NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles are rolling after their latest victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. However, that’s not to say that all issues are resolved, at least in the eyes of the media and some fans. Following their latest win, it’s time to apologize to Nick Sirianni, Kellen Moore, and Vic Fangio. They all deserve it.
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the midst of a 7-game winning streak which has the media back on the Eagles bandwagon. Fans and media turned on this team early in the season thanks to injuries and some questionable playcalling. With talks of firing their head coach, and learning a new offensive and defensive scheme while implementing young players at key positions on both sides of the ball, these coaches were facing harsh criticism.
Moore was dragged through the mud with his so-called “simple-minded” offensive schemes. While with the Dallas Cowboys, his offense was at the top of the rankings, but be it due to the players or schemes, those numbers tailed off in the playoffs, resulting in the Cowboys turning on him. With the Los Angeles Chargers, it was more of the same. Fans hated his playcalling, but a closer look would also reveal that the team was often injured. He coached what he had.
Moore came to the Philadelphia Eagles and the questions began as to why Howie Roseman would offer him a job with his track record. But his track record has been successful. Every play called is not going to work to perfection. Every drive is not going to result in touchdowns. But that’s what fans were looking for. Early on, the Moore and Eagles’ marriage was rocky due to not having his offensive weapons on the field as a healthy unit. But here they are running through the league.
Vic Fangio, for whatever reason was ran out of Miami with players taking shots at his defensive schemes. But look at what he has done with this Eagles bunch. They’re a mixture of young and veteran players and they sit atop the league as the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Fangio is an old-school coach who wants his players to take accountability. Heading into games, Fangio has this unit ready to take on any team no matter how good or awful their offense is.
Each week, there is a new obstacle and this group has done nothing but perform. Yes, there was growing pain early on, especially against the Atlanta Falcons where the secondary lost track of players. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the defense just stunk the place up. But since then, they have been on a tear. Fangio is not a household name like some of the other DCs but he should be.
As far as the head coach, well, this team has adopted his personality. People want to put to what transpired last season during the last collapse on his shoulders but there was so much turmoil going on that there was no way to stop the bleeding. Sirianni’s job was on the line according to sources but the Eagles never said that. It was people from the outside trying their best to make a claim as to what should happen.
We can point to the crazy sideline incident with Eagles fans but that’s what Philadelphia Eagles fans love. Sirianni is a winner. He has done nothing but win since he arrived in Philly and yet, that’s often overlooked because he speaks with his heart on his sleeve. This season, the team has finally gravitated towards his aura. He’s a risky coach but when talking to his players, that’s what they love about him.
It doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks, what matters is that his players and those above him think Sirianni is doing all the right things and his team is winning as they always have. His Eagles are 9-2 entering Week 13 and he’s now starting to get the praise that he should have always received.
All 3 of these coaches have had their names dragged through the mud. However, here they are with arguably the best team in the NFL. To all the haters, it’s okay to say you’re sorry.
