New Orleans (AFP) – Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has never been afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, and ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs, he is embracing the emotions of the occasion. Two years ago, before the three-point loss to the Chiefs in Arizona, Sirianni provided one of the viral moments of that Super Bowl as he stood during the national anthem with tears streaming down his face. The defeat was a painful one for Sirianni, who had been fired from an assistant coaching job with the Chiefs when their head coach Andy Reid took over in Kansas City in 2013.
So when he was asked on Tuesday about his quarterback Jalen Hurts saying that Super Bowl defeat had “lit a fire” in him, Sirianni was quick to latch on to the theme. “I think adversity does something to you, right? And if you embrace adversity, it can shape you for who you are and obviously that’s been the case with Jalen and his career, but it is about embracing adversity,” he said. Sirianni said there was little dwelling on the 38-35 defeat to the Chiefs but that he is now able to view it as a part of the team’s progression. “We are grateful for that, thankful for that, as bad as it sucked at the time,” he said. “Speaking for myself, I’m grateful for that because it shaped us into who we are now and the big reason why we’re back here sitting here at this moment again. So embracing adversity is huge. For your development as a person, as a player, as a coach,” he added.
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Emotion has been evident among Sirianni’s players, with offensive lineman Mekhi Becton reacting with tears after the win over the Dallas Cowboys secured a place in the playoffs for the first time in his career. “I’m emotional, as you guys know,” said Sirianni. “I can’t tell you how many times after games I’m overcome with emotion. Mekhi and I have had some really awesome embraces after games. There have been games where Mekhi has just been exhausted and his body is tired and he’s limping off the field after a score, but he has that smile on his face and that connection with his teammates of: Man, I just gave everything up for you guys.”
Emotional highlights are also a significant aspect of Sirianni’s coaching approach. NFL players spend hours in rooms at their team’s training centers studying film and examining data as they seek to correct mistakes or prepare for specific challenges for the next game. But Sirianni takes a slightly different approach to regular Monday meetings. According to Fox Sports, he presents a highlights video of emotional or powerful moments in the game. “It’s just not Xs and Os. This game is so much more than that. I think what you see from our team is guys that don’t want to let each other down, that truly love each other, that are selfless, that are celebrating together,” he said. “And so, just like you do with the fundamentals of football or the execution of the play, you try to do the same thing with the brotherhood, because at the end of the day, it’s not the best groups of individuals that win football games, it’s the best teams,” he added.
It seems to work, with cornerback Darius Slay saying the ’emotional highlights’ have helped bond the team closer together. “He always preaches togetherness,” Slay said. “He always shows the video after every game, talking about how we become great, how we always appreciate each other. So one thing we know, we all stay tight as a team, man. We see each other as family.”
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