out with two questionable coordinator hires (Brian Johnson and Sean Desai). He ended up with Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore, who might be on the move after the Super Bowl. This leaves Sirianni with the possibility of hiring his third offensive coordinator since Shane Steichen bolted for Indianapolis.
That’s a bridge to cross when — and if — they get there.
The Ringer broke down all the key moments of Sirianni’s Eagles tenure — 11 of them, to be exact. And the truth is, without that turmoil, without the whispers and doubts, the Eagles don’t make it to New Orleans. Sure, there’s an argument that after a failed season, Sirianni deserved more than just four games to turn things around.
But let’s be real; the fans aren’t blameless, either. Philly fans, in particular, are notorious for turning on someone the moment things go south.
And the media? Right or not, they’re just echoing those same concerns.
Where were the Eagles fans defending one of their own? As much as Sirianni has ruffled feathers, he’s still one of them. “No one likes us, we don’t care” isn’t just a slogan — it’s a mindset. And for much of the past 18 months, nobody liked Sirianni.
Still, he kept his head down, shut out the noise and kept grinding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCSRnS9gpHM
He didn’t care.
They blocked out the outside distractions, went to work, and finished the regular season on an 11-1 run.
By this Sunday, they hadn’t lost since just a few days before Christmas. Think about that for a second: if someone still had their Christmas tree up or lights twinkling, you’d think they were out of their mind.
Sirianni might be a little out of his element at times, but it’s a reminder of how quickly sports media narratives can change on a dime. A coach who was practically pre-fired by your favorite commentator’s favorite talking head could be hoisting a Lombardi Trophy by the end of the weekend.
As for the media? It’s not their job to be cheerleaders for Sirianni or to wrap their arms around him, for that matter. But he deserves a little credit, especially when his back was against the wall, and everything seemed as bleak as it gets.
Because when it was all said and done, Nick Sirianni did what the media swore he couldn’t. He survived. He won. And if he’s hoisting a Lombardi this weekend, all the midseason obituaries and hot takes will be reduced to nothing more than footnotes in a story that was never theirs to write.
