Could Nick Sirianni's antics unite Eagles and turn season around? It sure is looking that way

PHILADELPHIA -- Celebrating victories is a rite of passage in the NFL . Winning games is hard, Nick Sirianni will tell you himself.

What happens when the celebrations get over the top? That's the hole Sirianni dug himself into after Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns , running to find the shovel to bury himself.

Keep in mind Sirianni was celebrating a win over the Browns, one of the worst teams in the NFL. A team quarterbacked by one of the worst at his position, and certainly the worst contract in the league.

The Eagles got a win, and the victory was certainly nothing to brag about. Sirianni decided to anyway, gloating to the same fanbase that chanted "Fire Nick" earlier in the game. If fans can jeer at Sirianni, the head coach can jeer back at them right?

"Everybody doubts him and the people that don't doubt him is us," said C.J. Gardner-Johnson. "I don't think you guys know how much shit he takes on the daily and we gotta back him up for it. I'm proud that he's my coach and nobody else is my coach."

Sure it was a win over the Browns, but the players having Sirianni's back for his antics toward his own fans speak volumes. The "us against the world" mentality has worked in Philadelphia (see the 2017 Eagles Super Bowl run), but the fans were involved in the entire underdog story. Being underdogs defines the city of Philadelphia.

The Eagles locker room doesn't want the fans involved in what goes on behind the scenes. The players won't go to the lengths Sirianni does, because they respect the fans and what they provide for the team. Yet, fans don't dictate how they perform on the field.

"I love the fans, but the fans doesn't exist for me when I'm out there playing. It's just what it is," said A.J. Brown . "They may boo. They may cheer. We don't hear none of that.

"We're just trying to get going and stick to our game plan. There's no added pressure. As you see, we got going. And it happens."

Were Sirianni's antics to the fans part of a message to his players? No matter the adversity from the outside world, your head coach has your back? Sirianni's players wanted him to me more authentic, the version of Sirianni that helps them win football games.

If that involves bringing his kids to the podium, so be it. Firing back at your own fans to prove a point? If that's the version of Sirianni the Eagles want, they'll live with these antics.

"He believes in us. This roster is put together on talent, but it's put together with guys who want to play with him," Gardner-Johnson said. "If he could play he'd go out there right now, but playing for a coach like that is something we harp on and get behind.

"If he could strap it up, he would, too."

Perhaps there's a method to the madness. Sirianni can eat his word salad when the questions come his way, taking all the criticism while his players are just left to answer for him. Certainly easier than answering for themselves.

The method is unorthodox, yet it may just unite this Eagles team. They could play for the head coach that would go to war against Philadelphia fans to defend them.

With the Eagles getting the Giants (2-4), Bengals (2-4), Jaguars (1-5), and Cowboys (3-3) the next four games on the schedule, Philadelphia can significantly turn its season around. If the Eagles want to back their coach's questionable antics, here's the opportunity.

"I know they gonna eat the words that they say," said Brandon Graham . "I know that's what Nick is saying, too."