Nick Sirianni started his coaching career as an assistant at the Kansas City Chiefs and had to leave there when Andy Reid became head coach. In the super bowl he will now meet on Monday night (02/13/2022/CET) with the Philly Eagles to the Chiefs – and that Andy Reid.
In 2013, the then 31-year-old Sirianni was on the rise. Had an NFL career as a player on the field for the wide receivers never really been an issue in college. But definitely one on the edge of the field. And as an assistant coach at the chiefs he was actually doing pretty well right now. He was hired there as a young man in 2009 and continued to rise in the hierarchy.
Reid took over and fired Sirianni
In 2012 he finally became Wide receiver coach promoted, met his future wife during this time. The problem: The Kansas City chiefs just didn’t have any success.
Only two wins in the 2012 season, Head coach Romeo Crennel was fired and a veteran took over: Andy Reid had the for 13 years Philly Eagles trained.
Sirianni’s problem: Experienced head coaches often have their confidants and protégés to install on their coaching staff. So does Reid. And so shared this with the young Wide receiver coach as one of the first official acts with his dismissal.
What followed was the retreading of a franchise, who had not won a single playoff game in over ten years. Reid turned the Chiefs inside out and is now with them for the third time in the Super Bowl (Monday, live from 12:20 a.m. in the full radio report) – against his ex-team Philadelphia, in which Sirianni as head coach acts.
Hurts, Sirianni and Co. – Eagles upheaval in record time
When Sirianni started his first stint as head coach with the Eagles in 2021, expectations of the team were low. After the Super Bowl victory in the 2017 season, the squad had become older and more expensive, but the sporting success was lower – a change was imminent. With a new, inexperienced quarterback, Jalen Hurts, whose NFL suitability as a passer was doubted by some experts, and with the young and inexperienced head coach Sirianni.
But already in the first year together the duo Hurts/Sirianni achieved Philadelphia with strong defence the playoffs. And even if it was already over there in the first round, it was not difficult to see: Something is growing faster in Philadelphia than expected.
Sirianni quickly had one offense installed that accommodated the strengths and weaknesses of his very athletic quarterback. A lot of creative running game and at the same time as many “simple” decisions as possible for hurts in his passes.
That’s still the basis today, but Hurts’ passing game has improved significantly thanks to strong receivers Devonta Smith and AJ Brown, who are also still very young. Meanwhile, his deep passes are also a real danger, only a few starting quarterbacks throw the ball further than he does on average per pass attempt.
encounter with the past
Very helpful: The Eagles offensive line is among the best in the league, so Hurts has excellent protection from opposing players and time to make his decision and play to his strengths in running play.
Remarkable, by the way: your top players in the O line have the Eagles all selected themselves in the draft and no one was brought in “externally”. Center Jason Kelce was even drafted by Andy Reid. And so it is definitely an encounter with the past for both coaches on Sunday.
Odyssey across half the United States
“He really lifted me up during my exit interview and explained everything to me. I’ve remembered that interview throughout my career because it gave me a blueprint on how to tackle the really difficult aspects of this job“, says Sirianni. He had many crisis talks during his time with the Eagles so far, however, have not had to lead
Despite the dismissal, Sirianni has no trace of revenge against Reid. And that despite the fact that a real odyssey awaited him and his wife as a result. They had to get out of “their” Kansas City to San Diego move to Sirianni’s new employer and then shortly thereafter her main focus of life again for a year Los Angeles embarrassed because the Chargers changed their home location.
In 2018 it went further Indianapoliswhere Sirianni among the local colts got the chance when Offensive coordinator to hire, which is the second highest job in a coaching hierarchy. His good work there eventually landed him in the position for his first job as head coach in the NFL at the Eagles – and after only two seasons in the super bowl. As serious as the dismissal was at the time – who knows where Sirianni would be today if he had been allowed to keep his job back then.