Henry McKenna
NFL Reporter
NEW ORLEANS — You can usually hear laughter outside the Philadelphia Eagles’ full-team meeting every Monday.
It’s time for film. It’s time for coach Nick Sirianni to do something a little different. All the players know what’s coming. And they look forward to it. What’s the overarching message?
“You can’t be great without the greatness of others,” Sirianni tells his players again and again.
That’s what this week is all about: greatness.
The Super Bowl is The Autobahn to legacy in the NFL, and it’s no coincidence that Sirianni has gotten his teams here in two of his first four seasons as a head coach. He knows as well as anyone how hard it is to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, who are vying for the first-ever three-peat, a run kicked off when K.C. beat Philly two years ago.
But these Monday film studies are not typical, where coaches usually emphasize that “the eye in the sky don’t lie.” That’s what most NFL players, coaches and fans think of when they hear about team meetings. Those sessions are about hand placement. They’re about leverage. They’re about quality coverage — or about beating it. They’re about X’s and O’s.
[Prepare for the epic Eagles-Chiefs matchup on FOX Sports’ Super Bowl LIX hub]
Sirianni does, of course, conduct those types of sessions. But he supplements them with a different kind of film.
Let’s call them the Emotional Highlights — the moments when members of the Eagles organization have shown love for one another, whether it’s mic’d up on the sideline, sharing praise in the media or celebrating big plays in the huddle or, even better, in the end zone. Sirianni plays a mashup of feel-good moments from every game to show how important they are to him — and to the team’s long-term success.
“It’s just not X’s and O’s,” Sirianni told me Monday during Super Bowl Opening Night. “This game is so much more than that. I think what you see from our team is guys that don’t want to let each other down, that truly love each other, that are selfless, that are celebrating together.
“And so, just like you do with the fundamentals of football or the execution of the play, you try to do the same thing with the brotherhood, because at the end of the day, it’s not the best groups of individuals that win football games, it’s the best teams. And the more parity there is, as you go further in the NFL [postseason], the more that’s important.”
In some ways, this is the way that Sirianni is reaching this new generation of players. He’s looking past the old-school and antiquated coaching methods of screaming at players until success arrives. Anyone who knows Sirianni knows that’s not his style.
“He does a great job,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said when asked about the meetings. “Everyone has their own different approach to how they go about their business, and he’s able to try and navigate his way. He’s been able to lead us to two NFC Championships and two opportunities here [in the Super Bowl]. … He’s been able to get us to where we are now.”
There was one expression I kept hearing from Eagles players. They feel like they have a “college locker room.” Tight end Dallas Goedert thinks the team has a rare sense of continuity. That’s in a literal sense. The core is largely the same over the past three years, particularly on offense. That’s unusual for the NFL, where players are constantly coming and going in trades and free agency. But there’s more to it than simply having the same players. In college, athletes live together. They train with each other in winter conditioning after the season is over. It’s an atmosphere that creates close relationships. The NFL doesn’t always do that.
And perhaps that’s why Sirianni loves these film sessions, which show his appreciation for … well, appreciation.
“He always preaches togetherness,” cornerback Darius Slay said. “He always shows the video after every game, like talking about how we become great, how we always appreciate each other. So one thing we know, we all stay tight as a team, man. We see each other as family.”
“It’s always a cool little reflection, a little reminder of who we are,” receiver Parris Campbell said.
Best of Philadelphia Eagles Opening Night
The atmosphere of openness creates an easygoing workplace.
Sirianni is, for example, the person that defensive tackle Josh Sweat said he calls more than anyone. And safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson does the same. Sirianni urges his players: “Call me.” Anytime, anywhere. To prove it, on Opening Night with Sirianni on a podium, Sweat tried to FaceTime with his coach. (Sirianni did not pick up, and probably didn’t even have his phone on him.)
Why does Sweat call Sirianni so often?
“Lots of complaining. Always complain to him. That’s my complaint line,” Sweat said. “Why we got this? Why we got that? I just be messing with him.”
All that honesty — and playfulness — comes from the safe space for communication between Sirianni and his players. One of the many places he sets a foundation to strengthen relationships with his players and between his players is in these meetings.
The team’s general manager can see that.
“When people are connected to each other, they want to play harder for each other,” Howie Roseman said. “They want to do more things together. And I think this is an incredibly connected team, and that starts with Nick.”
Communication is the grease that moves everything. It’s a huge organization with 79 players (including IR and practice squad), 25 coaches and 24 front-office members. It’s important to correct players (or anyone) when they make a mistake. Fix it. And move on. That’s the easy way of doing things. But Sirianni didn’t feel like it was appropriate to stop there.
“I think the guys like seeing those reactions,” Sirianni said. “Everyone needs to know they’re loved and appreciated. So to hear your teammate talk about you in the media and sing your praises in the media, we all like to hear that. And I think that it just further built the brotherhood of this football team.”
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
