SI

Dan Orlovsky on Nick Sirianni: 'Don't Trust Him in Big Situations'

Nick Sirianni made some confusing decisions in Eagles's loss to the Falcons.

Kyle Koster

Sirianni's late-game management has once again become a concern.
Sirianni's late-game management has once again become a concern. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Philadelphia Eagles are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Despite being blessed with tremendous talent and a track record that suggests they can compete in Super Bowls, the team has somehow dropped nine of its past 11 games. The latest, a Monday night debacle against the Atlanta Falcons, reopened some wounds fans had hoped were completely healed.

Nick Sirianni's unorthodox and ultimately disastrous decision-making in the final minutes helped snag a defeat out of the jaws of victory and, once again, people are noticing that the guy on the sidelines has been a bit of a liability in the most crucial moments.

Dan Orlovsky, speaking on Get Up this morning, gave voice to this concern.

"The Eagles have really two issues: One, they can't stop the run at all," he said. "Two, I don't trust Nick Sirianni to manage the game. I don't trust him in big situations."

The good news for the Eagles and every other sports team is that nothing anyone says on television actually matters when it comes to accomplishing on-field goals. And if it did they can rest easy knowing that Colin Cowherd isn't panicking.

But it is a bit striking that Orlovsky can give a critique like this and the public pretty much accepts it because, yeah, Sirianni has been a problem from time to time. Breaking off a nice regular-season winning streak doesn't do much to assuage concerns because ultimately coach and franchise will be judged by what they do in the highest-leverage postseason moments. There aren't many legitimate contenders in the NFL where people are holding their breath for the next coaching mistake.

More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed

Published
Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

Home/Media