Eagles' Nick Sirianni vs. Refs: A Kindler, Gentler Coach? Tracker

AUG 26 NICK VS. REFS Can an Eagles coach change his stripes?

Nick Sirianni, who can be "emotional,'' shall we say, on the sidelines, is suggesting that he is going to try to tone that down this year when it comes to the refs.

“We’re constantly trying to evolve everything that we do to -- you go through adversity and you think about, ‘What can I do better in adversity?’ I’ve worked a lot on a lot of different things just to make sure that I’m being the best head coach that I possibly can be,'' he said.

So ... like what?

“I was reading a leadership book this offseason,'' he said. "if you want everyone around you to have accountability and you want yourself to have accountability, then you fussing at the refs is not -- it’s almost like, ‘Hey, this happened, so I’m going to blame that ...

"When I read that, I was like, ‘Yeah, that hit me some sort of way.’ When I think about me with a referee potentially on the sideline and I complain about a call, is that really sending the right message to the rest of the team as far as our accountability goes ... When something goes wrong, the answer should be how do we fix this and what are the solutions, as opposed to looking for a scapegoat. ...''

Sirianni's volatility is part of his makeup. But would the Eagles benefit from him funneling all of that into a positive direction? Nick is trying to find out.

AUG 22 I DON'T KNOW Haason Reddick probably feels screwed over here. Maybe the New York Jets do, too. The only party who comes out a winner so far in the big offseason trade is your Eagles, as Reddick continues his holdout in the Big Apple.

Week 1 is coming. Reddick isn't there. And what does Jets coach Robert Saleh say about it all? What does he think about was asked about Reddick's availability for Week 1?

"I don't know,'' Saleh said. "I haven't really thought about it."

Is that intended to be a slap at the player? An effort to put him in his place, so to speak? It's certainly not warm and fuzzy ... leaving two of the three parties involved here terribly unhappy.

AUG 13 MILES TO DALLAS? The rumors persist that Eagles ex Miles Sanders might end up back in the NFC East ... with the rival Dallas Cowboys.

Sanders might be a better running back than anybody Dallas presently employs. But it's more complicated than than when we really examine what's up with Sanders, now laboring for the Panthers.

You see ... Miles Sanders is not presently available. And there is being floated around out there a great deal of misinformation about that.

Could he get cut by the Panthers because Carolina selected Jonathon Brooks from Texas in the NFL Draft while also having Chuba Hubbard on board? That's a theory being offered up - but the theory ignores the fact that the Panthers would, by cutting him, incur $7.5 million in dead money.

If he's so good - and he once was, in Philly, where with the Eagles in 2022 he had 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns - why would Carolina want to "pay the cap'' $7.5 million to not have him?

AUG 11 NEW MAN No, it's not that former Broncos safety.

The Eagles have signed Caden Sterns - yes, he is a former Broncos safety and they have released just-signed linebacker Shaq Quarterman.

Caden Sterns is no Justin Simmons, the All-Pro who remains on the free agency shelf.

But Caden Sterns will have to do. At least for now.

AUG 11 LAZARD TO EAGLES? To be clear, this is a "media proposal,'' not a team proposal.

But it's floating around out there: The Philadelphia Eagles should add to a wideout room presently topped by AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith by calling the New York Jets on vet Allen Lazard.

We're not sure why the Eagles are listed as a possible landing spot for Lazard by USA Today. ... but if there is any fire beneath the smoke?

We wonder - beyond the cap savings of moving Lazard - what the Jets get out of this "proposal.'' USA Today wants Philly to trade a "late-round pick'' for Lazard. ... But maybe they should ask his buddy Aaron Rodgers ...

Would you rather have Lazard now?

Or a "late-round pick'' for a time when you might no longer even be here?

AUG 10 – RODGERS RAMP UP – The New York Giants played their first preseason game on Thursday, beginning their summer circuit that will end on Aug. 24 against the New York Jets.

While the Jets begin their preseason on Saturday, they’ll do so without quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s healthy, nearly a year removed from his Achilles tear, but New York is taking every precaution. However, the Jets generally like to play their starters in the final preseason game.

Recently, head coach Robert Saleh spoke about that possibility.

“We haven’t had final decisions yet at all with regards to the third game,” Saleh said, via SNY. “You guys know me, the third game is usually when we like to play our guys and depending on how today went, how Saturday goes, and next week’s work with the Panthers and the following week with the Giants, I’ll make that decision.”

On whether or not that meant there’s a chance he lets Rodgers play, Saleh was brief, but seemingly open-minded.

“Yeah.”

Last year, Rodgers played well against the Giants, including a moment of trash talk with defensive lineman Jihad Ward. New York will have to wait and see if some exhibition game revenge is in store.

AUG 9 – ROURKE OFF THE BOARD – On Thursday, the New York Giants beat the Detroit Lions 14-3 to win their preseason opener.

In the process, they temporarily lost backup quarterback Drew Lock, who started the exhibition festivities. The quarterback went down with an oblique strain and hip pointer ( per Jordan Raanan ). Missing anything more than a few weeks would be unexpected.

Nevertheless, that left Tommy DeVito and Daniel Jones as the only quarterbacks on the roster, and opened the door for a short-term free agent signing.

Quarterback Nathan Rourke, who was with the Giants earlier in camp, figured to be an option – at least for those of us not up to date on the whereabouts of free agent quarterbacks. As it turns out, Rourke signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 4.

New York waived Rourke to let him find a better opportunity elsewhere, though the Falcons don’t present as such on paper. With the Giants needing a warm body for practice this week and the upcoming preseason contest, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he made his way back. For now, though, he remains off the board, forcing the Giants to look elsewhere.