Who is the Eagles new head coach Nick Sirianni?

Who is the Eagles new head coach Nick Sirianni?

Ten long days after the Philadelphia Eagles fired their Super Bowl winning head coach Doug Pederson, they acquired Nick Sirianni, the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator.

For the last three years, Sirianni worked under Frank Reich, former Eagles offensive coordinator, who recently has been receiving more and more credit for the 2017 Super Bowl run.

Many have criticized the hire calling Sirianni a “Mini Frank Reich” or the Eagles trying to get a piece of Reich, because of the strong relationship and chemistry between Reich and Carson Wentz the Eagles Fifth year quarter who has struggled as of late.

Sirianni is only 39, which is on the younger side of coaches in the NFL, but he is very experienced. He has worked under some successful coaches and has helped put together some very successful teams.

The Eagles current head coach started his coaching career at the Division 3 school Mount Union as the defensive backs coach, and after two years at Mount Union, he brought his talents to the division two school Indiana University of Pennsylvania as a wide receiver coach.

Sirianni got his first crack at coaching in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs as a quarterback and wide receiver coach, in addition to working as an offensive quality control manager working under Todd Haley. Haley and Sirianni met at a YMCA back when Haley was a wide receivers coach for the Chicago Bears and when Sirianni was a receiver for Mount Union. They kept in touch until 2009 when Haley hired Sirianni.

In 2013, Sirianni left the Chiefs for the San Diego Chargers Quarterback coaching spot. In San Diego, Sirianni crossed paths with Frank Reich, the Chargers offensive coordinator at the time. They must have hit it off.

Reich was fired in 2015 and went on to become the Eagles offensive coordinator and win a Super Bowl in 2017. He was then hired as the Indianapolis Colts head coach. Sirianni stayed in San Diego after Reich left and spent one year in Los Angeles after the Chargers were relocated, but his former mentor asked him to join his coaching staff in Indianapolis as the offensive coordinator.

2018 was Sirianni’s first year as offensive coordinator; he helped bring the Colts to the second round of the playoffs. 2019 was probably his most challenging year after the Colts Pro Bowl Quarterback retired after a preseason game, even though having a losing season Sirianni showed he was more than capable to run a competent offense with a back up quarterback. In the 2020 season, Sirianni helped bring his team to the playoffs with former San Diego/LA Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers.

Sirianni wasn’t thought to be a prime candidate for the job, but his connection to Frank Reich most likely had a big part in him getting the job. Some fans may not like the hire but hopefully his experience he earned throughout his coaching career can help the Eagles get back on track.