Eagles Nick Sirianni Oct 16, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reacts to a play against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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.

“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.

[Jeff Skversky]

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.