The Philadelphia Eagles came to the new 2023 season with so much hope after making the Super Bowl the season before, only to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs.
There was excitement when the NFL resumed, and it translated on the gridiron. The Eagles won 10 of their first eleven.
Their world might have been turned upside down from there by some sorcerer.
The team went 1-5 in the eliminations, and all their struggle in the last six weeks culminated in a disastrous, listless performance in the Wildcard Round against the underdogs-the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They flew so high. They fell hard. Now, they are looking for someone to blame.
As they say, when teams win, the players get the credit. When they lose, it is the coach's fault.
That is what's happening right now with Nick Sirianni. In a poll conducted by ABC shortly after suffering the Buccaneers humiliation, 74 percent of respondents said the Eagles should let him go.
The 42-year-old coach joined the team in 2021, and they made post-season appearances in all the three seasons he's been there.
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He changed the Eagles' culture, so the management should not fire him for that reason alone.
If that is not enough, here are three other reasons why Sirianni should stay.
1. His record speaks for itself.
He has the highest winning percentage among all coaches in the Eagles history. He is also just one season removed from a Super Bowl appearance.
His system kept them within striking distance of the Super Bowl in his three seasons with them. He currently has a .667 win rate for a 34-17 record.
His relationship with the players is one of the many elements that propelled them to the top in those seasons. Even after the loss, all he could think about was his boys.
"I'm not thinking about that," he said. "I'm thinking about the guys. Again, there's a lot of guys in that locker room, all the guys in that locker room, every single one of them that put their heart and soul into this. I'm not worried about me."
2. Not entirely his fault.
To be fair to Sirianni, his squad dealt with multiple injuries in the second half of the season.
Darius Slay missed significant games. AJ Brown was not there in the Wildcard Round. Superstar Jalen Hurts was not 100 percent against the Buccaneers. Stars did not align for them.
The changes in the coordinator situation might have also affected their schemes.
Not only that, the players are getting old and it became apparent when many of them failed to keep up with the Buccaneers' offense.
3. They may be late in the coaching market.
Track-record-wise, Sirianni's is better than many other coaches out there. But a good pool of coaches is still looking for a head coaching job. There is Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll.
However, many teams already had a headstart compared to the Eagles, as they were already screening these guys.
Bill Belichick might be a legendary coach, but he is looking for a start-over. His best days are beyond him, too, if one is to look at the New England Patriots' performance in the last decade.
Sirianni has proven himself, and in the NFL, teams should be more patient. Three seasons is not enough.
Related article: Buccaneers vs Eagles - How Tampa Bay Pulled Off the Upset Against Philadelphia in Wildcard Round
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