The Thinking Behind the Eagles Friday Practice at the Linc
PHILADELPHIA - Another Nick Sirianni tweak was unveiled Friday when the Eagles head coach loaded up his troops and took the short trip down Pattison Avenue and across Broad Street to Lincoln Financial Field.
Asked why he took "Focused Friday" away from the NovaCare Complex and into the Linc, the rookie coach smiled - "We're going to play there on Sunday."
Then he got into the meat behind the decision as the Eagles (1-0) prepare for their home opener against San Francisco (1-0) on Sunday.
"I'm not saying it like that," Sirianni joked. "But it is, it really is the main reason why is so, hey, we're playing there Sunday. We have an easy trip to get over there. Not every stadium is right next to their facility. If it matters this much, it's worth it, right?"
In Sirianni's mind that rhetorical question is a resounding yes even if his team gains the slightest advantage.
"So the receivers get to see the ball a certain way in that stadium," he said. "The DBs get to see the ball. Jake [Elliott], Jalen [Hurts] get to feel the wind and how that moves in that stadium. Just the surroundings of being there getting ready, just practicing, executing plays in that stadium.
"I do really believe - is it a huge difference? Not a huge difference. Even if it's that much [Sirianni held two fingers close together], it's worth our time to go over there."
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Sirianni also wants to get as many players as possible comfortable in the home stadium.
"The other thing is that's our home field," he said. "If you get eight games or 10 games at that stadium, imagine how much more it feels like your home than when you're 20 games.
"So [I] put a lot of thought into that. There was one place I've done that before in the past. I always thought that was really a good idea. It was in Kansas City. The stadium was close to the practice facility, and that's why we do it."
The plan - barring things like the weather - is also going to continue throughout the season before home games, the coach told SI.com's Eagle Maven.
"Obviously, that [plan] can change here and there. That can change based off the weather, and different things go into it," Sirianni said. "That's my initial plan. Just being ready to adjust just like we do in a game."
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One thing that won't go into it is superstition, however.
"Back when I played, and even when I first started coaching, it was like I was very superstitious about a lot of different things," said the coach. "It was like it got like it bogged me down a little bit. As a coach, when I became a coach - maybe I did it for the first couple years, and then I'm like, ‘I can't keep up with this.’
"I guess my superstition or my routine is to not be superstitious. That's really the fact. I think a lot of coaches are, and they'll be like, ‘Whoa, we sat here last week.’ I'll purposely sit somewhere else. That's just me."
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
