Two days previous to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Professional Soccer Speak’s Mike Florio wrote about how “there’s smoke” to Nick Sirianni being changed by Invoice Belichick.
Clearly, that didn’t occur. The Eagles are shifting ahead with Sirianni … and a considerably revamped teaching employees round him. Belichick seems to be shut out of this 12 months’s teaching cycle.
However simply because Sirianni didn’t get changed by Belichick doesn’t imply the Eagles weren’t keen on going that route.
Or that it gained’t occur subsequent 12 months.
On that word, Greg Bedard of Boston Sports activities Journal had some attention-grabbing issues to say throughout Tuesday’s version of “Felger & Mazz” on 98.5 The Sports activities Hub (h/t to @IgglesCoverage).
BEDARD: Different scuttlebutt, so far as Invoice Belichick — and I had heard this earlier than — that Invoice, I believe he was … in some unspecified time in the future in time, issues went poorly with the Falcons or he thought it was going to go poorly and his eyes have been extra on subsequent 12 months. And his eyes are extra on the roles that might be opened up subsequent 12 months. Together with Dallas, presumably Buffalo.
In all probability essentially the most attention-grabbing factor that I’ve heard — and that is simply Senior Bowl rumor mill — is that the Eagles have been very keen on Belichick if issues didn’t work out with Nick Sirianni and so they might be on the entrance of the road if issues once more go poorly for [Sirianni] subsequent 12 months.
FELGER: Didn’t issues not work out with Nick Sirianni? Like, what does that imply? They bought blown out within the first spherical.
BEDARD: Effectively, sure, however just like Doug Pederson [after the 2020 season], Doug Pederson was coming again till he had that postseason assembly with Howie [Roseman] and Jeffrey Lurie. And so they needed Doug Pederson to do sure issues, hearth sure folks, and he wouldn’t do it, so he bought fired. Apparently, Nick Sirianni was amenable to all that stuff in order that they determined for another 12 months to maintain him.
However I do suppose— keep in mind, I informed you guys that, earlier than the tip of the season, groups had already reached out to Invoice, back-channeled on Invoice. I believed the Falcons have been positively one in every of them. I’m now fairly satisfied that the Eagles have been the opposite one. When issues have been going south, they thought this may finish poorly with Sirianni, and I wouldn’t be shocked given the connection that Howie and Invoice have that the Eagles have been a kind of groups to again channel by way of Invoice.
If Sirianni — in his seemingly diminished function — might help the Eagles get again on monitor to their successful methods, discuss his potential alternative choices will go away. That was as soon as the case for Mike McCarthy when it regarded like Sean Payton might be primed to exchange him in Dallas. Didn’t find yourself occurring.
However now Sirianni and McCarthy alike are set to enter the 2024 season with numerous strain on them. Their seats are sizzling. And so they’re solely going to get hotter in the event that they don’t win.
Within the occasion that issues don’t get higher for the Birds, Belichick because the Eagles’ head coach in 2025 (or sooner?!) may not be so far-fetched.
