Sirianni won't stop repeating this one message to his team

[time2rock]

Sirianni won't stop repeating this one message to his team

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

Throughout the summer, people came up to Nick Sirianni and shared their expectations for the 2022 Eagles.

Guess what.

They were always astronomical.

And why wouldn’t they be? 

The Eagles made the playoffs last year in his first year as a head coach, then proceeded to crush the offseason.

"I can't tell you how many times this year somebody has come up to me and said, ‘Hey, NFC East, then we're going to have a home playoff game and win that one, then we'll just see what happens,’” Sirianni said.

Not so fast.

"Hey, we have training camp to do, right?” he said with a laugh.

So while the rest of us can talk about the Eagles winning the division, maybe winning a playoff game or two and making a run at the NFC Championship Game or maybe even more, Sirianni’s job this summer is to make sure his players don’t think that way.

That was a big part of Sirianni’s message to the team on Tuesday, on the eve of Sirianni’s second training camp. 

One step at a time. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Focus on today. These are age-old adages, but they’re crucial for this football team.

"When you are trying to climb a mountain, you don't look at the top of the mountain every single day and say, ‘I have to climb that,’”

"You look at the part of the mountain you have to climb that day and you focus on that. That's what training camp is about. You focus on the daily deposits.”

Sirianni did admit he’s never climbed a mountain. But that’s not the point.

The Eagles are in a position they haven’t been in for a while. They’re supposed to be good. They’re not going to sneak up on anybody. There’s a big, giant bull’s-eye on their back.

How will they handle it?

"My message to them was very clear … (Tuesday),” Sirianni said. "We talked about a track runner – Devon Allen was very into the story – we talked about a track runner that made daily deposits, and when it was time to cash the check, his check didn't bounce. He had the money in the bank, because every single day he worked hard. He worked hard every single day to make sure he was ready for the Olympics.

"That's the same thing with us. All the expectations are great, but it's day by day. It's, 'What are we going to do today to be ready to have a good pre-season game No. 1?' And so on and so forth. 

"So daily deposits. If you live in that world, then it doesn't matter if you're an underdog, your expectations are high. You're just working on how you get better every day. That's all we're focused on.”

Howie Roseman, sitting next to Sirianni on a podium adjacent to the NovaCare practice field, chimed in with a very good point: "Our most talented teams have not necessarily been our best teams.”

That’s why the last six Eagles teams projected by Vegas to win 10 or more games didn’t (2005, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019), and the last six Eagles teams that did win 10 or more games weren’t projected to (2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017).

Because you can load up on talent, but if you don’t put in the work and if you don’t come together as a group and you buy into the hype, all the talent in the world won’t matter.

You will lose.

Nobody knows that better than Eagles fans. 

"You can have all this talent, but them coming together and fitting the right pieces in place is the most important thing,” Roseman said. "That's what this camp is for. Coming together as a team.

"This is Philly. Obviously, there are always going to be expectations. We have to start that with having a good camp, having a competitive camp, getting guys ready for the start of the season.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-coach-nick-sirianni-wont-stop-repeating-one-message-his-team

[PoconoDon]

Siri has to forge them into a team and he has a lot of new guys to try with. He has to get everyone to prioritize "we" over "me". It's a big challenge and I hope he's up to it. If he is, then this season could be terrific.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Don't get ahead of yourself is the right approach. This roster looks really good on paper but that means nothing. But they've also got to deal with higher expectations. Last year most fans expected little and after a slow start expected even less.