After Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni’s fiery interactions with fans in the final moments of the team’s Week 6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, reactions flooded in from all sides.
Some fans loved his energy, while most others found it immature and concerning … But what did the players think of their coach’s animated behavior?
In a candid conversation on The Edge, Micah Parsons’ Bleacher Report show, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay shared his perspective, shedding light on the emotions behind Sirianni’s antics.
“Yeah, I mean, coach just got back in the win collum, you know? He’s just excited, man, he’s just excited to get back into the win column because I know we gets booed just like everyone else gets booed at that stadium,” Slay said.
“So, you know, shoot, Nick just did it the best way he could, you know, show his personality a little bit. I saw that he apologized to the fans, which he should, these fans love him to death, and they appreciate him as a coach.
“But yeah, emotions get involved, I want people to know that we are human; that’s it, you know what I’m saying? We human, and that’s what makes it difficult out here. We wish we could be superheroes, but we ain’t; we’re human.”
As a team captain, Slay’s words suggest that Sirianni’s passionate outbursts don’t affect the team’s morale, but rather reflect a shared sense of urgency and emotion.
After the game, Sirianni addressed his emotional display during his media session, downplaying the criticism and explaining that his actions were all in good spirits.
“I was having fun. I was having fun and I kind of got some feedback from the guys of the sense of, ‘We need you back, Nick. We need your energy. We need your focus.’ I got that from a couple players,” Sirianni revealed.
“When I’m operating, having fun, I think that that breeds to the rest of the football team. If I want the guys to celebrate and be themselves after big plays, then I should probably do that myself, right?
“There are times for that and times that are not for that. I have to have wisdom and discernment of when to do that and when not to do that. It was just all out of fun.”
While Sirianni’s interactions with fans raised eyebrows, the head coach acknowledged that Philadelphia’s passionate crowd is a key part of the team’s energy, even when things get tense.
“Yeah, we thrive off the crowd when they cheer for us. That’s all I’ll say,” Sirianni noted. “When our crowd cheers for us, we thrive off of them.
“You know, we hear them when they boo. We don’t necessarily like it. I don’t think that’s productive for anybody. When they cheer for us, and we’ve got them rolling, we love it.”
Booing is a long-standing tradition for Philadelphia fans, but Sirianni knows the city’s intense football culture can also be a powerful advantage, especially when opposing quarterbacks struggle to call plays in a raucous environment like Lincoln Financial Field.
Having said that, even Sirianni realizes – at least deep-down – that the ice he’s skating on is becoming thinner and thinner by the week.
What are your thoughts on the whole Sirianni situation?
More importantly, how should Philly fans feel about Slay being such good friends with Micah Parsons???
