Eagles Would be Wise to Steer Clear of Hall of Fame Head Coach

The specter of Bill Belichick possibly replacing Nick Sirianni adds to the pressure Philadelphia's head coach will feel this season

PHILADELPHIA – Every year brings its own set of pressures for an NFL head coach. They are, after all, hired to eventually be fired. Even Andy Reid stood in front of Jeffrey Lurie’s firing squad back in 2012.

Nick Sirianni is certainly no exception. Surprisingly or not, he is back to show that last year’s collapse well before the season’s finish line was nothing that can’t be fixed.

We will see about that.

The Philadelphia Eagles coach has, at least temporarily, escaped Lurie’s crosshairs for at least one more year. Maybe not even a full year depending on how the schedule’s first month or two unfolds.

 “Every coach is in a high-pressured situation,” said Lurie last month at the NFL’s annual owners’ meetings. “Nick has had a pretty spectacular first three seasons, and he’s shown all the ingredients to having outstanding success. So, I’m just looking forward. There’s no coach that’s not feeling pressure to perform. That’s the way it is in the National Football League. But wow, I think Nick has got all the ingredients, and I’m just really excited about this coming season.”

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni (L) and

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The pressure has been dialed up a notch with Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick waiting in the shadows ready to step into the light should Sirianni stumble badly enough that he is, like last year’s defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, before him, removed before all 17 regular-season games are played.

Hiring Belichick would be a mistake for the Eagles. Even though he has reportedly said he wouldn’t require total control of shaping the roster, there would be a certain player he would need to operate in a manner that allowed him to win 302 career games. That may require an overhaul of an Eagles roster that has several key pieces locked up for the next several years.

Perhaps the Eagles’ next head coach is already on staff, and that would be offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who interviewed for the head coaching position in 2021 when Philly opted to hire Sirianni intead.

Moore is another specter lurking in the shadows. Of course, if things quickly go south this season, the new OC may be a reason why.

As for Belichick, he can step in at a moment’s notice after the hiring cycle came and went without the longtime New England Patriots finding a job. He did speak to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman during the hiring process, but, per a story from ESPN, the talks never rose to the point of discussing the Philly’s head coaching position.

This is what Roseman does and is why the Eagles are always mentioned as potential destinations for free agents or trade candidates. He is always doing his due diligence and does check-ins.

That’s what his call to Belichick was – simply a check-in to see how Belichick was doing after he was out after the Patriots’ latest season of missing the playoffs, per ESPN. It’s no secret that Lurie, the Eagles owner, is fond of Belichick. Lurie is a New Englander and he has deep admiration and respect for Belichick.

ESPN reported that Belichick told confidants he would be interested in coaching the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Eagles. All three jobs could be open at the end of this season, if not sooner.

Perhaps it’s best to remember that Belichick is just 29-39 without Tom Brady at the controls, though losing his quarterback isn’t the only reason the Patriots missed the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. New England has made mostly disastrous decisions in both the draft and free agency that resulted in a severe talent drain.

For those reasons, the Eagles would be wise to steer clear of Belichick, even though he will some day be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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