Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni got emotional defending former Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich Sunday.
Sirianni talked at length about Reich after the Eagles beat the Colts, 17-16.
“I love Frank Reich,” Sirianni said. “He’s one of the best damn football coaches I’ve ever been around, I was hoping him and I would be able to coach against each other in this game.”
Sirianni didn’t get a chance to coach against the man he called “one of my biggest mentors” because the Colts fired Reich after a 3-5-1 start. The team named former Colts Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday as interim coach, a move that drew widespread criticism around the NFL. A report a few days later claimed team owner Jim Irsay ignored the team’s top executives in hiring Saturday.
Sirianni, who served as the Colts’ offensive coordinator for three seasons under Reich before moving to Philadelphia, clearly had something he wanted to say about the firing but held back.
Nick Sirianni takes jab at Colts for firing Frank Reich
“I love Frank Reich. He’s one of the best damn football coaches I’ve ever been around.. you don’t want to know what I think, if he should be here or not, you guys can probably imagine what I really think” pic.twitter.com/kfrUDASCyH
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) November 20, 2022
“You don’t want to know what I think, if he should be here or not,” he said, “you guys can probably imagine what I really think.”
Some fans agreed with Sirianni, but quite a few felt he should have stayed in his own lane and worried about the Eagles.
“Not a shocking point of view given the Saturday hire is an affront to coaches like Sirianni who’ve worked their way up and paid their dues learning how to be professional coaches,” tweeted one fan.
“Big words from a guy who almost lost to a sub .500 team,” tweeted someone else.
https://twitter.com/crawdady21/status/1594449913919803395
Not a shocking point of view given the Saturday hire is an affront to coaches like Sirianni who've worked their way up and paid their dues learning how to be professional coaches.
— IV (@DaciusMaximus) November 20, 2022
Tell me again about paying dues, how many games has Sirianni played in the NFL? I trust experience leading a team with Peyton Manning pic.twitter.com/PlQEo1Y9MN
— Uncle Rigo (@IrsaysBurner) November 20, 2022
Jeff Saturday was a six time All Pro lineman in the NFL. Nick Sirianni played D3.
— Garth Chase (@GarthChase4) November 20, 2022
https://twitter.com/rblum22/status/1594428354664534018
It is quite funny watching people that claimed Nick Sirianni was the only reason Reich was good now actively discrediting his opinion lol
— indyiguess (@indyiguess) November 20, 2022
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.