How loyal is Nick Sirianni?
It was one of his toughest days as Philadelphia Eagles head coach on Sunday, as the defending champions aren’t defending any longer following a loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Eagles had gone through strife and drama all season long, but it felt like things would turn around once the postseason started. They went through similar melodrama last season, and it ended with them blowing out the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
There was no turnaround, and in the end, it was the maligned offense that came up short. Although the Eagles’ attack had a good game overall, Jalen Hurts, behind offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, couldn’t come up in the clutch and win the game on the final drive with everything set up for them.
Patullo has been a polarizing figure for Philadelphia throughout the season, as former OC Kellen Moore became the Saints’ head coach and helped improve their offense behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. As he succeeded, the Eagles’ attack took two or three steps backward, with running back Saquon Barkley going from MVP candidate to background character for parts of the season.
It got so bad that enraged Eagles fans found out where Patullo lived and threw rocks at his house, demanding his firing. Instead, Sirianni showed his loyalty to a coach he had been working with for years before promoting him, saying it was the entire staff’s job to lift up the team in all aspects of the game.
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NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo spoke about that bond between the two recently on The Anthony Gargano Show. He talked on how Patullo’s job was almost assuredly safe, except if one thing happened: a loss in the first round to the Niners.
Now that has happened, all bets are off, as the Eagles will need to process and grow from this season’s failure to try and get back to the top of the mountain a year from now.
Jalen Hurts spoke about Patullo after the loss, mirroring what Sirianni said earlier in the season, that it was not one person’s fault. He himself took a lion’s share of the blame for not coming up with the plays when his teams and fans needed him the most.
But no shielding from Hurts or Sirianni will stop the blame from reaching Patullo’s way, with now a full offseason of waiting to begin for a fanbase that has gotten accustomed to challenging for a ring every season.
So, how loyal is Nick Sirianni?
We’re about to find out.
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