The relationship between Philadelphia’s professional sports teams is a complicated one, to say the least. A perceived expectation of excellence often means that fans in The City of Brotherly Love will boo their home team’s players to express dissatisfaction.
That complicated relationship was on display Sunday when Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni seemingly went out of his way to engage in a war of words with fans at Lincoln Financial Field during the final moments of a win over the Browns in Week 6.
Why would Sirianni talk trash to fans at a home game? Here is more on what happened during Philadelphia’s 20-16 win over Cleveland.
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What did Nick Sirianni say to Eagles fans?
In the final minute of the Eagles’ four-point win, Sirianni was captured walking toward the crowd while pointing at his ear. The angle makes it nearly impossible to discern what exactly Sirianni had to say but the message is seemingly a response to jeers received earlier in the game.
After the game, Sirianni didn’t share what he said to the fans, instead saying “Just excited to get the win,” when asked about the exchange.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni appears to have some words towards the crowd as the clocked ticked down in the Philly victory. pic.twitter.com/XILkMvVamD
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2024
To add more context to the exchange, Sirianni added that he has been told the team “wanted his outward energy back,” a reference to an element of looseness and fun in his approach to the game.
He did also make it clear that he’s not a big fan of the boos.
Nick Sirianni on #Eagles fans boo-ing the team during the game: “We thrive the crowd when they cheer for us. That’s all I’ll say.. We hear ’em when they boo. We don’t necessarily like it, I don’t think its productive for anybody. But when they cheer for us, we love it.” pic.twitter.com/mfDVNyO6xI
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) October 13, 2024
The Eagles entered Week 6 with a 2-2 record after an idle Week 5. Sirianni has been on the hot seat due to an underwhelming start to the season and Philadelphia got out to an uninspiring start out of the bye.
The widespread reaction to Sirianni’s moment has not been positive. Monday, ESPN’s Damien Woody did not hold back on Philadelphia’s head coach during an episode of “Get Up.”
“This dude is a clown,” Woody said of Sirianni. “You’re going to talk trash to the fans? Your own fans? Listen, people come out here and pay big money to come out and watch you put a product out on the field.
“When you don’t perform well, they have every right to boo you and you’re going to get all in your feelings because fans are booing you because your team stinks? Like, bro, come on.”
“This dude is a straight clown, bro. I just don’t have any respect for what this man is doing.”@damienwoody weighs in on Nick Sirianni’s postgame comments following the Eagles win vs. the Browns. pic.twitter.com/8qzyW5XM9n
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 14, 2024
During his Monday availability with the media, Sirianni offered an apology for his actions, saying “My energy should be all in on coaching and celebrating with our guys. I’ve got to have better wisdom and discernment on when to use it and that wasn’t the time.”
Nick Sirianni apologizes for yelling at Eagles fans yesterday
(yt/eagles) pic.twitter.com/OLKXpU2Hlf
— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) October 14, 2024
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With a struggling Browns team in town, the Eagles failed to score in the first quarter and got on the board with a 49-yard field goal early in the second. Late in the first half, the Eagles led 10-3 and had an opportunity to extend their lead with a field goal but it was instead blocked by Myles Garrett and returned for a Cleveland touchdown, tying the game at 10.
In response to the special teams gaffe, a cacophony of boos from the Philadelphia crowd could be heard on the broadcast for the remainder of the first half.
The Eagles barely snuck by the Browns, needing a big play from AJ Brown to effectively put the game away after the two-minute warning. Once the game was in the bag, Sirianni took the time to engage in banter with the home crowd.
After questions surrounding his job security, the win over Cleveland likely means Sirianni will maintain his post as Phildaelphia’s head coach for another week at least.
