The Eagles new head coach Nick Sirianni was a relatively unknown name among fans before the hire. The former Colts offensive coordinator entered the Eagles coaching conversation just two days ago. Sirianni, 39-years old, has coached in the NFL since 2009, spending time with the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers and the Colts.
Here are a few things to know about the new Eagles head coach.
1. He comes from a football family.
The Sirianni family is from central New York, where their father, Fran, coached Southwestern Central High School. Nick's brother, Jay, took over for their father as head coach. He went 101-26 in 12 seasons before retiring and being named the co-chair of Section 6 high school football. Their other brother, Mike, has spent nearly two decades as the head coach of William & Jefferson College, accumulating over 150 wins.
2. He has a great track record with quarterbacks.
The Eagles want a coach that can fix their quarterback position. Sirianni seems to check off that box, as he has gotten near career years out of both Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers. In 2018, after missing 2017 completely, Luck threw for 39 touchdowns and had a career-high 98.7 passer rating. Rivers had similar success with Sirianni in Indianapolis, finishing with a 97.0 quarterback rating, one of the highest of his 17-year career. Although Frank Reich certainly deserves some of the credit for that as well, it seems that with Sirianni helping to build the offense, quarterbacks have success.
3. He tried to play professional football.
While coaching as a defensive back coach at his alma mater, Mount Union, Sirianni convinced head coach Larry Kehres to let him moonlight as a wide receiver in something called the Atlantic Indoor Football League (AIFL). Sirianni would suit up for the Canton Legends, a team that lasted three years in existence before folding.