There is not much brotherly love being shared for Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni after his "terrible" conduct on Sunday, and Dan Orlovsky believes Jason Kelce's retirement is starting to tell.
Sirianni and his team were booed during Sunday's ugly win over the lowly 1-4 Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field, with pockets of "Fire Nick" chants emanating from the stands. But after a clutch A.J. Brown catch put the Eagles in victory formation with a 20-16 lead, Sirianni decided to fire back at fans, talking trash to those sat behind the bench.
Sirianni made the unusual decision to attend his postgame press conference with his three children in an act many dubbed an attempt at deflection, and the 43-year-old told reporters that fans' audible criticism during games was counter-productive.
"We thrive off the crowd when they cheer for us. That's all I'll say," Sirianni said. "We hear them when they boo. We don't necessarily like it. I don't think that's productive for anybody. But when they cheer for us and when we've got them rolling, we love it."
Pundits across the board have roundly condemned Sirianni's actions in the aftermath of the win, with ESPN's Dan Orlovsky suggesting the retirement of Kelce in the offseason is taking its toll on the head coach.
Future Hall of Famer Kelce was the heartbeat of the organization, becoming one of the most beloved players in the history of the franchise. And 12-year NFL veteran Orlovsky told "First Take" that Sirianni has lost touch with fans since Kelce called time on his stellar career.
"Terrible look for Sirianni," Orlovsky said. "I always knew and felt the Eagles and Nick Sirianni would miss Jason Kelce on the field as a Hall of Fame center. I never put so much weight into realizing how much he would miss Jason Kelce off the field.
"Jason Kelce is one of the great Philadelphia athletes who totally understood that fanbase and expressed it in a way that 'When we're good, there's no-one that's going to have your back and cheer for you more than that fanbase. No-one. And when we're bad, they're going to let you know it.'
"There's something beautiful about that, and for Nick Sirianni to act that way after the game when you squeaked by Cleveland, who is in an absolute tailspin, by four points and go and talk to that fanbase."
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The Eagles boast one of the most passionate and dedicated fanbases in the NFL, and Orlovsky believes Sirianni's behavior on Sunday showed a lack of understanding.
He explained: "You know what any fanbase hates, and certainly Philadelphia? When you come across that you are better and more important than the fans. In that city, week to week, their happiness is dependent on how that football team performs because they truly believe they are part of the wins and the losses.
"For him to walk that way and talk that way and come across that 'I'm more important than you' and 'We don't actually need you' and you could talk to those fans in that way, it's a completely unaware feeling that you don't actually get it and you don't understand how those people want to be valued."
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