There are plenty of valid reasons to go after Nick Sirianni. He oversaw one of the greatest collapses in NFL history in 2023. He can be immature and a distraction, such as when Jalen Hurts had to get him in line during Super Bowl LVII.
Most recently, cameras caught him chirping Eagles fans after a uninspiring win over the Browns on Sunday. (He may have been jawing with this fan . Or possibly this one .)
The reactions were swift and brutal:
But the most vicious criticism came from those who accused Sirianni of using his three kids to soften the atmosphere in the postgame press conference. From the Philadelphia Inquirer's Mike Sielski:
Sielski's full Inquirer article is available here ($).
Here's another example, from Boston Globe writer Ben Volin:
I think Sielski, Volin, and others went a little overboard with this particular criticism.
Reasonable people can disagree over whether it's appropriate to bring children to a press conference. I think coaches should probably not do that, and believe Sielski and others have a good point regarding professional journalists in the room trying to do their jobs. In a celebratory press conference after a Super Bowl win? Why not. In a media day sort of thing? Ok. After a lackluster performance at home against the Cleveland Browns... eh, not a great look.
But those accusing Sirianni of using the kids as "shields" are going too far. Whether the kids bother you or not, there's no indication that Sirianni's intention was to use them for any particular purpose. Here's what the coach said to WIP about it:
It's important to note that this isn't the first time the Sirianni clan showed up at a presser:
And one last defense of a guy I'm really not in the mood to defend: Did the kids' presence really make it harder to "lean into tough questions," as PHLY's Les Bowen suggested ? Seems like it would be annoying, sure. But I didn't see the little ones shutting down hostile questions.
In summary and conclusion, fire Nick Sirianni (but not because of the kids thing).
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